Vivian
Campbell playing live with his Les Paul.
What were some of the interesting things
you noticed while going through the tracks?
Campbell: Our tempos are so consistent
that we could literally splice the front half of
a song from one night, and the second half
from another night, and put them together.
You would never know the difference.
Collen: We’re very precise in that way.
So does that mean there aren’t any mistakes
on the record?
Collen: [
Laughs.] I’ve got a few mistakes
on there. I heard a couple of bum notes
and bad chords. I like the fact that I get to
do that on a live album. We left mistakes
on
Hysteria and
Pyromania. I remember
going to [producer] Mutt Lange and saying,
“Hey—that chord!” He’s like, “Yeah,
yeah—it sounds great!” It’s kind of funny,
because everyone thinks he’s such a perfectionist,
but it’s actually the vibe he goes
for. That’s more important than getting all
nitpicky. If it’s got character, it deserves to
be on the record. [
Turns to Campbell] How
close do you stick to Steve Clark’s guitar
parts, Viv?
Campbell: Pretty close. Not 100 percent,
note-for-note, but certainly 90-something
percent. His parts weren’t guitar solos per
se. They were very much a part of the
song—very melodic, very thematic. I think
it would be an injustice to the song if I
were to go way off and do my own thing.
And yet you can still hear your Vivian
Campbell-ness on the record—even
though you’re playing someone else’s parts.
Campbell: [
Laughs.] Thank you. I play
heavier than Steve did. When I take the
solo in “Armageddon It,” I don’t play it
100 percent, but I definitely play it in my
style—which is much, much heavier.
Campbell with a sparkle-finished Les Paul equipped with a DiMarzio Super 3 in the bridge position.