DEF LEPPARD Singer Says Re-Recording 'Sugar', "Rock Of Ages' Was 'A Sensible Business Decision'

MTV Hive recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MTV Hive: You recently re-recorded "Rock Of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Did you not get it right the first time?

Elliott: It was, well, let's just say a sensible business decision on our part. 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.

MTV Hive: But you can't recreate that '80s magic exactly, can you?

Elliott: We tried to do it as closely as we could. 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.

MTV Hive: You don't think of yourself as heavy metal?

Elliott: I don't. Talk to Glenn Tipton from JUDAS PRIEST or Scott Ian from ANTHRAX and ask them if DEF LEPPARD is a heavy metal band, they'll laugh at you. And rightfully so. They'll say no, they're a good rock band, but they're not heavy metal.

MTV Hive: So what are you?

Elliott: We're rock. It's a vast difference. AC/DC are metal, VAN HALEN aren't metal. And neither are they a hair band, but they've got hair. If it's the difference between being a hair band and a bald band, yes, we're a hair band. But musically, we're a British rock band, end of story.

MTV Hive: What's the formula for a memorable rock 'n' roll anthem? Walk us through it.

Elliott: Most people would say you have to avoid clichés at all cost. But I would say absolutely not. Embrace clichés like they're your dying breath. Look at a song like "We Are the Champions" by QUEEN. It's one big meaty cliché. "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is one of the greatest songs ever written and it's a cliché, but it's a cool cliché. Don't avoid clichés, embrace the bloody things.

Read the entire interview from MTV Hive.