DEF LEPPARD's JOE ELLIOTT On DRASTIC SYMPHONIES Origin/PSSOM Version

Thursday, 11th May 2023

Def Leppard 2023

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was recently interviewed and mentioned the new Drastic Symphonies album and PSSOM version.

The new album Drastic Symphonies will be released on Friday 19th May.

The album will feature 16 classic Def Leppard songs reworked and reimagined with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The first single 'Animal' was released to digital and streaming services on the same day as the announcement - listen below.

Joe Elliott Drastic Symphonies Interview

Joe was recently interviewed by Yahoo! Entertainment to promote the new album.

In a very lengthy chart Joe talked about the new Drastic Symphonies album, Emm Gryner on PSSOM, watching the orchestra at Abbey Road, big ambitions of the band, Taylor Swift/Alison KraussTim McGraw, female audience, High 'n' Dry, MTV, Photograph, BOTH/Mariah Carey, Taylor Hawkins Tribute/Miley Cyrus, Slang album, Pyromania/Thomas Dolby Keyboards, Drastic Symphonies Live Shows and new song/future plans.

Read some quotes from the interview below and watch the full 47 minute video.

Drastic Symphonies Album

Joe explained how the album project came about during lockdown as the band were finishing off 'Diamond tar Halos'.

PSSOM/Emm Gryner Duet

He also explain how the Emm Gryner's involvement happened and that it was Sav's idea to cover her cover version.

Emm had revealed the news herself on her own website in April along with a further reveal in the new Classic Rock Magazine review.

Drastic Symphonies Live Shows

Joe said the band have not yet made any live show plans to play with an orchestra.

This differs slightly from Joe's words when talking to Radio 2 in March when he suggested a Vegas residency was already being put together for either 2024 or 2025 and likely with an orchestra involved.

New Songs/Future Plans

Joe once again mentioned another album and the songs not quite finished for the last album which were first mentioned in 2022.

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).

Def Leppard 2023.

Joe Elliott May 2023 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

Being At Abbey Road/Working With An Orchestra

Joe Elliott

"We've done so many things in our career that we hoped for but we didn't necessarily think would happen because they don't always..."

"I mean look, when the Lottery's at 300 million and somebody walked into a gas station and buys a ticket. Do they really think they're gonna win?. But they won't if they don't buy a ticket."

"So that's the metaphor really isn't it, you know. we've achieved so much yet we still don't think we've achieved - but there's so much more that we want to achieve."

"And sometimes we don't know what it is until it's presented to us. So it's not like we're going foraging through the forest for stuff. Sometimes people just come up to us and go 'Hey how do you fancy this?'. And we're propositioned."

"And with Diamond Star Halos it just found its own feet. We worked it out for ourselves, 'cause we're in lockdown, there's nothing else we can do. Let's try and make an album remotely. We pulled that off."

Def Leppard 2023.

Drastic Symphonies Album Origin

Joe Elliott

"We decided to keep pulling it off by pulling it out. Allowing it to be released during the pandemic. So we sat on it for a year. And it's like OK so what can we do now then?."

"We had to deliver the record because there's a nine month waiting list for vinyl. So we let the thing go. It's done, no more songs, but what now? you know."

"And then this opportunity is presented to us by the label that we have just resigned to, because we were free. We had the catalogue with Universal but until just a few months before we'd completed Diamond Star Halos we didn't have a record deal for the new record."

"But they wanted it and we get on really well with them these days. Great people that we're working with there."

"And they said no we want the new album. So that went through the process. And it was all wonderful."

"But while we're waiting around for a year to put it out 'cause we refused to put it out in the pandemic. They made the suggestion of how would you fancy doing some of the songs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?."

"And then the examples that were put in front of us were Elvis, and The Beach Boys. And we realised when we listened to them when we thought about them that those artists weren't really in a position to get too involved in it."

"For one reason or another and we were. And we said no to - yeah we'll do it but not just to make the sleeve look good."

"So we're not gonna do Photograph, Rock Of Ages, Let's Get Rocked, if they sound hideous. And when we had got Eric Gorfain our string arranger whose got a keyboard with all of stuff sampled on it ."

"So he can score it, send us an MP3 demo of a fake orchestra that sounds incredibly real, 'cause that's how you do it you know."

"And we'd listen to it and straight away 10 seconds into the original version of Sugar we go 'Nope, absolutely not!. It's f**king hideous!'."

Pour Some Sugar On Me Drastic Symphonies Version/Emm Gryner

Joe Elliott

"Yes exactly but - the reason why it did is because the original version didn't work. And, you know, to play it on cellos is just no, you know."

"And the ame goes for Rock Of Ages and Photograph. So we will do as many hits as we can but we wanna go more symphonic."

"So for every hit we said there's got to be the yin and the yang. So this is why the album opens up with Turn To Dust."

