Phil Collen on Mutt Lange secrets! | Shred With Shifty

The influential British shredder talks about how he formed his playing style and demonstrates how to rip one of his most iconic leads.
To hear Phil Collen tell it, he joined Def Leppard almost by accident. He had loaned the band one of his amps, and when they asked him to play some leads on their upcoming record Pyromania, Collen thought he was just doing his friends a solid. The rest is history.
He and Shifty talk through Collen’s formative years on guitar, where he soaked up the scorching playing of classic guitar heroes: Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Mick Ronson, Michael Schenker, and Gary Moore all played a hand in Collen’s high-flying fretwork.
Collen’s solo on “Photograph” is a perfect example of the sort of “ear candy” that producer Mutt Lange encouraged the band to chase in the studio-and yes, he did record individual notes to build a single guitar chord on Pyromania. But there weren’t many tricks to Collen’s sound on the solo. His Ibanez Destroyer and a 50-watt Marshall were all he needed to get the job done for the slick, Blackmore-inspired solo. Tune in to see how he worked that two-piece setup to record one of the most influential guitar solos of the ’80s.
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Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editors: Dan Destefano and Addison Sauvan
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.

[@maxmenius9839]

Phil is such a talented and personable guy. Great storyteller. Never get tired of hearing Def Leppard history.

[@AndrewGrey22]

It's nice hearing musicians who have a clear head and can actually talk intelligently about their own music.

[@lordofnesss]

Robert Mutt Lange! I'd love to listen to a solo album of Mutt playing everything.

[@2skyland]

Phil has always seemed like such a down-to-earth nice guy, it's really cool to see this interview! Thank you so much!

[@chrisfoster9080]

Shop talk between two great artists is the best.

[@indivisibleman]

I wish Mutt would speak to us. We have so many questions.

[@schultzie066]

"Love and Affection " is an amazing solo with vocals underneath

[@RobinDale50]

One of my favorite songs. This was going to be the next/last single off of Hysteria, but the band decided to not issue it and get on with making the next album after coming off the massive (and really long) Hysteria tour. I wish it had made the radio, its a perfect song.

[@GuitarFuel]

He is such an underrated player!

[@joshuamartins9487]

Really ?? I think his melodic playing is pretty cool ...but his shreddy stuff is meh ...and everyone knows Steve Clark wrote all their cool , classic riffs .

[@GuitarFuel]

@@joshuamartins9487 imo yes

[@jakemaattanen]

Not to me. He was envious about Steve playing with a feel and Steve about his brilliant technique.

[@John_2Much_Coffee]

Favorite Band

[@SandiiCom]

I love Mutt & Phil! I once had dinner with Mutt & Shania whilst tagging along on her tour, but I held back my lifetime of Mutt-music-nerd questions, cos I didn't want to make things 'weird', lol... (I saved them for Nigel Green/Audio also on tour) ... But the youtube algorithm knows... Thank you for asking the questions :)

[@TedSoliday-s1y]

I think it's amazing that mutt Lange head Thomas Dolby create the sounds of those guitars by doubling them and some unique way. He's under the name Booker T boffin on those productions. That is also Thomas Dolby on the intro of the Foreigner song I've been waiting for a girl like You. In some ways Thomas Dolby was kind of his secret weapon

[@fatseaturtle]

Phil one of my favorites 🎉

[@bryanmcdermott4204]

Aww yeah. So excited you have Phil Collen on the show.

[@WineSippingCowboy]

The anomaly record of all the hit records is Heartbeat City. 40 years 🎂. The late Ric Ocasek said goodbye 👋 to Roy Baker as producer and hired Mutt Lange as the replacement. Ocasek wanted a return to guitar 🎸 sound. But the surprise was that Lange put more synthesizers and used a Linn drum track. Recorded in London, UK 🇬🇧. Thomas Dolby listened to a few tracks. A blend of synth/high tech and rock 🎸 is Waking Up the Neighbours. Some ideas 💡 surprised 😮 Bryan Adams. He and Mutt Lange split between London and Vancouver, Canada 🇨🇦.

[@sophie_cheekbones]

Loved this! I adore Def Leppard

[@Kevin-kr5ok]

The Cars also !

[@cookiehill2549]

Great podcast 🎸🎸🎸

[@planetwisconsin9901]

Nice to see rail pickups. No signal loss when you get bendy!

[@zerocows]

Legends

[@sinnerwithnoname8971]

On love and affection I love the bass background vocals . "I Don't neeeeed"

[@fernandes5986]

Wow.

[@benjiarnold]

🔥

[@stevebubar6129]

Phil is damn cool. Interesting his middle pick up is close to the bridge pick up. Like Steve Morse.

[@dexter_gd3478]

I love that Phil has Grogu in the room.

[@csnide6702]

Mutt makes records that sell.... THAT is why he commands such a high price to produce..... Where are his ex Shania's hits without him....?

