Kevin Shirley's 4th Studio Diary Just Posted

I think I am the first person to post it........ I didn't see it anywhere else...

Hello, Maiden fans. I'm sorry that some of you disapprove of my diary's content, and I do care, but really - what can I tell you. Song titles, NO; lyrics, NO; album title, NO - so bear with me as I attempt to interest you with the little I can share. By the way, it cost me $3000 to have you all hit my site - so that's no reason for me to do it - I don't hear a great call to sell Caveman t-shirts and soap-on-a-rope on my website. All that said - here's what happened...

A GREAT WEEK!!!!!
Bruce came in and sang three songs over two days - very well too! He cycles in on his bike - about 4 o'clock and leaves about 8 - and we're glad to see him go when he finally packs his bags, as the last hour is always spent listening to a discourse on planes and flight patterns and various other topics that he's very well versed in! I compiled the lead vocals from about 3 - 6 tracks depending on the sections of the songs I was concentrating on. I used about 80% of the original live tracking vocal, cut when the band cut the basic tracks - and there's a magic spirit on them! The three amigos, Adrian, Davey and Jan also came in - Jan did an amazing solo - filled with his trademark
"Blackmoresque" licks and some awesome wild whammy bar nonsense, Adrian did one of his note-perfect precision solos and Davey rolled out some of his fluid and flighty solos, and we have finished 3 of the 10 album tracks - AND mixed two!! Finished! FINAL MIXES! the album opener, and rocker single,and a great durgy track with an evil 7/8 groove! * We are so far ahead of schedule - Steve's bass sounds totally sick, he says he's never been happier with how the band, his bass, and the album is sounding - and I think this could be as big as anything they've ever recorded. It's definitely the high point of our relationship - that is Maiden with me producing.

And that is what happened in the studio. Bruce likes to suck on the caramel from Twix bars, after removing both the chocolate and the biscuit first; Steve eats pasta for dinner - with cream, pesto and bacon - every night! - and guards his private life strongly (adamant that he wants to keep me away from his 21 year old daughter, who is gorgeous and a really good singer!); Adrian has me scour Google maps for good fishing sites and hears tuning problems all over the place, where there are none (I think he'd even drive perfectionist producer Mutt Lange crazy); and Jan goes to the footy and on the piss with his mate, Ginger Mick, and doesn't seem to give a toss about anything. He
likes to be away from home cos his wife loads him up with manual chores, which he does but hates doing! Sensibly, they like to watch their pennies, and I guess that's how you get to keep 'em. I, on the other hand, am a spendthrift! Bruce is Bruce - the one, the only! Lovable, irreplaceable, unique and an incredible voice! That's the way Maiden should be!

I work hard in the studio, and play hard. Always have - and my evenings are generally spent drinking with much younger friends, who have me pay and like to imbibe to absolute inebriation! Just last night I had to rescue a totally inebriated young lady from the London School of Economics who had gone "coma" in the ladies bathroom of the London Soho House! On Tuesday, I took Drew and Alex out drinking - Drew was sick for two days, and Alex was beyond useless the next day. Pathetic! 'Arry maintains it's my fault because I took them young 'uns out - wha'evah!

And that's all - off to the studio. Tomorrow I'm going to bicycle to Brighton - about 65 miles, or 100kms - and tonight I am going to see a William Blake thingy at some gallery.

I have no new pictures, so have included this one. "Arry says his arse isn't as small anymore! It's an image from the new Ross Halfin book on Maiden, I believe!

Take care - Up The Irons!

Kevin Shirley
Caveman Productions Inc.
 
