# 51st Birthday :: Steve "Steaming" Clark

"Then every time I turn around,
And you're nowhere to be found.
I know.

I gotta long, long way to go,
Before I can say goodbye to you.
Oh, I gotta long, long way I know,
Before I can say goodbye.To all I ever knew."

- Long Long Way To Go








Today Apr 23, 2011 is what would be the 51st birthday of Steve.

Happy 51st birthday to our Riffmaster. Rock In Peace, Steve.
Apr 23, 1960 -- Jan 8, 1991

Stay tune for more in here .....

# 20 Years :: Remembering Steve Maynard Clark

A lot of long-time Def Leppard fans said, they couldn't believe it has been 20 years .... since the passing of Steve Clark.

Time passed. People would grow old. Yet Steve is gone but never forgotten.



May he find the peace he deserves.
Prayers and thoughts go to Steve and Lorelei... may their hearts be connected for as long as it would be.

R.I.P. Steve Maynard Clark. 23 April 1960 – 8 January 1991.

# Switch 625 ... COVER - Benjamin Spence

It has been a while since my last post here. Life is hard, yeah. But i have not been hit to the ground.. No, not yet. At least Def Leppard is still there being part of me that has been standing by me along.

So it's always Def Leppard's music that bring me back to my feet. And by god's grace and blessing, comes along the discovery of a Swtich 625 cover, by Benjamin.

Switch 625 COVER - by Benjamin Spence


The effort and secret behind the cover ...

"Tone for this song was HARD to get.. I recorded everything direct out from the Slave Out on my Mesa head, So it normally sounds really crappy but I used my Logic's Amp/Cab/Mic simulators and EQ to sorta make it sound a lot better."

"I've been meaning to cover it for a few years, but it was a MONSTER to try and match tones with, Not to mention it's not that easy to play either."

"I also recorded this both direct out of my amp into my computer and with a mic, So it was EQ'd in every possible way."

"... People ask me this question all the time, And by now I should actually be endorsed by BOSS.

Amp

Mesa S1 Road King Head and 4x12 Recto Cab

Effects

BOSS ME50, MXR Distortion+, MXR Dyna Comp, Slash Wah

In here I probably used a mix of everything except the wah, If you notice the effect changes, The audio for this was shot in many takes before the video, So I changed my tones around a lot."

- Benjamin

It's stunning ... from the first note & riff till the end. .. By far a 625 cover that is out of this planet. The tone, the effect, the riff are captured so right. And just waiting for Steve's soul to flow thru..

i guess Steve would be very proud of this freaking awesome job.

R.I.P. Steve.

More posts coming in. Stay tuned.

# You're Always In Our Heart ....

.... from video: Steve Clark Remembered in post
http://guitarfans09.blogspot.com/2010/04/steve-clark-happy-golden-50th-birthday.html



"Steve was my friend, my brother, part of the family. I'll miss him like a brother."

"Ha had so much to offer, that'll never have the chance to express now. I believe if you've got it, flaunt it. And he had it."

"He'd be so quiet offstage. Then he would get up there and explode into this guitar god."

"He could really fill the stage. He used to do the Chuck Berry thing, strutting across the stage ... Where Chuck would do it 5miles an hour, Steve would do it 90in reverse. You had to get out of his way or you get knocked offstage."

- Joe Elliot


-------------------------
"We certainly remember him with a smile on our faces. Obviously there's regret.. we wish him were still here ..."

"I remember him as being a very affectionate, very funny guy. I remember him on stage as being the typical showman."

"He brought a lot of happiness to millions of people. He also brought happiness to us, that's what we want to remember him by. "

"He was very shy, very funny, and very warm person. There ware so many more happy
moments we shared with him than we shared bad ones ..."

"... he was completely unique. He was an inspired genius."

- Rick Savage


-------------------------
"I miss him, I think about Steve every single day. It's been 13 years but i still do, I always will."

"It was really frustrating seeing your best friend dying basically, you know, not being able to help him ..."

"It was a complete hoot! I loved it! Me & Steve got into a lot of trouble usually involve drinking, girls, the usual stuff."

