Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott revealed that the band has been working on new material the way it always has. Blabbermouth reported on Elliott’s conversation on the Download Reloaded podcast, in which he spoke about the band’s plans to followup 2015’s self-titled studio set, explaining, “When we finished that (2015) album, we never really thought about making another record until we just felt the timing was right. . . We’re constantly writing songs, so when it comes to piecing songs together, it’s not like they’re all absolutely brand spanking new, just written, hot-off-the-press stuff. Some of them are ideas that have been percolating for a year or two with a piece missing.”
Elliott went on to say, “And you wait and you wait and you wait, and then you have this epiphany, or one of the other guys goes, ‘Why didn’t you ask? I’ve got a bit that would fit in there perfect.’ So there’s been a lot of that going on. But that’s a constant; that’s nothing to do with coronavirus. We’ve been doing it since the Def Leppard album came out, and we will continue to do it, whether we release an album or not. We’ve got songs in our heads.”
Joe Elliott spoke frankly regarding the vast difference between what classic artists sell with new product as opposed to what they earn on the road: “The industry being what it is, we’re all aware of the fact that there’s an element of the media that can’t let go of the fact that records aren’t that important anymore. And I know that’s a sad thing to say, but it’s a fact of life. Touring is massively important — way more than it was when you went out promoting records when they were important. Especially for legacy bands or whatever you wanna call ’em. Listen, I went to see the Rolling Stones in 1989 in case one of them died. That’s 1989. They haven’t had a death since the 1960’s.”
FAST FACTS
- In October 2015, Def Leppard released its 11th album, titled, Def Leppard, which peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
- Out now is Def Leppard’s latest double-disc greatest hits compilation, entitled The Story So Far – The Best Of.
- In addition to Leppard’s best-loved hits and album favorites, the set features three new songs, including the official studio recording of the band’s recent live cover of Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus,” “Rock On (Remix),” and the original holiday song “We All Need Christmas.”
SIDE NOTES
- Def Leppard fans are in for a treat with the newly launched “Def Leppard Vault.” The contents of the vault have been personally selected by the band members — Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, who due to the pandemic, had a chance to mine their personal and group collections for the material now spotlighted in the virtual museum.
- The Def Leppard Vault will serve as a constantly curated museum, “including special installations where fans can gather to see the band’s history from 1977 to now.” The site will frequently be updated with new and rare content.
CHECK IT OUT: Def Leppard on March 25th, 2018 performing “Hysteria” live at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust: