Tuesday, 17th May 2022
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DEF LEPPARD's VIVIAN CAMPBELL On DIAMOND STAR HALOS Perfect Title/Joyous Recording

Def Leppard 2022. Def Leppard 2022

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell was recently interviewed and talked about the recording process for the new Diamond Star Halos album.

'Diamond Star Halos' is the band's 12th studio album.

As announced on 17th March it will be released on Friday 27th May 2022.

Vivian was interviewed by Andy Hall Access on Lazer 103.3 radio to promote 'Diamond Star Halos' and The Stadium Tour.

Vivian talked about The Stadium Tour, Tour Rehearsals/Being Together Again/Videos, Pandemic/Diamond Star Halos Album, Playing New Songs Live, Recording Process For Diamond Star Halos, Kick, Sweet Savage/Killing Time/Metallica, Continuing To Make New Music and 30 Years With Def Leppard.

Listen to the full 9 minute interview below.

Diamond Star Halos

Vivian again described how the album recording came together in 2020 after the tour was postponed for the first time to 2021.

New Songs Live

He also said the band will play many of the new songs live during The Stadium Tour.

Recording Process

Vivian says that the recording was a very "joyful process".


Listen to the full interview via the link below.


Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).


Vivian Campbell/Andy Hall Lazer 103.3 - May 2022 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

The Stadium Tour

Vivian Campbell - "Oh it's definitely happening for sure. Yeah there's no stopping us now."

Vivian Campbell - "I'm heading to California tomorrow. We're gonna start rehearsals in a couple of days. And yeah we're all go. I'm very excited for it."


Tour Rehearsals/Being Together Again/Videos

Vivian Campbell - "No we got together for the first time in February to shoot a couple of music videos and do a photo shoot and whatnot over in the UK."

Vivian Campbell - "So it was nice to finally, you know, see everyone after all this time."


Pandemic/Diamond Star Halos Album

Vivian Campbell - "You're absolutely right. So when COVID hit and everything shut down and our tour was postponed in 2020. Joe emailed us all, 'cause we live all over the globe."

Vivian Campbell - "So we email each other rather than talk on the phone usually. And Joe said, you know, we're not gonna tour obviously for a year at least. Let's do something. Let's start a record."

Vivian Campbell - "So we started that process and Joe had some songs to get it going. Joe had been writing on piano a lot in recent years."

Vivian Campbell - "So the first few songs that came in were Joe songs and piano ballads. And I thought this is a very grown up record. Elton Joe!."

Vivian Campbell - "And, you know, we started with that but then Phil started contributing. Phil had a lot of songs in this record and some more straight ahead rock songs came in."

Vivian Campbell - "So it's a very diverse record in terms of the different genres and stuff."

Diamond Star Halos Album Title

Vivian Campbell - "And it does in some point in the proceedings, you know, we were emailing each other and I remember saying to Sav that, you know, something about this is very reminiscent of the early 1970s. And Sav wrote back absolutely. I totally hear that too."

Vivian Campbell - "So we didn't deliberately aim to do something like that. But it kind of reflects back to our youth. And to the whole Glam rock movement of the early 70s and the artists that inspired us."

Vivian Campbell - "You know like Marc Bolan and David Bowie and whatnot. Mott The Hoople. So, you know, then when it came time to come up with a title Phil said. You know what about Diamond Star Halos."

Vivian Campbell - "Which is a line from a T. Rex song. Get It On (Bang A Gong) because Phil has for years used that phrase to describe something that's reminiscent of that era."

Vivian Campbell - "You know he said that's very hubcap diamond star halo. So it was the perfect title and then from that. You know calling it Diamond Star Halos opens up a whole different wave of possibilities for artwork."

Vivian Campbell - "And imagery for the tour and for the album and stuff. And the artwork came out great as a result of that."

Vivian Campbell - "So one thing kind of lef to another. It's been a very sort of joyful process actually to make this record. And we're really excited about it. And our record company is super excited about it."


