Steve Harris solo album

[Traxan]

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has announced the release of IRON MAIDEN founder Steve Harris' debut solo/side project album. Entitled "British Lion" and comprising ten songs that Steve and his collaborators have been working on for the past few years between IRON MAIDEN tours and releases, it is an album that will surprise and delight music fans the world over.

With a decidedly heavy rock-vibe this roaring debut paints with a full palette of sounds; brooding, melancholic, righteously indignant and exuberantly heavy. With Kevin Shirley at the mixing helm — whose credits include IRON MAIDEN as well as Led ZEPPELIN, JOURNEY and RUSH, among many others — this is an album to sink your teeth into.

From the growling riffage of opening salvo "This Is My God" to the heavy forlorn balladry of follow-up "Lost Worlds" which showcases Richard Taylor's soaring vocals, it's clear that "British Lion" is an altogether different beast from MAIDEN.

"Karma Killer", with its dirge-like muscularity, and "Us Against The World", with its massive chorus, demonstrates just how far "British Lion" has flexed Steve Harris' considerable musical muscle. Dovetailed with guitarist David Hawkins' positively gargantuan lyrical guitar melodies, it's a mere hors d'oeuvre ahead of the epic, riffing-feast of "The Chosen Ones", with its swaggering bravado.

"A World Without Heaven", at a breathtaking seven minutes and infused with progressive elements without ever teetering into self-indulgence illustrates perfectly these songsmiths' colossal abilities to create a mood and stay there. Supercharged by Steve Harris' inimitable style, there's an un-cynical vibe here that's as refreshing as it is out of place in today's all-too-categorized music industry.

And as far as the name "British Lion"; "I've always been proud to be British," explains Steve. "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be. It's a massive part of being me. It's not like I'm flag-waving or trying to preach, this is not a political statement at all. It's like supporting your football team, where you come from. I just think it lends itself to some really strong imagery too, and to me it fits in with the sound."

With IRON MAIDEN, Steve Harris has become one of the most recognized and successful ambassadors for British music on the world stage. Having released 15 studio albums, sold over 85 million records worldwide and played more than two thousand gigs in 58 countries in the band's thirty-five year career, his appeal is truly global.

And now with "British Lion", Steve steps out from IRON MAIDEN's illustrious shadow to present a different side of his musical visions.

The tracklisting for "British Lion" is as follows:

01. This Is My God
02. Lost Worlds
03. Karma Killer
04. Us Against The World
05. The Chosen Ones
06. A World Without Heaven
07. Judas
08. Eyes Of The Young
09. These Are The Hands
10. The Lesson

 

[Steph Harris]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Acujer]

Isn't the purpose of Iron Maiden so Steve Harris doesn't have to do a solo album?

 

[Kirsten "Bruce Chickinson"]

The prose in this press release is pretty funny--let's throw as many GARGANTUAN RIFF-BUSTING HEEEAVAY adjectives into it as possible. Teehee

 

[Acujer]

Haha yeah Kirstin. No doubt! Yeah from this review it sounds like the most epic masterpiece ever written that will literally cause sparks to come out of your CD player and your brain to explode like an atom bomb. We are supposed to imagine armies of headbangers with jaws dropped screaming, "OH MY GOD! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THIS IS TOO UNBELIEVABLE! THE GREATEST FUCKIN EPIC MASTERPIECE EVER! HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

"hors d'oeuvre ahead of the epic, riffing-feast "
"growling riffage "
"these songsmiths' colossal abilities to create a mood"
"surprise and delight music fans the world over"

I haven't heard it yet and I can guarantee it will not be anything above mediocre.

 

[Traxan]

More on the record.

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/features/iron-maidens-steve-harris-on-british-lion-solo-project/

Iron Maiden bandleader Steve Harris will release his debut solo album British Lion in September.

More than a decade in the making, the 10-track collection finds Harris collaborating with a new band – vocalist Richard Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins and drummer Simon Dawson – and is described by the bassist as “70s-influenced, British-sounding hard rock”.

Speaking exclusively to Classic Rock from Montreal during Maiden’s 34-date North American Maiden England tour, Harris promises that British Lion will contain some surprises for Maiden fans, noting: “I don’t know what people are expecting, but it’s probably not this.”

Interview: Paul Brannigan

People might be surprised to learn that there’s a Steve Harris solo album on the way…
Yeah, and I think that’s a good thing: it’s the one chance I’ve had to keep a bit of mystique. The album has been coming together over a ridiculously long time, but we’ve managed to keep it a secret and that’s been kinda fun.

So where did the impetus for British Lion come from?
How it started was that Graham Leslie came to me with a cassette of songs – which shows how long ago it was! – and I thought they were really good, so I said I’d try to help his band do something. I ended up managing them and producing them and writing with them, although I kept that fact under wraps, to the point where even some people in the band didn’t know. Anyway, when that band imploded I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to do something with this’, because I thought the songs were so strong.

