Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott: ‘Maybe we will do something spectacular in the UK next year’

Watched by hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook Live, Planet Rock’s very own Joe Elliott joined Paul Anthony for a special Q&A session last night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ‘Hysteria’.

Author: Scott ColothanPublished 4th Aug 2017

Ever-engaging, during the one-hour chat Joe spoke in-depth about the rollercoaster journey making their blockbuster tour-de-force ‘Hysteria’, including Rick Allen’s tragic car crash, the disastrous sessions with Jim Steinman, re-recruiting Mutt Lange and the record’s eventual mind-blowing, multi-million-selling triumph.

As well as giving a candid insight into the past, Joe also teased fans about the likelihood of a ‘Hysteria’ 30th anniversary tour.

Asked whether Def Leppard are planning to play the seminal 1987 record in its glorious entirety on the road, Joe smiled coyly and said: “Watch this space…”

Returning to the subject at the end of the Q&A session, Joe said: “There are going to be shows next year (2018), there’s probably going to be shows in the UK and they may feature an iconic album in total or they might not. We’ll have to wait and see!”

He added: “I’m old school, I like to keep secrets. I hate Twitter, I don’t do Facebook. I’m old school, I give news to the (Def Leppard) website (editor) and let him deal with it y’know.

“But we’ll wait and see y’know, I’m not going to lead anyone up the garden path other than ‘maybe’. Maybe we will do something very spectacular in the UK next year.”

Echoing this tease, speaking on Ian Danter’s show this morning Joe said: “We are possibly going to play some very special shows in the UK next year.”

Speaking about new Def Leppard music last night, Joe confirmed there isn’t an album locked in but the band have got several songs “on the go” and they’re “going to write and record and see what happens.”

“There isn’t an album planned but we are an ongoing situation – Def Leppard never comes to a conclusion, or hasn’t done yet,” Joe said.

“Even if we disappear for four-and-a-half years like we did between ‘Pyromania’ and ‘Hysteria’ we were working under the radar, we’re always working under the radar. I know for a fact me and Phil (Collen) have got a song on the go, Sav’s (Rick Savage) got a song on the go, I’ve got another song on the go.”

Quizzed by an audience member whether these songs could be released as an EP, Joe responded: “That’s being discussed. We tried to do that two/three years ago and ended up with an album. Seriously, we were just going to do three songs ‘so well I’ve got this song, I’ve got this song, I’ve got this song, well I’ve got this song… that’s 12 songs!’ We’re waiting to see what happens there.

“In the not too distant future we’ve got eight shows in South America starting with Rock In Rio on the 22nd of September and that goes through Argentina, Mexico, Santiago in Chile and finish about the 7th or 8th of October and then we’re done until next year. What happens between then and next year, it’s not a closely guarded secret but I’ve got to deliver a Down 'n' Outz album or I’m going to get taken to court (laughs). It’s a contract!”

He added: “I’m working with this girl called Emm Gryner, she’s a fantastic singer-songwriter from Canada and people have asked me what it’s going to sound like… when Robert Plant and Alison Krauss made that record (‘Raising Sand’), it’s going to be kind of like Leonard Cohen and Tori Amos making ‘Hunky Dory’.

“So it’s totally nothing to do with Def Leppard, I’ve got that to do plus the fact me and Phil were talking the other day and it’s like ‘we’ve got to make some music’. So we’re going to write and record and see what happens. And if it comes out next year then great, if it doesn’t and comes out the year after, it doesn’t matter.”

You can watch the Planet Rock Q&A in its entirety right here:

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> An Evening with Joe Elliott and Planet Rock > > Joe is live at Gibson with Planet Rock answering your questions now! #Hysteria30 > > Posted by Def Leppard on Thursday, 3 August 2017

The remastered 30th anniversary reissue of ‘Hysteria’ is released today in a series of bumper expanded formats.

The packages range from a single disc of the remastered album through to a Super Deluxe Edition costing £79.99 featuring 5 CDs, 2 DVDs, a tour poster and four booklets; Story Of, a Ross Halfin photo book, Discography and Hysteria Tour Program.

In addition, there’s a 3-CD deluxe version, a limited edition coloured double vinyl and a standard edition double black vinyl. You can order all packages here.

The Super Deluxe Edition track-listing is as follows:

CD One (Remastered "Hysteria")
1. Women
2. Rocket
3. Animal
4. Love Bites
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me
6. Armageddon It
7. Gods Of War
8. Don't Shoot Shotgun
9. Run Riot
10. Hysteria
11. Excitable
12. Love And Affection

CD Two
1. Tear It Down (B-side)
2. I Wanna Be Your Hero (Retro Active)
3. Ride Into The Sun (Retro Active)
4. Ring Of Fire (B-Side)
5. Women (Radio Edit)
6. Rocket (Lunar Mix) (Radio Edit)
7. Love Bites (Radio Edit)
8. Hysteria (Radio Edit)
9. Pour Some Sugar on Me (Radio Edit)
10. Armageddon It (Radio Edit)
11. Release Me (Stumpus Maximus)
12. Classic Album – Hysteria (BBC Radio Documentary)

CD Three
1. Rocket (The Lunar Mix - Extended Version) (B-Side)
2. Armageddon It (The Nuclear Mix) (12" Single)
3. Animal (Extended Version)
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Extended Version)
5. Excitable (The Orgasmic Mix) (B-Side)
6. Rocket (Lunar Mix) (B-Side)
7. Rock Of Ages (Live) (B-Side)
8. Love And Affection (Live) (B-Side)
9. Billy's Got A Gun (Live) (B-Side)

CD Four: "In The Round, In Your Face" (Live)
1. Stagefright
2. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
3. Women
4. Too Late For Love
5. Hysteria
6. Gods Of War
7. Die Hard The Hunter

CD Five: "In The Round, In Your Face" (Live)
1. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
2. Foolin'
3. Armageddon It
4. Animal
5. Pour Some Sugar On Me
6. Phil Solo
7. Rock Of Ages
8. Photograph

DVD One
1. Rocket (Top Of The Pops)
2. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Top Of The Pops)
3. Animal (Top Of The Pops)
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Brit Awards)
5. Women (Promo Video)
6. Animal (Promo Video)
7. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Promo Video)
8. Pour Some Sugar On Me (U.S. Version Live)
9. Hysteria (Promo Video)
10. Love Bites (Promo Video)
11. Rocket (Promo Video)
12. Armageddon It (Live) (Promo Video)

DVD Two ("Classic Albums")
1. Introduction
2. Animal
3. Hysteria
4. Rocket
5. Love Bites
6. Pour Some Sugar On Me

Bonus Material
7. Initial Recordings Of Animal
8. Rick Gets Hysterical
9. Hysteria (Acoustic Performance)
10. Drumming - Return To The Status Quo
11. The Album According To Joe
12. Sugar Stripped Down
13. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Acoustic Performance)
14. Guitars, Guitars, Guitars
15. Windmill II And The Gods Of War
16. Mutt's Vocals In The Mix
17. The Album Is Finally Released