By Peter Lindblad
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| Greg Prato's "Iron Maiden '80-'81" 2015 |
Still packing arenas and stadiums across the world, jet-setting to far-flung locales that embrace them as visiting royalty, the metal legends show no signs of slowing down, especially with singer Bruce Dickinson at the controls of Ed Force One.
There was a time, however, when a very different Iron Maiden was ravaging England with a vicious "punk metal" assault that spearheaded the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
This was before Dickinson, before Nicko McBrain and the most well-known Maiden lineup. This was the era of lead vocalist Paul Di'Anno – as well as guitarist Dennis Stratton and drummer Clive Burr – and theirs was a raw, visceral sound that generated two classic albums (Iron Maiden and Killers) and eventually gave way to the more melodic and complex "prog metal" that made Maiden famous.
A new book by noted author Greg Prato chronicles Maiden's Di'Anno years in "Iron Maiden '80-'81," an oral history of the period composed through tons of insightful interviews with producers, band members – including a very candid and forthright Di'Anno – and other metal musicians. In some ways, it's also a history of NWOBHM, with a detailed look at the making of those first two Maiden albums and insider perspectives on why this lineup didn't last.
Prato recently took some time to answer some questions about his book and this volatile time in the life of Iron Maiden. Ordering information is included at the end of our Q&A.
Why did you decide to do a book on the early years of
Iron Maiden? Did you feel in some way that it was an era that’s been somewhat
forgotten?
Greg Prato: I was a huge Maiden fan growing up, lost track of them for
most of the '90s, and then reconnected with their classic albums in the late
'90s/early 21st century. And I found myself enjoying their first two albums (with Paul Di'Anno on vocals) the most of the bunch. I started reading
up once more on the band's history, and noticed there was no book that focused
solely on the "Di'Anno era" of Maiden. Like all the books I've done
up to this point, it's a subject that I wanted to read about, but there wasn't
a book on the marketplace, so I decided to stand up and do the bloody thing
myself. To answer your other part of the question, early Maiden isn't
necessarily forgotten (it seems like if you ask the average headbanger what
their favorite two Maiden albums are, it's usually The Number of the Beast and Killers, the latter being Di'Anno's last album with Maiden) – I just wanted
to read/learn more about it!
You talked about in the introduction how those early
albums are the ones you enjoy the most, even though you were introduced to the
band during the Bruce Dickinson era. It’s interesting that Mike Portnoy said
basically the same thing. What makes those albums so exciting for you?
GP: Two of my favorite rock styles are probably vintage heavy
metal and vintage punk rock, and to the best of my knowledge, Maiden was one of
the first bands to merge both together (specifically on their first two albums) – Motörhead being the other band. And this style later served as the template for
what became thrash metal. I also always dug Di'Anno's vocals – while I
certainly appreciate singers whose voices border on the operatic (Freddie
Mercury, Rob Halford, and Ronnie James Dio are some of my all time favorites), it
seems like my favorite rock singers are those who don't sound like they're
classically trained, but have a lot of personality in their voices (Di'Anno,
Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Joey Ramone, Mick Jagger, etc.).
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| Author Greg Prato |
GP: Not many were difficult to secure, but perhaps the most
interesting way an interview was conducted was with ex-Maiden guitarist Dennis
Stratton. I got in touch with a gentleman through Stratton's website, who
explained that Dennis now lives in a remote location and doesn't do email or
phone interviews, but what he could do is if I emailed my questions, he would
get them to Dennis, who would then record his responses as a sound file, and I
would then get it sent back to me! Mr. Stratton was kind enough to answer two rounds of questions that way.
Tell me about talking to Paul Di’Anno. He’s such a big
part of this story, obviously. What did you learn about him and his
relationships with his band mates from your interviews that you didn’t know
beforehand?
GP: It was great speaking to Mr. Di'Anno (who also was kind
enough to grant me two interviews, as more questions came up after first round).
I wasn't sure how he was going to be going in, because I had read his
autobiography, 'The Beast," which includes some pretty darn wild and dangerous
stories. But he was a very kind and talkative chap. As far as his relationship
with his former Maiden mates, it sounds like he doesn't harbor any ill will
towards them, and that he recently had a humorous run-in at an airport with
longtime Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, which he recounts in the book.
There’s such a wide range of opinions about him as a
singer. Do you think he gets the credit he deserves from not only the fans, but
also his colleagues in the business?
GP: Yes and no. Any serious heavy metal fan I would think is well
aware of Di'Anno's vocal contributions and importance towards Maiden's early
albums and sound. But perhaps to newer fans who may just be discovering Maiden
and other veteran metal acts, maybe not – since they've probably only been
exposed to Bruce Dickinson-era Maiden. But as you read in the book, just about
everybody interviewed has very complimentary things to say about Di'Anno's
vocals on those Maiden discs.
Is Paul right, do you think, that the New Wave of
British Heavy Metal started and ended with Iron Maiden? And with this story,
did you want to tell the story of NWOBHM as well?
