In a current episode of The Rockonteurs With Gary Kemp And Guy Pratt podcast, Def Leppard‘s Joe Elliott firmly rejected the notion that his band falls below the heavy steel class. Elliott‘s candid feedback underscored a long-standing frustration with style labels that he feels misrepresent the band’s musical identification.
“I’ve a problem with the time period ‘heavy steel’ as a result of everyone exterior of rock at all times thinks in case you’re a heavy steel band, it is like unhealthy information… You get this impression that everyone’s a moron,” Elliott remarked, highlighting a stereotype that he believes unfairly stigmatizes the style and its followers.
Elliott clarified his stance by drawing comparisons to different legendary acts: “AC/DC had been a blues rock band. UFO and Skinny Lizzy weren’t heavy steel. Motörhead, even they’d a blues affect to them… Queen was by no means a heavy steel band, however they’d a few heavy steel songs, because of Brian Could. And I believe we had been just about the identical means. It was rock — completely heavy rock, for certain.”
To additional illustrate Def Leppard‘s versatility, Elliott pointed to the band’s early work: “You hearken to our first EP from 1979, there is a tune known as ‘Experience Into The Solar’, which is a complete pop tune. However then ‘Get Your Rocks Off’ was a full-on rock tune.” He humorously added, “If we’re heavy steel, then so are The Rolling Stones, ‘trigger it is two guitars, bass, drums, and a singer.”
Elliott‘s aversion to strict style labels is obvious: “It is a foolish, foolish time period. I like ‘rock’. If you begin pigeonholing, it will get on my tits, to be fairly sincere, as a result of cannot we simply all be only a rock band or a pop band or be each?”
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