Chordplay - 'The Chords of Steve Clark'
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- Here's the next episode of Chordplay with The Chords of Steve Clark. The late-great Steve Clark from Def Leppard was a rock and roll chordal architect and created some interesting chord voicings and progressions in the early music of Def Leppard.
Even as their sound changed around the album Hysteria, his unique stamp on chords, progressions, and songwriting is clearly evident. It's reported that he wrote 90% of Def Leppard's music/riffs and their music has clearly changed since his passing. Nothing against the group and their music now, but I feel he was an important and central figure in their music and overall sound and prefer the older music/albums.
Give this lesson a view, leave some comments and feedback, and please subscribe to Late Night Lessons - THANK YOU!
Become a Patreon supporter for Late Night Lessons - www.patreon.com/latenightlessons
I'm 60 years old and the greatest rock and roll record I've ever heard is Def Leppard High and Dry which was released in 1981 and my favorite guitarist is Steve Clark so thank you for doing this.
Same here Jerry. I first picked up a guitar in 1981 because I saw Rick Nielsen and Cheap Trick. The next year was mtv and Steve Clark! I was hooked. When I strapped on my Les Paul I tried to emote STEVE! I still wear a Les Paul necklace because of Steve. I had the pleasure of seeing him play 3 times. Loved that guy!
Great lesson, David. I’ve always been slightly annoyed with people who downplay Steve Clark as a mediocre player. They’re entitled to their opinion, but if they’d listen more closely, they might realize just how brilliant he was. Steve wasn’t a technical player, but he had an undeniable ear for melody, and while he might not have been able to articulate the technical aspects of his chordal style in words, he undoubtedly had quite a solid grasp of music theory. He had that creative spark that allowed him to come up with chord voicings that could be split between him and Pete or Phil, creating an overall sound that was greater than the sum of its parts. He created very intricate parts full of nuance that wasn’t always immediately apparent. In that respect, despite his rather dramatic difference in guitar tone, I’d say he had more than a little in common with Tom Scholtz from Boston. The true heart of Def Leppard died on January 8, 1991, and he is sorely missed.
Crazy he used tom scholz amp or amp settings. I believe scholz made his own amplifier.
And steve (not implying it to you directly) could defffff play technical. Just look into it. Live wasted for example
He auditioned by playing freebird in its entirety, says joe elliot
@@MooneyToonS1000 Steve could absolutely be technical when he wanted to be, but that was rarely the focus of his playing. He was always more of a riff style player. Playing stuff like the Run Riot solo was never really his thing.
Eloquently put sir. This guitarist has influenced me for years. He truly was a riffmaster.
He left the original 'sugar' recipe which makes Def Leppard such ear candy and his mates have faithfully upheld that sweetness ever since.
Pete and Steve gave DL their edge and heavy sound. Neither get enough credit.
That's VERY true!
Thanks for watching!
: )
Agreed even Pyromania although a great album is crap compared to High n Dry!
@@LateNightLessons lol steve clark could shred
Willis and Clark had HEAVIER and Sharper Solos back in the albums On Through the Night and High'n'Dry. They've ROCKED Harder during the Really Early Years of the Band.
jes ot course dh the dream team pete was a good combination with steve
I heard Mutt Lange once say that even though Vivian is an amazing guitarist that they lost something unique in Steve. He talked of his innate ability to write great "bits". If a song had nowhere to go and they were stuck Clarkey would produce a great "bit" and they were moving again.
Thank you SO very much for this. Steven Maynard "The Riffmaster" or "Steamin" Clark was a genius. He was the primary song writer for the band. There is a video posted of his brother from another mother, his best friend who really became his 'other part, Phil has said they'd both spend countless hours together talking about everything, so the video of Collen was done as a dedication, as so many Leppard fans wanted to know more about this extremely shy, gentle soul who tragically was tortured, had a father who drank hard, the great rock photographer Ross Halfin, who arguably has taken 'the' most pictures of Steve, that Steve let him in says so much, he was extremely private. But his drinking started young with his father, in one video on Steve after he passed Halfin very clearly, and very angrily slams his father, "he'd just got out of rehab and his father would say lets go down to the pub", Halfin it really does come across arguably lays most of the blame at his fathers feet. Steve was a depressed functioning alcoholic. He had anti depressants, valium, and cocaine in his system the night he went to sleep and never woke up.