"I was in a group called GIRL before this, but me and Steve knew each other and we used to have this silly jams in the clubs."

"It all started because we were sharing rooms on tour. We had a real laugh. Joe & Sav roomed together, Rick shared a room with his brother Robert, and that left me and Steve. We had such a laugh we would just hang out all the time!"

- Phil Collen



-------------------------
"We realized that Steve would've wanted us to go on. We made Adrenelize for him."

"He was a really nice guy, but had major problems. It got worse and worse, and there was nothing we could do."

- Rick Allen


-------------------------
"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him, speak of him, or miss him."

"He did not get a lot of support for his dreams, especially from his father."

"He played a mean Les Paul and with every note he bent, with every shape he threw, and with every toothy grin, he won a heart."

"Thanks to those people,(you know who you are), for helping to keep Steve's memory alive. I'm sure he is grateful and so am I."

- Lorelei Shellist (Steve's fiance)



-------------------------
"When Steve played soccer with us, you could never tell what he would do or where he would go next ..."

"He was real fan though and could actually play pretty good(if he could manage to stop laughing for a few seconds)."

"My daughter's first steps, a trip of around 5 feet, which she made between pillars formed by Clark and Collen ... They both spent a few minutes on their knees encouraging her to let go and take the walking plunge."

"Helping him to pack his suitcase, at my insistence, whenever we were in a hurry..."
"...Steve, you can't check that bag with a cowboy boot hanging out of the zipper.. "

"I remember lighting a cigarette for him before God of War .... Something he really looked forward to .... 'cos he thought it looked cool (it DID!). "

"I shall always remember his smile. I shall never forget his kindness."

- Malvin, Steve's guitar tech


-------------------------
"Some say he died because of his dad, some say he was haunted. Those things could of contributed to his death, but the truth is, we will never know and fully understand unless we hear him tell us himself. But that won't happen anytime soon.

He was such a lost soul, searching for his path in this world. And it was right in front of him. He was searching, but he just ran out of time. His guitar shown though his spirit like sun shines through crystal glass windows. He played with such fire, and such passion, everyday out on tour. It was his way of escaping just like we have ours.

The world can be very dark. So dark, we can't find our way. Steve was looking in so hard, searching, but yet he was haunted by his lost soul."

- WhiteLightningSMC
Original text : http://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteLightningSMC#p/u



-------------------------
"As Steve would say, Martha(Lorelei), I love you!! Someday you two will be reunited in pure peace and harmony without any demons eating away at Steve and it will be the most blissful thing to ever happen to you. Reminds me of the night you two met in '83 I believe was the year. God bless Steve! May you always rock on in the big blue sky and the heavens above!!"

"I personally wish I had been old enough to seen him and Phil play live. I think they were so truly amazing together and the way they read each other and played together and they will always be brothers beyond this lifetime as well. Steve played with his HUGE heart and he loved every single minute of his playing live. Playing to his fan was so important... See More to him and he cherished EVERY SINGLE SECOND and never took it for granted.

I wish his demons never got the best of him but at least his heart, body and most importantly, his soul are at peace now."


"He is my favorite member ever of Def Leppard. The riffs that he came up with, you could ALWAYS tell that Steve played them, because he played so much with his heart out there and it was so amazing and the songs that he would write and help write. That sound will never ever be the same with Def Leppard. He was such a live performer and that was his favorite thing to do, play live for all of us, the Leppard fans.

It's too bad that family problems lead to his demise in the long run. I don't think he intended to kill himself at all. I think that he was in so much pain, mentally, emotionally and physically because of the broken ribs, that he just wanted to be in peace.

I hope that he finally found peace up in heaven, where his mind and soul are at ease. God bless "Steamin" Steve Clark, the one and only, "Riff Master"

- Andrew McGinnis

# Best of The Best: The Riffmaster & Stage Moves

Some of the best live shows that demonstrated Steve's greatest riffs, song composition and stage moves ..

Def Leppard - Too Late For Love (Live @ In The Round 1988)

... VERY stunning opening Riff ...that send chills down the spine ..


Def Leppard - Hysteria (Live @ In The Round 1988)

...the best of all versions of Hysteria, especially the opening riff.

