AC/DC ‘have lost their integrity’ SLAMS Def Leppard’s Phil Collen – ‘New album a bad idea’
AC/DC’s alleged plans to release a new album without most of the original line-up have been slammed by Def Leppard’s Phil Collen.
Mourners attend AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young's funeral
As it stands AC/DC co-founder Angus Young is the only member of the original line-up still actively in the band.
And with the death of his brother Malcolm last year, fans have been wondering if this truly is the end for AC/DC.
Nevertheless with Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose having stepped in on the vocals during the last tour, the band may still have life left it yet.
Back in February the band’s biographer Murray Engleheart claimed that Axl will continue to tour with AC/DC and release a new album with them.
AC/DC ‘have lost their integrity’ SLAMS Def Leppard’s Phil Collen – ‘New album a bad idea’
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And now Def Leppard’s Phil Collen has spoken out on the rumours, claiming it would be a bad idea.
Speaking with Forrest of the Boise radio station 96.9 The Eagle, the 60-year-old rocker gave his verdict.
Collen said: “No. I’m a huge AC/DC fan, and if the whole band’s left or gone… Malcolm dead, obviously. Brian Johnson got kicked out. Cliff Williams retired and Phil Rudd got arrested. You’ve got one person [left], so it’s not really AC/DC. “Maybe call it ‘A, with Axel Rose.’ It kind of loses its appeal. It becomes karaoke; it becomes something else, and it’s lost its integrity, really.”
The Def Leppard guitarist added: “I wouldn’t do that, personally, if I was Angus.
“I thought Axl Rose [did] a great job, by the way. I thought he [did] amazing when he stood in for Brian Johnson.
“I thought he was amazing, actually. Full power to him — he’s done really, really good stuff.
“But I think as a band, if he was gonna do an album, it may sound good, but it’s not really the band anymore.”
Def Leppard's Phil Collen said a new album "wouldn't be the band anymore"
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Fortus said: “We haven’t started recording anything, when I say that, as far as in the studio doing an album.”
“We’ve been recording a lot of stuff, just ideas, assembling ideas, but not going into a studio and actually tracking a new record.
“It’s sort of too good not to happen at this point, that’s how I feel about it.”