Wednesday, 18th May 2022
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DEF LEPPARD's JOE ELLIOTT/PHIL COLLEN On THIS GUITAR/LIFELESS/ALISON KRAUSS Vocals

Def Leppard 2022. Def Leppard 2022

Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen have been interviewed about the Diamond Star Halos album and mentioned working with singer Alison Krauss.

'Diamond Star Halos' is the band's 12th studio album.

As announced on 17th March it will be released on Friday 27th May 2022.

Joe and Phil appeared live on Talkshoplive's The Rock N Roll Channel with host Steve Harkins at 7pm ET/12am UK last night to talk about the new 'Diamond Star Halos' album.

As you can see (if you recognise it) the interview was conducted from Mates Studios in Burbank, California where the band usually rehearse.

Joe and Phil (but mostly Joe...) talked about making the album, the Diamond Star Halos album title, 70s musical influence, remote recording, album songs, Rick Allen's accident/recovery, Phil's Deep Purple gig story, Mick Ronson, The Stadium tour and going back on tour.

Watch the 1 hour 12 minute video interview below.


Alison Krauss

Joe and Phil talked about how they came to work with Alison on two songs.

This Guitar/Lifeless

Both praised her incredible vocal contributions to these songs and how surprised they were by her Queen like harmonies.

Remote Recording

Joe said once more the band will not go back to traditional recording after embracing remote recording for this 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).


Joe Elliott/Phil Collen/TalkshopLive - May 2022 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

This Guitar/Alison Krauss/C. J. Vanston

Phil Collen - "Thank you. Yeah it's like 17 years ao me and a really good friend C. J. Vanston who has produced tons of stuff. Played on a million albums. Everything from I don't know like Dolly Parton to Spinal Tap. You know just literally everything."

Phil Collen - "And we've written tons of songs together. And, you know, I remember playing this to Joe for the first time. Joe knows C. J. as well you know he comes and hangs out occasionally with us."

Joe Elliott - "He played keyboards and piano on a couple of songs."

Phil Collen - "So we wrote this song and Joe said wow this would be great to do. And it never was the right time for it 'cause it did lean a little bit country."

Phil Collen - "But on this album he said look just do me a demo and sing it 'cause when I sing it it won't sound country. Ironically we finish it off and then we get Alison Krauss on it."

Joe Elliott - "Y'all!."


Working With Alison Krauss/This Guitar/Lifeless

Phil Collen - "I know which came about. Joe was talking to Robert Plant about their soccer teams. Robert Plant's a Wolves fan. And Joe's a Sheffield United fan. They got onto that and Robert goes Oh you know what Alison will be so thrilled 'cause she's a huge Def Leppard fan to hear you're doing a new album."

Phil Collen - "And Joe's like well hang on a minute I wonder if she'd sing like even a line on a Def Leppard song. And it went from there."

Phil Collen - "He spoke to her, he texted her. Before you know it she said well send something out. We sent two songs. And she said well can I do them both. I can't choose which one. And so she ended up actually, especially on This Guitar doing this almost like a Queen version of Alison Krauss."

Phil Collen - "It was like just all these harmonies and everything. Just beautiful and like hairs standing on your arm and everything."

Phil Collen - "And then when her and Joe harmonise together. Just gorgeous."

Joe Elliott - "It surprised me as well you know like Phil said earlier on. I sang. I do a radio show. I do two radio shows and I've got little 200 dollar microphone. It's no studio mic."

Joe Elliott - "But that's what I did the demo vocal on. But we lived with it for so long and I'm like guys 'I really don't wanna do this again'. it sounds great."

Joe Elliott - "And Alison went 'Oh I love the vocal on this' and I'm like I did it on a laptop. But again the performance is always the key. It doesn't matter if it's maybe ten percent down quality wise."

Joe Elliott - "That's where Ronan McHugh's a genius 'cause he can up that ten percent back in at his end you know. But she just lived with it for a month. We never bothered her, but she said I'll get to it when I can."

Joe Elliott - "She had her own thing to be doing. She was still finishing the second album with Robert I believe. And anyway about a month later she texted me."

Joe Elliott - "She said I'll be sending you a rough later on today of This Guitar. And when it finally came in I couldn't get it on quick enough. And when I heard it my jaw was on the ground."

Joe Elliott - "I was expecting a two-part all the way through. Exactly what I expected. But what I wasn't expecting was all these counter melodies and extra harmonies that she put in."

Joe Elliott - "That as Phil says is very reminiscent of mid-70s Queen. And it's like well this is what we've always wanted to be. And it's like I can see us on the next album having a song similar to this going let's do what Alison did."

Joe Elliott - "You know because it's like we opened up a whole new area to where we can really do all that kind of work. And she was just a darling to work with."

Joe Elliott - "You know she's such a fantastic singer, but she's fantastic person. Really humble. You know when she - I said to her oh my god this is incredible. And she's like really you like it?. And I went Yeah!."

