By Steve Newton Back in June of 1988 Tesla frontman Jeff Keith called me up from his home in Sacramento in advance of his band's Canadian tour with Def Leppard. Early in the interview I asked Keith what the group had been up to since releasing its debut album, Mechanical Resonance, a year and a … Continue reading That time Jeff Keith called me up and told me what Tesla had been up to since releasing its debut album
Tag: Def Leppard
Album review: Scorpions, Savage Amusement (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 20, 1988 By Steve Newton Well, it's about time. It's been over four years since Germany's top hard-rock act released its last studio album, Love at First Sting. You'd figure the Scorps were having a competition with Def Leppard to see who could hold out the longest. Fortunately, from the … Continue reading Album review: Scorpions, Savage Amusement (1988)
Album review: Def Leppard, Hysteria (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 13, 1987 By Steve Newton You've probably heard some of the buzz words used to categorize various types of heavy metal. There's speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, and--in the case of bands like Venom--toilet metal. Well, here's a new one: happy metal. It pretty well sums up … Continue reading Album review: Def Leppard, Hysteria (1987)
Album review: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1992 By Steve Newton “Do you wanna get rocked?” asks Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott at the beginning of the lead-off track from the band’s first album in five years. The answer is sure—but not by a boring, go-nowhere piece of bubblegum pop/metal like “Let’s Get Rocked”. … Continue reading Album review: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (1992)
That time Def Leppard’s Steve Clark told me that Pyromania set the standard for a lot of groups
By Steve Newton Some Def Leppard fans think the band was at its best when Steve Clark was in the lineup. I'm one of them. I interviewed Clark back in 1988 when the band was selling out arenas worldwide, touring behind its massively popular Hysteria album. At one point in the conversation I mentioned a quote from … Continue reading That time Def Leppard’s Steve Clark told me that Pyromania set the standard for a lot of groups
That time I asked Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark what he liked so much about Gibsons
By Steve Newton My nephew Jeff has been letting me borrow his Gibson Les Paul Standard for a while now, and, holy crap, is that one killer instrument! You wouldn't have gotten an argument about that from Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark, who used Gibson guitars to craft some of the band's finest riffs before … Continue reading That time I asked Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark what he liked so much about Gibsons
That time I asked Steve Clark if he’d thought Def Leppard could carry on after Rick Allen’s accident
By Steve Newton I became a fan of Def Leppard back in 1980, as soon as I scored their debut album, On Through the Night, at a Chilliwack record store. I bought it because I liked the sound of the band name and because the album-cover art depicted a huge Les Paul being hauled by … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Clark if he’d thought Def Leppard could carry on after Rick Allen’s accident
Even the kids in Def Leppard can’t make Uriah Heep feel old
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 15, 1983 By Steve Newton Next Wednesday (July 20) at the Pacific Coliseum original Heepsters Mick Box and Lee Kerslake on guitar and drums will be joined by bassist Trevor Bolder, keyboardist John Sinclair, and singer Peter Goalby to give us Uriah Heep '80s-style. Performing material from their … Continue reading Even the kids in Def Leppard can’t make Uriah Heep feel old
Rudy Sarzo on playing with Randy Rhoads, life after Ozzy, and the return of Quiet Riot
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1983 By Steve Newton Formed in 1975 by Kevin DuBrow and the late Randy Rhoads (who died in a plane crash last year while a member of the Ozzy Osbourne band), Quiet Riot were one of the leading Los Angeles rock bands during the late seventies. Boasting dynamic live performances … Continue reading Rudy Sarzo on playing with Randy Rhoads, life after Ozzy, and the return of Quiet Riot
Def Leppard’s Steve Clark on the long wait for Hysteria and the legacy of Pyromania
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1988 By Steve Newton Most successful recording bands like to put an album out every year. Sometimes they'll skip a year, to vacation in the Bahamas or release a live or best-of LP. After three years their fans start to get a bit worried, not to mention the band's record … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Steve Clark on the long wait for Hysteria and the legacy of Pyromania
Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 18, 1983 By Steve Newton While it is true that Def Leppard's lyrical messages most often deal with the time-worn teenage pastimes of partying and getting it on, it's not so much what they're saying as how they're saying it--with all the conviction and drive young hands can channel through a … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania
“Our hair was no bigger than Zeppelin or Sabbath,” declares Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton A lot of bands that were big in the ’80s are now having trouble getting booked into bowling alleys, but Def Leppard’s not one of them. The British melodic-rock quintet—which hit its commercial peak in 1987 with Hysteria, which has sold 16 million units worldwide—is still … Continue reading “Our hair was no bigger than Zeppelin or Sabbath,” declares Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott
Foxfest ends on a weak note with a Leppard past its prime
@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1993 By Steve Newton Seabird Island isn’t really an island, and that’s a good thing, because judging by the massive line-ups of cars on the highway heading to the Agassiz site, the wait for ferries would have been brutal. Seabird is actually a great big grassy … Continue reading Foxfest ends on a weak note with a Leppard past its prime