10 Most Expensive Rock & Metal Albums Ever Made

Def Leppard's Hysteria is a classic record filled with chart toppers, show stoppers and anthems. The most remarkable aspect of its creation is what some of the band members went through during its recording, and that at one time it was reported that it would need to sell over five million copies just to break even.

The album was produced by AC/DC veteran Robert "Mutt" Lange, whose producing technique was both time consuming and exhausting. This could have been the only issue with the album, however, as the band members (a rarity) were mostly at peace with one another, but things were ruined by a series of injuries and accidents.

In 1984, drummer Rick Allen was involved a car accident which saw him lose his left arm. He was adamant he could return to finish the album and spent a year learning to play drums on a customised kit. Lange was also involved in an accident and injured his leg, and the band were forced to wait for his return. Even singer Joe Elliott was written off at one point because of the mumps.

The delayed studio time, the mixing, the custom drum kits and the stop-and-start nature of the process saw the album's cost sky rocket, but everything worked out in the end, as Hysteria has now sold 25 million copies worldwide.

The band promised their next, cheaper album (Adrenalize) would be released much quicker, but after lead guitarist Steve Clark passed away fans were without a new record for another five years.