DEF LEPPARD On New Music/Drastic Symphonies/Abbey Road Sessions/Steve Clark

Friday, 12th May 2023

Def Leppard 2023

Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen have been interviewed by Talk Shop Live to promote the new Drastic Symphonies album.

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.

Talk Shop Live Drastic Symphonies Interview

Joe and Phil appeared on Talk Shop Live's Rock And Roll Channel last night to promote the new 'Drastic Symphonies' album.

Joe talked about the new Drastic Symphonies album, how the album project came about and then running through it track by track.

Watch the full 1 hour 13 minute minute interview below.

New Def Leppard Music

Joe explained why the band did not write any new songs for the album.

And also hinted that more than just a handful of new songs have been created and/or recorded since 'Diamond Star Halos' was completed and any new songs would go on a new studio album.

String Arrangements/Orchestra

Joe and Phil talked about attending the live sessions at Abbey Road studios in March 2022.

Switch 625/Hysteria/Steve Clark

They also talked about the new and original versions of 'Switch 625' and 'Hysteria'.

And were also asked how they think Steve Clark would have felt about them as symphonic versions.

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/Phil Collen May 2023 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

Was it considered to write a new track?/New Music

Joe Elliott

"That's a good question actually. In fairness, no we never once considered writing a new song."

"Me and Phil kind of never stopped at the end of Diamond Star Halos. There was new things coming into the pan left right and center but it's like we gotta stop because when it came to doing Diamond Star Halos there was a cut off time for the vinyl manufacturing."

"So we had to deliver. So we said alright we'll save it for the next record."

"And what we have got certainly wouldn't have worked on this one."

Phil Collen

"Definitely not, uh."

Joe Elliott

"I think what we would be doing is we'd be saving new material for a proper brand new record that didn't have orchestra on it."

"Unless of course we wrote a ballad and it felt like it needed it."

"I don't think any of us ever considered writing a new track because the whole project was based on like what they did with Elvis. What they've done with The Beach Boy and what they did with, I think Queen might have done it as well."

"So it is a kind of a. It's a trip down memory lane but you're bringing everything right up to date."

"So it never really crossed my mind that putting on a new song on would be necessary."

"And because the song choices are just, as we said previously, they had to be kind of symphonic otherwise it was not gonna work. So a lot of these songs kind of chose themselves."

"Or if they were suggested by one of us pretty much everybody else went yep that'll work. And as Phil said earlier possibly we could do the second one because they don't all have to be ballads."

Def Leppard 2023.

Switch 625/Steve Clark

Joe Elliott

"You know when you listen to - my personal favourite right now and it changes everyday. Is Switch. Switch 625."

"It's on. It's the whole thing, I just keep seeing cars flying through Amsterdam. I don't know why. In one of the Ryan Reynolds movies that actually happens where his character is getting chased."

"But that's what I hear when I hear Switch and the song is 42 years old this year. It just sounds like it's been written for the next Bond film."

"So the strings not only enhance the song but it completely took it out of the time warp. That it wasn't really in anyway because classic rock is what it is."

"But it really did bring in into 2023 and that would be my favourite right now because it was this very symphonic thing when Steve wrote it."

"And it was one of the reasons. I remember saying to Mutt. No way am I signing on this."

"And he was like what!. 'Cause when it was first being put together he wanted me to sing on it."

"I'm going I'm not writing lyrics for this. So the compromise is we did some Ahhs and Oohs right at the end."

"It just goes to show where everybody in this bands head's always been at. The song is the boss. Not any one person."

"It just sounded so complete, as it was, it didn't need me on it you know."

"And putting the strings on took it to a place where today even I listen to it and go - literally I wanna play it to people all the time."

"The hairs on my arm go up because I'm thinking Steve would have loved this."

"He would have absolutely just been grinning from ear to ear."

"Absolutely he would've dug it so much 'cause we all do."

"Even Vivian who hears it from an insiders outside point of view. He heard it and he said that sounds insane."

"You know Phil and Viv have been playing Switch ever since Viv's been in the band."

"30 odd years I think they've pretty much played it nearly every night. It's a showcase for the guys and it's a four minute break for me!."

"So in fairness Vivian's played the song live way more than Steve ever did. So when he heard it for the first time, he's like wow that sounds great."

"Steve would have absolutely loved it. Right now it's my favourite because what Eric Gorfain did on that was just incredible. You know we touched on Eric earlier but the thing you have to remember as well about Eric is ne's not like, with the greatest respect Andrew Lloyd Webber."

