Answering rock star submitted questions on Rock Sound, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott was asked by Wolfgang Van Halen about steps he takes to take care of his voice.
Elliott responded:
"So looking after my voice, a lot of it is just common sense. At 65 years old, since we came back after COVID, we just made a point of going, 'We can sustain this for 10 years if we don't kill ourselves.' As we saw earlier on this tour, a couple of people, saying, like, 'Oh, Def Leppard, they obviously use all these samples', I think it was Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. and some dude [Chuck Billy] from Testament. It's, like, actually, mates, no, we don't. We actually practice. And maybe the three guys that you think are miming all the backing vocals, maybe they're actually quite good at their jobs… We take it as a compliment.
“I'm not bitter about it. I mean, they can think what they want, because that's what they're used to. 99 percent of bands, maybe that's what they do. I don't know. I don't judge bands on whether they use samples or not. I just judge them on whether I like them. If I go see a band live, I could be the first to go, 'Yep. That's definitely not live.' There's a keyboard player going, whatever, and he's got the backing vocals there. But not us. It'll be real until it's terrible, and then we'll stop. [Laughs]"
In Episode 7 of Def Leppard's Behind The Summer Stadium Tour, we are introduced to Joe Elliott's idea for a solo record, Rick and Phil re-learn some songs, Joe & Phil channel their inner Moody Blues, the guys celebrate Viv's birthday and Joe embarks on a journey (no pun intended) to get a new phone. Watch below:
Def Leppard’s 2024 summer stadium tour kick started with the release of a brand new standalone single, "Just Like 73". Watch the band “live from the 2024 Summer Stadium Tour" below:
Returning to the road on a massive North American summer stadium tour, the electrifying single, "Just Like 73" featuring Tom Morello, made its debut for the first time reaching #1 on various charts across the globe.
Speaking about the track, Joe Elliott shares, “It encapsulates a time that burned deep into our DNA. We wanted to celebrate that very important and glorious time.”
“When I saw David Bowie on TV between 1972 and 1973, everything I thought I knew about music went from black and white to vivid technicolor,” Phil Collen adds. “Our song ‘Just Like 73’ represents that awakening.”
Own "Just Like 73" on 7” vinyl. Shop here.
Vinyl tracklisting:
Side A:
"Just Like 73" (Featuring Tom Morello)
Side B:
"Just Like 73" (Alternate Version)
