Drinking Game! Everyone takes a drink when someone puts "gallop" in their post...on second thought, bad idea. We'll all be dead of liver failure by 7th Son...and I love that album. Running Free Love the swingin' drums - not something I associate with Maiden. I can see why some fans prefer Clive. Di'Anno's back to his weak vocals. You can tell he's not the singer to help make Maiden a global sensation. Pretty good song, but I'm looking forward to the next one...
Great stream and the band + Bruce were truly in their top form as usual. Excellent performance, enthusiasm, ambition and intensity very present. Thank you, Iron Maiden, for this amazing live. And thank you for everything you do for your fans all these years. ❤️ Did you see the end of the stream after the credits? Eddie was put into roadiecase by roadie, Bruce said that this was it for the Book Of Souls, plus the following video with next mondays date 13.11.17: Found from facebook: Iron Maiden Here's the whole show (you can scroll to the very end to see the things after credits): I wonder what they will announce then? New history tour?
Metallica’s cover is definitely lacking the emotion of BÖC’s, but I don’t believe Metallica was attempting to capture that essence of the song. But, in my opinion, the cover version didn’t need to - it was written to rock straight up, and I believe it does so more than sufficiently. That all being said, generally speaking, I do prefer the original.
I really like Running Free. My introduction to this song was the epic audience participation version from Live After Death. "Los Angeleze destroyed my hearing!" Enjoy the studio recording as well and it's nice to have a few Iron Maiden songs that are nice and short. Perfect song.
Count me among the minority, but I really prefer Running Free as a 3 minute romp than an 8 minute audience participation singalong. I was going to say I didn't really like the song until I caught myself singing along at the top of my voice as I cranked the s/t. One of the benefits of "working from home" haha!
This is the cryptic pic at the end of the stream, now internet is going wild and guessing what will happen? If it tour for next as some leaked information claims, it could be Legacy Of The Beast tour? Setlist? We're living exciting times mates! Up The Irons!
Running Free. Simple, basic and to the point. Influenced by Priests chestbeating anthems off Killing Machine for me...not a bad thing either. They performed this live on Top Of The Pops....refusing to mime, which was the norm back then.
Running Free Clive's drum intro make it feel like it'll be more of a dance song, but once the guitars come in, you know it's serious business. I love the snarl from Paul in his vocal here. He's really proud of being a hooligan. It's a catchy song, but the verses and choruses are pretty stock. Not much going on aside from the riffs and attitude. For me, the two "breaks" are what really elevates the song. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of "FU" attitude here and I love that, but there's just not a lot of substance. The harmony patterns in the first break are pretty iconic. In the second break I appreciate how it builds from the guitar riff, to Clive's fills to finally the harmonies with Steve's bass thumping along. It's interesting to me how for so many years I'd never heard this live and it was one that I really wanted to hear...and now I've heard it so much in recent years that I'm quite sick of it. I wish they didn't tend to run songs into the ground, but people still want to hear them play these "hits" live. As for the song itself, in this version from the debut, I think it's OK. It does the job. I think it was a good choice for the first single where if you hear it you think "oh, there's some cool stuff going on there, nice guitars, etc", but then you buy the album and get really blown away by the rest of it.
Here's a fun rarity - the first version of Running Free. This was recorded at the same 1979 session as Burning Ambition (with Doug Sampson on drums, I believe) but the band re-recorded it and used the version from the debut as the single. This is sometimes referred to as the "1979 Demo". It was only issued on an Australian metal compilation album called Axe Attack in 1980, and only on the first pressing at that! Pretty rare and I wish the band would "officially" release it on some future Deluxe Edition or something. I actually like this version better than the one on the debut. Interesting in how Dave gets some extra guitar flourishes in the first break and there's NO guitar in the second break. Also no background vocals on the final chorus refrain.
"Running Free" is one of those songs that is so catchy that it could have been a "hit" on American rock radio like "Crazy Train" or "Living After Midnight".
"Running Free" was a great song for the early days of the Walkman, making one feel cooler-than-thou while stalking the city streets. And it sounds better than ever today. They never knew how good they were when they kept it short and snappy.
Phantom Of the Opera: And now Track Four, "Phantom of the Opera, inspired by the 1910 novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux that would later be adapted into a stage musical and many films. Before you ask if I have seen any of them, I saw that Gerard Butler one. The song would later be referenced on the back cover of Somewhere In Time in the from of a "Phantom Opera House". Steve Harris, who is the sole writer of this song (honestly, the literature reference and no Dickinson in sight kind of gives it way), explained that the track was written in parts, and it is one of his favorite Iron Maiden tracks, and as a result, it is one of the most played Iron Maiden songs live. The song starts with a cool little lick backed by Arry's bass, and I believe it's Murray playing the riff, it sounds like him to these ears. And oh, when the harmonizing guitars kick in, it is SO badass, and when Di'anno signals the band to start at :20, and Clive is laying it down, pummeling along with Arry, Murray, and Stratton, and the rhythm has a very erratic, anxious feel to it, just perfect for this song, you're being chased and stalked by a shadowy figure, much mythologized but rarely if ever actually seen. When Di'anno comes in at :56, I'll be honest these sections I can hear a little Dickinson, but there are other parts of the vocal that are total Di'anno, there's this vicious menace to his voice, you don't want to **** with this guy. Seriously, keep your distance, walk a-wayay. Which reminds me, that part at 2:05 where it slows down, and yeah, this part is pure Di'anno, and I love the backing vocals which are not clean by any means, but they work perfectly for this song. And of course, we have the first solo at 2:47 played by Murray, a slower solo that has a great deal of feeling to it, and I honestly could hear H playing this. Obviously he's not the same player that Murray is, but this seems right up his alley. And wow, when it slows down and at 3:20 and then the bass and clean, presise guitar harmonies come in, it's genius I tell you, genius! At 4:34, it starts picking up again, and it has the gallop, but with a bit of swing courtesy of the late great Clive Burr. At 5:09, Murray plays his second solo which is so great, and Stratton's response at 5:26 is excellent as well. Again, that is Murray's greatest strength: baiting the other guy to top him. He is the set up, and the other is the payoff. And once we reprise the beginning, it is awesome. This is a perfect song, it is seven minutes long, and never feels like it. You can hear a lot of future Maiden in this, there are parts you can clearly hear Dickinson and Adrian do, and yet, it is so Di'anno at the same time. On a scale of one to ten, I give it the 1999 Reunion.
Live After Death: This is a really good version, I will admit, Bruce did really well with it. And the band is so on point.
At Download 2013: A bit slower, but still good, Bruce is in great voice. Dave nails that first solo, the flame bit was fun, hammy but fun, and I like Adrian and even Janick, I think his erratic style actually worked here. But yes, some of his prancing makes you go WTF?
They played Phantom on the SIT tour and I nearly lost my young teenage mind. I've outgrown some of the music I listened to in the 80s, but never Maiden. This song sounds as fresh today as it did when I first heard it. My best friend at the time was a bass player and he was constantly pointing out what a Beast Steve Harris is.
Yep, that should be history-tour if they follow that usual pattern. Tomorrow we will probably know more.. I think this was one very good comment on the subject, I found it from some Maiden-forums:
I think Phantom of the Opera is easily the best Maiden song from Di'Anno era and one of the best Maiden tunes in general.