[!--quoteo(post=134538:date=Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM:name=Panos the clansman)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Panos the clansman @ Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM) [snapback]134538[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
AND mixed two!! Finished! FINAL MIXES! the album opener, and rocker single,and a great durgy track with an evil 7/8 groove!
[/quote]
*Gets over excited*
[!--quoteo(post=134538:date=Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM:name=Panos the clansman)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Panos the clansman @ Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM) [snapback]134538[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
Sensibly, they like to watch their pennies, and I guess that's how you get to keep 'em.
[/quote]
*Gets over excited for just a split second* [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":p\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]
[!--quoteo(post=134538:date=Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM:name=Panos the clansman)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Panos the clansman @ Apr 11 2006, 10:44 AM) [snapback]134538[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
I work hard in the studio, and play hard. Always have - and my evenings are generally spent drinking with much younger friends, who have me pay and like to imbibe to absolute inebriation! Just last night I had to rescue a totally inebriated young lady from the London School of Economics who had gone "coma" in the ladies bathroom of the London Soho House! On Tuesday, I took Drew and Alex out drinking - Drew was sick for two days, and Alex was beyond useless the next day. Pathetic! 'Arry maintains it's my fault because I took them young 'uns out - wha'evah!
[/quote]
Why is he so proud of his achievements of drinking hard?

We haven't learned much from this diary... basically nothing since the last one posted. It's nice to know that a couple of tracks are in their final stages but apart from that, we still have to wait several months for the album [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/sad.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":(\" border=\"0\" alt=\"sad.gif\" /]
 
[!--quoteo(post=134563:date=Apr 11 2006, 07:00 PM:name=edbaldhead)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(edbaldhead @ Apr 11 2006, 07:00 PM) [snapback]134563[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
"a great durgy track with an evil 7/8 groove!"

Durgy? What is that? Durgy or durge is not in my dictionary but if my memory serves me correctly,
isn't a durge a drinking tune? ::
[/quote]
Durge
I don't think that is what he means [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":p\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]
I don't know what he was trying to say but I don't like the sound of it anyway [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/sleep.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\"-_-\" border=\"0\" alt=\"sleep.gif\" /] I'm sure a few of my fellow Maiden purists will say the same [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\";)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"wink.gif\" /]
 
[!--quoteo(post=134575:date=Apr 11 2006, 10:16 PM:name=Conor)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Conor @ Apr 11 2006, 10:16 PM) [snapback]134575[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
Durge
I don't think that is what he means [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":p\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]
I don't know what he was trying to say but I don't like the sound of it anyway [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/sleep.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\"-_-\" border=\"0\" alt=\"sleep.gif\" /] I'm sure a few of my fellow Maiden purists will say the same [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\";)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"wink.gif\" /]
[/quote]

Unless he meant Dirge, which is "a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral" (according to wikipedia)

So I guess we've got a dark, angsty song. A return to the X-factor?
 
I know they have to be upbeat about an upcoming album(and of course excited since its new material), but I always find it funny how things are always better than ever for every album. By now I should have thrown out BNW and DoD what with this "more groove than ever".
 
[!--quoteo(post=134950:date=Apr 16 2006, 06:58 AM:name=TheWickedChild)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(TheWickedChild @ Apr 16 2006, 06:58 AM) [snapback]134950[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
I know they have to be upbeat about an upcoming album(and of course excited since its new material), but I always find it funny how things are always better than ever for every album. By now I should have thrown out BNW and DoD what with this "more groove than ever".
[/quote]
True enough... everything does seem to be "better then ever" but they wouldn't sell well if they made a statement like:
"Well, it's not a patch on the 80s stuff but we'll still put it out there to earn a few bob" [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/cool.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\"B)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"cool.gif\" /]
 
Jesus Christ guys, chill the fuck out. Why you appear to be wasting a great deal of energy, working yourself up into a frenzy "This new album's gonna be shit, I can't wait for the new album, why wont KS tell us more about this album, I love 80's Maiden, blah blah blah". I'm sure Mr Shirley is under strict orders not to reveal too much to the information hungry masses and what snippets he does release are just driving people bat shit.

Listen Maiden have yet to disappoint. Sure they are not always going to reach the same high levels that a Seventh Son or a Piece of Mind in the 80's or the resurgent Brave New World and Dance of Death but it sounds like they are having a hoot, enjoying their music (which has got to be the most important thing right), the guitar players sound like they are on top of their game and we are gonna get another fantastic album. Still all you will have to procrastinate about then is what are they going or not going to play on their tour.

As for KS boasting about his drinking prowess. Get in their my son. As one who is closer to 40 than 20 it always brings a smile to me chops when i hear of a golden oldie drinking some whipper snappers under the table. Conor, from one who hails from the land of the black brew surely you can dig?
 
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