Podziekowania: GhostofCain
Just having listened to it once I would like to congratulate you for this album “A Matter Of life And Death”, although I have not found it easy to listen to, it’s not an album that you instantly love. It is very risqué, progressive and experimental. Do you feel the same?
Adrian Smith: Yes, you have said it exactly. It’s an album different to what people expect from us. There is a lot to discover when you listen to it first time, and it is not easy to assimilate. We are very proud of it. We wanted to work on something that really interested us, and “A Matter Of Life And Death” has achieved this.
The best way for you to follow would have been to release another “The Number Of The Beast”, even another “Brave New World”.
Adrian Smith: There is no doubt that would have been the easy way. Without doubt with this new album we are showing a new IRON MAIDEN, with songs accessible and very progressive.
Dave Murray: As you know people grow and change. I find it interesting being a progressive, complicated band. The songs are not easy to play, as a musician they are a huge challenge for me. Of course, as is the case with many albums, it is difficult to assimilate when you first listen to it, but as you discover the melodies you end up enjoying it.
Adrian Smith: Even though it seems a complicated album, it’s a record full of hymns, memorable I hope. I can imagine the audience singing it live.
Talking about playing live, do you think all the sound, the ambiance and instrumentation will be easy to export to playing it live, will it be easy to interpret? And can you really see people singing and jumping?
Dave Murray: Yes, this is inherent to Maiden fans. Even though I don’t think that it will be your typical concert where people go mad and end up with neck-ache, however I think that the show will be stronger, more dramatic, and of course, we will be there to make sure that people enjoy themselves to the full.
In “A Matter Of Life And Death” there are but a handful of songs that can be played on the radio, or that can attract new fans. One of these would be “Different World”. Which song makes you feel prouder and which ones do you think that it will be the most sang live by the public?
Adrian Smith: Yes, “Different World” is the most accessible song, and without that the song that will be the most sang live. I can’t say it is a song I feel proud about, because I feel proud of many of them, such as “Out Of The Shadows”, “The Legacy” or “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg”, strong and with unusual chords.
Dave Murray: It is a diverse album, with more direct sections, more complex and progressive sections, ballads... In general we are very proud of the album.
Specifically with “Out Of The Shadows”, and especially with its instrumental part, you have managed to surprise me in a way I didn’t think you would be capable of surprising me. If you were looking to surprise you certainly have achieved it.
Dave Murray: Yes, it just happened like that whilst we were recording. So you like it then?
Adrian Smith: Are you referring to the instrumental part that we play half way through the song?
Yes, exactly. It is completely different to what Maiden has played until now.
Dave Murray: Yes! This album includes a lot of things that you do not expect from IRON MAIDEN. This is what makes this album very interesting, it is what makes your head explode first time you listen to it.
In it we discover a new dimension of sound and in the way that IRON MAIDEN composes. Do you think that you still have something to learn as musicians?
Adrian Smith: Of course, we are always learning. It is interesting to play new things, to compose more complex material. When I was young I never liked progressive rock. When you form your own style you do it with more direct bands like Thin Lizzy. But to write more complex music is easier, there are no rules, I think it is more complicated to get an specific riff, that hooks you, rocky but without it being very pop.
Are you saying that it is easier to compose a progressive album full of long songs that one with direct and more catchy songs?
Adrian Smith: Yes. When I was young, as I mentioned before, I used to listen to groups such as Thin Lizzy or UFO. They influenced me to try and do easy to listen to songs. But in this way you feel frozen, very forced when it comes to composing. Now I compose the opposite way, letting the music to flow, without barriers, which is easier and more natural.
You’ve never composed songs together. There is not a song in “A Matter Of Life And Death” with more than one guitarist’s input. It is always the guitarist on duty and Steve Harris, along with Bruce Dickinson in some instances. Is there an explanation for this?
Adrian Smith: Yes, we have tried to sit and write together but we always end up playing blues or something like that.