"He's not some classical guy dipping his toe into rock. He's actually a guy who grew up learning music by playing drums to our records."

"And became a musician and became classically leaning later on in life, but the guy's a rocker. So he's a rocker doing strings rather than a string arranger that's classically trained doing rock."

"And that, there's a huge difference. It's like that perpetual discussion that we have about Jimi Hendrix. Is he a guitarist that sings or is he a singer that plays guitar."

"Same with Elton. Singer that plays piano or a pianist that sings."

"Both of those artists are insanely brilliant at both their instruments you know. But Eric is the guy that has a big foot in rock and brought it in."

"So he's worked with our way of thinking - when it comes to string arrangements me and Phil would instantly lean to Life On Mars which is Mick Ronson. Or Paul Buckmaster's work on Madman Across The Water by Elton John."

"And that's what Eric became. Eric became our Paul Buckmaster. He just had a thing that works so well with that artist that you can't imagine anybody other than Paul Buckmaster doing as good a job with Elton."

"Or what Mick pulled off on Life On Mars is quite astonishing considering it was literally his first ever string arrangement."

Def Leppard 2023.

Watching The Orchestra At Abbey Road Studios

Phil Collen

"Absolutely we all got our iPhones out and everyone's going like Wow!."

"And you know being in that room's so iconic anyway. It's where The Beatles worked and the sound of it is ridiculous."

"When you hear an orchestra I mean it gives you goosebumps anyway. But that particular orchestra, you know, they're amazing. That's the guys you want you know."

"When they were doing it we were just blown away. Couldn't have been any better. And it does give it a different dimension."

"Plus different arrangements we did and taking instruments out let the orchestra breathe."

"So it's like if you're gonna use The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, you gotta use them. You don't just go oh you're gonna plonk that over the back as background."

"No, you feature it. So we absolutely did and we were so overjoyed that we actually got to be in the same room when they done their magic. It was amazing."

Joe Elliott

"I think an interesting point that we didn't actually twig straight away was like these guys come in. they're not wearing tuxedos like you normally see an orchestra because you're either going to a gig or you're watching it on TV and they're all dolled up."

"These guys just come in in their work clothes. You know runners, trainers, shell suits. Def Leppard T-Shirts even."

"I don't think they knew what they were gonna be doing 'cause read. These guys can read. So they're bang on straight away."

"But what was an interesting thing that actually came to light was how many times have they played music that's not from someone which has been dead for 200 years."

"Because orchestras mostly it's Beethoven and Mozart, it's not us. So us or an Elvis or a Beach Boys is a much more unique environment. So it was a real thrill for us to watch them do their thing."

"But it was kind of funny to see some of them looking up to the balcony."

"That's not like Beethoven. They're still breathing!."

Phil Collen

"And then get a selfie afterwards."

Def Leppard 2023.

Hysteria/Steve Clark

Phil Collen

"Interestingly enough when we did the original thing me and Steve Clark played the solo at the same time together. And on that one we was using these things called E-Bows that would make it sustain."

"So that we would actually tried to make it sound like violins and cellos. That was the whole thing."

"Guitar orchestration but also copying that kind of thing. So again I wish Steve could have heard that as well. All these years later and it's like the stuff that we were kind of doing."

"It was kind of taking a leaf out of Brian May's book as well. Where he would orchestrate all this stuff and copy strings and orchestra."

"But you know all of a sudden here we are you know. 30 odd years later and it was Steve's birthday the other day. It would've been and Steve would have loved it you know."

"As Joe said you know Switch yeah. But this one especially. You know where we were trying to kind of copy strings and you know fast forward it replaces the guitars."

"It's just amazing."

Joe Elliott

"It also leads back to the same point I was making about Switch where it's that ego free situation within a project like this. Where you know Phil would've been that said look leave the guitars off."

"You just know. We know for fact that there's a lot of guitarists that would go how dare you!."

"We don't let the ego get in the way of the overall bigger picture."

Phil Collen

"That's because they're not in a band. People who say that are not in a band. We're in a band and it's the collective."

"And like I said we're really. You know, very protective and precious over our, and I hate saying brand 'cause it's not, it's a band."

"And it's a different thing. So everything we ever do with the integrity and everything we put into it, into every single thing."

"We feel it, we're proud of it and that's why it's so real. And that's why people love our stuff."

Watch the event on the Talk Shop Live site (or the embed below).

New Single - Hysteria (feat. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

01 - Hysteria - 5:54 - Amazon - (MP3)