Page 121 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019
P. 121
VIVIAN CAMPBELL
So, as Lou and Keith had decided to stay
away from the studio, I decided to follow
their example. I only turned up when I
was needed to do a guitar part.
The whole situation was farcical, and
when the album [self-titled] eventually
came out in 1991, it was nowhere near as
good as it should have been. Thankfully,
Lou got through his cocaine problem, but
it was definitely his problem with it at the
time that ruined any chance Shadow King
might have had of becoming a good,
long-term band. It was no shock to
anyone when the whole thing fell apart.
And then along came Def Leppard. Was
joining the band an easy decision for
you to make?
Actually, this was quite a lengthy process.
Which worked for both of us. You have to
see it from my point of view as well as
theirs. I had spent the previous decade or
so going in and out of bands, and I just
wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to being
in another one. I had a solo deal from
Epic, as a result of the Riverdogs album,
so I was very seriously considering going
down that path when Joe Elliott called me
up to ask if I’d be interested in joining
Def Leppard.
And from their viewpoint, Leppard
wanted to make sure I fitted in with the
rest of them. It wasn’t just a situation of
me being musically compatible, but it was
also a case of the personal side being OK.
People forget that being in a band isn’t
just about the music. It also has to work
on the personality level as well.
So how did you all work that out?
Over a period of several weeks, we hung
out together, rehearsing, and also going to
the movies. The first film we saw together
was Rolling Stones: Live At The Max, which
GETTY was showing at the IMAX. We would also
go out to dinner, before getting down to
life at the time. This went on for ages, and absent. With all that going on, it was Campbell takes more rehearsals. It was a long process,
the spotlight
meant we were trying to make the album Bruce Turgon [bass] who effectively took but at the end of it we all knew that it
in Birmingham,
with the singer virtually missing all the control of the sessions, and he had his 1996. could work out. We didn’t just jump into
time. It was an impossible situation, and own ideas for what we should be doing. a relationship, but deliberately took it
eventually Keith himself got so fed up Bruce kept telling me how he wanted quite slowly.
with what was not happening that he the guitar parts to sound. He was trying to
began to lose interest, and then we ended push me in a certain direction, which was You weren’t the only guitarist being
up with him not bothering to turn up at a long way removed from the original considered, were you?
the studio! concept Lou and I had talked about. Now, I know John Sykes was also in the frame.
You can now imagine the chaos we it wasn’t a heavy blues album at all, but Adrian Smith was considered as well.
were in. The main guy in the band was reflected what Bruce wanted to do. We And there was a third guy; I can’t
missing, and now the producer was also were making a Bruce Turgon solo album! remember who it was, but he was from
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