Johnny B: The Wicker Man is a great song, it’s fast!
Steve Harris: "Yeah,
I think it’s a really good single because we thought as soon as we wrote it that
it could be a good single with a good catchy chorus, we’ve had a lot of really good
catchy chorus’s in the past as well but what do we really know about singles? We’ve
released singles in the UK but they never really get played on the radio anywhere.
Maybe we’ve been releasing the wrong songs as singles ..... who knows! Even if we
release the RIGHT kind of song, whatever THAT is, would it do anything anyway? I
don’t think so probably. I mean I don’t think it really matters what we release as
a single really. Sometimes I would just prefer to go the completely opposite way
and release the bloody longest song on the album basically saying f**k you. I mean
they wouldn’t play it even if it was three, four, five minutes long so they’re not
going to play something that is eleven minutes long are they."
It is refreshing though that you are happy recording
the songs the length they are rather than edit things down to a more "Radio
Friendly" size
"We never time anything .... in fact I asked you to time the album for me
yesterday and that was the first time I had any idea of the full length of the tracks.
None of us really pay any attention to the length of the songs. We never have done
really."
That’s excellent really don’t you think ?
"Yeah, I suppose! It is normally only after the event that people say can
we do an edit on this ...or that. I don’t have a problem doing an edit for a single
if the song isn’t a story from beginning to end, where chopping bits out will destroy
the idea. Years ago the Americans asked us to edit "Hallowed". We told
them to forget it because that would have just ruined it completely. On the other
hand we did an edit on "Angel and the Gambler" because that was written
on the album as a long version because it was written as it was, as if it was a "Live"
version. What I mean by that is it was written as how we would do it with a crowd
...... bringing it down quiet and getting the audience involved and stuff like that.
So we could edit that and it wouldn’t do the song any injustice at all. What I am
trying to get across is that there are certain songs you can do that with and certain
songs you cannot. You couldn’t edit "Sign Of The Cross" for example, it
would be ridiculous."
It’s seems amazing then that some bands purposely
change album songs so that they are shorter and more designed for singles.
"Yeah it’s madness. That’s because they think it’s because they are gonna
get played but they don’t get played anyway. So they have probably spoilt a good
album track by limiting themselves to a particular length of track and still they
don’t get played. I suppose that at the end of the day they think they are playing
fair and that they are giving someone the chance, giving them the ammunition to go
out there and do something. Otherwise, people turn around and say ‘hey, we couldn’t
do anything with this track as you didn’t give us the right length of song’ and all
that crap.
It makes you then think ... okay this song could withstand an edit and it doesn’t
really matter if it is edited or not. It might actually be nice to have a different
version on the single to the album anyway but .... only with certain songs. That’s
fine if the song can take it. We did it with "Angel and the Gambler" and
stuff like that and I don’t have a problem with that."
Do you think singles are still relevant to your album
market ?
Steve pauses for quite a while and then answers,
"No, not really, I don’t think they have ever been that relevant. I think
their relevance is as a taster for the album, that’s what they are and should be.
A little teaser for the album that’s all they have ever been for us.They have always
done well in the UK as the fans go out and buy them and they get into the chart,
well, hopefully anyway. They never stay there. We have never had a true hit single,
in that sense, as they don’t stay there long enough. However, we have never been
that bothered about that kind of thing. We just release what song we thing will be
the most viable one as a taster for the album. Whether that’s of any use for anybody
to go out and sell the thing as a single is another matter."
Obviously I have only just heard the album for the first time a short while ago
but already I remember some of the tracks being very "Thematic" as in film
theme tracks. They’re great songs.
"Thanks, but we have always done stuff like that really. There are songs
that we have done in the past that could have been used on film soundtracks I think.
I am really influenced by big epic film theme type music. I love that type of music."
I am specifically thinking of things like "Nomad"
and " Blood Brothers" etc
"Certainly, Nomad is a fine example. It is a big "Lawrence of Arabia"
type vibe. That is the sort of stuff I really like, the sort of stuff I get off on,
film theme music. It is a big influence really. It always has been though, so it’s
not as if we have gone off in a different direction. That is the sort of thing people
ALWAYS ask us when we start writing whether or not we are gonna go off in a different
direction or not. We don’t go off in any direction, we play what we feel. We don’t
try and be this or that or let trends dictate to us."
People or bands who do that are just chasing their tails around half the time. You
just cannot make an album worrying about what other people like. You have to like
it yourself first. If they like what we have created all well and good. Thinking
about it logically what else are you gonna do ? Have a survey of fans and then write
a song that sounds like so and so ? Or decide to write a song that sounds like Number
of the Beast 2 .... I don’t think so ! You can have the biggest survey in the world
but it doesn’t prove a thing. What’s the point of having part two of anything anyway.
A great song is a great song. A sequel won’t make it any better".
Can I ask about "Ghost of The Navigator"
which just blew me away on first hearing.
"You can but Bruce wrote the lyrics to that one . You had better ask him.
It is just a very intriguing title though "Ghost
of the Navigator"
"Yeah but when he was first warbling away with it in rehearsals we all obviously
thought it must be about flying ..... but it’s not! It is in fact about ships and
stuff. It fooled us as well!"
I love the way the way the beginning builds up to
a manic crescendo.
"See ...... that’s what’s interesting. You obviously have picked up on that
one after just one hearing. What I personally think is good about Maiden albums is
that different people will all pick up on different songs from their first hearing.
I think that is absolutely great. To me that shows that the album has good depth.
How many albums in present times do you pick up and there are just a couple , maybe
only one song that you will remember or want to hear again. Too many in my opinion.
Invariably, most of the time people have different favourites of ours that they pick
up on and tell us about. I think that is really good and very pleasing to the band,
who have spent a lot of time and effort trying to make it as interesting as we can."