But Steve really just went downhill after he lost his drinking mate Collen, the 'terror twins' were no more and he then just found solace in the bottle.
But, when live Steve was NEVER drunk. He was the ultimate professional.
I implore all to watch the Collen videos, there are 4 of them and he takes questions from a fan named Valerie Rouso, and he provides we fans of this icon amazing insights into Steve as a person, but also 'how' he was able to gift this band a legacy they still to this day tour off, as Viv noted verbatim last year "90% of what we play Steve left us". He also added "I still cannot play GoW".
The thing with Steve was he as Collen notes "had quirky tastes, he was into the Cure, Police, he was able to take things that were not commercial, and make them commercial".
Steve Brown from Trixter who filled in for Collen 2 years ago said this of Steve's guitar parts "the way Steve created music, his guitar parts were like little boxes, extremely complicated". And that is so right.
I'd also add there is another web site called "Steve Clark In Loving Memory", it is done by a fan and I've never seen anything like it. It breaks down Steve's rig, from the very early years through to the last tour 'In The Round In Your Face US/Canada Tour 88/89.
Steve recorded in the studio a lot with Strats/Teles, but he did sign to Gibson around the time Phil signed with Grover Jackson [Jackson guitars]. The 88/89 US tour arguably saw one of the most iconic guitars in rock history, a creme LP Custom, triple pick u8p Gibson PAFS, with a Kahler tremolo, he had a white Kahler fitted to one of his 2 18 string Gibson Razors, and a bright red triple pick Firebirds, he had 2 of these. At the time of his death Steve had 70 different guitars, some have ended up stolen [his then girlfriend who he met in rehab in the US was a recovering heroin addict, and she pawned unknown guitars after he passed, and before Steve's Father was able to change the locks to Steve's home in London. But his former girlfriend who he met in Paris around 83 Lorelei Shellist has a few, and Collen and Joe also have a few, a few more, his red 'Dean' which is used in 2 early videos was placed on public display, his brother has over the years kept most of them. From my knowledge he has either sold or gifted one of his black/white triple pick up Customs with Kahler to serious well respected Steve Clark fans, and they will not be sold to anyone, private holders.
Steve's epic creme LP Custom, for me 'the' best guitar he had, was sold in London at public auction. Who bought this guitar has not been published but again it would be a private buyer who obviously paid over half a million for it.
The thing with Steve was he was classically trained, his guitar work was just sublime, you can hear it on the first record ONTN, then HnD, and then when 'Mutt' joined and really pushed them all, 'Pyro/Hysteria' produced some of the most timeless, spine shivering guitar sounds in rock history. Listen to TLFL, the opening and ride out solo on Photograph, Bringin on The Heartbreak, the mind blowing 'Saturday Night', the list is endless.
Steve was 'not' a shredder like Collen and they both trusted each other, well each other's playing styles SO well, they created magic. Steve 'could' play fast and does, Bringin On The Heartbreak has a staggering set of riffing and solo work, just mind blowing.
That he never really received the justice, the reward for the enormously influential and brilliant guitarist he was is baffling.
If one is truly objective, apart from a few handful of songs since Steve passed, Leppard's lack of serious success post Steve's passing is the real evidence of how gifted, and just massively critical song writing and his musical creativity.
Collen put it this way "Steve was able to build a Japanese garden of musical wonderment". For me, as a 110% fan of this genius, that sorta nails it.
And the cherry on top was live "Steamin" just owned the stage, like for example KISS, the band member most came to see was "SpaceAce", who also had an incalculable impact on generations of guitarists and kids picking up their first guitar.
Steve, strapped low, VERY low just dazzled on stage, whizzing around, he just oozed rock star cool. The complete package. I could write a thesis on what I have learned about this genius, in reading, research, and just by listening to his music. Like his idol Jimmy Page, who Steve only met once, at an airport, as he and Page were both on the tarmac at the same time but with different flights, apparently Steve was SO mesmerized, shy, blown away when he finally got the chance to shake Page's hand.
So thanks SO SO much for this. I only noticed this today, after watching so much on line, to come across, or stumble across your video was truly special.
