DEF LEPPARD Frontman JOE ELLIOTT – “Anybody That Makes An Easy Album Really Makes A Bad Record Because They're Not Trying Hard Enough”

In a new interview with Full Throttle Rock, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott discusses the band’s longevity and their new self-titled album. Following is an excerpt from the interview:

Elliott: “We’ve never made an easy album. Anybody that makes an easy album really makes a bad record because they’re not trying hard enough. But with this one, it wasn’t a case of not trying; it was a case of not blocking. We didn’t block ourselves; we didn’t go you can’t do that because it sounds too much like Led Zeppelin or it sounds too much like Queen. We just let it flow; it doesn’t matter if it sounds like someone else. These someone else’s are the bands that made us want to be in a band. So it’s going to leak into your sound no matter who you are. But we embraced it this time rather than trying to disguise it. It was easy in that respect; we had fun, we didn’t have a record contract, we financed the record ourselves, we put it together with nobody hovering over our shoulder, nobody saying it needs to be delivered by Christmas, and all this kind of crap. We just made a record for us. Literally a piece of art. I know that sounds pooncey, but it was a piece of art; it wasn’t a piece of commerce.”

“We did 14 songs; we went into the studio to write two or three, and we ended up with 14 because we were just fertile (laughs). When it came to ideas, they were just coming out of us, it was like chickens laying eggs, it was amazing. We had such a great time. So in that respect, it was very enjoyable. We did put the work in, it was work. I’m not saying it was hard work, but it was work. The reason it wasn’t hard work is we were all getting on fine, which we always do anyway, but we were just having fun with this record. And I think you can get it in the grooves that it’s got something about it (laughs), and it’s a fun record and at the same time it’s diverse; there’s no two songs on the album that sound alike, but there’s a lot of familiarity on the record to us or just rock and roll in general.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Def Leppard’s new self-titled studio album (Mailboat Records) debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Independent Albums charts. The album also took the #5 spot on Billboard’s Top Current Albums, #10 spot on the Top 200 and #9 on the Overall Digital Album Sales chart, as well as claiming 15 top 10 debuts around the world. Two album commentary videos are streaming below.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Def Leppard’s new album was recorded earlier this year at frontman Joe Elliott’s studio in Dublin, Ireland. The release features 14 tracks in total and marks their first new collection of material in seven years. The album’s first single “Let’s Go” debuted in September and hit #1 on the Classic Rock radio chart.

Def Leppard tracklisting:
“Let’s Go”
“Dangerous”
“Man Enough”
“We Belong”
“Invincible”
“Sea Of Love”
“Energized”
“All Time High”
“Battle Of My Own”
“Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted”
“Forever Young”
“Last Dance”
“Wings Of An Angel”
“Blind Faith”

Bonus tracks:
“Last Dance” (Demo) (Japan)
“We Belong” (Alternative Vocal Take) (Classic Rock Fanpack)

“Let’s Go” (UK radio edit) (Classic Rock Fanpack)

Album promo:

“Let’s Go” video:

“Dangerous”: