[ Def Leppard UK - Past News 25: Jan-Feb 2007 ]
[Feb 26th] - Joe's Sweet Child
Following the first 2007 tour date Joe Elliott last night made the first live appearance of the year by any band member. Joe attended a private party for 150 people at the exclusive
Barracuda (steak and seafood) restaurant in Bray, Co. Wicklow, outside Dublin in Ireland. Location of the 1992 tour rehearsals and filming of the 'Heaven Is' promo video.
The party was a 50th birthday surprise for Renards nightclub owner Robbie Fox thrown by his wife and attended by many Irish celebs/music stars including Bono & Ali Hewson. Andrea Corr (The Corrs singer), plus Joe's friends Dave Fanning (DJ) and Dermot Desmond (promoter).
During the party (which lasted until 2am) Joe sang a duet with Robbie's 15yr old daughter Megan, a cover of Guns N' Roses classic 'Sweet Child O' Mine'.
[ More Info ] :: Here
[Feb 20th] - Leppard Sarnies
The first Lep tour date of 2007 has been announced by the Canadian site for the upcoming Sarnia Bayfest festival taking place in July in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada over 4 days (Jul 19-22).
Lep are listed as headlining the third night of the event on Saturday July 21st at the Centennial Park festival site with tickets priced at $29.99. Gates open at 6pm. Also playing the festival (different day) are Aerosmith. Tickets on sale Sat 24th.
(Thanks to Juanita).
[ More Info ] :: Here 2007 Tour Section
[Feb 11th] - Ricky Warwick Talks Elliott
In a new interview with Leeds Music Scene Ricky Warwick mentions Joe's influence and friendship. Joe having produced/played on his first two solo albums.
Also bringing him out as Lep's support act for the majority of the X/Ten tour in 2002/2003 and for a few shows in 2005.
The rest of the interview deals with the recently reformed, The Almighty, who have just toured the UK and released a restrospective CD/DVD package titled: "Anth'f***in'ology" in Feb.
"I think Joe Elliot from Def Leppard because he's a great friend and was a big inspiration to me and I've learnt a lot from him. To work with someone who has had that much success, and for him to help me as much as he has, has been fantastic."
[ More Info ] :: Here
The Almighty
[Feb 4th] - Lep/Man-Raze News
Good news from everyone's favourite gossip columnist, Ross Halfin, he mentions Phil having been in London recently (working with MR for a couple of weeks according to sources). He also talks about Lep briefly.
"Back home Phil Collen called. Talked to Phil for an hour. He's in London but back off to Dublin tomorrow in the studio with Def Leppard. We are arranging a Man Raze's shoot in the near future as the album is done. Def Leppard will be out again by the end of the summer."
No mention of any MR gigs...(sod Lep, we want Man-Raze!...kidding...)
[ More Info ] :: Here (Feb 4th Diary)
[Feb 4th] - Planet Rock
UK rock radio station Planet Rock have 2 figures from Lep's past working on the airwaves. The first is a local DJ from Sheffield mentioned in 'Animal Instinct', Colin Slade, who worked for Hallam FM in the 70s/80s and gave Lep airplay and an early session on his rock show in 1978. The session featured the song 'Beyond The Temple'. Colin has this to say on his show page:
"Whilst working at Radio Hallam, two young men from Sheffield called Joe Elliott and Rick Savage used to enter all my competitions and ask me to play their demos. They went on to become the world famous Def Leppard."
Mick Wall who used to work at Kerrang! interviewing Lep many times on the Hysteria tour as well as contributing to various Lep documentaries, has a new weekend slot on the station: Sat 8pm-12am and Sun 9pm-12am. The station has a player using windows media.
(It seems Mick has actually replaced Colin with his new weekend shows although his page is still there...).
[ More Info ] :: Colin Slade page Planet Rock
[Jan 29th] - Joe Elliott: Sheffield City Hall
Joe has spoken to local Sheffield DJ Dave Kilner to share some of his greatest memories of the city's most famous music venue, Sheffield City Hall which is 75 years old in 2007.
Joe mentions the fabled writing on the side of the venue in 1978 that the band would play there and sell it out in 1980, which they did. Also describing many of his earliest attended gigs including T. Rex, Black Sabbath/Van Halen, Sparks and of course Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson, the effect the shows had on him and their influence in making him realise he wanted to join a band.
He also recalls the last appearance at the venue made by Joe and Sav in March 2004 for the Sincerely Sheffield Charity concert. Exerts:
"Well my first memory of Sheffield City Hall is T-Rex in 1971. As a huge T-Rex fan as I was, I started buying singles. My mum and Dad gave me an old record player for my 10th birthday..."
