Although Iron Maiden have gone through a number of line-up changed over the years, Steve is still the driving force (and many consider genius) behind the band.
The band has been very successfull over the years, with many singles and albums doing well in the charts in both the US and UK. Iron Maiden were the first band to sell out top US venue Long Beach Arena 4 days running, and have played literally hundreds of other venues world-wide.
The recent return of singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith (and departure of former Wolfsbane frontman Blaze Bayley) has resulted in a Maiden which resembles that of the glory days, and fans worldwide hope that the upcoming album and tour will result in a resurgence of interest.
See http://www.ironmaiden.com/
Iron Maiden
Original tracklisting: Prowler, Remember Tomorrow, Running Free, Phantom Of The Opera, Transylvania, Strange World, Charlotte The Harlot, Iron Maiden.
Iron Maiden's debut album, which is the only album to have Dennis Stratton on guitars. He would be replaced by Adrian Smith at the end of 1980. The title track (and Iron Maiden anthem) is still played at every concert, and during it, Eddie comes on stage, which for most fans is the highlight of the show. The 1998 re-release of the album has an extra song added, Sanctuary. This track was also on the original US release, but not on the original European version. Running Free was released as a single prior to the album's release, Sanctuary followed a bit later.
Original tracklisting: The Ides Of March, Wrathchild, Murders In The Rue Morgue, Another Life, Genghis Khan, Innocent Exile, Killers, Prodigal Son, Purgatory, Drifter.
The follow-up to their debut album, was released in 1981, and is the first album to have Adrian Smith on guitars. The 1998 re-release of the album has an extra song: Twilight Zone. Purgatory was released as a single.
Original tracklisting: Invaders, Children Of The Damned, The Prisoner, 22 Acacia Avenue, The Number Of The Beast, Run To The Hills, Gangland, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
This album was the real break-through for Iron Maiden. Paul Di'Anno was fired because of his smoking and drinking habits which wuld ruin his voice. He was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, former singer of Samson. The 1998 re-release of the album has an extra song, Total Eclipse, which was originally a b-side for the Run To The Hills single, but the band regretted it for not putting it on the album, because they liked the song better then Gangland. This album marks the beginning of what most Iron Maiden fans call the "golden era". Run To The Hills and the title track of the album were released as singles.
Tracklisting: Where Eagles Dare, Revelations, Flight Of Icarus, Die With Your Boots On, The Trooper, Still Life, Quest For Fire, Sun And Steel, To Tame A Land.
Exit Clive Burr, enter Nicko McBrain, former drummer of Trust. This line-up would last for 4 studio albums, the longest line-up in Iron Maiden's history to date. Flight Of Icarus and The Trooper were the single releases for this album.
Tracklisting: Aces High, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Losfer Words (Big 'Orra), Flash Of The Blade, The Duellists, Back In The Village, Powerslave, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.
The follow-up to 1983's successful Piece Of Mind album, was the even more successful Powerslave. It contains Iron Maiden's longest song to date, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. This album launched the massive World Slavery Tour throughout 1984 and 1985, on which the live album Live After Death was recorded. 2 Minutes To Midnight and Aces High were released on single.
Tracklisting: Churchill's Speech, Aces High, 2 Minutes To Midnight, The Trooper, Revelations, Flight Of Icarus, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Powerslave, The Number Of The Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, Run To The Hills, Running Free, Wrathchild, Children Of The Damned, 22 Acacia Avenue, Die With Your Boots On, Phantom Of The Opera.
Recorded live during the World Slavery Tour in 1984 and 1985. Running Free and Run To The Hills were both released as singles during 1985.
Tracklisting: Caught Somewhere In Time, Wasted Years, Sea Of Madness, Heaven Can Wait, The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, Stranger In A Strange Land, Deja-Vu, Alexander The Great.
After taking a short break, Iron Maiden returned in 1986 with Somewhere In Time, a scifi themed album. This was the first album on which they began experimenting with synths, and is less agressive then its predecessors. Wasted Years was the first single of this album, with Stranger In A Strange Land being the second.
Tracklisting: Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, Can I Play With Madness, The Evil That Men Do, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, The Prophecy, The Clairvoyant, Only The Good Die Young.
The last album of what most fans consider the "golden era" of Iron Maiden, and also the last album which has Adrian Smith on guitar, until his return in 1999. The album has a mystical theme, and half the album tells one bigger story. Can I Play With Madness and The Evil That Men Do were released in their album versions on single, while live versions of The Clairvoyant and Infinite Dreams were released on single a while later.
Tracklisting: Tailgunner, Holy Smoke, No Prayer For The Dying, Public Enema Number One, Fates Warning, The Assassin, Run Silent, Run Deep, Hooks In You, Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Mother Russia.
Adrian Smith left at the end of 1990, in came Janick Gers, who also played on Bruce Dickinson's 1990 solo album Tattooed Millionaire. This album has a more raw sound and simpler songs then the previous two albums. It is considered one of Maiden's worst albums by many fans. Holy Smoke and Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter were released as singles.
Tracklisting: Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternity, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Fear Is The Key, Childhood's End, Wasting Love, The Fugitive, Chains Of Misery, The Apparition, Judas Be My Guide, Weekend Warriors, Fear Of The Dark.
No line-up changes this time. Although this album is considered one of Maiden's worst albums, it does feature the fan-favorite songs Fear Of The Dark and Afraid To Shoot Strangers. Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternity and Wasting Love were released as singles, although Wasting Love is very rare.
Tracklisting: Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternity, Can I Play With Madness, Wasting Love, Tailgunner, The Evil That Men Do, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Heaven Can Wait, The Clairvoyant, Fear Of The Dark.