When "Tesla" wrote the song "Song and Emotion", it originally was predicated on another issue, but when Steve passed the band wrote and dedicated 'Song and Emotion' to Steve. Steve had given Frank Hannon a guitar when Tesla opened for Leppard in the 80's, and they became good friends. When you watch the song, EVERY time it is played Frank points to the heavens after his solo, EVERY time this song is played, Frank does this in homage to Steve.
Leppard also penned, dedicated the song "White Lightening" to Steve. I look today at all the new technology available, the computer chip etc and always wonder what Steve 'might' have done?
In one of the above mentioned Collen videos on Steve that question is asked, in response Collen says "I think maybe Steve would have gotten into the film soundtrack area, he was always interested in this area". Who knows. The legacy, the gift he left the world cannot be calculated. Steve's loss to music remains simply incalculable. Period.
When Leppard toured in 2015/16 on their "Hysteria Tour" there is a moment before GoW when a massive montage is put up on the screen. It is an iconic picture of "The Riffmaster", sitting down at the 'Denver, Colorado' concert that is taped in 2w parts. The picture shows Steve's beaming smile that hid so much pain, the sound of the roar from the crowd, and the conflicting emotions of awe and respect, but sorrow at the loss of a person who just gifted this band, and the world a legacy that is priceless.
For those that find what I have written too long, quite frankly I do not give a flying fuck. If anyone feels what I have penned is factually inaccurate, please feel free to advise, am always more than happy to be corrected. But this post is NOT about me. It is to thank the man who took the time to shine alight on a genius who has received criminally too little acknowledgement for what he gifted the world and Def Leppard. It is about a extremely complicated man who had a gift, like the crown jewels as stated above, that gift remains incalculable.
All of your info is correct. I also am a huge Steve Clark fan. I feel he is under rated but he probably preferred it that way as he was so shy. I'm completely self taught and only play by tabs but i play more old Def Leppard than anything. His stuff might not be really hard to play but he came up with it and from what I hear and have read his stuff is very unusual and not just recycled average stuff. I know he was classicly trained and had an amazing ear for music. I'm sure you have seen the video where Collen says that playing with Steve took a bit of getting used to because his riffs were always out of the ordinary.
That was a most excellent read. I got to see Steve play 3 times. One was with Tesla. Steve really was the man. I started playing guitar in 1981 and Steve was our age! He gave me the desire to learn how to play. High n Dry (and Pyro/Hysteria) are still in Heavy Rotation on my play list. Lady Strange is still my favorite Bust Out a Riff when I grab a guitar. Thanks for the great info on The Great One!
Steve clark inspired me to play guitar. He’s so underrated. People need to recognize the greatness from him🤘🏻
same here. Here I am 35 years after I started playing and what I play mostly are old Def Leppard songs. Let it go and Saturday Night are my favorites but lately I've been learning Me and My Wine.
He is NOT underrated. You people who are always blathering about this is underrated and that is underrated are really a bunch of idiots. 🫵🏻🤡🥴
Inspired me too.❤❤❤
someone finally pays hommage to one of the most creative rock guitar players of all time, it was such a shame and a big loss...congratulations, you are the one that finally made some justice! cheers!
Steve Clark is the best guitarist in the world along with Phil. There will never be another Steve just the way he plays and the way he makes music is just amazing I’ve never heard anything like it before
Steve Clark had an amazing talent for coming up with guitar riffs that were both good and unique. We can only imagine how many more great guitar parts he could have written had he been alive for the last 33 years.
Great vid Clarkeys unique creativity launched Def Leppard into another class 🎸⭐️
Can you do more High n Dry lessons. That album is a masterpiece and the guitar playing on it is genius.
Thank you for saying that. I think High n Dry is a masterpiece too.
Yeah man! Both of their first two albums are incredible!! They lost me after that
Such is life. For every fan they lost they picked up twenty more with Pyromania and Hysteria.
No different from Metallica with master of puppets and the black album I suppose.
Absolutely agree. It's the first appetite for destruction in my opinion. The two guitars serving the song individually and as co-guitarist in the band.
Switch 625 is one of the best rock instrumentals, it may be not at all technical, but it was made with intelligence and real good taste, I think what was the most characteristic of Steve Clark playing and personality was elegance, intelligence, good taste....
Steve was definitely the true backbone to Def Leppard. I actually always preferred the Steve Clark/Pete Wilis era. I pretty much checked out after Hysteria.
