In a recent discussion with Kyle Meredith, Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen shared his thoughts on the band’s new collaboration, ‘Drastic Symphonies,’ with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, he talked about the influence of the Who, particularly Pete Townshend, on their approach to this project.
According to Collen, the symphonic performances of the Who were a source of inspiration for Def Leppard’s own symphonic endeavors. In fact, the Def Leppard band members visited the Hollywood Bowl last November to watch the Who perform their album ‘Quadrophenia,’ backed by a live orchestra.
When asked if the Who was on their mind while doing a symphonic material, Collen replied:
“Yeah. We, just me and Joe Elliott, actually in November went to see the Who at the Hollywood Bowl, and they did ‘Quadrophenia’ live with the orchestra. [We went] just to get an idea if it would work live, but Pete Townshend is a different thing. He’s such an artist, and you know that he had a lot of involvement in the original recordings, whether it’s ‘Tommy’ or whatever.
So that’s how we approach this, and I remember just like even hearing some of the demos on keyboards. It’s like, ‘Well, that sounds ridiculous. Staccato might get legato; the lead vocal should happen here.’ So there’s a lot more involvement in it as opposed to just plunking this great orchestra on our stuff. There was a real involvement, making bring tears to your eyes. That kind of thing. That was the intent anyway.”
In the end, Collen remarked that the aim was to emotionally resonate with their audience, just as Townshend had done with his deeply involved approach in the Who’s symphonic performances. ‘Drastic Symphonies,’ which arrives on May 19, aims to provide a fresh take on their classics and less-known tracks.
