In a recent interview with Spin, Joe Elliott revealed why the former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon and the Clash’s Joe Strummer would not have been suitable candidates for a band like Yes.
Regarding the impact of hip-hop on Def Leppard’s sound during the ’80s, the singer said:
“When we did ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me,’ there’s no doubt it was influenced by Aerosmith and Run DMC’s ‘Walk This Way’ remake. Steven Tyler rapping the way that Debbie Harry rapped in ‘Rapture’ isn’t really rapping; it’s rapid speaking. It was all about the attitude.”
Then, he went on to explain that Lydon and Strummer’s singing style was different from the more traditional rock vocals. So, they would fail to join Yes:
“That was like punk, you know, the Sex Pistols. With the greatest respect to John Lydon, who I love to death, and Joe Strummer, they weren’t exactly Lou Gramm or Paul Rodgers when it came to singing. But that was the whole point.
They didn’t want to be. Punk was an alternative that I could get my head around. ‘Pretty Vacant,’ ‘God Save the Queen,’ ‘White Riot,’ and even ‘Rock the Casbah’ were great songs, just played by musicians who weren’t exactly on the path to join Yes.”
Shifting our attention to Def Leppard, the band is currently on the European leg of their tour with Mötley Crüe. After performing in various countries, including Spain, Portugal, and Ireland, they will head towards North America for more shows.
