DEF LEPPARD's VIVIAN CAMPBELL On Early Years

August 15, 2006

Gibson.com reports: From pioneering British metal band SWEET SAVAGE to DIO and WHITESNAKE to DEF LEPPARD today, Vivian Campbell rode rock 'n' roll from the violent streets of Belfast to L.A.'s Sunset Strip. Now, with "Yeah!", DEF LEPPARD's joyful tribute to their early influences, he comes full circle back to the golden age of the glam rock that first inspired him. The album is a rollicking collection that includes songs by T. REX, SWEET, and the FACES, but according to Campbell, the band had another reason for putting it out. "We wanted to address the misconception that DEF LEPPARD are a metal band," he says. "We certainly have a lot of bombast — big crunchy guitars and big drums, everything louder than everything else. But if you strip that all away, there's pop songs under it."

Vivian on his childhood years: "Growing up, music was very much a solace. Belfast wasn't a great place to grow up at that time. That was the height of the TROUBLES. But I was just really into music. Once I got into guitar playing, I was just totally focused on it and I gravitated toward anything that had a guitar solo in it or a guitar riff. I just loved the sound of a crunchy, hairy guitar. I was never a great record collector. But fortunately, I had friends who were. I remember skipping off school so many days and going to friends' houses to listen to different albums and different players. But I was always more of a player. I was just more interested in playing the instrument."

Read the rest of the article at Gibson.com.

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