Aces High For Adrian Smith

I must admit first and foremost, i don't enjoy the new Iron Maiden album, It's no secret. I thought the band had stretched way too far away from their traditional sound which started with "Seventh Son.." I also think Bruce's vocal lines are unexciting and bland. Needless to say Steve Harris and the rest of the band sound ok, but seems a more paint by numbers effect. I was rooting for this record a lot, probably the most anticipated for me since "Somewhere In Time", which ironically in my opinion was their last real spiritual journey. The members of Maiden can ideally do no wrong , even if i think the record sucks. I will always love Iron Maiden. Adrian Smith is a god.

 How has the Final Frontier tour with Dream  Theater been going so far?

It’s been fantastic. The audiences have been great. We’re having a great time playing the music.

Are you playing some of the new songs off of The Final Frontier on this tour?

We’re playing one new song. The album’s not out yet, but we’re playing “El Dorado,” which is available as a download on our website as a taste of the album.

“El Dorado” has been streaming online for a little while and sort of  sounds like classic Maiden. What’s the concept behind the song and who was involved in writing it?

I had the music to the track and I think Bruce wrote the lyrics. “El Dorado,” I think is a comment on how people’s expectations of a better life. A “grass is greener.” People who are borrowing money so they can have the latest fancy car or the big TV and all that. A lot of people got the rug pulled out from under them with the recession and stuff. So I suppose it’s loosely based on that.

What direction did you want to go in with Final Frontier?

I think it’s slightly different, this one. Actually listening to it, for the people who have heard it, the very style on the album is very different from what we’ve ever done before. Some of it’s kind of straight forward, but I think the bulk of it is quite progressive. I think that’s always been a strong point for Maiden; tackling the longer songs, more intricate, but still using a lot of melody. You got an odd combination, you got a couple of straight forward rockers on there like “El Dorado,” and quite a bit of complex and intricate stuff as well.

You have a massive fan base and are loved worldwide. Do you still feel the excitement and enjoyment of performing live? What’s it mean to you?

It’s incredible. Every time we set foot on the stage in front of a Maiden audience, it’s an experience. You can feel the energy from the crowd, the expectation building before you go on stage. It’s like an event, not just a show. The audience makes it an event, really.

Why did you leave the band in 1990? Was it a difficult time for you? Was it because of strife within the band, personal problems? Or did you just want to do solo albums?

A bit of everything, really. I’d been in the band for nine or 10 years, it was a very tense period in the band’s career. Where we went from 1980 with the first album, I came in on the second album, from then, our feet never touched the ground… It was touring and recording. I suppose I was a little bit burned out. I had no life outside the band. I needed to explore some other things, maybe do a few solo things. I got married, started a family, that sort of thing. And then, it was great to be able to come back into the band, it was almost like it’s better the second time around, you’re older and you can appreciate it a little more. I think in the ’80s, it was such a nonstop thing and we didn’t have time to sit back and smell the roses.

You’re usually a private and guarded band, but how was the experience having cameras following you for two months for the documentary Flight 666 and did it portray you the way you had hoped it would?

You’re right, we are a private bunch. At first, we were very skeptical about having cameras around because it can make people act and react differently. Once I found out who was doing it, Sam and Scott from Bangor, I’ve known them over the years doing interviews and I liked them as people. So I thought, if they’re going to do it, it’s going to be good. I thought it would be great to have a document, to go back to what I was saying about the ’80s, we did so much and it was kind of a blur. So it’s great, just personally, to have a document of that tour to look back on in years to come. I think they captured it really well.

Maiden started at the beginning of the NWOBHM, and now the band are the kings of the genre. How does it feel now in 2010 to be able to keep recording and touring and still remained loved?

Well, we’re very lucky. It’s incredible. We’re still getting new fans, young fans. Our fans go right across the board now, age wise. I don’t know, something of a phenomenon. I think the band has been true to itself over the years. We spent many, many years playing to our fans which involved going to and playing lots and lots of shows in every corner of every country. And now, we’ve built up that following the hard way. So I think that maybe that’s a factor in the band’s longevity.