[@johnstrawberriusfields]

IMHO '81 jukebox hero kinda started the new mutt (pre high and dry)

[@tommeredith7462]

Hey Chris, I sure appreciate the quality content you provide on your channel . The guest interviews are exceptionally good. I’m puzzled why you don’t reply to people making positive comments based on one of your podcast or interviews. Obviously not a deal breaker, I’m just wondering. Tom..

[@SlowCarToChina]

Can’t take my eyes off Phil’s ketchup and mustard 😂

[@revwillyg6450]

How about the sweet I Love Lucy and Prince Purple Rain throw pillows 😂

[@joemitchell9981]

Recording one note of a chord at a time explains why they used 100 tracks to record an album.

[@veerchasm1]

Trolled by Grogu

[@BrandOdyssey]

Langs greatest achievement is marrying shania Twain. How does a guy that looks like him attract a lady that looks like her? Is he THAT powerful in the music world?

[@daveg4236]

Money and power. Same reason she left. He figured he could screw around and she would stay. Nope. She had money and power

[@shanemcconnell1736]

He gave her we hit records nobody else did

[@vanzandt8809]

What a sad comment.

[@williamh3845]

Shes a he

[@elizabethmcleod246]

@@daveg4236She had self respect.

[@lordgrimsdalefaltintine2232]

Phil only played a few solos on PYROMANIA. Steve & Pete Willis played all the rhythm guitar. What Mutt did was take over the band....1st by getting rid of Pete. By HYSTERIA he was getting a song writing credit on EVERY song. Sure, they made some great music....but he ruined that band in the long run.

[@aleksik4028]

The sterile approach what Steve Clark hated, drank himself to death.

[@MamaofaWrestler]

@aleksik4028 Exactly. I think what pissed Mutt off was that Steve knew classical guitar, and that's what gave him the ability to be a composer. The correct way, on music paper. He composed 90% of the bands music .

[@MamaofaWrestler]

And karma to Mutt, who became a raging alcoholic after Shania left him. Mutt sponged off of Shania's money I think that's why he married her. He could sit on his arse and collect all of her money instead of getting a % for what he provided to a song.

[@rctubs3593]

Mutt is an OVER producer

[@jamesball5743]

ACDC is hardly overproduced. Mutt can do anything.

[@SandiiCom]

He is the STAR WARS of music... Sound design meets Rock...

[@williamh3845]

Loved me some Def until i heard all the satanic undertones all over hysteria. Pyro had them too… sad such “ beautiful “ music but laced with such evil. Guess thats why they went to the top ey. They sold their souls big time to still be somewhat around 40yrs later. That dont just happen with chance, thats engineered. Oh and before all you boomers and sheepers disagree, just listen to what joe screams in the solo for foolin. Also rock of ages is a Christian song praising God originally. They paid a great price for their fame… it wont last but the God they cursed will. They all sold their souls for rnr, pretty common knowledge these days.

[@MamaofaWrestler]

@williamh3845 conspiracy theorists say look at the use of the pyramid and the huge "one eye" montage. It's on other artists CD covers as well. Also, which album had a picture of Steve covering up one of his eyes? That freaks me out to this day, because look what happened to him after he joined the band? He wasn't an alcoholic when he started. Mutt's constant insulting and humiliating abuse to Steve in front of everyone is what made Steve so anxious and depressed. They were all drinking, but the worse it became with Mutt, he used alcohol to numb the pain. It was not Steve's father. Joe became an alcoholic but ya know, Joe could and can do anything he wants. 😮

[@MamaofaWrestler]

😮And guess who's idea it was to use Rock of Ages? Joe. He stated he and Mutt were trying to come up with a catchy phrase, and Joe opened the Bible and the first thing he saw was "Rock of Ages." Ummm....why would they have a Bible in the studio, right there on the desk? Really? And the beginning with the people dressed in those hooded garments look more like chanting than singing.

[@MamaofaWrestler]

@williamh3845 globen has multiple meanings: an orb, golden in color, symbolic of authority and sovereignty. A sphere on which a map of the heavens or world. A representation in a sphere shape of the world, earth, moon, and all earthly things. I don't know if you see the significance of symbolic gold colored authority, and the references mentioned in multiple definitions of the earth and earthly things, and the globe shaped like a sphere of the stars and constellations. I always knew it wasn't just something Mutt made up. Do you know that Satanists worship the sky, stars, ground, all of nature, because Satan says Satanism gathers it's power and strength from nature. It gives me the chills. I don't trust the words.

[@revwillyg6450]

Well I just found where the dumbasses are gathered in these comments. Time to go

[@SandiiCom]

The Bible is full of talk of the devil, but it doesn't tell you to worship him... The Hysteria album doesn't tell you to worship the devil either.. Mutt-worship, maybe...