Def Leppard - Gods of War





MORE coming next ...

# Golden 50th :: The Riffmaster

Today, Apr 23rd, marks what would be the 50th birthday of Steve, if Steve still alive.

How many 50 years does one has in his or her entire life time ? Once in a life time is the normal, and if one's life is long enough, maybe twice; and 3 times in a life time is pretty rare. Unfortunately, Steve had neither.

19 years on the road, have all the tears dried up ? Have all the pain, grief and suffering been washed away ? Have all the pieces been picked up ?

It is kind of hard to believe that it has been these long since the passing of Steve. That the tragic passing of Steve meaned the lost of a great friend, guitar legend and a kind humble soul; that it's a shame Steve didn't get enough credit in the world of greatest guitar legends in the past and only the good die young; that it is a kind of incompleteness for the band to lose an unparallel bandmate ...

Yet when seen in a positive ground, it is this incompleteness that knocks some senses into us; that allows the rest of us to discover, over time, all the most remarkable and finest music pieces, in addition to the gracious heart of Steve; that inspires us how far we could go in doing our best as a buddy, as a companion, as someone who feels for, thinks and cares about those suffering in pain and in silence, in their life.

In god's grace and blessing, Steve has finally found peace in heaven and realized that his life had been shined with much light and love..

A man with a much larger heart than most of the rest of people, and who had blown his soul into his music creation and riff. We know that Def Leppard love Steve and will always have his legacy to carry on..

Phil Collen has always been keeping Steve in mind and here's the heartiest birthday wish from Phil on his Facebook on 23 Apr 2010 ...

"Me and Helen are heading down to the Palms Studio in Vegas where I'll be playing live guitar that will be broadcast at the 'Prophetik' fashion show in Nashville. It'll be shown at 8:35pm Nashville time. It'll be coming to Nashville via Fender's 'E-Jamming'. If ur in Nashville head out to 8th & Commerce to see it. Happy Birthday Steve!"


This is the song Vivian Campbell, Def Leppard's current guitarist, wrote in dedication to Steve ..

To Be Alive - Studio version : album Euphoria



To Be Alive - Vivian Campbell's acoustic version - Live @ Mint, LA.
... credit to bigdigs26 ... Listen what Viv said : 0:09 - 0:10




Steve Clark Remembered - Watch the heart-wrenching comments quoted from the lepps ..and .. from Lorelei




Remembering Steve Clark (1960-1991)

"White Lightning - On a dead end street
White Lightning - Where the deadbeats meet
White Lightning - It's a one way ride
White Lightning - Oh, there's nowhere to hide
Such a lonely road you ride"

... credit to WhiteLightningSMC


Frank Hannon, Tesla's guitarist, talked about Steve
... mp3 streaming http://www.steveclarkguitar.com/FH_SMC_story.mp3

And this is the song written by Tesla dedicated to Steve ...

Tesla - Song and Emotion

"Then he starts to play
Suddenly the pain slowly fades away
Tattered, torn, and frayed
There's a place within his heart he'll always save
For the song and emotion ...."

"Where are they now?
Where are those people who promised him his dreams?
Where are they now for this lonely creature on the streets,
Broken, humbled by the cold reality?
Life at the top ain't always what it seems"



The solo which represent Steve, The Riffmaster -- composed and played by Steve ...

Steve Clark - Switch 625



The last solo Steve recorded ...

Def Leppard - When Love and Hate Collide - DEMO


And lastly, my humble dedication to Steve, Happy Golden 50th Birthday and keep heaven rocking!

# Keep Rocking Heaven :: Stephen Maynard Clark

There where too many demons, too much pain.
Now the music has stopped. Your guitar no longer reverbs from your fingers. Your song is done.
But we will forever have you close to our hearts. For you left us with wonderful melodies that play on.

We thank you as we miss you.

Keep Heaven Rockin' Steve.
- White Lighning With Love - http://whitelightening.8m.com/withlove.html

It was a tragic day for the band and the fans, for many looks like it was yesterday.
the band was working on adrenalize album, he couldn't finish the album but he contributed on the most part of the songs, he did't record it but his riffs master are on those songs.

