I didn't know that. We got a double cassette in the UK so I assume it was on that. I bought a few Maiden albums on tape in the 80s. I don't know why with the great sleeves, but it made sense then!
Running Free: great track! Simple and to the point l. I have made many a Maiden comp and greatest hits mix tapes/cds over the years and I have always lead them off with Running Free. Yes, the LAD video selection with the crowd participation is fantastic.
Steve “No Ears” Harris may be prime rib on the bass, but he’s absolutely provolone in the production seat; everything of Harris’ albums he’s produced - that I’ve heard - is awful. When my friends and I hear a horribly mixed or brickwalled recording, we say that producer is a graduate of the Steve Harris School of Production. But again, a beast on the bass.
Must be some sort of import, that one. And I thought that I'd owned all the original ep's back in the day...
and listening to the glorious soundstage on "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" from Fear of the Dark leads me to wish that Martin Birch would come out of retirement.
For some reason, "Running Free" reminds me of a Sweet song. I think it's the drum intro and the way the guitars swing into the song after the bass enters. It's kind of a groovy song if you think about it. Certainly one of their more basic, crunchers, but it runs off a pulsing, almost march like riff. Now, you say, how can a march like tune be "groovy", well the simple answer is Burr's creative drumming and Harris's bass fills. The one thing I've never particularly liked about the song is that I think it would have been more effective at 1:33 when the guitars do their quick riffs that the bass didn't play along that. A small quibble. Sometimes I think it's too important for Harris to be in on every riff and it's just not always necessary. Perhaps I'm looking at parts of this song with too critical of an eye, but, hey, that's kind of what this thread is about isn't it? But, yeah, I love "Running Free". Great anthem like tune with some neat guitar runs in it. Here's Iron Savior doing it.
Which isn’t say much, in my opinion. Harris’ bass is so up front in the mix that it ruins the listening experience for me.
Absolutely love how the harmony leads bookend Davey's blistering, trill-of-gloriousness speedy leads.
What I dig about X Factor's production is that the harmony leads are a bit subdued, makes you go hunting for them with your ears and is a big change of pace from the way-out-front guitar harmonies on X-Factor's predecessor, FOTD.
The first appearance of that "sound" that will come to Maiden for me, not quite the gallop Base line but a clear indication of their signature in the future. One of my faves on the 1St LP, it just a great song to listen to, and one of those that suits Di'Anno best.
Yeah, I definitely don't think the bass line is galloping here. The true "gallop" that Maiden is known for probably doesn't show up until a bit later.