Dave Murray: (Laughter). Yes, it is true.
Adrian Smith: It is complicated. Instead with Steve and Bruce there is always a kind of tension, to finish things quickly and well. Dave and I get on very well and we like to chat a lot. With Janick it is also impossible because he is far too relaxed.
Perhaps a bit too quiet to compose with him.
Adrian Smith: Yes (laughter), too relaxed.
Dave Murray: It is ok to work with Steve or Bruce. Sometimes they turn up with a new melody or voices. With Adrian we have a great time playing guitar together, but when it comes to composing, for the time being, we will continue as we are, although you never know what’s round the corner.
Adrian Smith: If you look at the past, to the history, you will see how this way of composing is repeated a lot, as it was the case with Led Zepellin. It is always easy to work with one guitar and the singer; it is the most classical way of composing. When the guitarist composes he incites the vocalist to sing, to invent a melody.
And how has it been to record such complex songs in only one take, with the entire group playing together and live in the studio? It seems a methodology more suited to albums like “The Number Of The Beast”.
Dave Murray: From our very first album we have always liked to record as if we were performing live. We like the visual contact in the studio. This is the way someone should always record. Modern music depends far too much on computers. Of course we use them, but during the recordings, we play music traditionally. In fact, for us now it would be too complicated to record separately, each one of us sitting alone in one room. When you record a song you have to interpret it jointly. Songs need this rather than a metronome.
Does this way of recording reflect later on in the final result of the album? Can you tell when one album has been recorded separately by this musician?
Dave Murray: Yes, of course you can tell when the instruments have been recorded separately and packaged together. With IRON MAIDEN instead you can detect the recording “the old fashion way” (laughter).
About Kevin Shirley. Is he responsible of your new musical direction?
Adrian Smith: Yes, partly I think so. Working with him is different. We use technology a lot but at the same time we like for groups to play music in an organic, natural way. And he likes to achieve results quickly, to the point of being impatient. He achieves great sound almost spontaneously. We are not a group of great productions. Well, “A Matter Of Life And Death” can sound like a super-production, but if you cast your sight back and listen to what we did with Martin Birch, you will see that the sound it’s very direct and of the moment. We use neither big machines nor metronomes. Nowadays a lot of 80’s music sounds antiquated, basically because the rhythm boxes were abused. In contrast, what we did twenty years ago as well as what we play today on the stage, will never feel out of place.
Taking about the sound of Martin Birch’s production, do you know that there are a lot of fans that miss him? What would you say to them? After listening to “A Matter Of Life And Death” I am doubtful that you will ever recover them.
Dave Murray: They should try it. You can’t pretend to sound like in the 80’s all of your life. Obviously the sound in those albums was more direct, you could assimilate them easier. Nowadays productions are more elaborate, we want to sound 2006. With Kevin Shirley we have a different identity, our sound is fresher and we make good use of modern technology.
Even so you are aware that many followers of the group (or old followers) denounce the new direction the group has taken, the new productions, the new covers...
Adrian Smith: Yes, heavy fans, specially those of Maiden hold very diverse and passionate opinions.
Either your are adored or hated.
Dave Murray: Exactly! There is no in between.
Adrian Smith: It is normal for these things to happen when you are successful.
Even though you know that your fans defend you with the same passion as your detractors criticise you.
Dave Murray: Yes, without any shadow of a doubt they are the best. But in all honesty we don’t take a lot of notice of the critics.
Nowadays they are your fuel. You have a great life style, an impeccable standing within the music world. You do not need any more money to live happily. Is this why you take these kind of risks? Because “A Matter Of Life And Death” is a risqué album. What motivates you to carry on?
Adrian Smith: For us it is very gratifying to be in a position in which we sell all the tickets for our concerts, but it is also motivating to record the album you want to record and in the way you want. To do exactly what you want, it’s the best position to be in. We like being on the stage, work hard. That it our fuel, motivation itself.