Artist Melvyn Grant was picked again for the Final Frontier cover, he’s showed success on Fear of the Dark and Virtual XI,  even though i much prefer Derek, Are you more comfortable now with his depiction of Eddie compared to Derek Riggs’ style of Eddie? 

Well, I think Derek should have the credit for coming up with the original. He was a fantastic artist. There maybe be some politics involved in why he’s not working with the band anymore, I don’t really know. I think this latest fellow has done a fantastic job, i really like the new Eddie. It’s almost mutating into something else, but you can still see the family resemblance (laughing).

Is this really the Final Frontier for Maiden?

You never say never, we really enjoy being on the road and doing what we do. Like I say, we’re still getting new fans. It’s not our final tour or anything, we’re going to be touring for a little while yet, a few years at least.

For fans of Maiden, the new album Final Frontier can only be expected to be what Maiden does best, but what were you trying to achieve while writing it?

You always see what comes out really. It’s a document of where you are at the time. We always set out to come up with the strongest songs possible, melodies, and try and do what Iron Maiden does best. It’s difficult to preconceive, I mean, I always say that personally, I to try and write shorter songs and try to contribute to the more of the rock ‘n’ roll side. I’m moved into different areas to more progressive pieces, more intricate, which I think is the band’s forte

.

Was everyone involved in the writing process for the album or did Steve pretty much handle most of it? How do you decide on the songs that make it on the album?

We only write what we need. Obviously everyone comes in with a load of ideas, it pretty much was a band effort. I think Steve these days is more into arranging and writing lyrics and melodies. I came up with quite a lot of music, six or seven songs and Janick wrote some also. Bruce wrote lyrics and melodies as well. So it was pretty much was a group effort, probably more than in the past.

Any last words or comments for our readers and your fans?

We just love being on the road and love playing music to our fans. It’s as simple as that, really. We look forward to seeing people at the shows.

Stormqueen

By far one of the lesser known NWOBHM bands that spawned during the golden age of new british hard rock heavy metal music. Everyone is familar with Diamond Head, Budgie and of course Def Leppard, Saxon, Sweet Savage and tons more we will explore later. Stormqueen are one of THE most underrated of all the lot of metals most elite force that was birthed at that time. This is the truth.



Thanks again for giving me the time of day, you guys were gods. How did the band come up?



Dave: The band sprung up around myself and the other guitarist Neil Baker. We knew each other from school growing up in Barry, a smallish town in Wales. We had heard through other musicians that we both knew that we were both looking to form a band with the right people. Neil and I met up eventually at my house, he brought his guitar and some records he wanted me to hear. We jammed together and played each other records, showed each other ideas, and before we knew it we'd agreed we must start a band together.



After that it was a matter of finding people we felt were of the same mind set and had the abilities we were after. It didn't take long to find Boofy our drummer. he was and still is notorious as an absolutely brilliant rock drummer. So for us he was the first person we asked. Then we started jamming together and writing songs before looking for a singer and bassist.

Bryn Merryck seemed the obvious choice as bassist, again a brilliant natural talent (as was proven when he was later asked to join The Damned). Chris Glyn-Jones, the first vocalist came a little while later. That line up played around Wales for a while before Bryn left to join the Damned, and we felt Chris wasn't really what we wanted in a singer.



The classic line up evolved around late 1981, when we placed an advert for singer and bassist, and a guy called Mac answered it for singer. We went to meet with him but he wasn't right for us. however he had some mates in a band called Dead Reckoning, namely Paul Burnett on vocals and Nick MacCormac on bass. We checked them out and asked them straight away as Paul was exactly what we wanted. They joined not long after and the classic StormQueen was born.



Paul: There was a very close knit music scene in Barry South Wales, Dave, Neil and Boofy being friends as well as musicians, formed a band together. That band eventually became “StormQueen”.



When the demo tape was released?



Dave: Well that depends on which demo you mean. The first demo, which I guess is the one most people refer to as "The Battle of Britain" was recorded in 1980. That was with the first line up and it was recorded in a BBC studio in Cardiff, Wales. It was never released as such. Though I know many many copies are floating around and are traded on the net a lot.



