Watch Vivian Campbell and Last In Line Play “Year of the Gun” in London

Last In Line, featuring former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Vinny Appice, former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Phil Soussan and singer Andrew Freeman, are currently out on the road in support of their recently released sophomore effort, II. On June 12 the band performed at the O2 Academy Islington in London, and you can check out footage of the band’s performance of one of the new II tracks, “Year of the Gun,” featuring a stellar solo from Campbell, above.

In a recent interview with Guitar World, Campbell discussed his approach to composing solos. “I never used to construct them at all until quite recently and the reason for that is because the very first solo I ever recorded with Dio was “Rainbow in the Dark,” he said. “The solo that’s on that track is the very first take. That imbued me with a false sense of security that as long as I was warmed up and up to speed I could just make it up on the spot. Over the years I’ve come to learn that sometimes it can work and other times it’s like pulling teeth.

“It wasn’t until recently that I gave myself a pass and decided to sit down and construct something first. That’s how I approached solos on the Last in Line albums. A solo is not just a bunch of notes. It has to follow an expression and a path, and it’s a lot easier to do when I have it worked out. Then it’s just a matter of catching the best performance.”

For more information on Last in Line, head here. 

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Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.