DEF LEPPARD On Spectacular New DRASTIC SYMPHONIES Album/PSSOM Duet

Friday, 12th May 2023

Def Leppard 2023

Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen were interviewed last night 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.

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.

Drastic Symphonies Album

Joe and Phil explained how the album project for 'Diamond tar Halos' came about.

PSSOM/Emm Gryner Duet

Joe and Phil once again talked about Emm Gryner's duet on the album and how she became involved after a suggestion by Sav.

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 Strings

Phil and Joe both had high praise for string arranger Eric Gorfain who did the strings for this album and revealed his rocker past.

Ian Hunter Album Trivia

Joe revealed when asked about Ian Hunter that Phil will feature on the 'Defiance Part 2' album following Joe's appearance on the just released Defiance Part 1 album.

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)

You guys must be really proud of the final results?

Phil Collen

"We absolutely are. I mean, you know, we wouldn't have done it if we wouldn't have thought it would be spectacular. So just going into it, the way it came about."

"The label actually suggested it. We said we'll do it. As long as we can be really involved. In the song selection, what songs do and don't work. All of that. So we had to be really involved."

"So obviously whenever we do that it's a hundred percent."

Unique Approach/Producer Nick Patrick

Joe Elliott

"Well we wanted to make sure in fairness that we didn't just slap, you know, butter on the toast if you like. We wanted to dig deep. We wanted to make sure that it wasn't just delivering an album so you could look at the back and go 'Oh look there's all the hits'."

"To the detriment of the record because it's an absolute fact that some of the songs that we've done. The rock songs, they just don't work with an orchestra."

"And we weren't gonna, to the detriment of our legacy if you like, to put a version of say Let's Get Rocked out there with strings on."

"It would have been probably hideous. Which is why on certain songs we just totally changed the arrangements because they were almost right but not quite."

"Whereas a lot of the songs were perfect. So a lot of our songs have been written very symphonically anyway."

"Things like Love, Kings Of The World, Turn To Dust, Paper Sun, Gods Of War. They were pretty symphonic in the first place."

Def Leppard 2023.

Pour Some Sugar On Me/Emm Gryner

Joe Elliott

"Pour Some Sugar On Me wasn't. And when we realised that, you know, that wasn't gonna work the way it was originally recorded."

"The idea of doing the newer version if you like was suggested by Sav. Because it's been knocking around for quite a while now by a friend of ours called Emm Gryner."

"Who does it kind of like a Jazz/Billie Holiday version on the piano. And he just said why don't we do Emm's version of it."

"And that was like. We just jumped on that. And a couple of other songs where the guitars are too bombastic or the vocals are too bombastic."

"We'd re-record them to make them fit in with the strings because once we got on board with dong this the mantra kind of within the band was like this has got to sound like James Bond."

"This has got to be John Barry special. All those car chases with those stunning string arrangements they use in Bond movies or Mission Impossible."

"We wanted it to be giant screen sounding. And certain sings wouldn't have worked. So we were very picky about how we did it and very demanding in the sense of like not putting on a song on here just to make the back of the sleeve look better."

"We're like it's got to sound right and it's a good mixture. So there's plenty of hits on there but there's some pretty deep stuff as well which does sound pretty spectacular."

Eric Gorfain/String Arrangements

Phil Collen

"All of the arrangements actually Eric did. And we've worked with him before. I produced a Tesla album a few years ago and Eric arranged some strings for one song. Vivian had worked with him before. Then Joe used him for the Down 'n' Outz stuff."

"And when we did Diamond Star Halos he was a star on that. But look we're very precious and protective over our material. You know we've got such integrity. That's why the band's still going is we believe in our stuff."

"So we're not gonna let anyone just have a go at it. So with Eric when this all was suggested, it was like, I think Joe said 'Let's use Eric' to arrange the strings."

"I mean he's American. So it kind of goes up against the grain because it's the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Here we are bringing our American arranger tp it."

"But he's one of us. he's part of the band. He's one of us. So that's why that worked."

"I mean he's spectacular. We love what he does."

"Even with that. We're still very protective. He'd do a demo on a keyboard and say how about this and we'd change it. It'd be like those cellos are too staccato. Make them legato. Just things like that."

"Chop this down. Make it softer here."

"And he was brilliant. Like I said he's part of the band."

"And when we got. With each song some of them absolutely worked great. And like Joe said some of them absolutely didn't."

"They sounded comical and ridiculous."

"So that's how the song selection came about as well. When we got to like 15 it was like alright let's stop now."

"We could probably do Drastic Symphonies 2 to be quite honest because there's more."

Def Leppard 2023.

Challenge To Redo PSSOM?

Joe Elliott

"Not really 'cause as I said Emm. I was introduced to Emm Gryner in '99 when she was moonlighting as a backing vocalist for David Bowie."

"And it was the night that I really got to know Bowie better than the couple of times I'd met him before. And we got chatting and stuff. And we were talking Mark Plati who was his bass player and producer re-introduced me to Mike Garson."

"Who would become part of our little story a decade and a half later on. He introduced me to Emm the backing vocalist. And he said you've got to meet this girl she's such a huge fan."

"And you've gotta hear this version of one of your songs. So we got talking and she. It was 1999 so I don't think we had MP3s. She probably posted me a CD of this version of her playing it on a piano."

"So in actual fact we're very familiar with this new version of Sugar because I remember playing it out on the road when we got back together again and said guys you've gotta listen to this."

"You've gotta check this out. And we were all just mesmerised by Emm's talent and the fact that she'd totally taken this song that you never thought in a million years could sound like some old Billie Holiday tune."

"But they always say, you know, a great song can be done on acoustic no matter how it's been written."

"And she did it on piano. And so it's always been in the back of our minds. Always been there."

"But it was Sav when we heard Eric's attempt at doing strings on the original version. We just turned around after ten seconds and went NO!."

"This is never gonna work. And Sav blurted out why don't we try Emm's version. And straight away we all knew what he meant."

"So vocally it was not too much of a challenge because she already had the vocals done the way that she does it."

"So I just took on the harmony that would contrast with hers and would compliment her."

"So even though it's a total re-record of her version it's the same arrangement."

"And she sent over the tapes of her playing the piano and with her vocal on. So I actually sang to her rather than the other way around."

"It was so much more convenient that way and Ronan's a genius at making sure that everything syncs up."

"I had to listen and study her phrasing obviously. But you know I mean I wasn't trying to get it in one take. It was however long it took to do, that's what it was."

"It was a case of do it till you get it right. That's how we've always made records for like 40 years."

"So it's not difficult to do your part over somebody else's recording that's done."

"So that's how we did that. But it wasn't a difficult thing to do at all. But the challenge was accepting it into our DNA that this was right thing to be done. That pretty much came immediately."

Ian Hunter 2023.

Ian Hunter/Phil Collen On Defiance Part 2

Joe Elliott

"It's a damn good record and look forward to Defiance Part 2 'cause the hint is in the title on this first one. And a certain Phil Collen is featured on the second album."

"Amongst billions of other wonderful musicians who I'm not gonna name 'cause I don't wanna spoil Ian's promo."

"But there's a lot more than what you got on the first one."

"So we all did our thing. There's 20 odd songs and we all did our thing on it."

"But Ian didn't know which songs were gonna go on which record. So some people are having to wait around till to whenever part two comes out before their parts are heard."

"But yeah I actually just bought the vinyl this morning."

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)