No More Def Leppard Albums?

Guitarist Vivian Campbell suggests that the band may not release any more new records

Published 8th Jun 2011

In an interview with Artist Direct he revealed that while the band will record new material in the future, the way that it is released may be something new: "Next year we'll put out an album. I am not sure if it will be a full-length. I don't see the point in putting out full-lengths since the goal post has shifted. People are not interested in full-lengths. I'd rather put out less music with more quality.

"It used to be 10-12 songs that the record company wanted and you go into the studio and do the songs. We live in such pleasure times now; there is so much going on and there are so many things vying for people's attention and there is so much media and instant communication with the web and phones. People don't have time to listen to a full album. Very few will do that, so we want to give people quality."

Campbell also revealed that the three new songs for Def Leppard's new live album were last minute additions.

"We were going to just do a live recording for the DVD. Then management said that it would add more value to the package to have new songs so there was a mad scramble to write a few songs.

"I don't know when Rick Savage or Phil Collen started writing them. The lead track off the album is 'Undefeated' that Joe Elliott wrote and he wrote it for this set."

But despite the uncertainty over the band's recording future, it seems that they aren't getting tired of touring.

"I never get sick of it. We keep it fresh for ourselves and really enjoy it. We play the same songs a lot and you can't not do the songs you know your audience wants to hear, like 'Rock of Ages' and 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' and 'Photograph.' The other part of the equation is that we have those big hits and stay on road, but we change up the set. We'll add something obscure to the set list, if for our own benefit and for that of the diehards."

(Artist Direct)