It's strange that it should be the demo that has been focused on most as it wasn't by any means the best. We recorded three more demos after that one, and they are all better. The second demo recording was the one that was released as the single. Well two tracks of it anyway. I guess this one isn't as well known other than being the single.



Paul: I can’t speak for the “Battle of Britain” demo as I wasn’t around for that first recording. But I recall there was always great interest in all the following StormQueen demo’s.


Did many buy it?



Dave: We didn't really sell the demos to be honest, it wasn't really done so much back then like it is now. You have to bare in mind it would have all been on cassette tape then, that or vinyl as there were no other mediums everyone had access to. So it was more a case of giving tapes away at shows, sending them to radio stations and people would often record stuff off the radio. But the only music we ever sold as such was the "Come Silent the World" 7 inch single.


Paul: Well, not being involved with the band at that point I would have no idea. Dave is the person to ask really.


Did it have any cover?



Dave: Our demo tapes did have basic covers. Black and white photocopied artwork that I did myself. They changed as I got new photos etc. The 7 inch single did not have a cover. It was just a plain white sleeve. We had to keep costs down so......


Paul: I don’t think there was a cover on StormQueen’s very first demo, at least I don’t remember it as so. I could be wrong…but Dave would know best as he did all the artwork etc for all StormQueen publicity and releases.


What did the people think about it?


Dave: Well the response we got from people was just great. Our rehearsal room was pretty large and very central in town, so as word got round about the band and the place LOTS of people would come and hang out there. Watch us rehearse and write songs etc, they were special times. Feedback from our shows was always excellent. We always put on a hell of a live performance, I mean we're talking fireworks, flashbombs, explosions, huge back drop with the logo. We always hired in our usual P.A. guy and his 5k P.A. rig, and we always had a big light show too. So the a gig was always very definitely an event, and people lapped it up. Interestingly a couple of guys who always came to our shows and everything later formed their own band, TIGERTAILZ. They told me we were a big influence on them to start playing etc, which is great to hear.


Paul: I’m sorry, but again, as I was not part of the band at that point I really have no idea.But Dave can fillyou in for sure.


Why did you decide to call it Battle of Britain?



Dave: Well, that was down to me really. On the first demo I did virtually all of the initial song writing. Neil also contributed, in fact some of the songs we wrote the music 50/50 between us. Others I wrote on my own. I wrote all of the lyrics for the songs. I honestly have no idea where I came up with the concept of a song called "The Battle of Britain". I guess I was at an age where these things caught my imagination, and of course it is a very big thing in British history. We were always taught a lot about it at school and there is remembrance day each year in the UK, where we are asked to think of those who died at war, and the Battle of Britain always features strongly in that. I guess it has good overtones for a metal song too heh heh. Also I had this BBC sound effects album with war sounds on it, including the siren we used at the beginning and the plane sounds in the middle 8. I think that was a big factor, I really wanted to use my sound effects album heh heh, so wrote the song to allow me to do that. Partly anyway.

However, *we* didn't call it "The Battle of Britain demo". It was always referred to by each song title individually, or as our first demo. It's other people, fans, collectors and enthusiasts that have come to call it by that name. It still sounds strange to me to hear people call it that. We might have referred to it as "the BBC demo" too.



Paul: Oh dear, same scenario I’m afraid. I believe Dave wrote all the lyrics for the first demo, and practically all of the music too. So he’s the man to ask.



How many copies of the single were made?


Dave: Ahh well now there is a twist in the tale to this one (see next question). There was initially to be 500 copies in the official release. More ended up being produced due to errors and problems with the first pressing. But 500 *official* copies were pressed, plus a few test pressings for quality check. So, yes it was a small release.



Paul: There were 500 singles pressed, and I think about 100 or so mispressed singles. We were led to believe they were all destroyed, obviously they weren’t.


What I've heard the single also got misspressed. What went wrong?



