Further Studio Updates from Kevin Shirley
Producer Kevin Shirley has posted his second full diary about recording IRON MAIDEN's new studio album at the Iron Maiden Online Club (IMOC). It reads as follows:"Diary of an album - part 2
It's another Friday, and time for another weekly update on the progress of the album. Thanks for all the e-mails, lads - but really, I'd prefer it if you got your girlfriends to write too! ;-)
Back to work. Monday saw me alone in the studio, going through the tracks and picking the performances, editing and fixing up the few blatant stinkers where necessary. Nicko (McBrain - drums) has left the building, for the sunny shores of Miami, Flahdah - and kindly left us all with his stinkin' lurgy, so there's much coughing and sputtering around the console!
Tuesday, all the lads came in and I played them rough mixes of all the basic tracks, and they're sounding incredible (even Adrian Smith - guitar - was thrilled!) - then we went through who's doing what guitar solos where, where the Three Amigos are playing harmony melodies, where keys would play melody and pad - and the album is a terrific Iron Maiden album - full of trademark gallops and canters, hard rocking choruses - perhaps a little more tough prog riffing spirited about than on record lately, and definitely a couple of well grounded groovers in there too. Long melodic intros abound and the rocker that's probably the single, is as tough as it gets on radio. There's one about a famous eccentric and novelist, who's memorabilia is sensitively distributed throughout the studio for inspiration. It turns out that Janick (Gers - guitar) is a bit of an avid collector and an anorak about this fellow, and he isn't Pawtucket Pat!! We call the song, The Rime Of Billy Bunter!
Wing Commander Biggles (singer BRUCE DICKINSON) has been absent all week - flying sorties to Egypt and Sierra Leone.
'Arry (bassist Steve Harris) been in a fine mood as his beloved West Ham are through to the quarter finals of the F.A. Cup, although we did have a loud and heated argument about a guitar harmony (it wasn't a debate) - he insists he's right, but I know I am! I pedantically threw out 'I've studied classical composition' to which he maturely countered with 'well, I don't give a toss as I've studied rockabilly!' Anyway, you had to be there and the moment will forever be shrouded in the mists of time....but most importantly the harmonies came out AMAZING, and I know I'm right! If he needs to say otherwise, he can do the damn diary! Well, we all want the best record possible - and then some! Here are some pictures of his rig - and the bass on this album is the best sounding it's been in years - not that he's doing anything different - but I certainly have! It's definitely going to be the best Maiden record since the great Martin Birch left the dark and dingy control room for greener fairways. That's genius.......
As I mentioned, the Three Amigos were in yesterday, doing guitar melodies on a couple of songs - their lilting tones playing along the sing-a-long tunes that only 'Arry can write, and Davey (Murray - guitar) put a solo over one that just lifted it into the stratosphere - with a Celtic lilt to get Steven Hawkins doing the jig! Today, I'm just waiting for Davey, who's going to do some more soloing, and we're moving along with him (not that he's in a rush), as his family are all in Hawaii and he must be looking forward to spending time with them, before the Maiden trucks roll out for the tour at year's end!
Anyhoo, that's it for this week - there's actually not that much to say - because that's what making a record is. The same slog and grind day after day. I only do it, because I can't do anything else!! If I raise the seat on my bicycle, I invariably strip the thread - even though I always have. My dad used to yell at me about being more sensitive, but I just don't know when to stop.........
Gotta give a shout out to me boys - both great engineers! That's newbie Alexon the left, and Drew, who's worked with me on Maiden's Dance Of Death, Death On The Road, and the Live After Death surround mixes, as well as the Led Zeppelin DVD, How The West was Won, Silvertide mixes and many more!
Until later...........KS"
43 Comments
Sounds too good to be true almost.
GUITAR HARMONIES! Now we're talking :D
-RW
wow im so excited abut the album i think its gonna be a great album as always but ..better than dance of death up the irons sweden
Live After Death surround mixes ?!?!!!!
Great !!!!!!!!!!
Up the Irons !!!
Italy
It's definitely going to be the best Maiden record "since the great Martin Birch left the dark and dingy control room for greener fairways. That's genius.......
I like that part
they never do a bad album, but I think this one" s going to rock like hell!! I just feel it...
The best since 7 son.....??!!
UP THE IRONS!
What can i say, i have listened to maiden for about 20 years now.. (fuck i`m getti`n old..) and i love them as much now as in 1984!
It`s going to be a great album!!