Playing New Songs Live

Vivian Campbell - "And that's a blessing in itself and we're gonna be bullish on the record for this tour. We're actually gonna play a lot of these new songs."

Vivian Campbell - "Obviously we're gonna play a lot of the hits too. You know that's what people expect. It's exciting for us to go out there with a new record."


Recording Process For Diamond Star Halos

Vivian Campbell - "Yeah it happened quick. You know like a I say Joe put a lot of songs to start with. Phil weighed in with a lot of songs. Sav come up with some great songs that - Sav's songs actually bookend the album."

Vivian Campbell - "The first one and the last one are both Sav's songs. Yeah it came it thick and fast and then like I say it was 15 songs."


Kick

Vivian Campbell - "In fact we had 14 done and we thought we were done with the record. And then at the very last minute Phil had written a song with a songwriter called Dave Bassett. English guy I believe."

Vivian Campbell - "And that was the song Kick. So, you know, Phil sent it to us and said I've written this song with this guy and, you know, I'm not sure if it's Def Leppard. appropriate or not. And, you know, I was gonna offer it to some other people and before I do what do you guys think."

Vivian Campbell - "And we said absolutely it's Def Leppard appropriate. I mean if anything sounded like Def Leppard it was Kick."

Vivian Campbell - "So we sort of last minute decided to record it ourselves and put it on the record. And it ended up being the first single."

Vivian Campbell - "So, you know, it's definitely got a Def Leppard sound to it."


Continuing To Make New Music

Vivian Campbell - "It's absolutely vital. I mean you have to keep exercising the creative muscles. Otherwise you're never gonna be - you're gonna stagnate really if you just kinda keep resting on your laurels so to speak."

Vivian Campbell - "It's vital. And I think we all in Leppard have felt that. And, you know, in recent years with record sales not being what they used to be. People would ask us well why do you bother making records."

Vivian Campbell - "And the short answer to that was we need them for ourselves. We have to do it even if nobody buys it. Even if it's a commercial flop."

Vivian Campbell - "But having said that with this new record. I don't know, there's a feeling about this that we haven't experienced for a long time."

Vivian Campbell - "And, you know, the record company is very excited. Genuinely excited about this record as well."

Vivian Campbell - "So I'm not saying it's gonna be a blockbuster record. But, you know, I think that a lot more people are paying attention to this one than they have in recent years."

Vivian Campbell - "And we can't help but be excited about that."


30 Years With Def Leppard

Vivian Campbell - "Oh thank you. I know it's hard to believe isn't it. It doesn't seem like it's been 30 years."

Vivian Campbell - "There you go time is such a beast."


Andy's Hall Access · Andy Hall interviews Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard


Def Leppard 2022.

Buy 'Diamond Star Halos' Online


Diamond Star Halos - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Total Time - 61mins
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022

Def Leppard 2022.

Diamond Star Halos (Deluxe) - Tracklisting

01 - Take What You Want - 4:14
02 - Kick - 3:42 - (Collen) - Amazon - (MP3)
03 - Fire It Up - 3:19
04 - This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss] - 3:50
05 - SOS Emergency - 3:25
06 - Liquid Dust - 4:01
07 - U Rok Mi - 3:33
08 - Goodbye For Good This Time - 4:27
09 - All We Need - 4:46
10 - Open Your Eyes - 4:19
11 - Gimme A Kiss - 3:12
12 - Angels (Can’t Help You Now) - 4:57
13 - Lifeless [feat. Alison Krauss] - 4:19 - (Collen/Elliott)
14 - Unbreakable - 3:46
15 - From Here To Eternity - 5:37

16 - Goodbye For Good This Time (Avant-Garde Mix)

17 - Lifeless (Joe Only version)


  • Producer - Def Leppard
  • Producer - Ronan McHugh
  • Release Date - 27th May 2022

Def Leppard / Latest Tour

Def Leppard World Tour 2022


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Related News - JOE ELLIOTT/RICK SAVAGE On DEF LEPPARD'S New Songs THIS GUITAR/ANGELS (CAN'T HELP YOU NOW)

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