Def Leppard News - JOE ELLIOTT On New Songs/DEF LEPPARD Making Next Album In Their Own Time

Sunday, 29th December 2019

JOE ELLIOTT On New Songs/DEF LEPPARD Making Next Album In Their Own Time

By dltourhistory

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was interviewed last week and gave an update on new songs and the next studio album.

Joe was speaking with DJ Eddie Trunk on his Trunk Nation show on 20th December to promote The Stadium Tour.

During the lengthy (and very newsworthy chat) he gave an update on new songs and when we can expect another studio album to be released.

Joe talked about his time at home with family, 2020 tour, Down 'n' Outz album, potential DNO shows in 2020, Goodnight Mr. Jones David Bowie Tribute, Stadium tour 2020 ticket sales, Motley Crue/Poison Band Disfunction, Co-Headlining/Set Times, The Stadium Tour Production, A proper biopic on the Def Leppard story?, 40th Anniversary OTTN Release, Record Store Day 2020/Videos Reissues, New Def Leppard Songs and the 2015 self-titled album.

New Def Leppard Songs

New songs are being written all the time by various band members with Joe saying they have "a lot of stuff cooking".

Next Def Leppard Studio Album

Joe says the band "absolutely do" want to make another album and are planning to record and release it in their "own sweet time". This is Joe's first mention of another album since October 2019 when he said the band were "actively writing". And that himself, Sav and Phil all have a "bunch" of songs on the go.

2015 Self-Titled Album

Joe also talked briefly about the 2015 album which celebrated it's 4th anniversary in late October. And wondered whether the band could repeat the way that album was almost "accidentally" recorded in 2014.

Listen to the full 55 minute interview below.

Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).

Trunk Nation - Joe Elliott Interview Quotes

New Def Leppard Songs/Music Industry

"Yeah we do. We've got a lot of stuff cooking, but we just...it's just prioritising what's...you see there's too many people in the industry Eddie that believe in the original blueprint of what we did and it's moved on. And they don't seem to want to accept that you know."

"We get a lot of criticism from all quarters. Fans, media saying that we're not concentrating on getting new music out there. It's not that important at this time in our career. What's important right now for...you look at The Eagles. You look at Fleetwood Mac. You look at KISS or Aerosmith. People want to see them live."

"Ticket sales prove that. They can all put new records out. They don't sell anything like their original albums did. It just is the way that it is."

"It took a lot of people a long time to accept that fact. We still wanna make new music. Don't get me wrong. We absolutely do. But we were one of the first bands to not put an album out every year. You know back in the day you think about Lizzy, Rush, UFO. There was a...you cam date their albums to a year. Literally if you're a fan you know."

"And then towards the '80s it started to break out into maybe an album every two years. We were the band that went 1980 to '81, to '83 to '87 to '92 to '96 to '99 to 2002. We went into a three year cycle because the touring thing was so much more important. And right now looking at these tickets sales."

Importance Of Touring

"I don't know if you saw the Pollstar article yesterday but that first day, the day the tickets went on sale. We shifted 700,000 tickets. There's no way on Earth that any of the band's on that tour will shift 700,000 albums in the same period of time."

"So it is not a massive priority to make new music. But what you've got is, whether it be The Stones or whether it be The Who. Who've just released only their second album since 1982. You know The Who have been touring all this time because it's what people want. And it's what they want."

"When we started this band. We didn't start this band and get together in a little rehearsal room going 'Well I can't wait to spend hour and hours in the studio'. Nobody ever said that. What we did is like we can't wait to be on Top Of The Pops or we can't wait to get on stage and we still are."

"You know we made records so we could get out on the road. We used to tour to promote albums. Now you will put an album out to promote a tour. And now it's like well you don't even have to put an album out any more. Now don't get me wrong. We absolutely are writing. We do wanna make a record. But we're gonna make it in our own sweet time so it's a good album, not a rushed album with some A and R man going 'I don't hear a single'. Or tapping their watch face going 'We need it by the third quarter'. We are gonna make a record when we have the time to do it. But the priority as these ticket sales rove, is us playing in front of our fans. That's what they want otherwise they wouldn't be buying the tickets."

New New Music/Next Def Leppard Album

"For what it's worth and it's not really...I'm not saying it to justify anything, but you know the Down 'n' Outz album just came out. Vivian released the second Last In Line album only a few months ago. The most recent Delta Deep album was only what maybe 15, 16 months ago. So as individuals we are always very active when it comes to putting work out."

"I just did a charity single in the UK for Planet Rock with the other station that I DJ for. That involved people like Justin Hawkins from The Darkness and loads of British artists. You know we're forever dipping our toe into doing something new. We're always recording something. Leppard will make something. But the enjoyment that we are getting at the moment of being together, the camaraderie that we have playing in front of an audience and watching the audience grow. To the point where 42 years since we got together we're technically now playing in front of more people than we ever have."

"It's like why would we want to upturn that apple cart right now you know. And by shutting down the entire, you know, operation to spend two years behind closed curtains scratching our heads coming up with songs. We'll write them as we go along. Like we did the last album."

2015 Def Leppard Album

"You know the last Def Leppard album which came out in 2015 was an accident. We were supposed to only write three songs and put out an E.P.. But we just all had so many things that we ended up with 12 tracks which became 14 tracks you know. So we had so much fun doing that record because we didn't realise we were making it."

"I don't know whether you can do that twice in your life. But it would be great if the next album had the same kind of energy which is invisible if you like. No pressure. Just write songs that we felt comfortable with. We weren't trying to compete with our past. We weren't trying to break down barriers or go places we've never been. You know like you're never gonna get reggae coming out of a Def Leppard record. We're always gonna be who we are you know. Melodic hard rock. Big choruses, big guitars. That's what we do and that's what we'll continue to do."