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Sun goes down on Leppard's favourite covers cd
CITY rock giants Def Leppard have put the brakes on plans for an album covering songs by their greatest heroes.
Fans of the record-breaking act had already had a taste of what to expect with the inclusion of Leppard's version of The Kinks classic Waterloo Sunset on a new Greatest Hits album.
But band members reckon a bigger project in the shape of a whole album of covers of less obvious gems by David Bowie, T-Rex, Free and even David Essex may not see the light of day.
Guitarist Vivian Campbell said the recordings were made earlier this year when the band came off tour: "The songs we cut were songs from our youth, songs that we grew up listening to on the radio - a lot of glam rock.
"And it was obviously a very different, more innocent era for music. I think we're going to allow ourselves to be carried along that particular way for the next record, have that influence our writing a bit."
According to comments on a Canadian website, however, it seems the passion for covering other people's songs didn't quite grip new bosses at the band's record label.
With their previous hits album Vault still shifting 10,000 copies a week in the USA and Canada, their record company Mercury decided not to release the new hits collection there, so Waterloo Sunset never made it across the Atlantic.
"They've heard a few songs from the covers record. Waterloo Sunset had probably the most single-potential. We cut 14 tracks of which Sunset is far and away the most Def Leppard-sounding of all. If you didn't know it was a cover you'd swear it was a Leppard song."
Blades fans got to hear it last Saturday when it was played at half time at Bramall Lane.
Bassist Rick Savage wasn't there but confirmed the future of the covers record is uncertain. "It started out as a bit of a laugh and started taking on a life of itself," he said from his Sheffield home.
"It is something we always wanted to do and had not really had the time. The record company started to get enthusiastic and it looked like they would want to put it out. Since then there have been a few changes of personnel."
With the success of Greatest Hits in the UK - it entered the charts at number six and has now gone gold - the covers LP has been shelved for now.
"And we don't really want to give it away. But if Waterloo Sunset gets well received on the hits album it gives us a bit more leverage to put out the whole record.
"It was a vague plan and as things stand it is all up in the air. We are due to have a meeting with the record company. If they don't want to release it I have no hard feelings."
One theory is the record caught their label off guard. Leppard used to take years between albums - suddenly they are ahead of themselves.
Rick said the covers would make it out in some shape or form, either as b-sides for singles from the next original album or as something sold via their official band wesbite, if the label agrees.
"We never sat down and said 'let's do a covers album'," he added. "We said 'let's have some fun rather than being under that pressure of writing new material. If it turns out good, then great. If not, no-one is going to hear the songs'. It was always very open-ended."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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