Dave: Well, when we got the first test copies (10 or so) and an initial production run (which was about 150 - 200 copies I guess), there were flaws. Firstly the labels, which were red with black writing, had bubbled up very strangely and were sort of peeling off the discs. Also they had mis-printed the title of the A-side, it read "Come Silent the Night" instead of "Come Silent the World" as it should have done. I also recall that there were some audible clicks on the pressings on one or both sides, which we couldn't allow of course. And so these were all supposedly sent back to the factory to be destroyed. Apart that is from a few copies that we had given out when we went to do a radio interview (as we really wanted them to play it). After this it was then re-mastered and re-pressed. As far as I am aware, there were only the 500 silver on black copies, and the few red copies that slipped out. I actually prefer the silver on black myself.



Did you ever play live outside United Kingdom?



Dave: Sadly no, or should I say not yet. After all new StormQueen activity is imminent so that possibility is still a reality for us. But in those early days we never got the chance sadly.



Paul: It was a difficult time to be a band from Wales back then. The stigma attached to being form Wales really held you back. Thankfully that parochial attitude has disappeared... well leastways within music it would appear. And rightfully so.


What other songs did you play live? Except for the demo songs and the single.



Dave: Wow, this is a tough one. I mean it depends on which period you refer to. You have to remember the band was together in all for close to 5 years, so we had a *lot* of material during that period and of course it always changed depending on our choices of songs for the set. But we would play tracks that we never did record, some I can remember are:



StormQueen (Ironic given the title but we never did record that. We plan to record it very soon for inclusion o the OPM album release as a bonus 7inch)

D.O.A

Midnight Rendezvous

Seasons in the breeze

The Longest Night

Deadly Veil

Paul: StormQueen were always busy songwriters, so there was always a large set of material to choose from. Many of which I forget now. We never performed covers… it wasn’t part of our agenda at all.

Was the record company interested in releasing more of Stormqueen?



Dave: There was actually. We had interest from Music For Nations, Neat, Bronze, Castle to name a few. Our problem to be honest was being a Welsh band. Back then (and I know Persian Risk, Tokio Rose and other Welsh NWOBHM bands will testify to the same problem) bands in Wales weren't taken too seriously by labels. Well by most anyway. It was something of a stigma. It's very different now of course. But back then, and even subsequently with my later band Warlords/Lord you weren't taken seriously if you were from Wales. With Lord for instance which was even later still I had to tell gig venues and labels etc that we were from California to get gigs. Luckily we had toured over there and had loads of great press to back it up. But for StormQueen, the huge stumbling block was getting out of Wales.



Paul: StormQueen’s single was a self release. RealFire Recirds was our own label and distribution company combined if you like. Had we had the finances back then we would have released an album on the RealFire label for sure.


When and why did Stormqueen call it a day?



Dave: Why indeed... well the primary problem was that myself and Neil, the other guitarist found our musical interests moving in different directions. Neil wanted to diversify, bring in more jazz elements, basically get more experimental. But although I was up for experimenting, I felt there was too heavy a jazz/improvisational element to where Neil was going, and he felt the music was constraining him too much. So as time progressed it came to a head, and Neil quit the band. He was very difficult to replace, in fact impossible in terms of the chemistry we had when it worked. We struggled on, and eventually with a different guitarist and bassist (same guitar, vocal and drums) went on and morphed into Vancouver. But I guess that's another story. Paul eventually got itchy feet and had been made an offer from a band in London with management so, quite rightly he left as well. And that was that really.



Paul: The StormQueen split happened because of a number of reasons. I became frustrated that the band couldn’t seem to break through, but I was unaware that it wasn’t down to us, but this Welsh stigma. So I accepted an offer to join Tredegar. There was never anything personal in the break up of StormQueen, although Dave was very hurt and threatened to kill me. We believed in the music but sadly just didn’t get that vital lucky break. If we had been in London like bands such as Iron Maiden, we would almost certainly have seen better success. But hey, maybe it’s on it’s way 20 years later heh heh. There is not and never has been any animosity between us guys. We were always all great friends and remain so.


What did you do afterwards?



Dave: Well me personally, I went on to put together various bands over time. The band I am in presently is called DEFACE. I never stopped playing. I was always in a band doing original material. I've never been in a covers band or anything like that. Right after StormQueen there was a different version of the line up (Paul, Myself, Boofy, Nick MacCormac and a new guy Andy Carney on guitar) and we were called Vancouver. Though we did do a number of StormQueen songs too. So I guess it was a mutation of StormQueen in a way.



