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Def Leppard to release their first live album
First ever live album from million-selling metallers on its way

January 4, 2011
http://www.nme.com/news/def-leppard/54433



Def Leppard are planning to release their first live album this year, according to frontman Joe Elliott.

In a video interview with the Artisan News Service, which you can watch by scrolling down and clicking below, Elliott said that the band are methodically selecting their best live recordings for the album from their recent world tour.

"We've got the entire tour backed up onto three or four hard drives," he said. "So we have the unenviable task of listening to probably 50 versions of every song we've ever played."

He said that the band have their sound engineer going through the tracks, but it is taking time.

He admitted: "You've got to listen to them (the songs) two or three times to make sure nothing bad slips through. By autumn we should have it [the live album] down though."

Despite being together for over 33 years Def Leppard have never realised a full live album - only an EP, 'Live: In The Clubs, In Your Face', recorded in Germany in 1992 and only featuring four songs.

there was a live disc as a bonus with the initial release in the uk of vault


Don Valley
Sheffield, UK
June 6, 1993.
1. "Let's Get Rocked" 5:00
2. "Armageddon It" 6:12
3. "Foolin'" 4:52
4. "Rocket" 9:28
5. "Two Steps Behind" 5:01
6. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" 5:00
7. "Rock of Ages" 5:55
8. "Love Bites" 7:37
9. "Photograph" 7:08

I think I'd rather see recordings from back in the day more than recent recordings.

Alan

Theres a 1983 live disc with the Deluxe Edition of Pyromania which is pretty damn good .

Saw them on the "Sparkle Lounge" tour, with the "Sparkle Lounge" backdrop, whereby they played no "Sparkle Lounge" songs. Would've liked to hear at least "C'mon C'mon" and "Tomorrow" (which my kids have turned into an oddly massive hit in our house).

Yeah, that's incredibly lame for a nostalgia act not to play ONE song from their new album. It's like they don't even care about doing new things. Don't call it the "New Album" tour, then. Call it the "greatest hits tour".

Joe Elliot's voice has been shot for years. If only they'd remaster On Through The Night and High N' Dry-their best albums and hardest rocking.

More about this release with new songs, a box set and Viv Campbell talking about being in what is Thin Lizzy, plus finally comments on the passing of Ronnie James Dio and they weren't exactly warm...

From rushonrock.com:

To many disillusioned die-hards the latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy are nothing more than a tribute band.

But to the more discerning rock fan the reality is that this could be the best line-up since the band’s Phil Lynott-inspired heyday.

Hired hand and Def Leppard guitar hero Vivian Campbell is in no mood to disagree as he prepares to head out on Lizzy’s latest UK headline tour.
rushonrock: What are your first memories of Thin Lizzy?

Vivian Campbell: I can vividly remember watching the band play Whisky In The Jar on Top Of The Pops and after that I saw Lizzy a bunch of times. My first band, Sweet Savage, ended up opening up for them a load of times and we did the whole Renegade tour of the UK which, at the time, was a huge opportunity for us. We opened up at the King’s Hall in Belfast and again at Slane Castle 30 years ago. And we always played this club in Dublin which was right next door to a pub called The Bailey where Phil Lynott would drink on a Saturday afternoon. We’d go in there and see him and he’d get up and play Are You Ready. Lizzy were a hug influence on me as a kid and as I was growing up. Phil was an iconic rock star and, as a guitarist, I was influenced by all of the band’s guitar players apart from, perhaps, Eric Bell. Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and Gary Moore were very, very influential and had a great bearing on my playing.

rushonrock: What was the first Lizzy song you learned to play?

VC: Well the Johnny The Fox album was very much on my radar and when I was 17 or 18 I could play all of those songs. I remember playing Don’t Believe A Word as a young kid and Lizzy were so much a part of me growing up in Belfast. It was through Lizzy that I first heard of Gary Moore and he’s always been a huge influence on my career and style. You could say I’m very, very familiar with Lizzy’s back catalogue and we just did a couple of weeks in rehearsal before Christmas – it was a blast! I’m a bit of an anorak when it comes to the band’s music – so much so that some of the parts Scott was playing were, in my view, wrong. And I told him so! Over the years Scott’s combined some of his guitar parts and some of Brian’s parts but I know them all so well I can tell where he’s changed things. I was very, very well rehearsed even before I joined the band and I don’t know whether Scott knew what he was letting himself in for. He’s changed a lot of the original parts – he’s morphed some parts into others and co-opted some of Brian’s parts and let’s just say there were a few incidents during rehearsals where I pointed this out. Scott refused to believe it at first but I’m such an anorak I watched the YouTube videos again just to prove my point!

rushonrock: What was the first thought that went through your head when you were approached to join Lizzy?