Steve was a riff machine and he was an important part of that band's music. When he passed a big part of Def Leppard's sound went with him.
: (
But his music lives on!
: )
Rock on bro and thanks for watching!
I agree. I actually checked out during Hysteria.
I bought Adrenalize and have probably listened to it twice...I was done. I saw them on their High N Dry tour opening for Ozzy w/Randy Rhoads in Springfield IL. In less than two months they played at my local small town college opening for Blackfoot. Pete Willis and I could have shook hands I was that close and the stage was probably less than a foot high.
Exactly with Phil and Vivian it sounded like a garbled mess
I love the fact that Phil and Viv as well as the rest of the band are keeping Steve’s music alive... but it’s funny to watch Phil play the opening to Photograph. HE PLAYS IT WRONG! It’s the “right” notes, but in the wrong spot on the neck. It doesn’t sound the same. You can hear the difference.
"Switch 625" might be my second favorite metal instrumental of all. Close behind "Coast to Coast".
I love it!
Switch 625 is my ringtone 🤘🏻❤⚡
I agree. Obviously you and I are not only Steve Clark fans but Schenker fans as well.
I'm able to appreciate these riffs a lot more when you break them down like this. Clark had a sort of understated elegant way of playing rock riffs. Great lesson!
Thank you VERY much and that's a small part of why Chordplay came about.
There are a lot of folks out there that don't realize how important chords and chord progressions actually are - I know it took me a long time to figure it out.
At the end of the day, regardless of what you want to play or do during a solo, if the chords and chord progression don't jive with what scales/modes/tonality you're playing, it will sound out of key and weird.
Chords really do dictate everything you hear in music, so over the years I learned to appreciate and learn more about them, instead of what I did before that time, which was basically shred over and ignore them.
: )
Thanks again and take care!
Exactly true. Thanks, David!
@@LateNightLessons that's why I love your lessons so much in New to the channel but I'm so impressed with your style . and yes chords are the structure it can make a boring solo come to life with the right chords under it
Steve along with Phil created what is known now as harmony chords as opposed to the cliché lead/rhythm style of hard rock guitar. One would play the main riff of the song and the other would play an underlying harmony chord that followed along to create depth and ambience to the song and when it was time for a lead part, the other would play a combo of the riff/harmony and made it feel like there were 3-4 guitarists in the band playing. Amazing talent Steve was and Phil is no slacker himself.🔥
All of this is VERY true.
: )
Rock on\m/
Thats how i hear them...melodically compliment each other when playing together...always loved their sound
Exactly with Vivian it was a garbled mess
@@vox1966 garbled
/ˈɡɑːb(ə)ld/
adjective
(of a message, sound, or transmission) confused and distorted; unclear.
Vivian is better than Phil
No one has ever looked cooler on stage with a Les Paul than Steve Clark, and his playing and writing were equally brilliant.
I think it's quite the compliment to Steve Clark that Vivian Campbell, who is a great guitarist in his own right, said that he tried making the songs his own when he joined Def Leppard but quickly realized that Clark was such a phenominal guitarist and the structure was so intertwined in the songs that he felt if he would be doing an injustice if he changed anything. Class act!
I love so much the rhythm part behind the "Oh, look what you´ve done to this rock & roll clown" phrase in "Photograph"...
I really appreciated this info. Steve Clark’s importance & influence to Def Leppard was quite obvious especially after Hysteria & his passing. The band never was the same and nor did they ever have the quality of songs again. Such a waste of talent and so young.
I use to be in a def leppard trib band and I did steve clark. always love his playing. great lesson David. thanks
Can you play wasted?
Been working on Let It Go & On Through The Night today and man I never really appreciated the rhythms Steve Clark wrote until I dug into these. Definitely deserves more respect.
Yeah I love playing Saturday Night, Let it Go, Switch 625, No No No, and the parts I know of lady Strange and You Got Me Running. I usually play Steve's parts because I really dig his playing. I like Pete too but he plays too dam fast for me.
The Chorus riff from On Through The Night is killer.
Please do more on Steve's work. Finally someone breaking it down, i picked up a guitar because of Steve and i dearly want to play in his style ❤⚡🕯🌹
Steve Clark was Def Leppard...