After that fell apart I teamed up with our former manager Joey Parratt and formed a band project called "No One". We did that for a while, did some TV appearances, videos etc. Then I hooked up with a band called More Than Passion. Who were Cardiff based. We got to play the Welsh Live Aid, which was amazing. Then I hooked up with the singer I still work with in DEFACE, Christian Sargent. We have been in many band line ups together. Warlords, Lord, DirtBox, Ikon, Mook, and now DEFACE. Warlords toured the USA in 1987, released an E.P. out there, and though the name then changed to Lord we released an album in 1991 also called "Lord". We toured extensively. It fizzled out though for various reasons, and in early 1992 I moved to Los Angeles.



Over there I formed a psychedelic rock band band called My Dragonfly (called Eve's Tattoo early on), where I was on vocals. I also did an electro/industrial project called Ubermensch which I am very proud of. Then Christian and I hooked up again and he came over to the states, moving up to San Francisco we did Dirtbox together. Before heading back to the U.K. to continue as Ikon. Then Mook with different people, and now DEFACE. So you see I have been very active outside of StormQueen.



Paul: I guess I just drifted really….I worked with Tredegar, Carerra, Ashmata Talan and then Ashmata again to record an album. But then I had a long respite from musical involvement, which was a bereft time. It feels great to have StormQueen back on path again. I can’t wait to do more new music.


Which Stormqueen song is your favorite?



Dave: Phew that's a tough one, it really is. I am very fond of "Come Silent The World", I think it is one of the more original songs we wrote. If you listen to it closely it doesn't sound like any other metal band at all. I also love "Cake/These Walls Have Eyes" and "Just For A Day" both from the third demo we recorded (soon to be available on the OPM release and hopefully on cd through specialist labels worldwide too). But I guess Come Silent The World holds a very special place as it was the single etc.



Pau: “Just for a day” from the third recording is very special to me. The lyric is very personal. It is a beautiful song.


Tell us about the current situation of Stormqueen.



Dave: Well it has been quite a roller coaster really since about the time Malc Macmillan published the new version of his book "The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Encyclopedia". He wrote about us there, and about the single etc, and it kick started a huge wave of interest in the band again, which is great. After that we got tons of people getting in contact, and we talked with OPM records, and from that we are releasing a very special collectors anthology on vinyl with them. It is to feature all of the previously unreleased songs on a vinyl 12", with a full colour gatefold sleeve and picture book/sleeve inserts. To go with that we are recording one song from the early StormQueen days that we never recorded called... funnily enough "StormQueen". Plus one brand new track just written called "Can You Hear ME Thinking" in fact we recording that right now.



After that is complete and the OPM release is out, we are hoping to do a similar thing on cd with a number of labels, in a number of different countries. We may also work on more new material is there is enough interest, and if that goes well who knows, we could see some more StormQueen live shows. It's very possible. Thanks to all the interest, especially from people like yourselves it has been great for us. Just great to have people appreciating what StormQueen was.... Thanks to everyone.



Paul: There is an imminent compilation anthology album out soon on OPM records, in vinyl only format, with a single attached to it. The single will feature the first ever recording of StormQueen (the song) and one brand new song which is fantastic as far as I’m concerned.



Bring it on I say…… I’m raring to go!!!! Cheers!!!

A Chat With Iron Maiden's Manager

I don't hide my creepdom-like fascination of all things Iron Maiden related. It all just adds to the folklore of it all. I had the opportunity of bumping into Steve Gadd a while ago, the world famous Iron Maiden road manager known under the alias of Gaddsy.


The Dope Attic: How is it going? How long have you been working with W. A. S. P. now?



Steve Gadd: This is my first tour with W. A. S. P. as their tour manager. I’ve worked with them when they were supporting Iron Maiden in the 80s, because I work mainly for Iron Maiden and this is my first tour with W. A. S. P., it began 5-6 weeks ago.



And how is it going, up to now?