MAIDEN ARE THE BEST BAND EVER.
"SO IT SHALL BE WRITTEN.."
UMEA (SWEDEN)
Through I know about Maiden, I think that the album will be excelent, just like the Caveman said.. to me, this album will decisive for the band's future.. Up The Irons Brasil!
ooh, don't it give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside? If Caveman isn't lying out of his ass, then this is something to look forward to indeed. However, all the lads are still human, and I'll reserve judgment on this latest work until I hear it for myself. Eccentric author, eh? hmmm.....
I believe the new album will blow our heads.
Last summer, they've Played gigs based on the four first albums. It will surely have consequences on the songwriting !
...what ??? the half of summer's play list they play it anyway !! ...the signs tell for certenly not a blower like 'beast' but more like a bnw blower.......i think it would be good if steve let bruce or adrian to do the co-producing for one fuckin time!! steve slightly sucks !!
For an album, there are several ways to blow. If you think that the number of the beast is the only way to blow, it's your problem...listen to it and burn the others !
And i agree, last summer, 12 very old songs that haven't been played for years (15 ? 20 ?) were on the setlist. i think playing only old stuffs has brought something to new album compositions.
Back in the summer when Maiden were doing their Early Days tour, they were supposedly only playing stuff from the 1980-1983 period, but I heard, around about the time they were headlining Reading and Leeds, that they had played Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter at the Iceland show. This could have meant and Iceland show on a previous tour in another year, but I'm pretty confident I heard on the radio they played Slaughter on June 7 in Iceland. Anyone care to comment?
it s difficult to believe about island.......hey, what r you saying to burn the other albums ? i like allmost all their works, i m a fan since '86 man !! and the 'beast' is not my fav maiden Lp !! but i accept that is THE blower because it's like this...though i agree that there r many ways of blowing out.....
ooh wherever wherever you are... you all calm down now.. I think they know what theyre doing, they have for the last 25 years. OR WHAT!
UP THE IRONS!!
hey, what r you saying to burn the other albums ?
I think this guy is ironic and dont't like people who compare every maiden album to "beast". And truely, he's right !
hope new album will kill. up the irons !
i m worring that's all, mostly because of the tour dates.....it s too small this tour...when you prepare a killing matterial, you program a killing tour also, do you see what i mean? let's hope that i m wrong, and that the album will really blow the world up, and as a result many more dates will be added, many more countries.......up!
they probably go on tour in summer of 2007. taking Powerslave trough Fear of the dark songs on the road. just a thought about the short tour with the new album!
Globe arena 25/11!! rocknroll!
sounds too good man !!! I would be so happy NOT to hear 'beast' for one time, they will never do a real tour of '84-'93 even if they do it they will allways keep a place for 2-3 songs of old days, which means 2-3 songs of the '84-'93 era less !! but 'best of' tours is not my thing, I prefer album tours with varied playlists, to listen for first time 'to tame a land', 'alexander the graet' 'the nomad' (the 2 last seem to never have been played!!).....
you said it! best of tours is not the "maidenway" to do it! and of course, songs you mentioned would be a blast to hear live! cheers mate Iàm going for my 7th beer......
cheers mate !! I m glad that I found someone to agree with ...at last! 7th beer of a 7th beer !
does it work with the seventh tequila ? hey chicas !!!!!!!!!!!
7th joint of a 7th joint.......friday stoned night, no money till next friday....cheers!
6 ! 6 6 ! the number of the beer !
dont waste your time, worrying `bout those wasted beers..
Last night.. I didn`t stop after my 7th beer..
'we 're blood brothers' !!...I didn t stop after my 7th joint neither...
Cool :) last night I sat whith some idiots and watched Rock In Rio!! for the 255 time..
Its a fuckin great concert!!
7 beers went to 8,9....
I don t have see it yet, but as far as I have listen of some tracks, I don t like so much...I really like 'donnighton', also the last one is not bad .....what s your opinion about 'live after death' ?
Live after death is a great one! shirley said that they will put it as a dvd on the next maiden documentary! really it´s a great concert whith songs like:aces high. revelations, powerslave, rime of.. go and buy it on vhs for gods sake!!
yes. live after death is a must. I prefer the double disc which better represents the world slavery tour set-list. and in my last hour, i'm a slave to the power of beer !
