Kickstarting what promises to be yet another unforgettable summer, Def Leppard unveil a brand-new standalone single entitled ‘Just Like 73‘ featuring Tom Morello today! Listen – here . The song arrives on 7” vinyl on August 2, 2024 and will be available in a special colour variant only through the band’s D2C store and in black at all retailers. Pre-order – Here.
‘Just Like 73‘ notably marks the first collaboration between the iconic rock titans and the legendary guitarist, sonic innovator, and co-founder of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. The single revolves around a classic Def Leppard stomp fuelled by a robust stadium-size beat, thick riffing, and a signature chant, “Rock with me, just like 73!” Meanwhile, a knockout gang vocal gives way to a signature fret-scorching solo from Morello. The instantly recognizable whammy bar wheezes as he shreds at lightspeed into one last head-nodding hook.
Of the collaboration Joe Elliott shares, “It encapsulates a time that burned deep into our DNA. We wanted to celebrate that very important and glorious time.”
“When I saw David Bowie on TV between 1972 and 1973, everything I thought I knew about music went from black and white to vivid technicolor,” Phil Collen adds. “Our song ‘Just Like 73’ represents that awakening.”
“I had a blast rocking a solo on ‘Just Like 73’” ,says Tom Morello. “I played ‘Rock Of Ages’ in my college cover band almost 40 years ago and here Def Leppard are still killing it in stadiums with a brand new tune that’s one of their best.”
Next up, Def Leppard will present a high-octane animated music video for ‘Just Like 73’, premiering on June 20, 2024 at 16:00 BST. It features the band (and Morello) like you’ve never seen them before.
Def Leppard return to the road on a massive co-headline stadium tour with Journey next month. They will be joined by special guests Heart, Cheap Trick, and Steve Miller Band on select dates. This run kicks off on July 6 in St. Louis, MO at Busch Stadium, canvases the continent, and concludes on September 8 in Denver, CO at Coors Field. Check out the full confirmed itinerary below.
Earlier this year, Def Leppard commemorated the 40th Anniversary of their iconic album ‘Pyromania‘ with a Deluxe Expanded Edition and full music and merchandise collection. It is available on 4-CD / Blu Ray Box, 1LP Half Speed Master, 2LP Black Vinyl, 2LP Coloured Vinyl (D2C Exclusive), 2CD and digitally. Get it – here.
It earned widespread tastemaker praise. Stereogum sat down with frontman Joe Elliott for a coveted “We’ve Got A File On You” interview, going on to rave, “‘Pyromania‘ was not only a triumphant pop album — it introduced a new way to record rock music, period, by having the band record to a drum machine’s click track (actual drums were recorded last), letting Lange and Def Leppard play around with arrangement.” Classic Rock awarded the Expanded Edition a rare “5-out-of-5 stars” and raved, “‘Pyromania‘ still sounds stunning 40 years on.” Guitar World christened it “a masterpiece,” and Ultimate Classic Rock attested, “One thing that sticks out when listening to the band’s third album now is how epic each song sounds, thanks to the elaborate introductions that were constructed for many of the songs and other flourishes that were added in.”
Essential for collectors and newcomers alike, ‘Pyromania Deluxe Expanded Edition‘ comes with 4-CD’s consisting of the original album, a whole disc of unheard demos recently re-discovered by Joe Elliott while combing through the vaults, an unreleased demo ‘No You Can’t Do That‘ and two defining live shows from the era – from the LA Forum (USA) and Westfalen Halle in Dortmund (Germany). The Blu Ray contains an Atmos mix of the album (overseen by Giles Martin) as well as 5.1 / Stereo and instrumental mixes. Also included are five promo videos from the time. The album also appears as a Half Speed Master for the first time. The book contains the history of the album written by Mojo and Classic Rock writer Paul Elliott (who has conducted new interviews with band members), as well as rare and unseen photos by noted photographer, and long time band collaborator, Ross Halfin.
Stay tuned for more from Def Leppard soon!
Tour Dates:
July 6 – St. Louis, MO (Busch Stadium)^
July 10 – Orlando, FL (Camping World Stadium)^
July 13 – Atlanta, GA (Truist Park)*
July 15 – Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field)*
July 18 – Detroit, MI (Comerica Park)*
July 20 – Nashville, TN (Nissan Stadium)*
July 23 – Philadelphia, PA (Citizens Bank Park)*
July 25 – Hershey, PA (Hersheypark Stadium)*
July 27 – Pittsburgh, PA (PNC Park)*
July 30 – Cleveland, OH (Progressive Field)+
August 2 – Toronto, ON (Rogers Centre)+
August 5 – Boston, MA (Fenway Park)+
August 7 – Flushing, NY (Citi Field)*
August 12 – Arlington, TX (Globe Life Field)*
August 14 – Houston, TX (Minute Maid Park)*
August 16 – San Antonio, TX (Alamodome)*
August 19 – Minneapolis, MN (Target Field)*
August 23 – Phoenix, AZ (Chase Field)*
August 25 – Los Angeles, CA (SoFi Stadium)*
August 28 – San Francisco, CA (Oracle Park)*
August 30 – San Diego, CA (Petco Park)*
September 4 – Seattle, WA (T-Mobile Park)^
September 8 – Denver, CO (Coors Field)^
+ with HEART
^ with CHEAP TRICK
* with STEVE MILLER BAND
About Def Leppard:
With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductees Def Leppard – Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as the world’s greatest live rock band. Def Leppard’s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums, including two of the best-selling albums of all time, ‘Pyromania‘ and ‘Hysteria‘— the former of which is currently celebrating it’s 40th anniversary— capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as ‘Rock of Ages‘, ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me‘ and ‘Foolin‘.
For the first time, in January 2018 Def Leppard debuted their full recording catalogue worldwide via streaming and download platforms. As they did with the original release of their records, Def Leppard dominated the worldwide charts again, which found their albums charting in the iTunes Top 10 in more than 30 countries, including Hysteria at #3 in the US, and #5 in the UK (36 years after the album had charted at No 1 in the Billboard charts). Def Leppard also had the #1, #2 and #3 records on the US catalog albums chart. The band have gone on to amass a staggering 5.5 billion streams since 2018, reaching a younger 18-44 demographic that now represents 58% of their fanbase. Additionally, the band have garnered an impressive 15 million followers across their social media platforms.
In May 2022, Def Leppard released their critically and commercially acclaimed twelfth studio album ‘Diamond Star Halos‘. The album debuted at #1 on the Apple and Amazon Music charts. The album also scored a Top 10 debut on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, marking the band’s eighth Top 10 album of their career, and garnered a #1 debut on Billboard’s Hard Rock chart. Globally, ‘Diamond Star Halos‘ had numerous Top 10 chart entries including a Top 5 debut in the UK.
This has been followed by their 13th studio album ‘Drastic Symphonies‘ with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023. The album charted at no 4 in the UK album charts – their highest UK chart entry in over 32 years—and spent an impressive 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.
In early 2023, the band scored a U.K. no. 1 Netflix film with their cameo in acclaimed movie ‘Bank Of Dave‘. Following the close of their historic 2018 co-headline stadium and arena run in North America, Def Leppard sold more than 1,000,000 tickets, a massive feat in today’s touring world. Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe topped that number yet again with another sold out stadium run in 2022 & 2023 selling over 2.1 million tickets across the globe while performing in 27 countries and on five continents. As always, the group continues to push the boundaries with their electrifying live shows and are set for another North American stadium tour this summer.
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