VC: I remember thinking what an exciting opportunity this was for me. As a guitarist their music has always been such a huge part of my life. I’m entirely self-taught and taught myself a lot of Lizzy songs. Marc Bolan was my first point of reference as a rock guitarist and then I discovered Rory Gallacher. From there I found Lizzy. It’s very exciting to be in this position. It’s reconnected me to the electric guitar. I’ve been in Def Leppard for 20 years and if I’m honest it’s not a terribly challenging job for me as a guitar player. Phil Collen plays most of the widdly guitar parts and I do what I do. But this job has reignited my love for guitar playing.

rushonrock: So how did the opportunity come about?

VC: It was Joe [Elliott, Def Leppard singer] who came up with the idea. He’s been helping Scott with some of the Lizzy remixes for the reissues and he came up with the idea about a year ago now. Leppard were going to be inactive for a while and I would have been sitting around getting fat. Joe suggested it to Scott and he called me. I know they were trying to get Brian Robertson to come back and, as a fan, I have to admit that would have been very exciting. But for whatever reason Robbo couldn’t or wouldn’t do it and by all accounts I’m the next best thing!

rushonrock: Were you actively looking for a new project or were you enjoying your time off from Leppard?

VC: I don’t enjoy taking time off full stop. I don’t really agree with the concept of taking a whole year off and so even before the Lizzy thing came along I’d planned to do a lot of work during the last 12 months. I’ve been writing with people in LA and I’ve formed a bar band which has been playing around the LA area. We’ve been avoiding the Hollywood bars and playing the San Fernando Valley area. It’s all covers stuff and we do it for $100 a free beer! And the funny thing is that the bulk of the set is made up of Lizzy covers – we do seven, eight or nine Lizzy songs a night!

rushonrock: Do you think the time was right for a Leppard hiatus regardless of your own misgivings?

VC: I do think it was the right time to have a break. For Joe in particular it was important. He was burnt out. We’d been touring for five years without a break and it was starting to take its toll. As for the rest of the guys I’m not sure. I don’t honestly know what Sav’s been doing. Rick Allen’s been pretty busy and Phil’s been busy with his own band. I just think Joe wanted a complete break from Def Leppard rather than a break from everything. As it turns out he’s been working harder than ever with the Lizzy stuff and the Down N Outz.

rushonrock: So what does the immediate future hold for Leppard?

VC: We’ve got a couple of new songs on the go. We have a live record coming out in 2011 and we’re looking at attaching two, three or four new songs to that album when it comes out. There are also plans for a career-encompassing box set. It will happen but we need to sort a few things out contractually. As it happens we’re talking to our old label Universal about re-signing with them. That would make things a lot easier. Leppard will be back this summer and we’ll be touring North America and Canada.

rushonrock: If the chance to join Lizzy was a highlight of 2010 then was the passing of your former band mate Ronnie James Dio a low point?

VC: You know, I was numb to the whole thing. I hadn’t talked to Ronnie in 25 years so it wasn’t as if we were close. My mother died nine or 10 days before him so I was preoccupied with that. And my father died nine months before that. It was a really tough year on a personal level and I had enough to think about. The news about Ronnie James Dio just bounced off me. It was a difficult relationship on a personal level anyway. I was really proud of the music we made together but it was tough being in a band together. But he died way too young.

I think Campbell handled the Dio death well in terms of what he said. He didn't dance around their difficulties, but still expressed sentiment he died too young.

I imagine Dio was difficult to work with, but still leagues better than Ozzy.

Def Leppard, Britain's greatest arena rock band, are set to headline Download Festival 2011 on Friday, June 10 at Donington Park (UK) to kick off their world tour.

