Paul Cairns (Mad Mac) played on The Soundhouse Tapes

Jeffmetal

Jeffmetal

Ancient Mariner
Check this out!!!

Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 9:45 AM
Subject: Iron Maiden demo


Hi there,
not sure if you can help, but here goes!

My brother was one of the lead guitarists with Iron Maiden at the time they recorded their original demo tape at Spaceward. He left the band around 6 months later but kept hold of the demo tape for posterity. Stupidly I lent it to a friend who then "lost it" Ah well.

Anyway, I wondered if you had any photos from that session - probably around 78/79.


WIth kind regards
Hugh

Hugh Cairns

No, sorry Hugh, we have no previously unseen photos of the Iron Maiden session. But great to hear from you!


Source: http://www.spacewardstudios.ukf.net/guestbook.htm

The guy who made this research is from Brasil and he got a picture of the whole band in front of the Spaceward Studios, but he needs Cairns permission to publish the picture. Also, I always thought the first solo on Strange World is too cadenced and with notes picked too carefully for being Dave, but I thought he done that to add more dynamic to the music.
 
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interesting. IIRC Mad Mac was fired a few shows after being hired quite awhile before the soundhouse tapes. So I am calling bullshit on this one.
excuse-me-im-calling-bullshit.jpg
 
I'll watch that bit again later. But several of them said that he was only in the band for a few weeks. Not six months. That is the story I'm going to believe.
 
Mega said:
He's not even credited, how can he be on the tapes?
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Duh.

This story implies that Maiden did not mention him deliberately.

It's up to us if we find this a convincing story or not.
 
Forostar said:
Duh.

This story implies that Maiden did not mention him deliberately.

It's up to us if we find this a convincing story or not.
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No, it's just some guy claiming that he is.
And Maiden are known for not being dicks, why would they not mention him in the credits?
Also, if he left the band 6 months later, how come his name wasn't there already? It should have been. And if Steve denied him credit without kicking him out for some reason, he should've left on his own much sooner.
 
Does anyone have the official biography or another source which states when he was asked to leave the band? And when did he start with Maiden? I don't have the biography here at the moment :/

It happened more often:
Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer is a bigger dick than the Maiden boys, but he did it twice (credited a different bass player on Dark Saga and left off the bass player on Horror Show).

I wish more info before I believe it, because it's curious that this story comes up so late, but I am not denying it immediately either. I'd say: probably no, but leave open a tiny "maybe".

Anyway, true or not, it makes me curious to check those guitar solos again.
And let's have that picture!
 
they talk about him for about 2 minutes in the early days. Said that he wouldn't do anything live and they had to ask him to leave.
 
I think the reason for that was to preserve it in some way. Makes it a lot more special.
 
Ancient thread. But I found a bit of history of Iron Maiden on youtube that mentions Mad Mac so thought I'd post it here. Basically they said he was phenomenal and just what they needed. But.. he basically got stage fright whenever they went to play live on stage. So they had to let him go.

From 8.26

 
Just a heads up. In the latest Planet Rock (Issue 11, December 2018) it reads:

"Well-drilled by their ever attentive leader, Maiden - rounded out by guitarist Dave Murray and Paul 'Mac' Cairns and drummer Doug Sampson - blazed through the four tracks in record time. As the first session drew to a close, Harris's thoughts turned to where he might billet his troops for the night."

If I'm not mistaken this is the first time, it has been printed on paper... Wonder if in the next issue, Maiden team will demand a correction or if it will slip under the radar...
 
Luisma said:
Just a heads up. In the latest Planet Rock (Issue 11, December 2018) it reads:

"Well-drilled by their ever attentive leader, Maiden - rounded out by guitarist Dave Murray and Paul 'Mac' Cairns and drummer Doug Sampson - blazed through the four tracks in record time. As the first session drew to a close, Harris's thoughts turned to where he might billet his troops for the night."

If I'm not mistaken this is the first time, it has been printed on paper... Wonder if in the next issue, Maiden team will demand a correction or if it will slip under the radar...
Click to expand...

That caught my eye too when I read the interview yesterday.
 
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