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- British rock band Def Leppard pose for a photo after their performance live on NBC's …
difficult to believe that after three decades of rocking hard -- 65
million albums sold and hundreds of packed concerts -- Def Leppard
hadn't released a standalone live album until this year.
As the bandmembers put it,
"Mirrorball: Live and More" came together without much advance planning,
and owes its existence, at least partly, to them leaving their old
record label which, the group thinks, may unleash a new burst of
creativity.
The three disc collection features
live recordings of some of Def Leppard's greatest hits such as "Pour
Some Sugar on Me," "Rock of Ages," and "Photograph." It has three new
tracks, including anthem "Kings of the World", and a behind-the-scenes
DVD. But a live album was never atop of the bands to do list.
"The band's focus has always been on writing and recording new
songs," guitarist Vivian Campbell told Reuters. "It just never seemed
appropriate for us to do a live record. It wasn't something that we sat
down and thought, 'We are going to put out a live album in 2011.' It
just sort of happened."
Instead of playing one concert and
recording it, or taping a series of shows and picking the best one for
the album, Campbell and his bandmates -- singer Joe Elliott, lead
guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, and drummer Rick Allen --
picked the songs singularly from separate performances so the fans got
the best of the best.
"In a way it was sort of like
cheating...but it made it more relaxed for us because we never once
thought that we were recording," said Campbell.
NEW CREATIVE ENERGY
"Mirrorball" is Def Leppard's
initial release as an independent act after finding themselves without a
major label for the first time after 30 years with Universal Records.
Campbell sees that factor as a
positive, creatively, because it should force the band to put out
singles more frequently in keeping with trends in the recording industry
that has performers releasing individual songs via download.
"I really don't see the point in putting out a 10 or 12 song album
anymore. It's kind of like sticking our toes in the water, being
independent, but that's the way that the industry is now. I do believe
that the album is dead," he said.
And like so many bands in these days of declining CD sales and the
fewer dollars that comes with it, Def Leppard is now touring through
North America to connect with their fans.
In addition to the album, rock photographer Ross Halfin has published
"Def Leppard: the Definitive Visual History," a photo anthology
chronicling the band's three decades of rock.
The band also is part of the "Rock
the Cradle" series which features lullaby renditions of rock classics.
"Dreamin with Def Leppard" is a 12-song compilation that features
lullaby versions of their greatest hits such as "Love Bites" and
"Animal". Recreating songs in different ways shows listeners just
exactly what a good tune truly is, Campbell said.
"It's interesting to hear how songs
can morph and how they can be given different clothes. I think that's
the indication of a good song, if you can restyle it and do it in a
different genre. I'm glad to say that many Def Leppard songs stand up to
it."