He was replaced by Vivian Campbell next year, is ironic but vivian is the new guy and he has more time in the band than Steve, so weird.

Fortunately the band has never stopped, they still making records and tours, thank you guys.

Steve thank you for all those years of Pyromania and Hysteria days you were the man.
We miss you, and you are two steps ahead, god bless you.

ROCK OF AGES
- Eddieleppard on TODAY 19 YEARS AGO STEVE CLARK FROM DEF LEPPARD PASSED AWAY, Mama's Fallen Angels.com January 8,2010

----------------------------------------------------------------

hi Steve,

It is your day again of the year. i hope you are doing great in Heaven.
19 years on, but you are still deeply missed, cherished and remembered by us the Def Leppard fans. A good friend of yours, of Tesla, wrote Song and Emotion; and Vivian Campbell, the new bandmate of yours, wrote the song To Be Alive ... both of which for the remembrance and tribute to you.

i've read of fans of Def Leppard out there who can't believe it has been 19 years... it feels like just yesterday, and it's still shocking.

A lot of them think you are the reason they picked up the guitar for the first time, for you have been an extremely underrated guitarist and a true legend.

Some said they still have the AP report that it came across over while they were working at a radio station in Portland,Or.

Some said every time they saw Def Leppard live, when Joe sang Armageddon It, they heard the line "C'mon Steve, get it" in their head, and felt your spirit there at every show.

Some said they miss you every now and then... that smile of your style, that Gibson hanging down to your knees twisting and spinning, and that side step march you had.

Some of them shared their story of walking a couple blocks in the pouring rain to a pay phone and called the radio station, as they thought they heard it wrong about the news of your passing on the radio ....

If tears could make a staircase and heartaches make a lane, we shall walk the path to heaven and bring you back with us again ..

Despite the awfulness we feel for the loss of you, we remember you as an unparallel guitarist, a great band mate, and a true friend who was best at what you did and loved.

Your legend is still living on, through your music.
Keep Heaven Rocking, the Riffmaster.

# Blessing New Year 2010

The year is gone but it has also made us strong
The path was long but we walked along it with a song
There were tears and fears but we also had reasons for cheers

... May u all have a grace-filled 2010. GOD Bless Always...

# Merry Christmas

# Happy Belated Thanksgiving

hi Steve,

How are you doing in Heaven ? i wish you're doing great jamming guitar with the rest over there.

i came across a story today by Neil Gaiman and thought i would like to share some pieces with you...


M.O.D. : Messenger of Death
DEATH : God of Death
Matt : child who lost his mother in 911 tragedy

--------------------------------------------------------------------
M.O.D. : So why climb The Big Wheel ?

Matt : i'm going to jump. And i'm going to die. i'm going to go to God.

M.O.D. : You want to see your mother again ? Because it doesn't work like ....

Matt : No, Dummy. You don't get it. Mom's dead. i want an explanation.

.......
.......

M.O.D. : So tell me, what happens if you hit the ground and die and there is nothing after ?

Matt : Then i won't be around to care, will i ?

M.O.D. : Look .... it's not that easy. Let me tell you what you get. You get Life, and Breath, a land to walk... And the free will to wander the world as you choose.

Matt : If God made the world, then God made the Bad things happen ....

M.O.D. : People made the bad things happen, Matt. People built the city on the island. People cast down the towers. Don't go blaming God for it.

DEATH : Some people want to argue. Some are contented to just let it go.

Matt : My mom ....

DEATH : Died doing the right thing. There are worse death.

M.O.D. : Listen, Matt, everybody dies. Just as everything created is eventually destroyed.

Matt : Then what's the point of anything ?

DEATH : The point ? Walk the world. Help to feed the hungry. Help comfort those in pain. Do what you can to leave world a better place.

Matt : That's just words. It doesn't mean anything.

M.O.D. : No? Matt, you can jump off The Wheel, if you want. But whatever happen to you after that, you will get no more of an answer than the one we just gave you.

