Red Hot Track Of The Week: Def Leppard

Song

Animal (Symphonic Version)

Artist

Def Leppard

Def Leppard backstory

From humble beginnings in the Steel City of Sheffield to global stadium rock superstardom, Def Leppard’s is a story that demands retelling.

Deaf Leopard were formed in 1977 after originally performing as Atomic Mass.

But the removal of a couple of vowels and the addition of a consonant preceded the release of the band’s debut three-track EP.

And in March 1980 Def Leppard unleased NWOBHM-styled long player On Through The Night.

Mutt Lange spotted something in the Lepps and produced follow-up High N Dry before reuniting with the band for US breakthrough Pyromania.

But it wasn’t until 1987’s diamond-selling (12xplatinum) US smash Hysteria that the Lange/Leppard collab finally realised is potential.

Lead single Animal became the band’s first UK top 10 single and sparked a run of chart success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hysteria spawned a staggering seven singles and if follow-up Adrenalize faced stiff competition in the face of grunge’s rising popularity it still shifted millions more copies worldwide.

Je Elliott and co. survived grunge, nu-metal and more to remain at the cutting edge of hard rock.

And last year’s Rushonrock-approved Diamond Star Halos — the band’s 12^th studio album — went Top 10 in the UK and the US.

The best of the band’s back catalogue was re-recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road in March 2022.

Drastic Symphonies was produced by Def Leppard, Ronan McHugh and Nick Patrick with arrangements by Eric Gorfain (Neil Diamond, Ryan Adams, Christina Aguilera).

In frontman Joe Elliott’s own words

“Animal was our first UK hit, 10 years after we formed.

“And, all this time later, thanks to a beautiful meeting of classic and classical, it sounds as fresh to my ears now as it did when it first came out.”

The verdict on Animal (Symphonic Version)

Def Leppard aren’t the first band to add a symphonic slant to their biggest hits.

And they won’t be the last.

But given producer Mutt Lange’s famously complicated arrangements during the late 80s, is there really room for a full-blown orchestra on smash hit Animal?

Yes and no.

You see, much of that superior single’s original bombast has been removed completely.

Rhythm section Rick Allen and Rick Savage are all but redundant as the Royal Philharmonic takes centre stage.

And this is very much a vehicle for Joe Elliott and Phil Collen to reimagine one of the defining tracks of Leppard’s hair metal era.

The former sounds eerily similar to the fresh-faced Yorkshireman who bossed MTV 36 years ago.

And Collen’s tweaked solo dovetails perfectly with the RPO’s carefully crafted strings.

As a first taste of Drastic Symphonies, the pared down Animal offers an alluring insight into what’s to come.

It’s the Def Leppard mix you never knew you needed.