Def Leppard Releases Official Video For Symphonic Version Of 'Animal'

Def Leppard just released the director's cut version of the track "Animal" from their upcoming album Drastic Symphonies.

I honestly love this new video. It takes original footage from the actual "Animal" video and uses modern clips of Def Leppard performing live. There are shots of the orchestral musicians during the recording process and a whole lot of nods to UK pride, making for a smart way to show this reinvented version of a classic song in a new way.

Drastic Symphonies comes out May 19th.

Comments

[London]

Clever video. Well done.

[Him]

This isn't me yammering on with my turgid POVs for once. I previously posted my thoughts on this sort of thing.

This is a question: is this simply the old vocals, spiced up a bit, with new orchestration and some new noodling/ornamentation? I heard this on Sirius/XM and then had to compare it to the original . . . the vocals sound the same (though more echo-y and digitized).

I only ask because some places--Sirius/XM, for one--have made a big deal about how the band was asked to do this and was in the studio with the RPO. So, they were in the studio . . . doing what, exactly?

Again, not my cup of tea (damn POV slipped in!). But this sounds like it is a lot of old tea mixed with some new bags.

Oh, and the video? Yes, somewhat clever. Nice to see they borrowed some of the cast from A-ha's "The Sun Always Shines on TV" video. I guess they were lying about, doing nothing! Giggle.

[Gogmagog]

@Him -- sounds exactly that to me. For starters, it's in the same key as the original 1987 release. The band has been tuning down for years, and Elliott still can't hit the high notes. What convinced me was the phrase, "I cry wolf," after the first chorus. Everything about that sounds the same to me. Even if he had been trying to make it the same, there would be something that's just a little off, and I don't hear it here.

They did re-record the guitar solo. That's obviously different, from the guitar tone if nothing else. But the rest of it? I don't believe that it's a new recording.

[Metalboy!]

This is terrible … Why bother!

Check out Deep Purple with The London Symphony Orchestra to see how it’s done.

[Him]

Thanks, Gogmagog. I, too, kept getting tripped up on how some key lines sounded exactly the same.