"When I saw T-Rex, all of a sudden it all came into place – it was a pivotal moment."
"I went to about 60 gigs a year for three years and I didn’t even pay to get in!"
[ More Info ] :: Joe's Interviews
[Jan 13th] - R. Savage: Signed Guitar
Rick Savage is mentioned in a new local Sheffield article by The Star newspaper. The story focuses on local guitar maker Tony Tomlinson's newly designed & unusual R8 RKid guitar which has been made for a charity auction to benefit the Sheffield Children's Hospital.
The guitar and 18 others will be auctioned off at Christie's in London in March.
Exert :: "And Def Leppard's Rick Savage's people have been in touch to say he will be happy to add his signature."
[ More Info ] :: Here
[Jan 10th] - Mutt Lange + Joe Wants His MTV
An online article by fansite "Keeping Shania Twain On Top" (...) on Robert John Lange has revealed how he got his famous nickname: Mutt. It came from the man himself in his early days in the music business
in South Africa. Exert:
"It was his friend Vernon "Bird" Loker who first coined the nickname "puppy" for him, because "he was always ragged looking, like a dog." "Puppy" Lange accepted his name for awhile, before he decided it wasn't Rock and Roll enough, and, in typical self deprecating style altered it too "Mutt," which stuck."
The detailed article also reveals many personal facts about the very private Mutt. He was born in Mufilira, Northern Rhodesia (later renamed Zambia), on November 11, 1948 to South African parents. One of three boys with brothers Peter and Bill. The rest of the article details Mutt's early years in bands before moving on to producing and starting to produce full albums in 1976 and the move over to London where he would take over Battery Studios (Morgan Studios before that where Girl recorded) and eventually start working with Def Leppard in 1981. BTW The background music (which can be turned off at the bottom) is an early Shania Twain song.
You can also see a rare pic of the band Hocus featuring Mutt and his ex-wife Stevie Lange (Stevie Vann) who went on to sing backup on the demo version of "When Love & Hate Collide" and recently on "20th Century Boy" from "YEAH!".
[ More Info ] :: Here
Joe is featured in an archive clip on google video. An old 1983 "I Want My MTV" promo clip. Wearing the classic Union Jack top. Joe appears after Hall & Oates. (Thanks to Sascha).
[ More Info ] :: Here
[Jan 9th] - Matt Nathanson: Lep Fan
You may not have heard of him but after recently discovering Matt Nathanson's excellent song "Curve Of The Earth" on pandora.com (great site) I stumbled across his Journal and found out he likes Lep. In an entry from April 2003 he mentions receiving a copy of (one of) the three nights at the Beacon Theatre:
"right now, i'm rocking a def leppard bootleg that my friend ben gave me at last night's show. def leppard at the beacon in nyc.
i'm not sure why bon jovi gets to be selling out giants stadium while joe elliott and co. are resigned to a 3 night stand at the beacon. that hardly seems fair... but whatever...
at least they're still rocking for us. and rock they do, my friends. sure...they're a little older. and sure those notes that 'mutt' lang wrote might be a bit high for our boys these days. but they are still mighty!"
Matt has released 8 albums or EP's since 1993 including the latest "At The Point" in 2006. I recommend checking out the song mentioned above, similar style to Howie Day.
[ More Info ] :: Here
[Jan 3rd] - Joe On New Music/Album
Joe has mentioned the next Lep studio album briefly in a chat with AOL. Also talking about some of his favourite new music including the excellent Muse, one of the best English bands around.
"Now the band plans to take that momentum into 2007 with a new album. "We're hoping to get started around January and get it finished by the end of the summer,"
[ More Info ] :: Here Next Album
> [Jan 2nd] - Phil Talks Hendrix
Phil recently spoke to Classic Rock Magazine in the UK for their Rock Icons feature. Phil talked about his admiration for Jimi Hendrix and why he feels he is a worthy Rock Icon.
Phil covered the Hendrix classic "Fire" at Man-Raze's debut show in Sep 2005. Exert:
"I was obviously very aware of Jimi Hendrix in the early 1970s. My cousin had got me into rock music, and he was like: “Hendrix is fucking great!” And I did like him, but it wasn’t until much later – until way after I’d started playing the guitar – that I really started to appreciate him. It wasn’t just because of the guitar thing. Everything about Hendrix went against the grain. Everything about him was a contradiction to your standard rock stereotype."
[ More Info ] :: Here