Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 1: Slippery When Wet vs Hysteria

[KevShmev]

Both of these were monster albums in the latter half of the 80's, with scores of hits from each.  Two albums that were impossible to avoid if you were anywhere close to rock radio or MTV.

But which do you think is better?

I will go with Bon Jovi.  I was never that keen on some of those deep cuts from Hysteria, and even a few of the hits are ones I always thought were pretty average.  Slippery When Wet is still pretty enjoyable from start to finish, when the mood strikes me once a year to give it a full listen.

[TAC]

Slippery When Wet all day long. Not even close in my mind. Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

[Cool Chris]

I do not know Slippery When Wet well. Hysteria was my second "favorite album" and endured as #1 until Images and Words. I cannot speak to which is "better." Hysteria had more of an impact on adolescent me, and I will still listen to some songs on occasion, though I mentally have it filed under "Retired Favorites."

[cfmoran13]

Overall, I like Def Leppard much better as a band over Bon Jovi.  And, I have a soft spot for Hysteria.  I remember winning the cassette on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore after seeing the video for "Women" on MTV in our hotel room during a rainstorm.  I had no idea Def Leppard's new album had even come out but I had to have it.  I wore that thing out.  I even got to see them twice on that tour.

But, comparing the albums, track by track, I have to say Slippery When Wet holds up better.  I absolutely hate (always have) "Rocket".  "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is way too cheesy.  And, a few songs from Hysteria's Side B are kinda throwaway to me ("Don't Shoot Shotgun", "Excitable").  I think "Hysteria" and "Love and Affection" are great ballads.  But, they're not enough to topple Slippery When Wet.  It would have been a better album if the B-sides had been on the actual album ("Tear It Down", "Ride Into The Sun", "I Want To Be Your Hero"). 

To me, SWW is just a much more consistent album.  In my opinion, "Social Disease" is the weakest song on the album, complete with the Desmond Child horns.  As overplayed as they are, "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Living On A Prayer" are pop rock masterpieces.  And, "Wanted Dead Or Alive" is my favorite song they've ever done.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

As much as I like Slippery When Wet, I think Hysteria has more staying power for me. Even though I hate Pour Some Sugar On Me.... (dumb song)

In the end, both albums are really close...

[ProfessorPeart]

I cannot stand Bon Jovi.

Hysteria was the end of Def Lep for me, but there were still some decent songs on it. That Early Years set from them is where it's at.

Hysteria all the way.

[wolfking]

I've never listened to either of these albums.  Never a fan of Bon Jovi at all and I always hated DL's late 80's hits.

[pg1067]

Easy...SWW has a few good songs; Hysteria has none.

[Zoom E]

Although I do own Slippery When Wet, I’m not a Bon Jovi fan. l’m picking Hysteria even though it was/is a disappointing album.

[Cruithne]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

[MirrorMask]

WHOOOOHOOO WE'RE HALFWAY THERE

[DTA]

Slippery. Hysteria is good but I feel like it just goes on way too long for my liking.

[King Postwhore]

Boni Jovi.  I just like the album more than the DL one.

[bosk1]

Great poll.  Two really fantastic albums here.  Depending on what criteria I use, I could come down either way.  But I'm not going to overthink it.  Hysteria was a VERY long-anticipated album from my then-favorite band.  It had a TON of hits, and some solid B-sides, and was an album I played nonstop, to the point where I had to have multiple copies.  Although Slippery was an essential part of the soundtrack of my youth, I have to go with Hysteria.

[soupytwist]

Hysteria for me.  I think song for song it's a far more interesting album, whereas Slippery is a pretty conventional 80's hair rock album, still enjoyable enough but fairly indistinguishable with a lot of albums of that period.

[HOF]

When I was younger I probably would have said Bon Jovi, but I almost never listen to them anymore and especially not the big hits from SWW. I will occasionally still pop on Hysteria though (even if I’d also skip a few of the hits of that one as well). The title track and Gods of War are two songs I still really dig.

[nick_z]

Went for Slippery When Wet. Fantastic album. "Wanted Dead or Alive" is my favorite Bon Jovi song.

Hysteria was a pretty amazing accomplishment production-wise (whether one actually likes that production or not) and has some genre-defining songs, but I don't love it quite as much.

