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It's all about the band
For Def Leppard, the whole is greater than the parts
Friday, June 10, 2005
MARY COLURSO

Vivian Campbell isn't an original member of Def Leppard. He wasn't in the Brit
band when Def Leppard recorded its signature songs in the studio with producer
Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

He missed that first huge wave of popularity in the '80s, when Def Leppard
dominated TV and radio with hits such as "Photograph," "Foolin'," "Rock of Ages"
and "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

Campbell isn't defensive about it - on the contrary.

He has, after all, played guitar in Def Leppard for 13 years, which is plenty of
time for any confident musician to find, and secure, his place.

"Def Leppard is a very unique animal," Campbell, 42, says during a phone
interview. "It's a pretty faceless band. That's part of the reason it's so
successful. Music is king. We're there to serve the music. The collective ego of
Def Leppard is more important than our individual egos."

He sounds so relaxed and genial while chatting, it's easy to believe him.

Campbell, a veteran of hard-rock bands including Dio and Whitesnake, says he
finds it hard to believe he was recruited for this job more than a decade ago.

Joe Elliott, the lead singer, and his mates asked Campbell to join Def Leppard
in April 1992, one year after original guitarist Steve Clark died of alcohol
poisoning.

A less experienced performer might have been daunted by the band's hot and heavy
repertoire, but Campbell proved to be a quick study, as well as a neat fit.

"Personally, I didn't find it difficult at all," he says. "It was more difficult
for the other guys, because they had lost a friend."

Campbell believes his major contribution to Def Leppard has been coaxing the
other guys - Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage and famously
one-armed drummer Rick Allen - to loosen up over the years.

Don't laugh; Campbell reveals that Def Leppard's mayhem on stage has been
strictly orchestrated and the set lists quite rigid. In the studio, as well, the
band allowed little room for improvisation.

"They were very set in their ways when I came on," Campbell says. "Now they're
willing to be a bit more spontaneous. They weren't willing to think the first
take could be the magic one, even if there are flaws with it. They tended to do
things over and over again.

"I've always liked to create music more organically, and I think I've tried to
drag them in that direction."

"We give a pretty high-energy show," he says. "It's just five guys playing
stripped-down rock 'n' roll." 

Mary Colurso covers pop music for The Birmingham News. E-mail her at
mcolurso@bhamnews.com. 

© 2005 The Birmingham News. All rights reserved.