http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/music/stories/MYSA072806.WK.defleppard.1fa6146.html Def Leppard's heroes covered on its newest CD Web Posted: 07/27/2006 03:54 PM CDT David Glessner Special to the Express-News Ask Vivian Campbell if he is under the influence and the answer is a resounding "Yeah!" More accurately, the Def Leppard guitarist and his Sheffield, England, bandmates are promoting an album called "Yeah!" featuring cover songs originally recorded by the group's pre-1980 glam-rock heroes. "I must admit that I wasn't pushing for ELO," Campbell jokes while gently placing that blame on bassist Rick Savage. "The songs on this album basically reflect the artists that made each of us want to play music for a living. For me it was Marc Bolan and T. Rex. In 1971, I was 9 years old and I remember seeing Marc Bolan on TV. I was smitten by the image and knew I wanted to play guitar." The dream has been the Irishman's reality for his entire adult life. From his initial break with Ronnie James Dio through a stint with Whitesnake and on to 14 years of big-time business with Def Leppard, Campbell has been a high-profile axe slinger for some of the biggest names in rock. Friday night, Def Leppard sparks hysteria at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater when Campbell, Savage, singer Joe Elliot, guitarist Phil Collen and drummer Rick Allen let it go with some of the best-known mega-hit rock songs of the past two decades. Opening is another hit-making juggernaut, Journey, which recently announced that veteran singer Jeff Scott Soto is stepping in to substitute for Steve Augeri, who is recovering from a throat infection. "Yeah!" a 14-track tribute, finds Def Leppard jump-starting some fairly obscure songs by the likes of David Bowie, Blondie, Thin Lizzy, Mott the Hoople, the Kinks, Badfinger and others who put style and swagger into their music. "The criteria (for 'Yeah!') was no songs post-1979, which is the year Def Leppard signed their first record deal," Campbell says. "And no songs by the iconic acts like the Beatles or the Stones or the Who. In fact, we didn't even want to do Queen because they're so current." "We (also) didn't want to go with the most obvious tracks," he adds. "'Drive-In Saturday' by Bowie is not one of his better-known songs. With T. Rex, I wanted to do a song called 'Telegram Sam' and Joe wanted to do 'Metal Guru' so we compromised and went with '20th Century Boy.' We've been playing it live, and it's been really fun. "A lot of people say Def Leppard is a heavy-metal band, and in essence we're not. We all started with pop music and still have a great affinity for harmonies and melodies and choruses." Def Leppard's knack for glossy singalongs has resulted in sales of more than 65 million records thanks to tunes such as "Photograph," "Love Bites," "Rock of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." The 1980s albums "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" have each sold more than 10 million copies, landing the Leps alongside the likes of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John and Eric Clapton. Fame has come with a notorious price tag, however. Drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a 1984 car crash, and 30-year-old guitarist Steve Clarke died after a 1991 booze-and-pills bender. That loss resulted in Campbell joining the band. "I didn't know Steve personally," Campbell says. "I met him twice before he died and both times it was very fleeting and both times he was very drunk. When I auditioned for Def Leppard, it wasn't my guitar playing or my singing or my songwriting ability that was on trial, it was basically a personality test that went on for a period of months. "We'd get together in Ireland and Los Angeles and play a bit, but that wasn't really what it was about; we'd go to dinner or the movies and just hang out and get to know each other." Being comrades is something Campbell lacked during his late teens with Dio ("Holy Diver" and "Last in Line") and his hired-gun gig with Whitesnake. "It was difficult for me to work with Dio, because unlike Leppard, he was literally old enough to be my father," Campbell says. "He was a hero of mine for years with Sabbath and Rainbow, but it was very, very strange because I had nothing in common with Ronnie beyond music. I enjoyed playing with the band, though. I really have a healthy respect for the integrity of that first Dio lineup. We were a monster band, there's no doubt about it." Of his time with Whitesnake, Campbell says, "It was fun to do and they're all great guys, but I didn't really connect with it on a musical level. That album (1987's eight-million-selling 'Whitesnake') was already recorded and they had us as the touring band. The first day that we all met as a band was on the video shoot for the song, 'Still of the Night.' I really think that speaks to where that band came from (laughs). "The tour was massive and a lot of fun, but it was more about shoulder pads and big hair than music. We sounded like a train wreck from my point of view, which is really weird because if you look at the individuals involved in the band, everyone was really good." Def Leppard/Journey Where: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 16765 Lookout Road, Selma When: 7:30 p.m. Friday; doors open at 6:30 Tickets: $29.50-$79.50 at Ticketmaster outlets San Antonio Express-News publish date July 28, 2006 Portions © 2006 KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News.