Joe Elliott - "She goes well listen I'm not precious. if there's anything you don't like just take it out. I'm goign you've got to be kidding me it's all staying in."

Joe Elliott - "Amazing."

Phil Collen - "We left everything in. Every breath that she did. it was amazing."


Working Quicker

Joe Elliott - "Working this way is a lot quicker and a lot more fun. And with it being more fun it's quicker and they bounce off each other and it's more spontaneous. And it's just got a natural energy."

Joe Elliott - "You're not forcing yourself by Oh you need a certain type of song for song 8 and we've got to bring it in at less than an hour. And we need it delivered by Spring."

Joe Elliott - "All that nonsense went out the window. This was art. We were just making. We were like a painter. Just walk away from it, come back when you're not sure what to put in the bottom left corner."

Joe Elliott - "And that's what we were doing and we had the absolute gift of this 15th song. Totally randomly right at the end. It was great."

Joe Elliott - "We've got a real bona fide 70s style double album. In fairness as well all the way through this record. I was channelling Bernie Taupin the best I could from a lyrical point of view."

Joe Elliott - "We wouldn't to make sure that we were just free to go in whichever direction we went. Phil's lyrics come from a - I love singing his lyrics because he always sings them in a register that's really good for me. And they come from a place that I could never visit."

Joe Elliott - "But I read them and go this is great. I love this song. Thanks for not letting me have to go through the agony of writing something here."

Joe Elliott - "But when he sends me music over that is blank. A blank canvas. then it's like great I don't wanna let him down. I've gotta match up to what he's doing. So you sit there."


Writing Lyrics In Cars

Joe Elliott - "You know with this record my god. I don't know where the music got written but I wrote lyrics sitting in a car waiting for my kid who was doing home schooling because of the way that the pandemic was."

Joe Elliott - "Sitting for an hour in somebody's house. I would sit outside their house with my lyric book listening to the songs on the stereo in the car. Rewinding it and listen to it."

Joe Elliott - "You know it wasn't like one of those castles with a desk and an ink well and candles and a little skull. You know getting the right vibe. I was writing in a car."

Phil Collen - "I actually went out to see my daughter 'cause they live on the East Coast. And after I got vaccinated and I could travel but not fly I drove out."

Phil Collen - "I done the Route 66. I would just pull over at rest stops and truck stops and fall asleep 'cause I was tired. but I was writing a bunch of stuff in there as well just on the phone."

Phil Collen - "It was just great driving through Texas."


Never Going Back To Traditional Recording

Joe Elliott - "It really was a fantastic way to work. It was an amazing way to work. We've never done it like that before. We've dabbled in remote recording. You know we've been in these situations where we've finished albums like Sparkle Lounge or X or even Euphoria."

Joe Elliott - "Where we've all been at my place finished the record. So we think. And then we get to the mix and it's like who forgot to sing the harmony on this bit. Phil can you just email us this third harmony on this chorus or give us a solo or whatever. Do the solo because he forgot to do it."

Joe Elliott - "Send it in and it works fine because we've all got studios at home. It's just that mine's the one with the big room. So that's why we always come to my place."

Joe Elliott - "And working this way was totally like within our comfort zone. Yet at the same time we were pushing the boundaries 'cause we'd never done it before so it was sink or swim. We jumped into the deep end. Knowing full well we'd probably end up floating. It was great fun to do it."


Lifeless/Alison Krauss

Joe Elliott - "And she did the same thing on Lifeless as well. On lifeless she only comes in halfway through pretty much."

Joe Elliott - "But then from that moment onwards she does her own thing on it and again elevates the song from being a very good song to being an incredible song."


Lifeless Country Sound

Joe Elliott - "Well it is. I mean it's country the same way that Country Honk is country by The Stones. Or you know some of the early MvCartney stuff is country. Or the rockier side of The Eagles is still country. Even Life In the Fast Lane got a vibe about it that's kind of country ish."

Joe Elliott - "Lynyrd Skynyrd is country ish in places. Alman Brothers. You know it's still rock it just leans that way a little bit."

Joe Elliott - "Again that's us just taking the blinkers off going why not. Why can't we do that. Christ we were nominated for a Country award in 2009 with Taylor Swift. So again it's not totally alien to us to head in that direction."

Joe Elliott - "And we did Nine Lives with Tim McGraw off Sparkle Lounge. So again we've been there before."



Def Leppard 2022.

Buy 'Diamond Star Halos' Online


Diamond Star Halos - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Total Time - 61mins
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022

Def Leppard 2022.

Diamond Star Halos (Deluxe) - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37

16 - Goodbye For Good This Time (Avant-Garde Mix)

17 - Lifeless (Joe Only version)


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022

Def Leppard / Latest Tour

Def Leppard World Tour 2022


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