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Phil Collen

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Not to be confused with Phil Collins.
Phil Collen

Philip Kenneth "Phil" Collen (born 8 December 1957) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis.[1]

Early years

Collen was born in Hackney, London, England. At the age of 16, Phil got his first guitar (a red Gibson SG), taught himself how to play, and left school to pursue a career in music. He then joined a line-up of early bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, and Girl. During his tenure at Girl, Collen's career began rising, spurred by the relative success of the Girl albums Sheer Greed and Wasted Youth, which allowed Collen the opportunity to play at more significant venues.[2]

Def Leppard

Before Collen's entrance to Def Leppard, he had been previously asked to consider joining the band by Steve Clark and Joe Elliot, who he knew at the time. Despite this invitation, there was no need to replace Pete Willis, and as a result, Collen stayed as a member of Girl.

However, when Willis left Def Leppard, there became a vacancy in the lineup, and Collen took this place after an audition performing Photograph during the recording sessions of Pyromania. Soon after, Collen officially joined the band, impressing both producer Mutt Lange and the rest of the band with his ability at playing the guitar. He and fellow guitarist Clark quickly bonded, becoming close friends and leading to the trademark dual-guitar sound of Def Leppard. He and Clark became known as the "Terror Twins," in recognition of their talents. By this time, Collen had also become noted for his trademark bare-chested stage appearances.[3]

During the 1980s, Collen quit drinking alcohol, which he had developed a serious addiction to, stopped eating meat, and adopted a generally healthy lifestyle. According to Collen, he began to suffer blackouts due to alcohol, and quit when he realised that alcohol was beginning to dominate his life, and he was losing control of his addiction. In contrast, Clark did not follow such standards and died due to alcohol abuse in early 1991.[4]

After Clark died, Collen was faced with the challenge of not only dealing with the loss of a friend and band-mate, but also with the burden and responsibility of the Adrenalize recordings. The music had been written by this time, but Clark's playing style differed so much from Collen's that actually recording all of his parts proved very difficult. While Clark's playing style was rhythmic, melodic, and sometimes even characterized as "sloppy," Collen's style was technical and precise, leading to difficulties in mimicking the sound of Clark's guitar parts. Due to the aftermath of Clark's death, as well as the issues with the recording of Adrenalize, Collen seriously considered leaving Def Leppard.[3] According to Joe Elliot, Collen said that he couldn't bear to play guitar anymore after Clark's death. He said, "I'd rather be a plumber."[5] However, once Vivian Campbell joined the band to replace the spot of second guitarist shortly before the Adrenalize tour, Collen was relieved of some of the pressures of the "overkill" production style of Def Leppard, as well as the challenge of reproducing Clark's guitar parts for live shows.[3]

Equipment

In 1989, Collen worked with Jackson Guitars to develop an ergonomically correct electric guitar, although according to Collen, he designed them because "they looked cool," and they ended up having bad balance, as well as a "really weird shape."[6]

Recently, his live rig with Def Leppard is generally various Jackson PC1 Signature Dinky models and several Fender acoustic guitars, in conjunction with Marshall JMP 1 preamps and TC Electronic effect processors. The signal is then sent through old (1980s) Randall Power Amps. Finally the signal is fed into the PA and 4x12 cabs for Collen's own stage monitoring.[7] He also uses a metal pick, as well as heavy strings; he says the combination of the two mean the pick is able to "dig in...and get a real attack with it."[6]

Side projects

Phil Collen live in 2007

Collen has been involved in several side projects over his career, most notably the band Man Raze, formed as a joint collaboration with former Girl bandmate Simon Laffy as bassist and drummer Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols.[8]

In 1990, Collen co-produced the On the Edge album of the Australian band BB Steal.[9]

In 1991, Collen offered a song he had written, "Miss You In A Heartbeat" to the band The Law, which was featured on the band's self-titled album. This album was the band's only release. "Miss You In A Heartbeat" was later recorded and released by Def Leppard.[10]

In 1993, Collen executive produced the album Sublime To The Ridiculous for the band, Sheer Greed, composed of former members of Girl, an act Collen was also associated earlier in his career.[11]

Collen has also worked in side projects with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott. One of these recent projects was a tribute to David Bowie and Mick Ronson. He and Elliott also joined with Trevor Bolder and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey from Spiders from Mars and keyboardist Dick Decent to form the band Cybernauts. In 2001 they released a live album of Bowie songs.[3]

In 1996, Collen performed as a featured guitarist on the Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle album - a tribute album to Jeff Beck. Collen performed on the single, "'Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from the album.[12]

Personal life

Collen currently resides in Southern California, in Orange County, where he has lived for more than eighteen years. According to Collen, "I'm almost a California native now." He has two children: a son Rory James Collen (born 1990) with his first wife, and a daughter Samantha (born 2004) with a later girlfriend.[13][14] He is married again.[15]

Collen is a vegan, and has worked with PETA to promote vegetarianism.[16]

Discography

With Def Leppard

References

  1. ^ "Def Leppard-History". Spiritus-Temporis. 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  2. ^ Phil Collen NNDB. 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Biography". Phil Collen website. 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010. [dead link‍]
  4. ^ "Q&A: Phil Collen". Irish Independent. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  5. ^ Adrenalize (Media notes). Mercury Records. 1992. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b "Rock of Love Bites: An Interview with Def Leppard's Phil Collen". Classic Rock Revisited. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Def Leppard - Phil Collen Guitar Rig Gear and Equipment". UberProAudio.com. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  8. ^ "About". Man Raze official website. 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  9. ^ "BB Steal – On the Edge (Release Year – 1991)". Hard Rock Hideout. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  10. ^ "Biography". Allmusic. 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  11. ^ "Sheer Greed". MusicMight. 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010. [dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Jeffology: "A Guitar Chronicle"". Guitar Nine Records. 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Def Leppard Interview". The Gauntlet. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Third time lucky? Def Leppard rocker Phil Collen weds just nine days after second divorce". The Daily Mail. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  15. ^ Laudadio, Marisa (17 July 2010). "Def Leppard Guitarist's Rockin' Sunset Beach Wedding". People. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Def Leppard's Phil Collen Talks to PETA About Being Vegetarian". GoVeg.com. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
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