"We wanted to make a statement that this is not just butter on a piece of toast."

"We wanted the icing on the cake. We wanted that cake chopped and put back in the pan. And reimagined and with different ingredients."

"And so you listen to Animal and there's barely a Leppard on it except me until towards the end. And then we've changed the drum parts. And we've re-EQ'd all the instruments. We took more off than we put on."

"We wanted the orchestra to be the lead role in this record."

"And because Sugar was so obviously not gonna work in its original form. And you know the record company are dying to have hits on tis thing, of course they are."

"It was Sav who said why don't we do Emm's version. And to expand on that, Emm Gryner, good friend of ours. Canadian songstress."

"She's probably got about. i think she's got about 28 solo albums out by now."

Def Leppard 2023.

Emm Gryner/PSSOM

Joe Elliott

"I came across her when she was singing backing vocals with David Bowie in 1999. And as I was introduced to her Mark Plati, David's bass played and producer said you really need to listen to her version of your song."

"It's kind of out there."

"So she gave me an MP3. No she didn't 'cause it was '99. She posted me a CD. But my point is she did the song as like a kind of a Billie Holiday blues Jazz ballad on a piano."

"And when I played it to the rest of the guys they were like going oh my god this is great 'cause most peopel cove rour songs. they just cover our songs you know like a bar band or whatever."

"This was somebody that had completely went, you know, hogwild in a different direction."

"And consequently we became really good friends. And Emm she sang on the YEAH! album in 2006."

"And me and her have been writing an album together. We were gonna do kind of as Simon and Garfunkel if you like. We just haven't had the chance to finish."

"But, you know, once Sav suggested it we all went 'Brilliant!'."

"I rang her up and I said 'Do you fancy doing your version of Sugar with us and The Royal Philharmonic?'. And she's like ''When do you want me there>."

"So consequently we did all our parts during lockdown again. With Diamond Star Halos in the bang. And we worked with Ronan . We worked with Eric Gorfain the strong arranger. And we worked with Emm."

"And went in a re-recorded it. She beautifully sang it. And then Eric did a string arrangement and then I sang to her vocal."

"I did it at home at my leisure you know."

Def Leppard 2023.

You didn't go to Abbey Road?

Joe Elliott

"No we didn't perform at all at Abbey Road. We went to Abbey Road. We went to watch. But we'd done all our bits beforehand."

"So that Eric could score it. And then he would do the orchestrations. Sent us the first draft. And then we would listen to it and either go 'Yep, it's perfect'. Or 'Can we change the bridge'. It's not right."

"And he'd go back in and mess around with it. So then we'd sing off on all 16 songs that we recorded."

"Then he would print the music out so when we got to Abbey Road every person in the orchestra had their parts."

"So it's all scored beautifully and everything and it's all physically written out so they can put it on their music stands."

"And while we were in London promoting Diamond Star Halos ansd doing the videos for Fire It Up and Kick. We were secretly sneaking in to Abbey Road to watch The Royal Philharmonic performing on what was to be Drastic Symphonies."

"So we were involved in making the whole backing tracks ready for them to play on."

"And then we spent the best part of two days there watching them do their thing."

"And just being in awe of these insane musicians. Playing on our music."

"And another interesting thing that came up. As we were doing it. Isn't it a little weird for them that we're not 200 years dead."

"You know because these guys. Whenever you think of an orchestra before this session. They were always in tuxedos or Proms dress type stuff."

"Because they were either at an André Rieu gig or it's a TV performance or you're actually at theatre. And they're all dressed up."

"These guys to come into work in their runners and their sweat pants. And three of them in Def Leppard T-Shirts."

"You know and I don't think they even knew who they were gonna be working with. 'Cause they rad. They're not feel musicians like us."

"These guys were nailing everything first, second take. And we were thinking they normally working with Beethoven and Brahms. Mozart. They were dead a long long time ago."

"And here we are up on the balcony filming it, watching it going 'Can't believe we're doing this'. It was fantastic."

Def Leppard 2023.

Drastic Symphonies Live Shows?

Joe Elliott

"Yeah the challenge vocally wouldn't be that difficult. I mean I do the majority of these songs that are on that record, we've been playing them live for years."

"So that doesn't bother me at all. The challenge is making it a valid project to do."

"And obviously we've been asked since we've satred dong the promo for this record. Would we ever play Drastic Symphonies live."

"And the answer is absolutely. We just don't have any plans to do it right now because we're smack bang in the middle of the Def Crue tour."

"But yes. I saw The Who in November at the Hollywood Bowl with an orchestra. And it was phenomenal. because again a lot of The Who songs are very symphonic."

"And that's why with Drastic Symphonies - we'd already got the album done - but me and Phil went to the Bowl to watch them."