[T-ski]

I wore out my Hysteria cassette back in the day and Gods of War is the amazing.

Hysteria for me.

[hefdaddy42]

Hysteria, by a nipple.

[cramx3]

Hysteria, but not by much.  I guess I just like DL more than JBJ

[TAC]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

Sure they traded on the looks, but Mutt Lange's productions turned Def Leppard into the NKOTB of hard rock.

[King Postwhore]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

Sure they traded on the looks, but Mutt Lange's productions turned Def Leppard into the NKOTB of hard rock.

Except for High N' Dry though right Tim?

[TAC]

Right. High n Dry is one of the greatest albums of the 80's. It real music. The drums are real and it's not over produced shlock.

[hefdaddy42]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

Sure they traded on the looks, but Mutt Lange's productions turned Def Leppard into the NKOTB of hard rock.

He also turned them into the sales champion of hard rock.

[TAC]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

Sure they traded on the looks, but Mutt Lange's productions turned Def Leppard into the NKOTB of hard rock.

He also turned them into the sales champion of hard rock.

Can't argue with that.

[cramx3]

Right. High n Dry is one of the greatest albums of the 80's. It real music. The drums are real and it's not over produced shlock.

Can the, at the time, newly one armed drummer get a break? 

[TAC]

Right. High n Dry is one of the greatest albums of the 80's. It real music. The drums are real and it's not over produced shlock.

Can the, at the time, newly one armed drummer get a break? 

Well he had BOTH arms for Pyromania and all Mutt allowed him to do was hit his cymbals.

[cramx3]

Right. High n Dry is one of the greatest albums of the 80's. It real music. The drums are real and it's not over produced shlock.

Can the, at the time, newly one armed drummer get a break? 

Well he had BOTH arms for Pyromania and all Mutt allowed him to do was hit his cymbals.

Yeah, I mean, there's no denying their sound and style changed.  High n Dry is their best album IMO too.

[KevShmev]

Slippery When Wet all day long. Not even close in my mind. Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Plus, by the time Def Leppard had seen a million faces, Jon Bon had rocked them all.

[Setlist Scotty]

Bon Jovi was the real deal. Def Leppard was a Mutt Lange boy band.

Bon Jovi never traded on the looks of Jon and Sambora, huh?

Sure they traded on the looks, but Mutt Lange's productions turned Def Leppard into the NKOTB of hard rock.

As if Desmond Child didn't make a difference in improving Bon Jovi's popularity...

[TAC]

Sure Desmond Child was a great songwriter, but Hysteria isn't even music.

[Setlist Scotty]

Sure Desmond Child was a great songwriter, but Hysteria isn't even music.

Beg to differ on that one. Hysteria gets my vote.

[TAC]

You can beg.

[Cruithne]

Yeah, I mean, there's no denying their sound and style changed.  High n Dry is their best album IMO too.

High 'n' Dry was just the Mutt Lange AC/DC production brought across to Def Leppard. I don't think Leppard had anyone in the band who was really capable of crafting the sound they wanted so it was left up to Mutt Lange and his team to get them there.

Their songwriting clearly shifted after Pyromania as Collen wasn't coming in with the kind of material Willis did and Hysteria was seemingly less Clark driven than prior albums (how much Mutt added to the the songwriting isn't clear), though why Joe Elliott now tries to pass Clark off as just a riff writer when he used to speak of him as the man who wrote most of the music is anyone's guess.

When Clark died they lost their secret sauce, as far as I'm concerned. They've put out solid albums and the occasional corker of a song but the edge went out of their music. Vivian Campbell seemed to be a solid replacement at the time but the riffs Joe Elliott was talking about hearing at sound checks and hoping to get on future Leppard records never materialised in Campbell's contributions and he seemed more interested in singing and what he looked like with his shirt off than playing his guitar properly.

Bon Jovi knocked it out of the park with Slippery When Wet, but Hysteria is my second favourite record of all time (behind Mindcrime) so it's never winning my vote in this instance.

[Lowdz]

It’s like choosing between my kids. Can’t do it. I love them both. I prefer New Jersey and High n Dry to both, but only just.