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. In contrast, Clark did not follow such standards and died partially due to alcohol abuse in early 1991.Īfter 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. According to Collen, he began to suffer blackouts due to alcohol, and quit when he realized that alcohol was beginning to dominate his life, and he was losing control of his addiction. By this time, Collen had also become noted for his trademark bare-chested stage appearances.ĭuring the 1980s, Collen quit drinking alcohol, which he had developed a serious addiction to, stopped eating meat, and adopted a generally healthy lifestyle. He and Clark became known as the "Terror Twins," in recognition of their talents. He and fellow guitarist Clark quickly bonded, becoming close friends and leading to the trademark dual-guitar sound of Def Leppard. 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. Despite this invitation, there was no need to replace Pete Willis, and as a result, Collen stayed as a member of Girl.Īfter Willis was fired, Joe Elliott called and asked Collen to audition performing the solo on "Photograph" in one take during the recording sessions of Pyromania. He then joined a line-up of early bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, and Girl.ĭumb Blondes originally featured Phil Collen, but continued for some time without him.ĭuring 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.Ī young Phil Collen can also be seen on the back cover of Deep Purple´s classic live album Made in Japan as the live photo is actually taken at the Brixton Academy in London, UK, a concert Collen attended, and not in Japan.īefore Collen's entrance to Def Leppard, he had been previously asked to consider joining the band by Steve Clark and Joe Elliott, whom he knew at the time. Then, 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 got his first guitar from his cousin David Pilley, who said "he used to just sit in his bedroom just playing it". Collen was born in Hackney, London, England.
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