Marshall Of Rock

Def Leppard recently re-recorded new versions of 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' and 'Rock of Ages' after not being able to come to an agreement with their ex-record label about the digital rights to the band's back catalog. Now the band are aiming to re-record all their hit singles.

Frontman Joe Elliott told MTV Hive that’s just the start: "How can I put this politely? We were having a major disagreement with out ex record label about the digital rights for our back catalogue. We couldn’t come to a mutual understanding that seemed fair for both sides. So we finally decided to re-record all our hits. We started with Sugar and Rock of Ages and I think we did a pretty good job – but it’s hard work trying to recreate something you did 30 years ago.

Def Leppard will make "100% forgeries" of their originals, but Elliott says it would be a mistake to try changing any aspect of the tracks: "It’s not like a live version where everything a bit looser and you’ve got the ad libs, the longer guitar solos and the crowd 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. There’s nothing worse than being let down by an artist you love. There’s a guy called Andrew Gold – back in the seventies he had a song called Lonely Boy that’s just wonderful. When we were on tour it popped into my head, so I went to download what I thought was the original. I ended up getting a re-recording. It was like a crappy karaoke version."

But don't expect any new videos to go along with the re-recorded track. Elliott says: "It’s easy to reproduce the sound and get it to match – but we can’t go in a time machine and get rid of the wrinkles. We are what we are. I’m 52; I’ll be 53 in a few months. It would be ridiculous."

Check out a new lyric video for 'Rock of Ages' and listen to the new version of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' here:

This weekend, over 80 stations will air 'Off the Record' with Joe Benson featuring the music of Def Leppard and Joe's brand new conversation with singer Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage. Find a station to listen to it on here: www.unclejoe.com

Def Leppard recently recorded a live set on the Sunset Strip at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA. for youtube. Def Leppard rip through 7 songs including "Rock of Ages", "Foolin'", "Animal", "Hysteria", "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", "Pour Some Sugar on Me", and "Let It Go". It was all followed by a band Q&A with 'Rockline' host and legendary DJ Bob Coburn.

The 'Rock of Ages' tour with Poison and Lita Ford rocks on tomorrow in Denver, CO. and wraps up in Santa Barbara, CA on September 15th.

USA Today profiled the band earlier this week. Here's an excerpt:

Starting in Sheffield: During the late '70s, the nascent group had a hard time finding places to play in its hometown in England. Club owners realized "they could make more money employing somebody to spin discs rather than getting a band that would vomit all over the dressing rooms." The group played its first show in the dining hall of a local school, a hastily arranged gig designed to keep guitarist Steve Clark, who had joined six months earlier, from making good on his threat to quit. (He would remain a member until his death in 1991.) The second show took place in a dark field. "A couple of people put their (car) lights on so that the 12 people who were there could see us," Elliott says.

That's the way (they like it): In the early days, Def Lep once opened for the electro-pop Human League, who also formed in Sheffield in 1977. Decades later, the rockers taped a TV concert with country superstar Taylor Swift, who's a big fan. But neither of those was their weirdest bill: They once found themselves on the lineup with disco stalwarts KC & the Sunshine Band. Not that Elliott minded: "They were unbelievable. There were 11 of them onstage, and they were a machine. Just because we ended up in a rock band doesn't mean we don't appreciate (Shake, Shake, Shake)Shake Your Booty." Read the entire article here: www.usatoday.com/life/music

Drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard has released his fine art collection entitled, 'Electric Hand: Rhythm + Change.' Allen worked with L.A. creativity house SceneFour to translate rhythm into visual art. The result is a collection of abstract imagery built directly from the artists’ rhythmic prowess. “The collection reveals something that up until recently I didn’t even know existed, transforming sound into light,” says Allen about his work.

With this debut, Allen is holding true to a lifetime of breaking barriers, from overcoming the loss of his left arm and forging ahead with Def Leppard to the height of the band’s successes to the founding of The Raven Drum Foundation, an organization focused on serving, educating, and empowering veterans and people in crisis.

With only 300 pieces available in the collection, those interested are encouraged to visit www.rickallenart.com

Rick Allen became involved in philanthropic efforts with his wife and musician Lauren Monroe after losing his left arm in an automobile accident. Together, the duo has founded the Raven Drum Foundation with a mission to serve, educate, and empower veterans and people in crisis. With a rich legacy of music and humanitarian work, Allen is gearing up for another chapter in his career with his fine art debut, Electric Hand: Rhythm + Change. Check out a recent profile in L.A. Weekly here.

Vocalist Joe Elliott of Def Leppard was interviewed earlier this month (Apr. 2) of the "Mark And Mo In The Morning" show on the WEBN-FM in Cincinnati, Ohio. Check out the interview in two parts below. Elliott talks about how missing the school bus led to the beginnings of Atomic Mass, which eventually became Def Leppard, the longevity of the band despite some devastating events, the big Bowie influence, Rick Allen losing his arm and how he and the band adapted, and how the band ended up doing the CMT Crossroads series with Taylor Swift. Good interview guys!

Joe is in Buenos Aires, Argentina tonight as part of the 'Rock N' Roll All Stars' Tour of Central and South America with members of Kiss, Guns N' Roses, The Cult, Deep Purple, Collective Soul, Billy Idol, Alice In Chains. One more gig with the All Stars follows on April 27 in Lima, Peru. Joe and Def Leppard will kick off their massive 'Rock of Ages' summer tour with Poison and Lita Ford on June 20th in Salt Lake City, Utah. Get all the details and dates here: www.defleppard.com