By Martin Popoff
"I think X sounds more like sort of a classic Def Leppard record, with somewhat of a contemporary sort of sound to it," answers Rick, when asked to contrast the album with Euphoria, which went gold in the U.S. "It's really the record we've been wanting to make for a long time. And I think the only way we really knew how was to do what we know how to do best. And just all the different producers that we brought in, it gave it more of a commercial sort of appeal. I loved working with Marti Frederiksen. He really set the tone for the whole record. Fortunately and unfortunately he's a great drummer, so he really kind of put me through my paces. He really wanted to do all the drums, for the three songs we did with him, using acoustics, which was great for me, because I never really put my acoustic drums down. That's where I first learned and it's really in my DNA. So just the idea that we went in there and put down all the drum parts and then we went back and did all the cymbal parts and then welded the two things together which was very interesting for me. It was a challenge, but ultimately, just the energy that you feel and hear with the rhythm section was a really good thing. I love the song Now, just because of its energy. It conjures up a lot of what Def Leppard is about. It's not necessarily the most commercial song on the album, but I think in terms of the sound of it, it really conjures up what we're all about. And the other song that I just love, and I think most people would probably agree with me, is a song called Long Long Way To Go, which is just a beautifully written love song."
On the subject of his drumming, I asked Rick that, given the loss of his left arm in a car accident in the mid-'80s, if that has resulted in greater than normal independence in his legs.
DEF LEPPARD - X-tra Sugar This Time, Please Page 3