Iron Maiden Song By Song Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Nov 8, 2017.

  1. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Well, somebody in the band was originally interviewed for the 2007 doc, but the interview ultimately didn't make the cut
     
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  2. skisdlimit

    skisdlimit Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bellevue, WA
    Going by the North American release of Iron Maiden (I have the '88 Capitol CD):

    Prowler
    - this kicks things off to a good start; much has been written about early Maiden's punk influence, and I think it shows on this album more than any other, perhaps mainly due to Paul Di'Anno who could arguably have fronted any punk rock group, but really the whole band is captured at such a high energy level here that you couldn't exactly call them "dinosaurs" in thrall to earlier "heavy" stylings, metal or otherwise, so I suppose the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" has stuck for a reason.

    Remember Tomorrow - great haunting atmosphere; I can't recall live renditions with Bruce Dickinson on vocals, mainly because Di'Anno really nails it here making this song essentially both his own and my favorite track on the album. :)

    Running Free - I agree with other posts calling this the big hit that never quite was, and while it may seem "generic" enough for anyone to have played, one listen to those guitar bits in the middle should convince you that Iron Maiden was (and still is) a band of stellar musicians indeed.

    Phantom of the Opera - the first epic, and a signpost of more "proggy" compositions to come; this one, I'd say, has been performed quite well by Dickinson in later years, but the original is a definite highlight of the debut, and perhaps the entire Di'Anno era as previously noted in this thread.

    Transylvania - I'm not always big on instrumentals as album tracks, but this certainly fits, and adds to the somewhat eerie atmosphere I alluded to earlier, though perhaps not as much as the "Eddie" cover art, which is true for virtually all of Iron Maiden's oeuvre.

    Strange World - similar to "Remember Tomorrow" in terms of overall atmosphere, but perhaps stretched out a bit more, sounding like it could be the score to an epic movie that got indefinitely shelved, or a Pink Floyd/Rush album that never got made.

    Sanctuary - another sharp blast of rock, similar to "Prowler" above; I've only known this album with this track being on it, so I would miss it if it weren't here.

    Charlotte the Harlot - well, a little comic relief is usually welcome, so while it's good to see that Maiden had a sense of humor, even if this song may not have been intended specifically as such, I tend to regard it as something of a throwaway.

    Iron Maiden - the band's title track is also a bit underwhelming to me, and might have worked better if sequenced earlier in the album (or released as a standalone single), leaving "Phantom of the Opera" for an epic closer, much like what they did later with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" but I guess we'll discuss that when we get there.

    Not sure whether I'll comment on every song or album, but I do intend to keep reading. Wow, already at nearly 20 pages, and still only on the first album, which I think speaks volumes for this discussion topic! :righton:
     
  3. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Yeah, it totally blows me away.
     
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  4. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    It's great to see this thread getting so much interest, but perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. They are the best heavy metal band ever after all.
     
  5. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Me too, and now (decades later), "Going To California" is in my top 5 of Zeppelin tunes. Love "The Battle of Evermore" too, thanks to Sandy Danny.
     
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  6. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Same here. I'm also a big Sandy Denny fan now.
     
  7. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    STRANGE WORLD

    Of the two "soft" songs on the debut, I far prefer this tune. And as someone else points out, this one basically stays soft the whole time, making it an anomaly in the Maiden canon. Well, I guess "Prodigal Son" is similar, but it's more upbeat, with its quickly strummed acoustic/electric mix. Who woulda guessed that their most tender song ever was on a Dianno album!?!

    I particularly love the phaser added to the clean guitar arpeggios in the beginning of "Strange World." Ever since I first heard it and learned which pedal can approximate that sound, I've been a huge fan. I like it when it's used on the quiet passages on the early Rush albums, too, like the beginning of "The Necromancer." Once I started playing guitar, the lime green Boss Phaser (PH-2?) was the first pedal I saved up for.
     
  8. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Another "quiet phaser" classic: the beginning and ending of Blackmore's late 70s live versions of "Catch The Rainbow." I'm barely even worthy to listen to it. ;)
     
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  9. SizzleVonSizzleton

    SizzleVonSizzleton The Last Yeti

    I figured you acknowledged Sun and Steel but didn't mention Gangland so you're not a fan of the latter tune.