The band are also set to release a brand new live album, "MIRRORBALL", this summer featuring a mix of live Def Leppard classics, three brand new studio songs and a bonus DVD that contains energetic live performances and intimate backstage footage captured on the road. Also set for release this summer is Leppard's first coffee table book titled "DEF LEPPARD - THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY", with exclusive photos by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin.

Def Leppard remain one of the world's biggest and most successful live acts. The band last played the UK in 2009 - headlining Download festival that year after a hugely successful sold out UK Arena tour in 2008. 2011 will see Def Leppard headline Download Festival for the second time in three years!

Def Leppard are set to release their first-ever live album this May. The album, titled Mirrorball, will feature a mixture of live classics, like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Bringin' on the Heartbreak," and three new studio tracks. Singer Joe Elliott recently spoke with Billboard about the band's decision to include new songs in the set.

"When we decided to do (the live album), it just got said – I don't know by who – 'Why don't we chuck a couple of new songs on the end?'" said Elliott. "And that two became three, and in fairness it could've been four if we'd just had a little bit more time. But we wanted to tour this summer, so any fourth or fifth song we had brewing, we'll save them for the next record."

Elliott went on to say that the three new songs are "all very different to each other." He described his own composition, "Undefeated," as "a very Queen-type vocal thing," adding "it even features piano and stuff." He described guitarist Phil Collen's "All About Believin'" as "a pop-rock song" and called bassist Rick Savage's "Kings of the World" as "a big, epic, rock anthem that will sound great in arenas and stadiums all over the world – kind of 'We Will Rock You' with guitars, if you like."

Really bummed that the Heart-Def Leppard tour is bypassing Atlanta this summer. Closest stop is Charlotte (and that's on a Wednesday). Would love to see 'em, but that just doesn't work.

After months of speculation and then confirmation about the project, some new details have finally surfaced about “Mirrorball,” the upcoming live album from Def Leppard.

The 2-disc set features a mix of live Leppard classics - recorded throughout The Sparkle Lounge Tour - three brand new studio songs, and a bonus DVD that contains live performances and intimate backstage footage captured on the road.

Of the new songs, guitarist Phil Collen told an interviewer at the NAMM show in January, “It’s got three new studio tracks. We wanted five, but we couldn’t finish them in time.”

The three new tracks are “Undefeated,” “Kings Of The World,” and “It’s All About Believin’.”

"Mirrorball" will be released through Bludgeon Riffola/Mailboat Records on the following dates:

June 3 - Germany, Switzerland, Austria
June 6 - Rest Of Europe
TBA - North America - coming this summer

In addition to regular music outlets, “Mirrorball” will also be available online, marking the first time the band's music will officially be made available for digital purchase. Def Leppard will also be releasing their new community based website in May, which is being developed to be the ultimate fan experience and go-to destination for all things on the band.

To support the album's release, Leppard return to the road in June with a couple of Irish gigs, headline the Download Festival, and then hit the US for a summer tour with Heart.

Def Leppard
“Mirrorball”
Track listing:

DISC 1:
01. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
02. Rocket
03. Animal
04. C'Mon C'Mon
05. Make Love Like A Man
06. Too Late For Love
07. Foolin'
08. Nine Lives
09. Love Bites
10. Rock On

DISC 2:
01. Two Steps Behind
02. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
03. Switch 625
04. Hysteria
05. Armageddon It
06. Photograph
07. Pour Some Sugar On Me
08. Rock Of Ages
09. Let's Get Rocked
10. Action
11. Bad Actress
12. Undefeated (new studio track)
13. Kings Of The World (new studio track)
14. It's All About Believin' (new studio track)

New single, "Undefeated."

Didn't know until now that this is apparently a Walmart/Sam's Club exclusive in the U.S., according to Def Leppard's Facebook update.
Release date: Tomorrow - June 7, 2011.

Cover art... there's also a bonus DVD included.



http://www.walmart.com/ip/16533344

Nice way to make a boat load of cash ,while only coming up with 3 new songs.

I see no boatload of cash from a live album in 2011, let alone a studio album.

now streaming at aol... http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds#/6