I was fortunate enough to see them right after High n' Dry came out. Back then Rick Allen still had both arms and Pete Willis and Steve Clark were an extremely impressive duo on stage.
Rock Brigade will always be my favorite 😉
I was too young to see them back in the day, I was 7 when On Through The Night came out but I would have loved to catch them with the original lineup. At least I got to see them in 1988 when Steve was still with us. That must habve been some show. A guy I worked with saw Def Leppard with Billy Squier when DL opened for him. He said DL blew him away. I've heard that Billy Squier made Def Leppard go on after him and actually headline because people were coming to the shows to see Def Leppard and then leaving. Crazy.
The TESLA song 'Song And Emotion' is a tribute song written for Steve Clark.
Yeah and it's a epic rock song.
Steve Clark I have always held in high regards I never get tired of learning anything I can get my hands on from him thank you so much for this chordplay ..loved it ...I'm glad to see Steve is still being remembered
Fantastic analysis, just gained a new appreciation for this very underrated guitarist and gifted composer 🙏
VERY cool and really - that's what this is ALL about (well, aside from music education - haha!).
Thanks for watching and stay tuned!
: )
The first three albums from Def Leppard (On Through the Night, High 'n' Dry, and Pyromania) were hard rock masterpieces. Steve was definitely the backbone of the band. So much great riffing that a lot of bands don't seem to incorporate anymore. Speaking of great riffing, I spy with my little eye Warp Riders again. A chord lesson on The Sword would be awesome.
Thank you! By far my favorite guitarist of the 80's. So glad other people loved his music like I did. The sound that made Def Leppard so amazing died with him
And…he did it all with his LP down to his knees! Excellent!! Thanks for the lesson.
To this day, when I write riffs, I always think about Steve Clark riffs. The intro for "Gods of War" changed my life. I first heard it at 7 or 8. My older cousin got me interested in Def Leppard. I pushed play on side two of "Hysteria". "Gods of War" was the first song I heard from Def Leppard, that wasn't heard from a radio station. I loved Steve's guitar work. He was a genius.
Yeah Steve was the man. The intro of God's of War is very similar to the intro of Foolin. Both great songs.
Great episode! My favorite Steve Clark riff is probably the outro from Gods of War. The cadence of it turning around after 3 bars of 4 propels really grabs your ear.
That's a great tune!
I think someone else mentioned it here in the comments as well.
Maybe I could break that section down in a future lesson.
: )
Rock on!
I wished I could have seen him play!!! I still to this day have not seen Def Leppard...I listened to them in High School and of course always on the radio...I wanted to go see the Hysteria Tour so bad, but I think I was sick ....Anyways I will see them the next time...
Awesome video. One note - Viv Savage, the bass player, wrote C/D major arpeggio hook at the beginning of HYSTERIA. Phil Colin wrote the bridge section. Steve's contributions were the genius, rolling, high arpeggios in the chorus and of course the phenomenal, melodic, guitar solo! Cheers mate.
I always liked Steve Clark for his unparalleled uniqueness. When I first heard Def Leppard, they caught my attention. It was like they were reaching through the radio and pulling me in. The whole band delivered a sound that is rich and brilliant. We owe it to Steve for his underrated contribution. People over explain Hendrix, Clapton, Page, etc. And not to dog on those guys because they all made their mark and earned their praise. But players like Steve Clark pop up every so often adding their take changing the way guitar is heard and played. They deserve the praise, too. Thank you for the lesson and making his influence relevant. RIP Steve
great explanation. I remember Nikki Six saying he used to work in a music store and listened to music all day and thought Def Leppard had something new when he 1st heard them. Probably the way Steve Clark orchestrated the music. It definitely wasn't the great bass playing of Sav. Not to rip on him, a lot of the hard rock music the bassist just keeps a steady heart beat going. I heard Sav was originally on guitar but when Steve came along he switched to bass because well, Steve and Pete. Lemmy started off an guitar too before he switched to bass with Hawkwind.
Steve Clark is the master!! RIP. Your still alive in your music.
Steve Clark has been one of my favorite guitarists since I was 15. A perfect candidate for Chordplay. I only recently discovered your channel but these analyses are thorough, informative and easy to follow!