I agree...great sellection, great booklet/ artwork, fine performances, classic Lp.....just 2 small points : 1) the crowd in 3 first sides (US) is dead 2) I find mix (or it is the mastering?) a bit soundless........generally, the way of mixing/ mastering seems to have change after 7th son.... the sound after '99 is much more higher comparing before '90......I like kevin's work, and I wonder if is he the reason of nicko's slight change of playing drums (what a nice surprise it was back in '00!)......now he s claiming that will change the sound of bass, hope it will be a distinct change
VHS ? I don t even have TV mate !! I m a slave to the power of pc!! Live after Death was my 2nd record (first it was piece of mind) and the main reason that I discouvered Maiden as back in late '85 all metallers of my town were wearing jumpers of live after death, and I was wondering what the fuck is that ?
....early '86 I was allready a maidenhead....
..the surround mixed version of Live After Death probably gonna blow the speakers up!! I have listened to Maiden for about twenty years now.. my first recording was a cassette (NOTB) and we sat in the basement at my friends house, repeating "woe to you of earth and sea,for the devil sends the beer with wrath.. since that i`m stucked with Maiden! UR THE IRONS!!
I m glad I found another dinosaur .....apparently we have the same age... R you the slave to the power of beer? if yes, I see now why we agree between us! the first time of hearing 'beast' was an experience for many people !........in fact the time that apocalypse was written, there were not existing the 0-9 arabic symbols for numbers, so the real number of the beast, is: 'χ ξ ς' prononced kchi -ksi -sigma
eeh excusme me, the pronanciation is kchee -ksee -sigma___well another story, jules cesar had asked a clairvoyant for his future because he was worring about his life, the anwser was : 'be careful the ides of march'___this date jules had allready a meeting at rome's congress, but he didn t want to appere as chicken, so he didn t cancelled__so the 15 march of -44 arrives, and as he was entering the congress door, he saw the clairvoyent, he said to him ironically : 'you see? the ides of march has arrived' 'yes' the other said, 'but it didn t pass yet!' ____(caesar was murdered less than one hour after that dialogue)
great! 32 years of age for being exact.. and I can`t imagine a week without the smooth taste of a beer:) anyway, Im looking forward to some great discussions around Maiden. It seems like there are a lot to discuss, dinosaur to dinosaur:) cheers!!
31 ...cheers mate real jurrasic park about to begin! do you like poesy ?
Not really.. but I cant say that I have giving it a real chance for that matter..
Poe`s work is pretty cool..
listen something strange... about mid '96 I discover the work of william blake (but without having seen 'dead man' yet____after a couple of years mighty bruce release 'the chemical wedding' but that time I d lost it ! it s been few years that I discuvered bruce solo 'era, but I feel a little shit that I lost such a diamond record! and I remember having see it in stores, I had just to look to the titles, thing I didn t (title chemical wedding isn t a blake reference)
so fact no 1) I lost this diamond...what about you, did you discovered it at time ?
fact no 2) back in EARLY '03 I found myself living close to Monstegur from nowhere, and I was fascinated for cathars' stories and legents....that time I wrote a small poem named ' the book of thel' refered to blake of course_____fact no 3) late '03 I was not any more in that aerea, but maiden release 'montsegur' and fact no 4) few time after dod release, I discover that bruce also (and many years before me in deed) has write a refered song with the same title!!
_____yes poe is a genius, imagine he died just 40 years old!!
mmmm.. very interresting.. I discovered Bruce`s solocarrer with the release of tattoed millionarie.. Anyway I think his done alot of very heavy and innovative songs, and maybe on this new Maidenalbum(I hope) Bruce and Adrian gets a lot of space..
let's hope ! -for this reason I was telling somewhere that I would like for one time bruce be the co-producer, because co-production of steve means exactly this : who of the six takes the decisions ......tattood milianaire it was discovered by me also, but when bruce left, I lost my interest in him (how wrong I was!!)
I know that without steve wouldn t be maiden, but seeing what bruce has made, maybe it would worth taking a risk of letting bruce be the boss even for one album!
I know what you mean! I also lost a little of my devotion for Maiden when Bruce left in - 93.. but continued of course to listen to the "old Albums" I can only hope that the album will sound a little like 7son..!
Bruce as co-producer is a very very nice idea!!
me not immediately, but at the release of virtual XI -that I didn t buy- Iistening to all time slash classic 'the angel & gampler' I thought 'hey, steve wants to suicide, let's help him' ...the single shorter version is ok....even after the reunion, I was very angry, and I didn t went to the concert, waiting for a release, and more precisely, a good release......fortunately BNW stucked me on the wall even more than 7th son had did back in '88..!