You have "Fallen Angel" and "Mercenary".which to me are typical
brilliant fast Maiden songs. Then you have the thematic "Nomad" and "The
Thin Line between Love and Hate"Yet you then have "Brave New World"
and "Dream of Mirrors" which are so different again.
"Obviously, that shows the depth I was talking about. It is difficult however
to analyse it all. Obviously it is a new fresh album and whether they are different
or not different who knows. Only time will tell.
Everyone is gonna have a different opinion. Rod likes ones you don’t and Laz might
like ones neither of you do. You have come out and said certain things about what
you are hearing and feeling about this album but when I talk to the next person they
might have a completely different opinion. They might say ... that one sounds the
same as this one ..... or this one sounds like the one a few albums ago .... or this
one way influenced by that song. It is totally amazing the different reactions I
will get over the next few months. That just the way things are. I think you can
worry too much about other peoples opinions. Obviously I want everyone to like it
but it is just impossible. That’s what makes us all human ...... well some of us
!"
I think that shows what a good band and a good album
it is. It is not just a couple of good songs and the rest is a pile of cack.
"Exactly. I have always said it ......... Songs are the Lifeblood of any
band. That really is half the battle, well most of the battle really, having good
songs is what will see you through. Songs and lyrics are sometimes about moods and
how you are feeling at the time."
You should have written a song after the Villa match.
Steve laughs
"Yeah I should have but we wouldn’t have been allowed to play it. The lyrics
would be banned. I might pen it anyway and give a copy to Coxie. (Steve Cox, Iron
Maiden’s Tour manager)."
How about Blood Brothers ?
"It mentions about life after death, getting in touch with the "Other
side". It touches on the Dark Side of your thoughts. It is also about feeling
ashamed about what is happening in the world. It is about all these horrific things
going on and people read about it in the paper but they just turn the page over ....
and the horror is ..... well muted. I am not saying it’s forgotten because it might
be on their minds but there’s not really a lot they can do about it. It just kind
of gets put to one side and we hope somebody somewhere takes control and guides those
who can do something about it. The lyrics are about all sorts of things. There is
a lot of elements to it".
Steve seems to be deeply affected by the thoughts
running through his head on this subject. He seems slightly reticent to show that
his lyrics are sometimes very deeply embedded in his own thoughts and they are of
an extremely caring nature for the environment that his kids will grow up in. He
pauses what seems a long while when he suddenly carries on.
"Basically it is saying that we are all made up of blood and tissue and
there is good and bad in the world, some people are unlucky in life .... things like
that all rolled up into one.
You are right it is very thematic though. I have always wanted to include orchestral
type sounds on our stuff and we have used that sort of sound on keyboards before.
This time however it was slightly different as Kevin (Shirley) knew this guy in New
York who does that kind of thing and layers it up. We sent him a tape. I put down
on the tape the kind of things I wanted and I was amazed that he came back and did
exactly what I wanted. That in itself was very unusual!"
Who was this keyboard guy ?
"It was a guy called Jeff Bova. He is a guy that just sits there in his
room surrounded by all different keys and sounds and he then takes them and layers
them up. The layered version sounds really like an orchestra. I was really pleased
with that. I was actually so pleased with how it turned out because I was a bit tentative
when I sent out the tape to him, as I wondered what on earth he was going to come
up. I was just hoping he’d do what I wanted him to do. I was a little worried in
case he went completely over the top but he actually came up with exactly what i
wanted so I was well pleased. I had a vision of the direction I wanted to take the
song in and the work he did fitted in great. I was very pleased."
Did he do any work on the "Nomad" ?
"Yeah, He did a little bit on the middle section and again he did exactly
what i wanted him to do. The rest of the "Nomad" .... believe it or not
..... I actually played the keyboards.The main reason for that is because I know
what I want and I know the timings I need. I could get Michael (Kenney) to do it
but I think by the time he has sat there and learnt it and the timings .... I might
as well do it myself and save time and get exactly what I want."
How will you do that Live ?
"Michael Kenney will do it because I won’t! I have done my bit ! To be honest
a lot of it’s not that difficult. I am not any master keyboard player by any means
of the imagination. It will be slightly harder for him because if I go and mess it
up in the studio I just go and record it again. Michael has to go and learn it thoroughly
but it shouldn’t be that hard as I am not an accomplished keyboard player by any
stretch of the imagination. Everyone MUST remember that it really is used as an effect
for enhancing the song."
I think it works great. I think the whole mix is
great.It is very deep and full. I love the way everything shoots all around you and
from speaker to speaker without sounding effect laden.
"Good, that’s where Kevin comes into his own.He is a superb mixing man without
a doubt. That is just another reason why we wanted to use him.I learnt a few little
tricks from him.His expertise is great and we knew we wanted someone really competent.
With three lead guitar players we knew it was gonna be tricky to say the least."
He did brilliant then because some of the guitar
sections are superb.
"Yeah the solos are, they really are. However when you are trying to cram
it all in with three guitars, rhythm guitars, drums and stuff, it is very hard. There
is a hell of a lot going on. It really is not easy to do. We have always tried to
have albums where there is a whole lot of stuff going on"
Dream of Mirrors ..... can you explain the thinking behind that track ?
"Well .... It is about the dark side of things. It’s about people’s thoughts
and how they suffer from dreams and nightmares and all sorts. That was the main influence
and source of materialI think dreams are so intriguing and you never really have
an answer for them so therefore it is endless. I feel there are more songs than pictures
about that sort of thing and I find it a fascinating subject."
To be continued in Part 4 ........
Steve Harris interview -Part 1
Steve Harris interview -Part 2
Steve Harris interview -Part 3
Steve Harris interview -Part 4