I've found myself watching your videos and since this just popped up, I'll subscribe. I found that all the music of Def Leppard that I like were written by him. They did lose me with Hysteria but all the albums before he wrote awesome songs.
I totally agree. MTV then Quiet Riot then Def Leppard the Motley Crue. After that the 80's metal flood gates were opened. I had heard "Bringing on the Heartbreak" on the radio before Photograph on MTV. But after Pyromania and MTV they were untouchable.
I agree. I don't really remember hearing Bringing On The Heart Break on the radio ever but I was only 8. When I heard Rock of Ages I was hooked. Then Foolin' and Photograph. Those 1st 3 albums were very influential to me.
Enjoyed the video! High & Dry is by far Def Leppard`s best album in my opinion. Almost every song on it is amazing. Their music not only rocked but could make you well up at times. So melodical and emotive. I would say high and dry along with Van Halen`s first album are my favorite heavy metal albums. Ironically they both went more in a pop oriented direction sadly.
Greater job dude, always felt he was an underrated guitarist. Always had different and fresh ideas.
Thank you and I totally agree.
He was such a unique player and put his ideas together brilliantly. The band really lost their edge and a key component of their sound when he passed. It's really sad to think about, but in some ways, a big part of that band changed when he passed.
: (
But...his music lives on!
: )
Thanks for watching and ROCK ON\m/
@@LateNightLessons I couldn't agree more, he was their secret weapon
I think of SW625 chords as being G5 - Fsus2 - Eb. Just a G pedal throughout.
Thanks for all the great content David.
that picture on the right....I had that as my wallpaper as a kid. nostalgia trip!
Great video. Steve was the secret sauce of Def Leppard. Without him - (and Mutt Lange) - you get 90s DL and onwards. However: The main guitar riff of Hysteria was written by Rick Savage, the bassist. Phil had the bridge. And later Steve added what became the chorus. (Which contains *a lot* of guitar parts...)
Excellent sir, what a player and a writer he was! RIP Steve
Very informative lesson on the great Steve Clark. He emulated the best "Riff Master", Page.
This is a great lesson, thanks so much for making it. I love Steve so much.
Was expecting to see the polychord of the Photograph intro riff. Great lesson though, totally agree about Foolin' too!
Idk. I think techical is the perfect word to describe chord play on that level. Thats a skill that not everyone has. People get too caught up in the shred aspect of guitar and forget where it all comes from.
Exactly!
Excellent- Thank you. One of my favourite guitarist that I got to see live on their Hysteria Tour in Spokane
Steve was the best in the band I saw them in Baltimore at the arena in 1987 the clarity was amazing. One of the best bands I ever heard then in 1993. I saw them in Washington DC with Vivian. It was very very distorted sounding. Steve was the best in the band.
God, I miss the 1980's . Wouldn't trade coming of age in that era for anything. I really feel for kids these days. There was nothing like those days and I personally haven't experienced a time frame since, that captured that magical feeling. Everything was (for the most part) way more positive .
Love Def Leppard. Saw them when I was 11 or 12 right after Steve died. Vivian Campbell was an absolute monster during his solo. Pyroomania is amazing but Hysteria is still one of the ultimate rock albums of all time. Foolin, Too Late for Love and Gods of War are some of my favorite songs. That opening riff to Gods of War is epic.
To describe Steve in one word= Brilliant.
Thank you so much for taking time to speak and honor Steve. Just a unique player and melody maker. Every riff you can almost here Joe singing. Great one on Mick Mars as well. Those two (Steve and Mick) were my original vinyl guitar teachers. Really appreciate what you do here. These guys were my favorites and made so much of impact on my songwriting and playing. It's good to know that younger people starting out can be made aware of these guys and older dudes like myself can relive those moments of sitting next to the record player and trying to learn our way through rock. Grateful brutha!!
Steamin’! Wow, you continue to pick out the most iconic and interesting riffs and parts from my youth. Thank you. Keep on keepin’ on
Perfectly said about not being a shredder.... but a brilliant songwriter.... just like Rudolph Schenker, Sambora, etc etc...ok now that i saw whole vid I'll edit: WoW!!!! Clark really was amazing! To be SO young creating somewhat "outta the box" type of riffs while the rest of us were just "power chording" our asses off and learning Page solos...thumbs up David for recharging my morning making me wanna pick up that fiddle!!!! Thanks for so much you contribute!!! You're my favorite guru. Humble, soft spoken, and a serious force on that guitar. I told my London mate "he covers anything".....like a boss!!