.......
.......
Matt : It's just so hard.
DEATH : It's always hard. Ride The Wheel, Matt.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you enjoy these pieces of the story, Steve. i guess besides me, all other Def Leppard fans and followers out there as well,have been so grateful to have your music work in their life.

By the way, i just want to wish you, Happy Belated Thanksgiving !

- R.I.P. -


Note : Excerpt from story 'The Wheel', in collection The Absolute Death, by Neil Gaiman.

# When Love and Hate Collide - Demo

The riff that moves. From the DEMO of "When Love and Hate Collide". Last recorded solo by Steve Clark ...



Watch on YouTube :
http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=IWbzQFowuq4&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3DIWbzQFowuq4

Fans' comments

Gives me goosebumps knowing that Steve would no longer play after this demo was tracked...
Rock on Steve, you're jamming with the angels now....

- night455, Aug 2009


I like the strings version alot better. the vocals are alot clearer an the songs overall better.
This was done durring the hysteria sessions an you can really hear that time area in it. They rerecording was more adapted to the sound of the slang album. which is probable my 3 fav lep album behind on thrue the night an high and dry

- pimpmasterpercy, June 2009



Wow. Just listened to this for the first time ever. Way better then the final Vault version.

Granted, I like the string arrangements in that one, but the vocal harmonies, Steve Clark guitar solo, and overall sound make this one way better. Now where can I get a copy of this on CD?

- testarossa5150, Feb 2009



It's on the UK single release, but not the US

- 206Bruce, Feb 2009



You can hear the growl of his guitar throughout the song. Unmistakable.

- 206Bruce, Apr 2009



....I've been wanting to hear this version again... Definately brings me to tears... RIP STEVE... This is his last ever solo...

- night455, 2008


The biggest difference is Steve played the lead on this song and Love Bites Phil played lead in the chorus. I still say this version is alot better than the one they released.

- SMCchik, 2008


Yeah I'd like to hear Adrenalize with Steve. That would be dope probley alot of unfinished material and what not but in my opinion so much better. Everyone says to stop living in the past but what Steve brought to the table was something more then just living in the past, "Its something that will never really be revisited but will always be part of the fan nation of Def Leppard"

- ronniemessin, 2008



...he was a light in this dark lonely world RIP sweetie <3

- defleppardgirl36, 2008

# Tony Rey Bruno

i switch on 1 of my favourite songs from Danger Danger -- Don't Walk Away, on YouTube. i have never noticed something very unique about this song, until now. The opening guitar riff. And the guitar work followed later through out the song. i started to get a bit stunned ....
The guitar riff, is so much similar, almost the same, as the riff played by the late Steve Clark of Def Leppard. Really. The resemblance is so close.

This brings me to find out the master behind this piece of riff in this song. The search results tell me, it's from Tony Rey Bruno, who had been in the bands Danger Danger and Saraya. i'm blessed to discover about Tony Rey Bruno.

= Tony Rey Bruno's guitar work =
Danger Danger - Don't Walk Away




Saraya Classic Rock live @ De Linde Groesbeek: Survivor - Eye of the tiger




Danger Danger - Goin' Goin' Gone
From the 3nd Album "Cockroach" original recorded in 1993 but released in 2001 with Ted Poley on Lead Vocal




Danger Danger - Afraid of Love
From the 3nd Album "Cockroach" original recorded in 1993 but released in 2001 with Ted Poley on Lead Vocal




i think back on all my favourite rock bands. Have all these musical experiences with the
bands been preparing me for the journey of discovery about something more significant ? i'm not sure. But i'm going to keep searching.

# Eric Johnson :: Steve Clark

i thought there must have been the guardian angels lending me a big hand in my quest of searching the guitar riffs which are similar to that of Steve's. A glance on some 'Top 10 best guitar riff', 'Top 20 classic rock riff' titles on YouTube, took me to listen on those really amazing guitar intros by some of the guitar legends over the past 30 years.

