10 Hard Rock Albums That Were Worth The Wait

10. Def Leppard - Hysteria

In January 1983, glam metal was in its stride.

Quiet Riot were topping the charts, the likes of Kix, Mötley Crüe, and Lita Ford were all coming through, Kiss steering even more heavily into glam, and some lads from the Steel City in the UK decided to challenge all of them as Def Leppard released Pyromania.

Armed with the likes of 'Photograph', 'Rock of Ages' and 'Foolin'', Leppard achieved mainstream success particularly in the US as it averaged around 100,000 sales per week in its debut year. Packed with momentum, new popularity, and a new guitarist in Phil Collen, the band set to work on a follow-up.

However, the journey to what would be Hysteria was marred by problems. The band struggled to secure a producer, frontman Joe Elliot had a bout of mumps, and most famously, drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1984.

The delays in-between albums only made the hearts of Def Leppard's UK fanbase grow stronger as when Hysteria was finally released in 1987, the album dominated the tops of the UK charts. Sporting iconic hits such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "Women", and "Animal", Hysteria remains a staple of hard rock, glam, and drunken karaoke to this day.