GP: Tough to say – before Di'Anno told me that for the book, I
would have said that there were other important contributors to the NWOBHM,
tops being Def Leppard, Saxon, and Diamond Head (while a few veteran acts that
were gaining steam at the time seemed to be lumped into NWOBHM at the time – namely Motörhead and Judas Priest). But after Di'Anno's quote, I can kind of
see his point – think "NWOBHM," and Maiden is really the band that
automatically comes to mind. And out of all the NWOBHM bands, Maiden probably
stuck to their stylistic guns the most, and didn't soften their sound further
down the line (not to take anything away from Def Leppard, who I think did the
right move with the direction they went with on Pyromania and Hysteria).
Reading about Iron Maiden’s evolution in this book, it
seems like Paul’s time had an expiration date from the very start. Was his
departure almost preordained?
GP: Another tough-to-answer question – you're hitting me hard
with these questions! It seems like Di'Anno and the rest of the band were going
in two different directions regarding what they thought Maiden should sound like,
Di'Anno wanting to stick with the "punk metal" sound, while Steve
Harris and the others wanting to open up their sound (which eventually shifted
towards a more "prog metal" approach). It would have been interesting
to hear what Mr. Di'Anno would have done on The Number of the Beast material, though.
Who, besides Paul, is the most interesting character or
interview in the story of Iron Maiden’s rise? Maybe Dennis Stratton, whose
relationship with Paul was pretty frosty? They definitely have different views
on Rod Smallwood, the band’s longtime manager.
GP: Tony Platt, who produced the "Women in Uniform"
single (as well as engineered AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Back in Black)
had some interesting things to say about what really happened behind the scenes
at the recording session for that song (it was a cover song that supposedly the
band was forced to record against their wishes, in hopes of scoring a hit
single). And interviewing the producer of Maiden's first album, Wil Malone, was
very cool – to the best of my knowledge, I don’t think he has ever been
interviewed before about his memories of working with the band.
There
seem to be disagreements over what went on in the studio during the making of
the first album, at least between Wil Malone and the band. Does he get an
unfair rap for the production of that record?
GP: I personally like the sound of the first record! Raw and
live – the way most of my favorite all-time rock n' roll recordings are. I
admit that the sound of Killers is better, but the sonics of Iron Maiden get a bad rap, in my opinion. That album still holds up well – both sonically
and musically.
Whose reaction to hearing that first album or memory
of making it surprised you the most?
GP: Well, obviously Di'Anno's, who holds nothing back in
voicing his disapproval of Malone's production!
In talking to everyone, did you come away with a new
appreciation for that first album that you didn’t have before? Did what someone
said about it make you look at it differently?
GP: No, my three favorite all-time Maiden albums are Iron Maiden, Killers, and Number of the Beast, so I've appreciated those early releases
for a very long time. I thought it was interesting that Mr. Malone explains
that he was consciously going for a "punk meets metal" sound on the
album – so it may not have been solely the band's doing.
What was the best Iron Maiden touring story you heard
from your interviews?
GP: The late/great Clive Burr filling Di'Anno's shoes with
shaving cream right before going on stage, Stratton going out for his birthday
with Kiss' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, an interesting story by Raven's John
Gallagher about getting ripped off opening for Maiden, and Tygers of Pan Tang's
Robb Weir almost falling off the stage backwards opening for Maiden…but being
saved at the last second!
Everybody talks about the production of that second
album, Killers. Was that the main
difference between those first two records, or was there more to it than that?
It seems as if there was a real sea change in the direction of the band in the
aftermath of that first record.
GP: The sonics have a lot to do with the difference between
the two. As far as the material, both albums are great from start to finish.
But there is something about Killers – if I really had to choose a favorite Maiden
album, I'd probably go with that one. Perhaps because there are so many songs
on it that have either been forgotten or are seldom played live anymore by
Maiden (namely, a song that I always thought could have been a rock radio hit
at the time – "Prodigal Son").
What do you think set Maiden apart from the other
NWOBHM bands? And do you think the other bands from that era were aware of the
differences?
GP: As I said earlier, they appeared to be one of the first
bands bold enough to merge punk and metal, and the fact that they became a
global success by not shifting their approach towards a more pop direction. Not
sure if the other bands were aware of the differences, as most NWOBHM bands
followed a similar "punk metal" sound on their debut albums.
What would you like Iron Maiden fans to come away with
after reading this book?
GP: With all my books, I make sure the main story is included,
but also, I always try and include a few facts or stories that have never been
recounted anywhere before. Ever wonder if Di'Anno was presented The Number of
the Beast material before he left? What was Maiden up to when they learned of
John Lennon's murder? What are Di'Anno's two favorite rock concerts he ever
attended? All are included in "Iron Maiden: '80-'81," dear friends!
To read a sample chapter of 'Iron Maiden: '80-'81,' go to:
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/iron_maiden_80_81/
For ordering info (and to view Greg's other books), go to:
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