    Gangland is certainly a controversial song especially since Total Eclipse was put onto The Number of the Beast. Gangland wasn't popular before that but now it feels like it's really shunned.
     
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  10. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Oh, I see. I don't particularly dislike Gangland. It's OK, but an unmemorable filler track.
     
  11. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I think both "Charlotte the Harlot" and the sequel, "22 Acacia Avenue" are both highly overrated. But I guess we'll get to all these songs soon enough.
     
  12. Cooks420

    Cooks420 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    People are so dang excited about this Maiden thread, we’re ALL over the effing place up in here! I have zero clue what song we’re up to; someone give me a nudge when we’re up to my girl Charlotte.
     
  13. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    That will be Thursday
     
  14. Cooks420

    Cooks420 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    Thank you kindly; my body is ready.
     
  15. gad999

    gad999 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    For any UK people the The Book Of Souls: The Live Chapter / deluxe 2CD is currently £10 at Amazon UK!!
     
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  16. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Sanctuary:

    And now onto Sanctuary, credited to the band as a whole. Originally, it was a stand alone single, but in North America, it was the seventh track on the album, and second on the 1998 remaster. However, the 2015 remasters went back to the original tracklist. This track is written about an outlaw seeking sanctuary from the law, a theme that would be revisited on future tracks. Despite performing better than Running Free as a single, there was controversy over the single's cover, which depicts Eddie killing Margaret Thatcher, and the cover was later censored. However, Derek Riggs claimed the controversy was manufactured by management to generate publicity and record sales (and I could honestly believe that).
    The song starts with a crunchy almost punkish riff, but more hardcore punk. Since I love me some punk, you can guess how this is gonna go. The full band comes in at :03, and Steve throws in some tasty bass playing that is about as virtuostic as this song gets, which is very primal otherwise. I will say I love Stratton's solo at 1:11, not something I normally identify with him based on everything I have read, and Murray's solo at 1:30 is good too, but I think I'll give this song to Stratton, even though I normally favor Murray. And of course, I love Di'Anno on here, total badassery.
    I love this song, and as I said before, I perfer this as Track Seven over being Track Two.
     
  17. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Live in 1980:

    I adore this version, so raw, so powerful, so hungry, I adore it.
     
  18. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Metal for Mothas:

    This is pretty cool, more metal. A strong version, but I'll give the edge to the 1980 version.
     
  19. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    A TV performance from 1981:

    Another strong performance, although Paul isn't quite as strong here as usual.
     
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  20. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Live in Rio (2001):

    Bruce isn't too bad here, when Dave raises his guitar to play that riff-SO BADASS! Adrian is great on that first solo. Overall, a Grade A performance.
     
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  21. Standoffish

    Standoffish Smarter than a turkey

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Sanctuary

    Steve can talk all he wants about no punk influence, but virtuoso guitar solos aside, this is punk. The drums sound straight out of a Minor Threat song. Strong vocals. I dig this track.
     
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  22. BluesOvertookMe

    BluesOvertookMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX, USA
    Because Jann Wenner doesn't like metal.
     
  23. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    "Sanctuary" is another favorite of mine from this album. I tend to like the concise, hard hitting rockers like this one. The long, dragged out "epic" pieces are fine, too, but they usually get a little tedious with some of Steve's over indulgent bass licks or lengthy, involved middle pieces. "Sanctuary" hits you in the face and it's a fairly simple tune (meaning it runs off a central riff and that's about it). You can say it's "punk" and it certainly has that feel to it, but it's far too tight to truly be a punk song (but the Ramones were very tight, so hmm). My favorite part of the song are the little bass flourishes Steve does in tandem with Clive when the song rolls back into the full band after the guitar is playing the main riff by itself. Excellent song and I've always considered it part of the original album even though it isn't on the European releases (is that right?).
     
  24. BluesOvertookMe

    BluesOvertookMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX, USA
    How I got into Maiden:

    In 1981, my grandparents sent me to a church function that was someone telling us about the evils of rock music, including backwards masking. He played some Iron Maiden, what I later found to be Wrathchild, and I was sold. Bought the first two albums on cassette at Kmart that next weekend.
     
  25. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Lesson: Tell kids that's one thing is bad, they're going to do it.
     
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