Def Leppard Atomic Mess News

Does Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen mind talking about life without a left arm? Apparently not, since he's the one who brings up his absent appendage, which he lost following a New Year's Eve car crash in 1984. Moreover, he refers to it frequently when describing how he went from being a hard-rock hooligan to that most contradictory of figures, a deeply sensitive metalhead.

"When I had my accident, it opened up parts of me that I'd never dreamed were there," he says — and he means feelings, not flesh.

Despite the changes he's gone through, Allen, who keeps time using a custom-made kit, remains devoted to Def Leppard, which is enjoying a revival. Rock of Ages, a two-CD hits collection larded with '80s smashes such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me," debuted on the Billboard album chart's top ten last May, and a companion DVD will be issued November 8. In addition, the band's forthcoming covers disc is already in the can, with an early 2006 release likely. "People have heard our music, but they might not know where it came from," he notes. "But now they'll be able to go, 'Oh, that was T. Rex, that was Slade.'"

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He never wanted to be famous; he only wanted to be a musician.

But with 27 years of music behind him, 13 of those as guitarist for Def Leppard, Vivian Campbell deals with the byproduct of his career.

"You don't start playing guitar to get famous. Maybe to meet girls," he joked.

But the real reason the rock star can't get enough, is for the high he can only find one place.

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It turns out that Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen is "one with everything." He's been dabbling in the philosophies of Hare Krishna for quite some time - but don't expect him to turn up at the airport dancing in saffron robes and banging a tambourine.

"No, but I'll talk to those guys," he says. "They're just doing their thing, you know? It's very noble. If there were more people like Hare Krisha in this world, we certainly wouldn't be at war."

It's hard to argue. But it's also surreal to hear this kind of thing from the wild and crazy rocker whose former excesses are well-documented. There are the drugs, the booze, the spousal battery charge and the terrible car accident on New Year's Eve 1984 that resulted in the loss of his left arm. Now, at the ripe old age of 41, he comes across like a mellow English gentleman - one who still curses like a rock musician, mind you - as he talks about his spiritual awakening.

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It's been in the works now for several weeks, but word has now leaked that Def Leppard will soon announce a switch to new management. It's possible that this move has played some part in the delayed release of the upcoming covers album Yeah!

Def Leppard have been with Peter Mensch and Cliff Bernstein at Q Prime Management most of their career to date, but are set to sign with Trudy Green at HK Management. Industry source Hits Online broke this news today. Green has worked with such names as Aerosmith, Poison, Michael Jackson and Slash. Additionally HK management is now part of Irving Azoff's Frontline Management.

Sourced from Melodicrock.com

They've shared bills with AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest. They've produced rock radio staples with titles like Let's Get Rocked, Rock Rock (Till You Drop) and Rock Brigade. For 25 years they've kept their hair long and their heads banging.

But don't call Def Leppard heavy metal.

"We sit on the fence between hard rock and pop," Leppard guitarist Viv Campbell says of his band's role. "We can take 'hard rock,' but the heavy metal thing is an area we don't like to go into.

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For a guy named Savage, Def Leppard's bass player has a friendly, soft-spoken demeanor on the telephone.

"The blueprint for Def Leppard was guitars, hard rock, melodies and harmonies," Rick Savage says from a tour stop in Peoria, Ill. "We've always believed the song was the most important thing. It was just a matter of how we presented it. We like guitars loud, but we also like melody. It's a fine line of not compromising one or the other."

Savage formed Def Leppard in his hometown of Sheffield, England, in 1977. Since then, he's seen both the highs of rock stardom, with Def Leppard's string of hit albums and singles in the '80s, and its lows, when personal tragedy struck the group twice: On New Year's Eve in 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in an automobile accident, and in 1991, lead guitarist Steve Clark died of alcoholism during the recording sessions for "Adrenalize."

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The British band enjoys has sold scores of records and will draw thousands for its Peoria show, but can these longhairs rock loud enough to get in music's hall of fame?

Def Leppard released its first record, "On Through The Night," in 1980. That fact alone makes the band eligible for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And the group's more than 34 million albums sold in United States has to capture the attention of Rock Hall voters.

But does the band's body of work make Def Leppard Rock Hall worthy?

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Def Leppard's performance on today's Live 8 show in Philadelphia featured Rock Of Ages, No Matter What, and Pour Some Sugar On Me. I'm trying to get audo recordings of this to add to the site.

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.

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Stalwart '80s rockers Def Leppard (tickets | bio)–in the Phoenix area Tuesday (6/7) to perform during the Rock 'n' Roll Doubleheader tour with co-headliner Bryan Adams –balked while attempting to pitch 25 years worth of hits.

Lead singer Joe Elliott, who appeared to be ill, lacked the enthusiasm of tours past. The leather-pants-wearing frontman sounded hoarse, relying on vocal help from his bandmates on songs such as "Photograph" and the ballad "Love Bites." He enlisted the crowd at Mesa's Hohokam Park to sing the chorus to "Animal," and the thirtysomething audience happily complied.

Def Leppard opened the show with "Action" before long, black curtains parted to reveal a screen that interspersed live clips of the band with video images.

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Def Leppard will appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 27. They will be performing with Bryan Adams from the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City

Well many readers over the years have asked me, "How can you be such a serious young man?" Well I have the impression that many people think I only read, watch, and listen to Libertarian philosophy and economic money supply issues. This past month I was skimming through the usual collection of music industry magazines and a feeling of disgust came over me, a feeling of such utter contempt that I almost threw my NAD receiver out the window of my home. I'm a simple man who enjoys Single Malt Scotch, cigars, and pin stripe suits to be honest. My beautiful family really keeps me happy, and of course a massive music collection exists. Something in the order of 1000 albums on the vinyl format and 1000 albums on the CD format.

It began in 1977 when a couple of high school students decided to form a band, after all if the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and the Clash could get record deals and become stars without knowing how to play instruments, then anyone could be a star right?

Sheffield England (known as the heart of the black country because of the steel mines) gives its youth 3 choices:

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No tour dates have been announced in support of the upcoming Best Of album. Expect them soon, however.

Pyromania, the band's 1983 release, has been certified as a Diamond Album by the RIAA. This means the album has sold 10 million (10,000,000) copies in the United States. Pyromania joins Hysteria as Def Leppard's second Diamond Album.

Apparently, Def Leppard covers are popular right now. Lionel Richie has an upcoming cover of Long, Long Way To Go in his new album and DJ Lee Cabrera has made a remix of Photograph. I will post samples when I get copies.