SG: It’s very hectic. We began the tour in Milan with a bus, and we used to pack everyone in it, but then, as it was impossible to go on with a bus, because we were traveling very far, we went back home and then started to travel by plane. In November, for example, we had three gigs one after another, in Estonia, Sankt Peterburg, Warsaw and Frankfurt – four actually. It’s very tough. People often think we live a glamorous life but people who actually work in the business know that this is not true.



Did you choose W. A. S. P. or they chose you?



SG: I was proposed by Sanctuary Music, because Blackie’s was Rod Smallwood. And then Sanctuary called me and asked would I like to go on tour with W. A. S. P., or would I talk to Blackie and Blackie phoned me to ask… do I wanna do it, so, they chose me.



Your a legend, How old are you?



SG: (Laughs.) I’m not commenting on that now.



Fine. So, how long would you say you spent on tour?



SG: I’ve been on the road since I was a musician myself in 1970 and made seven albums. But that band split in 1981 and I started as a technician in Iron Maiden in 1984, and worked on the Powerslave album. Namely I was a Nicko McBrain’s drum tech for 12 years. Anyway, Sanctuary Music sent me off to work with Iron Maiden. They were good friends of mine, but that had nothing to do with the job, if I’d been just a friend I wouldn’t have got the job. They called me in 1996 to make the Virtual XI tour with them. So I’ve been on the road since, let me think, 25 to 30 years.



Steve, you’re somehow very… English.



SG: Yeah, I’m from London.

Maiden Playing Soccer On Stage

So which is your favorite sport – rugby or football?



Maiden Playing Soccer On Stage



SG: Football. I don’t play very well myself, but I like watching any football on TV.



Which is your favorite team?



SG: Arsenal. I used to go and see their games but actually I haven’t seen them for years. The last game I saw, Arsenal played Everton, home. Arsenal had just sold two of their best players, I don’t remember their names, Leam Brady and someone else. And we drew 0-0 at home versus Everton and then I thought “I’ll never go to see football games anymore” and I really haven’t, since then.



I asked you about football because it’s interesting whether you find any similarities between being a football team manager and a rock band manager.



SG:It’s interesting that you ask this because I was the manager of the Iron Maiden football team, and both somehow look like a… massive military operation. In the same way a football team manager makes sure that everything is all right with his team. You, from the spectators’ viewpoint, can’t quite feel this. But I must say that Iron Maiden has fantastic audience, everywhere in the world, and we’ve never had problems with the audience of Iron Maiden. The ordinary guys are a bit scared when they see leather jackets and see that everything is very… heavy metal, you know. I think, the most… unruly fans. But a great audience. Because I don’t work only with metal bands, as a tour manager. I do hip-hop tours, for example. Still not as much as metal tours, but still that gives me the opportunity to see that metal fans are great.



And which is the next big tour for you?



Iron Maiden.



Do you still play the drums?



SG: Playing drums is like riding a bike, yes, it’s like riding a bike – it can’t be forgotten. Yeah, I do find time but sometimes this happens once in two years. Sometimes I do, I go with Nicko sometimes and do drum clinics, which I was doing seriously in the past. But now, as I’m getting older, it’s in the past, I do it only for fun.



Have you met the other Steve Gadd?



SG: You know, this is a very good question. I’ll tell you one story, a true story. Quite a time ago I was playing in a bang called Charlie, and we were staying at the Sunset Marquee hotel in Los Angeles. We were on tour, I think, with Doobie Brothers.



What a name always makes me laugh..Doobies



SG: Yeah..so like 1978, there’s a pool in the middle of the hotel and small speakers around. We’re sitting around the pool and suddenly a voice says “There’s a phone call for Steve Gadd.” And there were the two of us who went to the phone. I didn’t know Steve Gadd then, I got to know him later, when we were working with Steely Dan. But then both of us went to the phone. And later there was a small article in the American magazine “Billboard,” which said “The American Steve Gadd keeps getting phone calls from girls, while the English Steve Gadd,” me, “is called only for recording.” That’s a true story.



And who was that call for?



SG: It was for me, and it was a girl. I met his brother once in New York, years later. But it’s fun that I nearly got to work for him as a drum technician while he was a drummer with Eric Clapton. That would be really interesting.





Unreal. Thanks for rapping with me your Mcbrain stories always seem to change my life.