The name 'Eric Johnson' showed up in the right pane under Related Videos section. A familiar name. A name i've kind of abandoned for quite a long time, since my first encounter with his guitar work about 15 years back, through his album Venus Isle. i recall my instant surprise when seeing the cover design of his casette album. And the front tracks sounded as captivating as its album cover design. But i was so dumb in appreciating the different styles of his guitar work back then, that i just let the album covered by dust over years.


i tried listening to each of the featured guitar video of Eric. The feel is completely different now. Tracks which i found quite boring 15 years back, sound so much awesome when i listen again now. So much resemblance with the riffs and melodies of Steve Clark.

And what the fans had said about Eric Johnson :-

"It just comes from his heart.
They say tone mainly come from the player."

" ...he's playing by pure emotions and not some technical asset."

"his technic is in the feelings he gives ..."

----------------------------------

# on Eric Johnson's Art of Guitar DVD - Phraseology # :-

" ...the master of tone and feel"

"This man has music flowing in his veins... "

"Any good guitarist can appreciate the sweet tone and graceful playing of his musical virtuosity."

"His tone is OUT OF THIS REALITY! "


(being a self-taught guitar player ...)
"Seriously, he's a tone freak, he biases his own tubes, experiments with order of effects, rewires his pickups... uses different amps. There's no shortcut but he'll list a lot of what he does. You can read up on it. .."

------------------------------------------------

# on Art of Guitar DVD - Phraseology # :-

"He teaches better in this video, much slower examples and clearer explanations. He's grown so much over the years. "

----------------------------------

"I sometimes think he is channeling some very advanced musical soul from another time. "

------------------------------------------------
# on Cliffs of Dover #

"As my spanish teacher says, "'Cliffs of Dover' explica toda la felicidad en el mundo, sin palabras." Which means,
'Cliffs of Dover explains all of the happiness in the world, without words.'
So true. "


Both Eric Johnson and Steve Clark are guitar soul players. Both styles and riffs are distinctive and unmistakble. Both are guitar legends one of a kind. But Steve left just too soon.

i thought, what if Steve is still alive ? He could have taught guitar lessons. He could have made guitar lesson videos and DVD for guitar fans around the world. He could have a dedicated discussion forum website by his fans, like Eric Johnson.

But that is merely IF ONLY. It has been almost 19 years. If only Steve is still around.
- R.I.P. -

# Ah ... i Finally Found the Astro Analysis of Him ...

Astrology analysis is part of my interest; especially analysis for anyone that i find
interesting, or worth remembering, because i think it helps me to understand about a person in greater depth.

i was stunned again and again after reading a few pieces of articles about the rise and fall of late Steve Clark, the ex-guitarist of Def Leppard. And then i told myself to search for astrology analysis about Steve during my spare time.

Initial attempts of looking up the web were kind of disappointing. i didn't get a single
result that i have been looking for. Or, perhaps the key words i used were not accurate
enough. So i put it aside for a couple of days.

Today i happened to stumble upon a website on chinese astrology, which prompt users to enter birth date and time. The idea came from here. Looking up Steve's name together with the words birth time, get me a list of relevant web links.

i kept on searching. God blessed. i finally found a few websites which are exactly what i've been searching for. And now, i start reading up every tiny pieces of the analysis ....

= Prelude =

In memory of Stephen Maynard Clark( 23 Apr 1960 -- 8 Jan 1991 ), with gratitude of the inspiring foundation.

And for J, who has been the inspiration and guardian for my soul.


= Def Leppard - Too Late For Love =

# INTRO #

Musical taste is a preference. Something among the most delicate and finest thing that once planted into your memory, would follow through the rest of your life.

i used to think that i just love the rhythm of 80's rock music, more specifically, rock music with melodic tunes. That's all. i have never really figured out why i had been drawn to it.

It wasn't until my discovery of the legend name 'Steve Clark' of Def Leppard, that i began having serious thought about the real reason behind my inclination towards music of this kind. It's the rhythm coming from the keyboard, drum beat, guitars, the combination of them all, with guitar riff the strongest influence on me. The riff that have been accompanying me during lost and tough times. The riff that have been part of the reasons to bring me far in life.

The Riffmaster. Thank you for the striking and deeply-moving tunes that made the growing up lesser pain.

This is a place for all guitar-related stuffs, legends, stories, and, partly a tribute to Steve.

= Steve Clark Switch 625 =