At a time when critics are fawning over cutting-edge acts like Arcade Fire and The War on Drugs, one refugee from the Golden Age of ’80s pop metal’s whose name is not Bon Jovi have been selling out venues around the country in recent years. And while Def Leppard always managed to pull in big numbers on the touring circuit throughout its career, record sales were not as kind during the lean ’90s. With music trends veering more towards grunge, bubblegum pop and aggro-rock, acts like the Leps, Warrant and Poison fell out of favor. But unlike the latter groups, the UK quintet continued releasing albums like 1996’s experimental Slang and 1999’s return-to-form Euphoria, albeit it to an indifferent fanbase more inclined to hear Def Leppard dip into fare from its ‘80s heyday. But for Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, the longevity he and his mates have enjoyed is pretty matter of fact even as many metal and hard rock bands are reforming under different configurations.
(Photo courtesy of BBC Photo Gallery/Redferns)
“Obviously there’s a big difference between us and a lot of other band that are part of the retro-resurgence thing going on. We never went away,” he pointed out. “We were always putting records out. I think we’re a lot more valid in that regard. Aerosmith, on a bigger scale, have also done the same thing. They had a bit of an Indian summer or part two and part three in their case. I like to think we’ve done something along those lines. Our past few tours have been selling out like the ‘80s. It’s ridiculous.” As one of the more melodic acts to come out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, these Sheffield natives had accrued quite an impressive canon of hard rocking ear candy by the time grunge hit.
And thanks to songs like the unofficial exotic dancer anthem “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and the uber-power ballad “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” Def Leppard kept themselves in play whether it was in semi-regular rotation on VH-1 Classic or landing in the ever-shrinking rotations of classic rock radio formats. All these factors and more kept diehards coming back and managed to attract a younger demographic. “You have to take what you can get. You never really know where you’re going to have an arena. Some fans get it via music from a TV show or a movie,” explained Collen. “Some of this stuff really stands the test of time and keeps popping its head up. Perceptions change because 16- and 17-year-old kids are going to our shows now.”
While 2008’s Songs from the Sparkle Lounge was the band’s last album of original material, more recent releases have been more conservative — its 2006 predecessor was the all-covers Yeah! while Sparkle Lounge’s 2011 successor was the live album Mirrorball. Throw in the fact that Def Leppard has collaborated with very non-hard rock artists like Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, and it’s clear the band is doing all it can to stay relevant by reaching out to music fans that wouldn’t normally listen to hard rock. Of course, with Def Leppard still trying to regain the success they enjoyed early on, it’s no wonder the band is still proceeding somewhat cautiously in some areas. Collen is fairly philosophical about his band’s downturn in the ‘90s. “It really took a dive obviously. There was a different kind of music that was popular at the time. The whole alternative thing and grunge, and it was really tough because I thought we put some really good stuff out. It was just not perceived that way,” he said before proudly adding. “There’s a huge difference between us and a lot of other bands that are part of the retro-resurgence thing going on. We never actually went away. We soldiered on when everyone thought we were lame. It actually helped us in the long run cuz people saw we were real. We didn’t disband, reform or do any of that bogus stuff.”
Playing live all these years has been Def Leppard’s saving grace and along with the band’s regular presence on the tour trail and in record stores, other factors helped keep these Brits in the public eye. Semi-regular rotation on nostalgia-heavy outlets or a timely cover by a certain pop diva served as an excellent means of reaching a younger demographic who may have been unaware of The Leps in their heyday. All of which Collen readily admits. “You take what you can get. You never really know where you’re going to have an arena. Some fans get it via music from a TV show or a movie. We haven’t had stuff like that. But there are other things like this huge back catalog that we’ve got. Some of this stuff really [endures] like ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ or ‘Photograph’ that keeps popping its head up,” he said. “Mariah Carey doing ‘Bringing On the Heartbreak,’ which I’m a huge fan [of]. I think she’s great, so I was thrilled with what she’d done with it. All of these things condone you if anything. If [people] hear your song in the Coyote Ugly movie or Mariah Carey is doing one of your songs, it’s all brownie points.”
Going forward, Def Leppard is currently over in Ireland, working on new material. With a renewed interest in his band, Collen admits they have to proceed cautiously. “I think we have to be careful. If we put out an album like X, I don’t think that would be a good move. I liked that one and I thought it had some really good songs on it. But I think if we’re going to put something out, it should be a little more raw-sounding. In fact, that’s what we’re working on now.”
Def Leppard will be appearing with Kiss on Aug. 6 at Nikon @ Jones Beach, 1000 Ocean Pkwy, Wantagh. For more information, please call 800-745-3000 or visit www.jonesbeach.com
