It’s hard not to have a soft spot for Sheffield’s favourite sons whether you love their chart dominating ‘Hysteria’ or got onboard earlier like I did when that first single hit way back in 1979. At the time I spent half my one pound a week pocket money on the ‘Wasted’ single. I grew to love the band over the course of those first three albums and was kind of nonplussed with the world dominating sheen of ‘Hysteria’, but good on them. I always yearned for another record in the 80’s after that one, but it wasn’t until 1992 that we got the Pop of ‘Adrenalize’. What I love about Def Leppard though is that they’re still making music and there’s always something, even for the oldest of fans.
Getting to the point though, we’ve always been made to wait so it’s rather incredible that after waiting 7 years for ‘Diamond Star Halos’ here we are 8 days shy of a year later with another new record ‘Drastic Symphonies’. Of course the world and his wife have done symphonic albums from Metallica to Kiss and all points above and below. It’s been a mixed response to most of those adventures, and whilst Rock does sit exceedingly well in general with an orchestra at times you feel it’s been just about getting new product out rather than anything more substantial.
Def Leppard takes that well worn formula and twists it somewhat, even going as far as to compose new parts to some of the songs. It’s something a little more experimental that some of the mere garnish we’ve had in the past from some bands. And it’s because of that willingness to let go that at time it works a treat and at others makes a beautiful car crash. It’s big though, and it’s not just the hits – what we get is 16 songs, some rather unexpected, that feature newly composed passages and all are performed by the band and the world famous London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The results are always interesting but sonically these new experiences are more likely to sit better with the casual listener than the die-hard fan. Some treatments I simply love though, and those tend to be the more faithfully recreated sounds where the orchestra does what it usually does on these types of releases – enhances the song, gives it a certain richness and another texture. It’s interesting that the songs that sound best are also so varied: ‘Love Bites’ as you might imagine for a ballad sounds wonderful. And it’s the instrumental ‘Switch 625’ and ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’ that perhaps work best of all in the pre-Hysteria category.
Elsewhere there’s a real sense that neither band nor orchestra have opted to play it straight or safe. ‘Hysteria’ is stripped of it’s guitar solo, ‘Paper Sun’ sounds huge and get’s the kitchen sink treatment, even ‘Too Late For Love’ gets the nod of approval, whilst ‘Animal’ opens completely differently. They all work though, as does the majority of the record. For me there’s only really one song I’d rather hadn’t got ‘the treatment’. It’s a song that was so definitive of its age, so iconic, that it would have been easy just to add a few accent here and there… but they don’t. ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me (Stripped Version)’ is as the title suggests the bare bones of a song that you can’t imagine ever being formed in that way. There’s piano and strings and Joe duets with Emm Gryner (who also provides the keys). I don’t think it’s awful but it’s surely misconceived – attempting to force one of 80’s Rock’s greatest anthems into the skin of a ballad. It would be like asking Frank Sinatra to encore with a crooned take on Ace of Spades!
All in all ‘Drastic Symphonies’ sounds like the work of a band who set out to do more than just add an orchestra to their selections, it’s an interesting record with a lot going on, and produces some great moments. It might not end up in heavy rotation for a lot of fans but it’s great to see Sheffield’s finest upping the ante as they head out on their UK Tour.
8 / 10