"And we were just nudging each other going this is exactly what we did."

"We took all the symphonic - they sent the orchestra off. For Who Are You. For My Generation, whatever."

"They brought them back on for Love Reign O'er Me. 5:15. Any songs where they use synthesisers on the original record to mimic an orchestra."

"So they let them come and go throughout the show."

"To do it at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic would be amazing."

"You know to do it in Vegas as a residency. To do it at The Albert Hall. To do it at a theatre in Tokyo."

"You know these are like the little things that are logged in."

"They're not even in pencil never mind ink in anybodies diary yet."

"But that's something that we absolutely would love to do because there's other songs that aren't on - we've already discussed it."

"The amount of songs that we didn't do on Drastic Symphonies that could be orchestrated. Going as far back as Overture off the first album."

"You know there's loads more. We didn't do White Lightning which would be a great song to do."

"And we'd obviously do the same thing. We'd mix up. Maybe we'd start without them and bring them on half way through."

"And do a full on rock set and have a break, come back on. I don't know you know."

"It's just one of those things. It's a pipe dream at the moment. That will hopefully become a reality, you know, sometime over the next year or two."

"But absolutely. No pressure on me to sing these songs."

"I think the arrangements work and essentially I'm just singing. Whether I'm singing over an orchestra or whether I'm singing over guitars."

"I'm just singing it."

New Songs/Future Plans

Joe Elliott

"We've got more songs written that we didn't yet finish for Diamond Star Halos."

"That will be on another Def Leppard album one day. Which I would like to think we would again record remotely because it was the greatest recording experience that I've ever had."

"So much better than anything we've ever done before. And you don't have to leave home. 'Cause we leave home a lot to tour."

"So we get to stay here and sleep in your own bed. You know it's wonderful."

"So there isn't one specific thing that I want to achieve."

"I know every place we're gong until probably 2024."

"And it's like after that let's see what happens."

Def Leppard 2023.

Def Leppard - The World Tour 2023 Dates

May

Fri May 19, 2023 Sheffield, England @ The Leadmill
Mon May 22, 2023 Sheffield, England @ Bramall Lane - (w/ VIVAS)
Thu May 25, 2023 Mönchengladbach, Germany @ SparkassenPark Mönchengladbach
Sat May 27, 2023 Munich, Germany @ Koenigsplatz (King's Square)
Mon May 29, 2023 Budapest, Hungary @ MVM Dome (Budapesti Multifunkcionális Sportcsarnok)
Wed May 31, 2023 Krakow, Poland @ Tauron Arena Krakow

June

Fri Jun 2, 2023 Prague, Czech Republic @ Prague Rocks *
Sat Jun 3, 2023 Hannover, Germany @ Expo Plaza
Wed Jun 7, 2023 Solvesborg, Sweden @ Sweden Rock Festival *
Fri Jun 9, 2023 Hyvinkää, Finland @ RockFest *
Sun Jun 11, 2023 Trondheim, Norway @ Trondheim Rocks (Bryggeribyen EC Dahls Arena) *
Wed Jun 14, 2023 Copenhagen, Denmark @ COPENHELL *
Fri Jun 16, 2023 Clisson/Val de Moine, France @ HELLFEST (Main Stage 1) *
Sun Jun 18, 2023 Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting *
Tue Jun 20, 2023 Milan, Italy @ Ippodromo del Galoppo di San Siro
Fri Jun 23, 2023 Lisbon, Portugal @ Passeio Marítimo de Algés
Sat Jun 24, 2023 Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain @ Auditorio Miguel Ríos
Tue Jun 27, 2023 Thun, Switzerland @ Stockhorn Arena - (w/ Europe)

July

Sat Jul 1, 2023 London, England @ Wembley Stadium - (w/ Mammoth WVH)
Sun Jul 2, 2023 Lytham/Lytham St. Annes, England @ Lytham Festival (Lytham Green) * - (w/ VIVAS)
Tue Jul 4, 2023 Dublin/Rathfarnham, Ireland @ Marlay Park - (w/ Mammoth WVH)
~~Thu Jul 6, 2023 Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park~~ - VENUE CHANGED
Thu Jul 6, 2023 Glasgow, Scotland @ Glasgow Green - (w/ Mammoth WVH)

August

Saturday, August 5th, 2023 Syracuse, NY @ JMA Wireless Dome
Tuesday, August 8th, 2023 Columbus, OH @ Ohio Stadium
Friday, August 11th, 2023 Fargo, ND @ Fargodome
Sunday, August 13th, 2023 Omaha, NE Charles Schwab Field Omaha
Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 Tulsa, OK @ Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
Friday, August 18th, 2023 El Paso, TX @ Sun Bowl Stadium

* = Festival.

Def Leppard World Tour 2023

Def Leppard 2023.

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