Def Leppard, one of the most influential bands of the early Eighties, has returned with Euphoria. After a musical departure on Slang, the new disc is filled with their trademark big sound and radio-friendly songs. Having started their careers at an early age, the band members have seen it all: multi-platinum record sales, sold out arenas, Top 10 singles and the biggest compliment--bands copying their sound. But they have also endured hardships, from alcohol and substance abuse to the tragic accident that cost drummer Rick Allen his right arm, and the death of long-time member and friend Steve Clark. Lead vocalist Joe Elliott spoke with me about the new album and his tremendously successful group.
     He touched on the troubles they faced through their 20 years together and how the band keeps going. “This is what we do for a living and we like what we do. We’ve had two major tragedies. We’ve been lucky in that the good has outweighed the bad, but when it’s been bad, it’s been real bad.”
     Despite the difficulties, Def Leppard is able to concentrate on what matters most to them--music. Euphoria is reminiscent of Hysteria, which saw them play to sold out arenas, but, “We’re not going back to the ‘80s sound,” Joe said. “This is a more Def Leppard sound. Slang was an experiment that had to be made. We did that intentionally. It reconfirms what we are: a band capable of writing pop-rock tunes where the songwriting, structure and melodies are the important things.”
     Of today’s artists he remarks, “There’s attitude in music, but no melodies. We have become the alternative. Alternative is the mainstream. There are very few pop records on the Billboard Top 200. With the exception of Metallica and a few others, nothing is challenging pop music. You had Def Leppard and Bon Jovi who had albums in the Top 10 because their songs were commercial and got radio play.”
     Many great Eighties bands were dismissed by critics because of their images. Asked about the backlash that “hair bands” like Def Leppard received in the early Nineties, Joe noted that “Most people think of the ‘80s as a negative thing, while artists like Sting, U2 and Prince came from (that decade). If you’re a solo artist, you’re a timeless entity. The tag ‘Eighties’ is only on rock bands. We’ve always tried to entertain people visually and sound-wise. In the ‘90s, it became cool to stand there and look at your shoes. I miss David Lee Roth, that kind of character. There’s nobody out there like Freddie Mercury. There’s a collection of bands where you don’t know the names of each additional member.”
     He is optimistic that radio will be receptive to the new material and that they may help bring melodic rock back to the forefront. “We’ve received great response from radio; we’re number one most added at rock and number four on pop. We’ve done our bit and we’ll see if anyone notices.” As far as alternative and pop music on the radio, he reasons, “There’s room for both.”
     Def Leppard plans to tour extensively in support of Euphoria. “We have selected dates in North America starting July 16 and running through September 16. We’ll play state fairs and other outdoor venues in out of the way places. We’ll head to England in September and return to the States in October to hopefully play arenas if the album is received well.” They will not use the center stage as they did for the Hysteria and Adrenalize tours. “We’ll be back at one end. To do it again would be like nostalgia; it can get old real quick. Halfway through the Adrenalize tour we were bored of it”.
     He has also soured on the music channel his band dominated for so many years. “I don’t watch MTV anymore since it became a game show. I don’t have any interest. I used to love it when it played videos. You have to wait around to see a video. Between ‘83 and ‘89 it was great. (Now) it’s become almost a rap channel. They took the rock right out. They did an ‘80s retro show and it got the best ratings and they don’t learn from things like that. I find that astonishing.” Still, the band made a video for Euphoria’s first single, “Promises.” “It’s a very ‘now’ video, the same technology used in the new Stars Wars movie.” As for MTV, “I don’t think (they) will play it.”
     Joe has turned his sights on the other music channel. “I like VH1 because it plays music programs; even Behind The Music is interesting.” As most people already know, Def Leppard was highlighted on that very popular show and received some of its highest ratings. “It doubled our back-catalog the first week it was on. I can only be thankful to VH1 as I was to MTV in the mid-’80s. I’m not that thankful to MTV anymore because they don’t do anything for us; they don’t play our videos. (But) as long as we maintain a decent relationship with radio, people can maybe hear Def Leppard on their way to work. Radio is such more a medium than TV. My feelings for radio are very good and I hope it opens doors for bands that play similar music. It’s not a crime to write a great song.”
     He blames grunge for the downfall of pop artists. “Nirvana was a melodic band, but hundreds of bands became Nirvana clones. Silverchair sounds and looks like them and Bush made Nirvana’s next record.” He doesn’t hold Nirvana responsible for the downfall; instead, he cites the record labels. “You get an A&R rep who says ‘Get me a band that sound like Def Leppard or sounds like Nirvana.’” This ‘cloning’ factor, he adds, impacts the original artists. “Korn’s next record could be affected by the fact that so many bands sound like them now. They might make a record that doesn’t sound like Korn, which is what we did with Slang. It pisses you off.”
     Success can have its downside, he agrees. “One thing that frightens me is that if this record is indeed successful, we may start it all over again. It would be good for a little while, but if we don’t release an album for five years, there will be five years of other bands releasing the same music and people will be bored of it.” One thing that has given the band staying power is their “great working relationship (with our record label) and that we were signed for 11 albums. We were a career-building band, not like a ‘first one didn’t sell; drop ‘em.’ We signed for six albums and halfway through they offered us a fantastic contract for another five. We may not have lasted if we had released an album every year.”
     As for the future, he sees “Touring into the next century. We’re going to work this record for as long as we can. We love playing live and we’d love to carry on playing for the next 30 years.” Judging by the excellent sales of their greatest hits compilation, Vault, they will most likely get their wish.