Every guitar player should study how Steve worked the stage, and his cool clothing choices. 10\10. Rock star.
I feel Steve really listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarists approach and singularity in style that was unified in the structures of their songs. For his audition Steve' went with playing the entirety of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" for his audition......not any song from the Jimmy Page catalog of favorites he knew so well.
So Steve and Pete Willis brought the different guitar sounds together, they would bounce around the ideas and work on the riffs.
Steve's playing always had a slightly more ethereal exotic feel to it, whereas Pete was more of a firey rock player. There was no overlap with Steve than Pete's arrangements, and for that the band gained more dimensional sound.
Both Pete and Steve were used to working along ahead of time then bringing the ideas in to the band to listen to. When Mutt was hired a whole new accelerated process of studio recording was enforced. Pete fizzled under the pressure and walked out of a recording throwing his guitar.
High n Dry was an epic album , still to this day
I love this video! Thank you for bringing out the creative genius of Steve Clark.
You're totally welcome and thanks for watching and this comment too!
He's a late-great legend!
: )
Wow! Another guitar? Love the LP just as much as the strat. I’m amazed that Steve Clark was that good when he was basically a 20-21 year old kid on On Through The Night and High and Dry
yeah they were really ahead of their time and age. And Rick Allen was like 15 when he joined the band, opening up for AC/DC on his 16th birthday.
Great lesson...my old three pickup black Les Paul custom went round the world with Steve Clarke
as you say in some part of this video: steve clark was kind of a "scientist / architect" of guitar chords; he was really clever building chords and riffs, he was such a fantastic guitar player
Bringing on the Heartbreak intro is awesome. I've never attempted it, but seeing how you do it, I'm going to tackle it now, thanks!
"Stagefright" and "Die hard the Hunter" are my two favorites. DHTH has so many cool parts to it.
Die Hard the Hunter was my favorite song as a kid. It does have some great licks in it. I used to play it a bunch but got away from it. After I get Me and My Wine down I think I'm going to re visit Die Hard the Hunter.
My favourite guitarist of all time. Way under-rated. The guitar was an extension of his body.
Not sure how I missed this lesson but man Steve Clark was a wicked guitar player!!! Such a good.style he had!! Thanks so much for this 👊😎👊
I never really realized how much of an influence Def Leppard has on my own songwriting, but a lot of my bread and butter chord shapes are covered here. I find it interesting because I was a huge fan in my formative years, but by the time I picked up the guitar, I had moved on to heavier things like Metallica and Megadeth, so that's mostly what I was learning. Even though I didn't learn and play Def Leppard songs, those chords stuck around in my head and come out in my writing.
High n Dry is in my top 5 albums of all time. Steve Clark was great. DL was my very first concert - Hysteria tour.
Same here on all accounts. I saw them in Philly and thought Tesla was going to open for them because they were the opening band on the West coast. Nope, i got stuck with Queensryche as the opener and I was not happy about that. I was this pissed off 15 year old kid and everybody near me knew it and were laughing at how pissed I was about Queensryche. When Geoff Tate said "This is going to be our last song....." I cheered so loud. It was an awesome concert. I charged the stage and was right behind the speakers, the show was great and my ears rang for a couple days after that. i remember leaving and they played Switch 625 on the PA on the way out.
Steve Clark was an awesome guitar player..'Nuff said. And so was Pete Willis..
Loved this one. He was a cool player. He was different, but he wrote great stuff. Just killer chords and passages..
Another perfect choice for a lesson, David! Steve Clark RIP.
Thank you for shining some light on the genius of Steven Maynard Clark, one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. He and Pete Willis created some of the best melodic rock songs of the era, which were brilliantly crafted.
"Really really cool!" Love the way you say it! Love your lessons too!
I saw him when def leppard opened for pat travers. I have to say pat travers blew them away.
I saw the same show in, 1980
Steve Clark was great! He had a unique style that I really appreciate. I’m a huge Def Leppard fan. Thanks for sharing his music!
Btw the original ring of fire is one of Steve's best work.
