Drastic Symphonies
{{Use British English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Drastic Symphonies
| type = remix
| artist = Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
| cover = Def Leppard - Drastic Symphonies.png
| alt = A picture at the top of a staircase in a decrepit house looking towards light streaming through a large window.
| released = {{Start date|2023|05|19|df=y}}
| recorded = March 2022
| studio = Abbey Road, London
| genre = Symphonic rock, symphonic metal
| length = 81:56
| label =
- Bludgeon Riffola
- Mercury
| producer =
- Nick Patrick
- Ronan McHugh
| chronology = Def Leppard
| prev_title = Diamond Star Halos
| prev_year = 2022
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc =
}}
Drastic Symphonies is a remix album by English rock band Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, released on 19 May 2023 through Bludgeon Riffola and Mercury Records. It was produced by Nick Patrick and Ronan McHugh, and contains 16 of the band's songs re-recorded with orchestral accompaniment from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and arrangements by Eric Gorfain,{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/def-leppard-drastic-symphonies-album-review/|title=Def Leppard, Drastic Symphonies: Album Review|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|last=Graff|first=Gary|date=18 May 2023|access-date=26 May 2023}} recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London in March 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/def-leppard-royal-philharmonic-drastic-symphonies-out-now/|title=Def Leppard Release Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Collab Drastic Symphonies|website=UDiscoverMusic|last=Peacock|first=Tim|date=19 May 2023|access-date=26 May 2023}} Most tracks contain the vocals from the original recordings. The album contains at least one song from Def Leppard's previous studio albums with the exception of On Through the Night (1980), X (2002), Yeah! (2006), and Def Leppard (2015).
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = Classic Rock
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/def-leppard-drastic-symphonies-album-review|title=Def Leppard's Drastic Symphonies: You know the songs, but you've never heard them like this|magazine=Classic Rock|via=Loudersound|last=Aizlewood|first=John|date=20 May 2023|access-date=26 May 2023}}
}}
John Aizlewood of Classic Rock commented that Def Leppard "have gone down the orchestral route" but "done it properly, so it's the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road, rather than some chancers in Joe's garage" and remarked that "the song selection is smart" and "one of the joys of the album is that it's not quite so predictable". Gary Graff of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that "the results are unquestionably intriguing and fresh – a genuinely new way of approaching these tracks, even if you'd be hard-pressed to pick any that would become the preferred version", and called the "only outright dud" the stripped version of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" due to its lyrics "sound[ing] silly in such austere sonic trappings".
Track listing
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Origin
| title1 = Turn to Dust
| writer1 = Phil Collen
| extra1 = Slang, 1996
| length1 = 5:29
| title2 = Paper Sun
| writer2 = {{hlist|Vivian Campbell|Collen|Rick Savage|Pete Woodroffe}}
| extra2 = Euphoria, 1999
| length2 = 5:33
| title3 = Animal
| writer3 = {{hlist|Steve Clark|Collen|Joe Elliott|Robert John "Mutt" Lange|Savage}}
| extra3 = Hysteria, 1987
| length3 = 4:03
| title4 = Pour Some Sugar on Me
| note4 = stripped version
| writer4 = {{hlist|Clark|Collen|Elliott|Lange|Savage}}
| extra4 = Hysteria
| length4 = 5:26
| title5 = Hysteria
| writer5 = {{hlist|Clark|Collen|Elliott|Lange|Savage}}
| extra5 = Hysteria
| length5 = 5:56
| title6 = Love Bites
| writer6 = {{hlist|Clark|Collen|Elliott|Lange|Savage}}
| extra6 = Hysteria
| length6 = 6:41
| title7 = Goodbye for Good This Time
| writer7 = Elliott
| extra7 = Diamond Star Halos, 2022
| length7 = 4:26
| title8 = Love
| writer8 = Savage
| extra8 = Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, 2008
| length8 = 3:55
| title9 = Gods of War
| writer9 = {{hlist|Clark|Collen|Elliott|Lange|Savage}}
| extra9 = Hysteria
| length9 = 6:45
| title10 = Angels (Can't Help You Now)
| writer10 = Elliott
| extra10 = Diamond Star Halos
| length10 = 4:58
| title11 = Bringin' On the Heartbreak
| writer11 = {{hlist|Clark|Elliott|Pete Willis}}
| extra11 = High 'n' Dry, 1981
| length11 = 4:33
| title12 = Switch 625
| writer12 = Clark
| extra12 = High 'n' Dry
| length12 = 3:04
| title13 = Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
| note13 = Japanese SHM-CD, Blu-ray Audio, vinyl and digital editions only
| writer13 = {{hlist|Collen|Elliott|Lange}}
| extra13 = Adrenalize, 1992
| length13 = 4:55
| title14 = Too Late for Love
| writer14 = {{hlist|Clark|Elliott|Lange|Savage|Willis}}
| extra14 = Pyromania, 1983
| length14 = 5:37
| title15 = When Love & Hate Collide
| writer15 = {{hlist|Elliott|Savage}}
| extra15 = Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995), 1995
| length15 = 4:16
| title16 = Kings of the World
| writer16 = Savage
| extra16 = Mirror Ball – Live & More, 2011
| length16 = 6:19
| total_length = 81:56
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Drastic Symphonies ! scope="col"| Chart (2023) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2023-05-29|title=ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|date=29 May 2023|access-date=26 May 2023}}
| 46 |
|---|
| {{album chart|Austria|42|M|url=https://oe3.orf.at/charts/stories/oe3austriatop40longplay/|title=Longplay Charts vom 30. Mai 2023|publisher=Ö3 Austria Top 40|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=30 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|119|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=28 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|86|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=28 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|France|129|M|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=21?&annee=2023&categorie=Top%20Albums|title=Top Albums (Week 21, 2023)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|17|id=518010|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland|95|M|url=http://www.irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 26 May 2023|publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association|rowheader=true|access-date=31 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Oricon|18|date=2023-05-29/p/2|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2023}} |
| scope="row"| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2023&month=05&day=29|title=Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/05/24|language=ja|access-date=26 May 2023}}
| 22 |
| {{album chart|Scotland|2|date=20230526|rowheader=true|access-date=27 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Spain|86|M|url=https://www.elportaldemusica.es/lists/top-100-albums/2023/21|title=Top 100 Albums Weekly|publisher=Promusicae|work=El portal de Música|rowheader=true|access-date=31 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|10|artist=Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|album=Drastic Symphonies|rowheader=true|access-date=28 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|4|date=20230526|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|UKRock|1|date=20230526|rowheader=true|access-date=27 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|54|artist=Def Leppard|rowheader=true|access-date=31 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardHardRock|4|artist=Def Leppard|rowheader=true|access-date=31 May 2023}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRock|9|artist=Def Leppard|rowheader=true|access-date=31 May 2023}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://defleppard.com/album/drastic-symphonies/}}
- {{MusicBrainz release group|mbid=7e4ae23f-0e18-4102-8d14-56b23f617573|name=Drastic Symphonies}}
- {{Discogs master|master=3101952|name=Drastic Symphonies|type=album}}
{{Def Leppard}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by Nick Patrick (record producer)
Category:Def Leppard remix albums
Category:EMI Records remix albums
Category:Mercury Records remix albums