http://www.theoaklandpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7504756&BRD=982&PAG=461&dept_id=467992&rfi=8 Def Leppard isn't apologizing for its 'full-on pop' March 26, 2003 Joe Elliott acknowledges that there isn't the same kind of "Hysteria" for Def Leppard these days as there was in the mid-'80s, when the British hard rock quintet lit things up with multiplatinum albums such as "Pyromania" and a string of hits that included "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Armageddon It." But the vocalist says a diminished commercial impact hasn't tempered the band's appetite to keep making music - including its latest album, "X." "You can't be all things to all people; at the end of the day, all you can do is something that satisfies yourself," says Elliott, 43, who has fronted Def Leppard since its 1977 formation in Sheffield, England, through a journey that resulted in sales of more than 45 million albums worldwide. "We're just concerned with writing really good songs, and pushing ourselves a little bit. At the same time, we do know that a lot of people out there still want us to sound like we did on 'Pyromania' or 'Hysteria.' You try to maintain a majority of the audience; you may lose some, but you end up getting some others. That's kind of healthy - and logical, when you think about it." Elliott does say that "X," which has sold about 225,000 copies since its release in July 2002 was designed to be "a very, unashamedly, commercial record," one that hearkens back to the hooky melodicism of Def Leppard's heyday. To accomplish that, the group worked not only with producer Pete Woodroffe at Elliott's home studio in Dublin, but also made some tracks with Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen and the Swedish team of Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim, which has fashioned hits for 'NSYNC and Britney Spears. "Take an album like 'Hysteria,' " Elliot explains. "We realize that no matter what its intentions were, it turned out to be a full-on pop record by virtue of the way it was received. It had hits. "We decided that we hadn't really gone out of our way to do that since 'Hysteria,' so this time we said, 'Let's not be afraid to be who we are. It's OK to be melodic now. It's OK to do the harmonies.' And it was also OK to dabble with the technology or loops or anything to bring in a bit of the more contemporary kind of style. To us ('X') all works within what people expect of Def Leppard." Def Leppard and Randy Warwick perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at The Palace, Lapeer Road at I-75, Auburn Hills. Tickets are $47.50 and $37.50. Call (248) 377-0100. ŠThe Oakland Press 2003