A reoccurring question I must ask. What lays behind the title “A Matter Of Life And Death”?
(I stare at Dave Murray who does not reply)
Don’t you know the answer (addressing Dave Murray)?
Dave Murray: Yes, yes, I was thinking about the answer.... (Laughter)
Adrian Smith: I’ll answer it then (laughter). The album touches may subjects: war, religion, conflicts, all of those things. We don’t want to depress anybody but when we were composing the music, the lyrics just happened like that. A matter of life and death (laughter.)
Dave Murray: There are those who say that the title is to do with football (laughter.)
Adrian Smith: Yes! It all stems from once upon a time there was a Liverpool football manager, Bill Shankly, who once said: “Football is not a matter of life and death, it’s far more important than that!” Yes, it could have certain connexion.
Dave Murray: Certainly it’s a great title, it encompasses to perfection the content of the album: war, religion...However, there are a lot more things that are a matter of life and death. “The title can be applied to very different situations of life...or death....or matter” (laughter)
Can we expect a choreography in the style of “Paschendale” from “Dance Of Death” tour?
Adrian Smith: That would be great and would match perfectly the new songs.
Because listening to the album, with its long compositions and instrumentals it seems obligatory that it should be accompanied by great choreography, of a great set, Maiden style.
Dave Murray: I couldn’t agree more. In fact we are planning a great show, a fabulous spectacle. We don’t know as yet about the final set, but visually it will be very attractive. Almost explosive, people will go back home with eyes opened like plates.
And covered in blood.
Dave Murray: (Laughter) completely.
With regards to the set list, we can expect few surprises there, I imagine. For that we already had the “Early Days” tour.
Adrian Smith: Do you refer to playing old songs?
Yes, but the classic ones.
Adrian Smith: Yes the “Early Days” tour was partly made because of that. But I am sure we will play old material. Right now we don’t know which songs we will include but sure that people can already guess. Anyway, and as it is logical, the concert revolves around the album “A Matter Of Life And Death”.
After the tour of “Dance Of Death” the group announced that it would not be doing any more big tours, that it would only play in big venues or summer festivals. And yet, here you are about to start another tour of venues, albeit shorter that normal. Is this your way of taking things easy?
Adrian Smith: Yes, definitively. In the past the tours lasted for 12 or 13 months. 6 months into the tour and you hardly know where you are playing and you go into autopilot. With this kind of tour that we are about to start we enjoy every second of it, each concert becomes intense, precious. With time you realise that you prefer quality rather than quantity.
Personal comment: Thank you for coming to Barcelona.
Dave Murray: Certainly! We are playing in Barcelona! Will you be watching us?
Of course, this will be 15 times now.
Dave Murray: Then, we’ll meet there (laughter.)
What can you tell me about side B of your singles? I understand that basically these will be cover versions.
Adrian Smith: Yes, a tribute to the groups that have influenced us during the 70’s. They are simply songs recorded very quickly.
Like the rest of the album. Problems of agenda or wanting to finish it?
Dave Murray: It happened that way. It has been a natural process, the way in which we have played the songs in the studio. It is not like we set out to be quick, we never said to each other “Hurry”. We have simply been very focused and fresh and things have gone that way. Kevin Shirley has also collaborated with his mixes; there have been a multitude of factors that have contributed for everything to go so quickly and smoothly. We’ve been lucky.
There are constant rumours about your separation. In fact, several radios have already said that the band will be separating after this tour. Is there any thing you would like to tell your fans to put their minds at ease?
Dave Murray: You always hear the same comments. It seems that there are people out there who wish that the band will break up. No, we have just released a new album, a tour, festivals... I am dying to go on tour to present this album; it will be a great party. We are not going to hang our guitars just yet. We have a few years left in us; we will become old on stage (laughter).
May it last long, thank you for your time?
Thank you and see you in Barcelona.