“That riff is kind of awkward. But I love the song”: Adrian Smith names one of his favourite Iron Maiden tracks
Adrian Smith has confessed one of his favourite Iron Maiden tracks is “kind of awkward”.
During a new chat with Sonic Perspectives [via Ultimate Guitar] Smith names one of his favourites as Wrathchild, from Maiden’s 1981 album Killers.
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“That’s a great one,” he says. “It’s not a great one to play, weirdly. It’s kind of awkward to play. That riff is kind of awkward. But I like the song. I do love the song.”
Wrathchild appeared on Killers, which arrived just one year after Smith joined the band after declining an earlier invitation in 1979. When Dennis Stratton left the band, he was asked again and chose to accept, after his friendship with guitarist Dave Murray opened the door.
“When I was 15 years old, back in London, I met Dave Murray,” he recalls. “We became best buddies because no one else in our neighbourhood at the time was into Deep Purple and Free. We were crazy about it… All the other kids wanted to do was get cars, get married, and all that. Nothing wrong with that. But we wanted guitars, to be in a band. That was it.”
“Dave could play the guitar already, and I wanted to be in a band with him… I sang and learned guitar as I went along, and I did that right up until I joined Maiden.”
Despite not being released until 1981, several tracks from Killers appeared in Iron Maiden setlists as early as 1977, when Dennis Wilcock still fronted the band. A version of Wrathchild was recorded in 1979 and featured on the Metal For Muthas compilation in 1980 – a series of metal compilations made during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Era.
Wrathchild has also been covered by British metal band Sikth, female tribute band The Iron Maidens – which Nita Strauss was a member of from 2011 to 2015 – and by Gallows on a Kerrang! magazine Iron Maiden tribute album in 2008.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