Steve Clark is one of my favorite guitarist and I believe highly underrated. In my opinion he was the magic of Def Leppard. When he passed the band was never the same. He was the definition of rock star
Thank you for do this, Clark, Diffy and of gilmour
Hey, I just found your channel. Really enjoyed this video. I was 11 or 12 when Hysteria came out, and it was a pretty big deal back then because of the Rick Allen accident and all that stuff. It made a huge impression on the young me and I played the record all the time and tried to make all my friends get into it aswell. But as you say Steve Clark has always been a bit overlooked, glad you're bringing him up! Thank you!
Excellent video. Steve CLARK's songwriting and playing were to DEF LEPPARD what Chris DeGARMO's songwriting and playing were to QUEENSRŸCHE. 'Hysteria' and 'Operation: Mindcrime' are two of the finest studio albums ever recorded.
Steve will always hold a special place in my heart as I was only 13 years old when I first heard him play. He was so inspirational and moved me in a way that no other guitarist could. That was 42 years ago and still things haven't changed. High n Dry was an excellent album. He was a guitar genius. Forever Riftmaster.
pretty much my words exactly except I was 10 or 11 when I first heard Rock of Ages and that did it for me. Definitely my favorite guitarist, that's what got me into playing, and I play more than anything else old Def Leppard songs. I've been learning Me and My Wine the last couple weeks when I have time.
Damn, I am binge-watching these videos. LOL
Wow that's a trip I can hear the Def leppard in that all the way even into adrenalize..
Beautiful and important Hommage, Steve Clark was a true Genius, and the way you show us , this is very cool too. Thanks
I’m glad I found this page. It’s cool, educational and entertaining. Thanks
Please, speak about Gods of War final acoustic guitar riff!
That's a great riff and I'll see what I can do to add that in somewhere!
Thanks and rock on!
@@LateNightLessons thank you very much!
Another great lesson! Thank you
Love your channel,it brings back my youth. Great chops by the way, All of the guitarists you have featured are heroes of mine; but how about some Alex Lifeson? I think I obsessed about learning rush songs for years,and still have grey areas. I would love to see your take on it .
Thank you so much for this comment and for watching too!
I did create a Rush Chordplay episode a few months ago - take a look around and you should be able to find it.
: )
I LOVE Rush and I'm a HUGE fan of Alex's guitar playing.
\m/ ROCK ON \m/
Great job David!
I salute your knowledge and ability to translate these riffs and progressions for us. Respect to you.
Fantastic videos, David! THANKS!! You have a very pleasant way of talking about the music and it's evident how much you're enjoying it all :-)
A "musical architect", that is an excellent description!
He was a great guitar player very underrated. His stuff is hard to play. Great lesson I've been trying to learn that beginning to rock rock til you drop thanks for showing me
What an awesome video of an awesome guitarist! Thanks!
Great lesson!! ..love the way you dissect all the part from the musical theory standpoint..simply great!!
Hey man great video. I was a huge DL fan in the 80's and Steve Clark was my favorite player. I really liked Pete Willis and they were a great duo. The best music is the 1st 3 albums. I have to admit I am a guitar owner and not a musician. I've been playing since 1987 but no formal training at all. I don't read music and learn from tabs. I do not understand the technical music lingo you speak but still enjoyed the video fully. I'm glad you shed some light on how great of a player this guy was.
These are all excellent examples of Steve’s versatility and knowledge of guitar. But you’ve left one out. On the hysteria album, Women. That outro solo ride out is absolutely killer and was so well constructed. Very complex and also matches the lead work of Phil. That’s my favorite song to play on electric guitar and honestly, I’d much rather play rhythm on it than lead!
Yeah women is the hardest or heaviest song on the album. Pretty easy to play actually but it rocks. I remember when it 1st came out after waiting 4 years for the new album. It didn't really go over well as far as being a hit. I guess they wanted to put out there most rocking song first before all the mushy stuff. I always used to fast forward Pour Some Sugar on Me and that ended up being the most "popular" song on the album. I love Steve's playing. He orchestrated a lot of the music and although I'm completely self taught and only read tabs and can't understand entirely the complexity of his style, I sure have been very drawn to his playing.
All these years and I never realised my playing was like Steve Clark's
Mind blown
Great walkthrough of chord building...Thanks...Love Def Leppard but didn't know so much about Steve Clark.