Back in 1992 you told Raw magazine that you were mentoring a young band called British Lion: was that the same band?
Yeah, that’s how it originated. Over the years I’ve kept in touch with Richie and Graham, and then Richie was working with another guitarist called David Hawkins, who’s a really talented guy, and so we started writing songs together. So on the album there are six songs written with Richie and David, there’s one with just me and Richie, and the others are me, Richie, Graham and a couple of other guys that were around at the time.

So why is this the time for a Steve Harris solo album?
Because it’s ready, it’s finally, finally ready. The guys have been waiting very patiently for years for me, and it’s been frustrating at time, but what can I do, I’m so busy with Maiden. People have already said to me, ‘Are you going to do this instead of Maiden?’ and I’m like, ‘Of course not!’ Maiden is always going to be the priority, always has been and always will be, but it’s interesting and exciting to try new things.

No one reading this will have heard British Lion yet: how would you describe it?
Well, what I think and what other people will think might be two different things, but I’d say it’s more mainstream rock than metal, very British sounding, very 70s-influenced and quite commercial… but good commercial. There’s all kinds of stuff going on, with nods to The Who and UFO and some classic British rock bands, but it’s not the progressive rock album some might be expecting.

There’s quite a nostalgic feel to the album in places: is British Lion a homage to the music you grew up listening to?
You could say that, I suppose, but then you could probably say the same about Maiden. But yeah, the older you get the more nostalgic you are: you become more aware of your own mortality and start thinking weird and wonderful things… especially when you’ve had a few pints of Guinness!

Perhaps inevitably, there are elements of the classic Maiden sound in the album too. What was to stop a song such as Us Against The World ending up on a Maiden album?
Because it’s written with other people. There’s no way I’d ever bring anything to Maiden that was written with outside people because there’s no point: there’s a lot of great songwriters in Maiden and we don’t need or want any help.

Some people will be confused as to why you need to do a solo album at all, given that Maiden has always been your band: surely within Maiden you can do whatever you want?
Well, no Maiden isn’t really like that. Yes, on the early albums most of the songs are mine, but as we’ve gone into different eras with different people writing, there’s been more and more collaborations. And I think it’s been important for Maiden to do that rather than have me dictating everything. But I have bags full of ideas, so many that I couldn’t record them all in my lifetime, and I tried out a few different things on this, because I had the time to do experiment.

Will you tour British Lion with the band?
Yeah, I mean, what are my alternatives, playing acoustic bass on my own? We’ll definitely tour it. But there are no shows arranged yet, because we don’t know yet what we’ve got. I know we’ll be playing clubs, which is great because I’ve not played clubs for years, but do we play in front of 200 people, 400 people, 600? I’d be totally happy with 200 people a night, that’d be brilliant, but I just don’t know.

What expectations do you have for the album?
Truthfully, I don’t know what kind of reaction it’s going to get. And that’s quite exciting for me. Even with Maiden I don’t have expectations and this is a very different thing: this is stepping outside that safe Maiden bubble and finding out what’s going on in the real world.

Will British Lion free up other people in Maiden to do more solo stuff?
I think Bruce will do another one: we were talking about my album the other day and I think it got him thinking that it’s been 10 years since he last did one. So it’s probably time he did another one. Maybe this will prove to everyone that you can be in Maiden and do other stuff as well. And there’ll definitely be another British Lion record. I want to do more things with Maiden obviously, but if some of the guys decide that they don’t want to do as much in the future, then I’ve got this as well: this is my safety valve, because what else am I gonna do? I want to cram in as much as possible before I kick the bucket.

* British Lion will be released by EMI on September 24.

 

[Doodoobubbachuck]

I have been looking forward to hearing this! Thanks for the reminder! Yeeeeeeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kirsten "Bruce Chickinson"]

Indeed, should be interesting! I just realized we have one of Adrian's solo CDs here at the house. Listened to it in it's entirety. A bit poppish for my taste but solid nonetheless.

 

[Metallicat180]

Indeed, should be interesting! I just realized we have one of Adrian's solo CDs here at the house. Listened to it in it's entirety. A bit poppish for my taste but solid nonetheless.

That'll be ASAP then? I LOVE that album!!! My favourite song of theirs was actually the b-side of the Down The Wire single.



Top tune!!

 

[Kirsten "Bruce Chickinson"]

What song is the B-side? Our CD doesn't play on the other side...

 

[Metallicat180]

What song is the B-side? Our CD doesn't play on the other side...

Unfortunately, I have this album on every format BUT a cd!! I have never been able to get it on cd sadly.

 

[Traxan]

Well this is different.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/49913827