Def Leppard Explain Re-recorded Classics
The band have just re-done two of their hit singles
The band recently rerecorded 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Rock Of Ages' to coincide with the launch of their tour and the release of the new Rock Of Ages film. But it was more than just a coincidence.
"It was, well, let’s just say a sensible business decision on our part,” Joe Elliott tells MTVHive. "How can I put this politely? We were having a major disagreement with our ex-record label about the digital rights for our back catalog. We couldn’t come to a mutual understanding that seemed fair for both sides. So we finally just decided to re-record all our hits. We started with ‘Sugar’ and ‘Rock of Ages,’ and I think we did a pretty good job. It’s hard work trying to recreate something you did 30 years ago.”
The band didn't attempt to update or amend their original recordings for a new generation.
"None of that,” says Elliott. "I’ve heard re-recordings by people who’ve done that, and I wanted to throw the iPod through the window. There’s nothing worse than being let down by an artist you love. Here’s a great example. Bless him because he passed away, but there’s a guy called Andrew Gold. Back in the ’70s he had a song called ‘Lonely Boy’ that’s just wonderful. When we were out on tour, it just popped into my head for no reason. I was probably in Boise, Idaho at the time. So I went to download what I thought was the original, and I ended up getting a re-recording. It was like a crappy karaoke version!”
"We tried to do it as closely as we could,” said Joe. "We got the same sounds, the same key, the same tempo. It was a 100% forgery. That was the idea, anyway. It’s not like a live version, where everything’s a bit looser and you’ve got the ad-libs and the slightly longer guitar solos and the crowd screaming in the background. We were very conscious of the fact that when people download our songs from iTunes, they want it to sound like they remember it.”