Kevin Shirley's Studio Diary #4
Hello, Maiden fans. I'm sorry that some of you disapprove of my diary's content, and I do care, but really - what can I tell you. Song titles, NO; lyrics, NO; album title, NO - so bear with me as I attempt to interest you with the little I can share. By the way, it cost me $3000 to have you all hit my site - so that's no reason for me to do it - I don't hear a great call to sell Caveman t-shirts and soap-on-a-rope on my website. All that said - here's what happened...A GREAT WEEK!!!!!
Bruce came in and sang three songs over two days - very well too! He cycles in on his bike - about 4 o'clock and leaves about 8 - and we're glad to see him go when he finally packs his bags, as the last hour is always spent listening to a discourse on planes and flight patterns and various other topics that he's very well versed in! I compiled the lead vocals from about 3 - 6 tracks depending on the sections of the songs I was concentrating on. I used about 80% of the original live tracking vocal, cut when the band cut the basic tracks - and there's a magic spirit on them! The three amigos, Adrian, Davey and Jan also came in - Jan did an amazing solo - filled with his trademark "Blackmoresque" licks and some awesome wild whammy bar nonsense, Adrian did one of his note-perfect precision solos and Davey rolled out some of his fluid and flighty solos, and we have finished 3 of the 10 album tracks - AND mixed two!! Finished! FINAL MIXES! the album opener, and rocker single,and a great durgy track with an evil 7/8 groove! * We are so far ahead of schedule - Steve's bass sounds totally sick, he says he's never been happier with how the band, his bass, and the album is sounding - and I think this could be as big as anything they've ever recorded. It's definitely the high point of our relationship - that is Maiden with me producing.
And that is what happened in the studio. Bruce likes to suck on the caramel from Twix bars, after removing both the chocolate and the biscuit first; Steve eats pasta for dinner - with cream, pesto and bacon - every night! - and guards his private life strongly (adamant that he wants to keep me away from his 21 year old daughter, who is gorgeous and a really good singer!); Adrian has me scour Google maps for good fishing sites and hears tuning problems all over the place, where there are none (I think he'd even drive perfectionist producer Mutt Lange crazy); and Jan goes to the footy and on the piss with his mate, Ginger Mick, and doesn't seem to give a toss about anything. He likes to be away from home cos his wife loads him up with manual chores, which he does but hates doing! Sensibly, they like to watch their pennies, and I guess that's how you get to keep 'em. I, on the other hand, am a spendthrift! Bruce is Bruce - the one, the only! Lovable, irreplaceable, unique and an incredible voice! That's the way Maiden should be!
I work hard in the studio, and play hard. Always have - and my evenings are generally spent drinking with much younger friends, who have me pay and like to imbibe to absolute inebriation! Just last night I had to rescue a totally inebriated young lady from the London School of Economics who had gone "coma" in the ladies bathroom of the London Soho House! On Tuesday, I took Drew and Alex out drinking - Drew was sick for two days, and Alex was beyond useless the next day. Pathetic! 'Arry maintains it's my fault because I took them young 'uns out - wha'evah!
And that's all - off to the studio. Tomorrow I'm going to bicycle to Brighton - about 65 miles, or 100kms - and tonight I am going to see a William Blake thingy at some gallery.
I have no new pictures, so have included this one. "Arry says his arse isn't as small anymore! It's an image from the new Ross Halfin book on Maiden, I believe!
1 Comment
the continoous saga:
Kevin Shirley's Studio Diary 5
Tuesday, 18 April 2006
The easter-update from the Iron Maiden studio is here!!
Greetings folks - well, not much diary this week as it was a very short week.
We worked Monday to Wednesday, and while it was constructive, it was more of the same. I have four songs mixed for the album, which I've told you is going to have 10 songs in the end. There is a fifth on the console, which Steve is going to sing some backing vocals and play some keyboards on today - and then I'll print the mix, which will leave us another nine tracks to finish, five for the album as well as the four extra tracks for B-sides, etc.
I think the album has a name, but I haven't been told it - and those lame MP3s going around the internet which someone is insisting are leaked Maiden tracks are just bogus - anyone with an ear should know that - shit, even a deaf Ed-head would know that!
Monday, Steve and I work on a couple of tracks, Jan came in and played some guitar parts - a lead harmony here, reinforcing an intro melody there, basically bringing everything up to speed to mix, which I've done. Adrian was in to sing a backing vocal along with Steve, and Wing Commander Biggles was in Wednesday for two lead vocals - before I had to rush to the airport to get a late night flight to Rome - for the Easter break. Actually, I am using 90% of Bruce's original tracking vocals, which have have their own unique spirit when he sings live with the band. I'm just using the new vocals for an occasional lyric mix-up or a melody change, but they're basically his live takes! And that's not me being lazy, I fully expected to use more of the redone vocals, but the live ones are killer!
And that's it....... I feel energized from the Easter break, I have to confess I was shattered by Wednesday night, but am back up to speed and chomping at the bit to get back to the studio today - I write this on an early morning Alitalia flight from Rome to Heathrow somewhere over snow-capped Alps, and once I grab the Heathrow Express, I should be in the studio by 10am, and back to work by 10.01.
And that's really all there is to say - take care - Up The Irons!