It's gotta be tough being Dave Murray

SirRobbins

SirRobbins

Ancient Mariner
I got to thinking this morning listening to The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, gosh it must blow to write songs and then never get to play them.....

Dave's songs have a history of being played only briefly or never at all... that's gotta suck for a songwriter and a good one at that. (Between Somewhere in Time and Fear of the Dark, he contributed to all 4 albums and none of his songs were ever played) :(

Rotational (played at least 2 tours since 1999 : BNW, Sanctuary, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg,

Never played : Deja Vu, The Prophecy, Fates Warning, Chains of Misery, Judas be My Guide, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, The Nomad, Age of Innocence, The Man who would be King, The Man of Sorrows

Played but likely gone to the grave (none played since 2005) : Still Life, Charlotte, Twilight Zone, Total Eclipse, Public Enema Number 1, When 2 worlds collide, Lightning strikes twice, Rainmaker,

Songs written/co-written : 21
Songs never played live : 10
Played since 1999 : 4
 
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Do you think Adrian gets sick of playing Wasted Years? Isn't it becoming as tired as The Trooper at this point?

I think Dave has certainly written song of the best songs on the reunion albums. Shame.
 
What about being Nicko McBrain? Poor guy only wrote one bloody song and I can't remember the last time Maiden cracked New Frontier out for a tour.
 
This has come up in other threads, but I've always been highly suspicious of the song writing credits in Maiden. Did Bruce really write Powerslave from top to bottom (when what evidence I can find suggests he's never really been that adept at guitar)? Does Steve really write every guitar harmony on his solo credit songs? I think Dave is more involved behind the scenes than the credits allude to.
 
If I ever got to interview Bruce or ask him a question at a Q&A session, I'd ask about his writing process, how he presents his ideas to the band, and the transition from Bruce Dickinson song to Iron Maiden song.
 
I know the band will never do it, but I wish they would release a candid 'Metallica style' video session of them writing. I wonder if Bruce self edits prior to coming in to make it more 'Maiden-y', or if he just presents his ideas and relinquishes control to Steve.

I've also always wondered about Bruce's guitar playing. Does he plug a Les Paul in and just bang out the riffs for the guys to follow? (Did he really do that for Revelations, Powerslave, and Empire of the Clouds)? I can't really see that happening.
 
Empire is pretty straightforward IMO. Between the piano parts on the song and some of the footage of that fan club studio visit, I think we've heard Bruce play or sing pretty much every melody in the song (minus the guitar solos of course). He was also interviewed extensively about the song.

I'm more curious about Revelations, Powerslave, and Flash Of the Blade. Especially the last one since it features one of the most complex instrumental sections. I could see Bruce maybe making a vocal demo with him singing those melodies, but I'm guessing there's some level of collaboration with the rest of the band. I've also heard him describe Revelations as "starting out as a ballad".

I will say that lately I've started to notice some similarities between the Bruce penned songs. Maybe one day I'll post a deconstruction of his writing to help solve the mystery.
 
Yeah, that's why I'm sure that Dave's fingerprints are over more Maiden songs that what is implied by the credits. Flash of the Bade has to have involvement from either him or Adrian.
 
It's not like anyone writes the drum parts either. Steve can play a little drums but I suspect they tell Nicko what they want, play the guitar, and he figures out what to lay down.
 
And it's been seven years since a track with a Murray writing credit made the set (Brave New World/Benjamin Breeg). Let's hope this wasn't the last time.

It wasn't bad though that he got 3 tracks on Brave New World (one more than Adrian) and two singles from the following two albums.
 
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soundwave said:
I think Dave is more involved behind the scenes than the credits allude to.
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I think that its entirely reasonable to speculate that there is potential uncredited work done on some songs but among the band there must be an accepted level of contribution in order to gain a credit. I cant see Daveys minimum level of contribution being different than anybody elses and why would he just waive his right to a credit if he was doing enough work to gain one? Doesnt make sense to me.
 
I think it is not at all tough being Dave Murray. Wealth, respect, just enough fame to be adored by millions but not enough to be recognized at restaurants -- it's kind of a sweet spot that he's in. Particularly given that, based on interviews I've heard, he's not very bright.
 
He is brighter than a thousand suns.
SirRobbins said:
Played but likely gone to the grave (none played since 2005) : Still Life, Charlotte, Twilight Zone, Total Eclipse, Public Enema Number 1, When 2 worlds collide, Lightning strikes twice, Rainmaker,
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Only 10 out of 21 Dave Murray (co-)written songs that landed on an album have been played.

Sanctuary not played since 2014.
The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg not played since 2010.
Brave New World not played since 2010.
Charlotte the Harlot not played since 2005.
Rainmaker not played since 2004.
When Two Worlds Collide not played by Maiden since 1998.
Lightning Strikes Twice not played by Maiden since 1998.
Public Enema Number One not played since 1991.
Still Life not played since 1988.
Twilight Zone not played since 1981.
 
Truth to be told, he is not the most prolific of writers...

On a personal note, I find Adrian's and Jan's songwriting much stronger than Dave's, so there is no surprise to me that Mr Murray on the pink oboe does not get to play the songs he has co-written live that often.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
I think it is not at all tough being Dave Murray. Wealth, respect, just enough fame to be adored by millions but not enough to be recognized at restaurants -- it's kind of a sweet spot that he's in.
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And golf. Plenty of golf.
 
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