Page 116 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

VIVIAN CAMPBELL

Yes, there is. I came up with a lot of the
riffs in Sweet Savage, and I also did the
same thing with Dio. So, there was bound

to be a lot of crossover. And I’ll tell you
that Dio’s Rainbow In The Dark has exactly
the same chord structure as Sweet
Savage’s Lady Marion. The big difference is

that the Sweet Savage recording was very
rigid, but when Vinny [Appice, Dio
drummer] heard it, what he did was give
it some swing, and made it more flexible.
However, it’s effectively the same song.

And Invisible, from the Holy Diver album,
had a lot from Sweet Savage’s Queen’s
Vengeance in there.

So, did Dio rip off Sweet Savage, as has
been claimed by some?
Oh no, I wouldn’t go that far. Ronnie
would hear something and then change
things round, adapting it. So, Sweet

Savage were clearly an influence on what
we got with Holy Diver. But it was never
taken to the extreme of being a rip-off.
You can play songs from both bands

back-to-back and hear there is a
difference.

How did you feel when you joined Dio,
your first major band?

Well, to me I was working with three
genuine rock stars. I was only 20 at the
time, so a lot younger than they were.
And I looked up to them, because they
had done so much already. I remember

listening to albums like Rainbow Rising,
and being a big fan of Ronnie Dio. And
I know this will piss off some Sabbath
fans, but when he joined them for the
Heaven And Hell album, that’s when I Here comes the You and Ronnie famously had an open, Ronnie told us that this And by the third

think they were at their best. I realise a lot strum: Campbell, ongoing public feud. What were the album, we’d all have an equitable share in
during rehearsals
of Sabbath fans feel without Ozzy it for Euphoria. circumstances behind that? the money.
wasn’t authentic. However, for me, Let me say straight away that I think However, Wendy Dio, who managed
Ronnie took them to another level. So, vocally Ronnie was amazing. I never us, never saw it that way. From the start,

when Jimmy Bain [Dio bassist] called up stopped admiring his talent. However, she presented it as Ronnie’s solo band,
and said they were interested in having what really got me going was that he went with the rest of us in the background. For
me join the band, I was just overwhelmed. into the media claiming that I had whatever reason. Ronnie would never
Suddenly here I was, this kid from Belfast, betrayed the band and left. That’s not true. stand up to her and put this right. So, it
in LA, working with three such giants of I was fired. So when I read what Ronnie just went on and on.

hard rock. was saying about me, I reacted very badly When we did the third album, Sacred
and wanted to put my side of the story. To Heart, I talked to Ronnie about his
What was your relationship like with tell it the way it was. promise on how we’d all have an equal
Ronnie Dio in those early days? share by this stage in Dio’s career. But he

Because of the age difference between us, So what did happen? kept putting me off. Then when I found
it was kinda like being in a band with my It was all down to the way the business out that some of the guys on our crew
stepfather. And this generational gap side was run. I remember when the four were getting paid more than the band, I
meant we had an uneasy relationship at of us in the band first got together at John was furious and lost my rag. Maybe I had RIGHT: GETTY
times. Henry’s rehearsal studio in London. less to lose than the others by causing a

114 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM