Def Leppard, Hysteria

Embroidery stitched directly through a vinyl record sleeve.

12x12x2 inches, framed in acrylic.

     Def Leppard’s follow up to Pyromania didn’t fail to impress, even after fans waited four years for the release. In the 80’s, bands used to release an album every year or so followed by a tour. This was before MTV or the internet so in order to get radio play bands had to constantly produce music, waiting 4 years was unheard of at the time. During that time period Rick Allen, the drummer was in a devastating cast accident and he lost an arm. Instead of giving up he reinvented his playing style and learned to play drums with one arm, which he continues to do to this day, hence the wait for Hysteria. Like I said earlier it was worth the wait with hits like Pour some sugar on me, Hysteria, Animal and Women. The album art is classic 80’s graphic design, slick with hidden imagery. I embroidered this album using a multitude of different techniques including wool thread, yarn and appliqué patches. The mixing of all of these techniques creates an interesting textural look to the piece.