This album was recorded live on various locations on the Fear Of The Dark World Tour in 1992. During this tour, Bruce Dickinson announced that he would be leaving Iron Maiden. So they released this album, and did a small farewell tour for Bruce. One single was released from this album: Fear Of The Dark.
Tracklisting: The Number Of The Beast, The Trooper, Prowler, Transylvania, Remember Tomorrow, Where Eagles Dare, Sanctuary, Running Free, Run To The Hills, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Iron Maiden, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
This album was recorded live on various locations on the Fear Of The Dark World Tour in 1992 and A Real Live Tour in 1993. In 1998 it was re-released together with A Real Live One as a double cd called A Real Live Dead One. Hallowed Be Thy Name was released as a single, and the cover artwork depicted Eddie as a devil, with Bruce being impaled on his fork.
Tracklisting: Be Quick Or Be Dead, The Number Of The Beast, Wrathchild, From Here To Eternity, Can I Play With Madness, Wasting Love, Tailgunner, The Evil That Men Do, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Fear Of The Dark, Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, The Clairvoyant, Heaven Can Wait, Run To The Hills, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Iron Maiden, Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Trooper, Sanctuary, Running Free.
Recorded live at Donnington Monsters Of Rock 1992, on August 22, 1992. Originally released as a limited edition, but in 1998 it was re-released.
Tracklisting: Sign Of The Cross, Lord Of The Flies, Man On The Edge, Fortunes Of War, Look For The Truth, The Aftermath, Judgment Of Heaven, Blood On The World's Hands, The Edge Of Darkness, 2 A.M., The Unbeliever.
Blaze Bayley replaced Bruce Dickinson on vocals. This album is a lot darker then the previous albums, in both music and lyrics. A lot of fans had a bit of trouble adjusting to Blaze's vocals, since they differ a lot from Bruce's. Man On The Edge and Lord Of The Flies were released as singles.
Tracklisting: Virus, Sign Of The Cross, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Be Quick Or Be Dead, Fear Of The Dark, Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, Holy Smoke, The Clairvoyant, Can I Play With Madness, The Evil That Men Do, Heaven Can Wait, Wasted Years, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Running Free, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Aces High, Where Eagles Dare, The Trooper, The Number Of The Beast, Run To The Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Wrathchild, Phantom Of The Opera, Sanctuary, Strange World, Iron Maiden.
A complation of Iron Maiden's best songs, from all periods of their existence. A new song, Virus, can only be found on this album. Virus was released on single too.
Tracklisting: Futureal, The Angel & The Gambler, Lightning Strikes Twice, The Clansman, When Two Worlds Collide, The Educated Fool, Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger, Como Estais Amigos.
This is the second and last album to have Blaze Bayley on vocals, and featured less darker music and lyrics then The X Factor. Once again two singles: The Angel & The Gambler and Futureal.
Tracklisting: Iron Maiden, The Trooper, The Number Of The Beast, Wrathchild, Futureal, Fear Of The Dark, Be Quick Or Be Dead, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Man On The Edge, Aces High, The Evil That Men Do, Wasted Years, Powerslave, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run To The Hills, The Clansman, Phantom Of The Opera, Killers, Stranger In A Strange Land, Tailgunner.
A computer game with a soundtrack of 20 of Iron Maiden's best songs, as voted by the fans. The version released in the U.S. had a hidden song: a re-recorded version of Wrathchild, with Bruce Dickinson on vocals.
Tracklisting: The Wicker Man, Ghost Of The Navigator, Brave New World, Blood Brothers, The Mercenary, Dream Of Mirrors, The Fallen Angel, The Nomad, Out Of The Silent Planet, The Thin Line Between Love And Hate.
The return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith to Iron Maiden also meant that Blaze Bayley had to go. Singles from this album were The Wicker Man and Out Of The Silent Planet.
Added September 27, 2000
Lyrics:
See the blood begin to flow As it falls upon the floor Iron Maiden can't be fought Iron Maiden can't be sought
Oh Well, wherever, wherever you are Iron Maiden's gonna get you no matter how far See the blood flow watching it shed up above my head Iron Maiden wants you for dead
This principle was well-known to the proprietors of the Hanoi Hilton, and is why their method of forcing prisoners to stand at attention for long periods of time was so effective without being particularly gruesome.
Since the day i heard the band until today, Iron Maiden has always been the most influential band for me. With their lyrics and feelings they give me, i easily and comfortly passed my angry teenage phase.
It was when i was 7 years old, i was so jealous of my brother's t-shirt and cried until my mom got me an Iron Maiden t-shirt too. Then after i grew up, i got into metal, i learned English and they had the best lyrics i've ever read. Like the songs, hallowed be thy name (it tells a story of a prisoner going to execution, best part is "as the guards march me out to the courtyard someone calls from a cell 'god be with you' if there's a god then why has he let me die?") or wasted years (it tells us to be proud and strong, which it is very important for a teenager].
Their first two albums can be described by new type of rock'n roll with non-sense lyrics, but with thrash metal and their political lyrics, Iron Maiden started to write some lyrics that make sense. For example, instead of writing "walking through the city looking oh so pretty i've just got to find my way,"(Prowler, album Iron Maiden) they started to write "white man came across the sea he brought us pain and misery killed our tribes killed our creed took our game for his own need" (Run to the Hills, album Number of the Beast.
The last but not least, they are not just rockstars, they are more human than anybody in the scene. Steve Harris is a West Ham United and football fan, Bruce Dickinson is an author and also a captain, he says "at the moment i'm flying planes full-time and it's now my proper day job until the maiden tour next year." He's also a fencer. You can see them in normal day life in the of Wasted Years
The Iron Maiden Conspiracies
As we know, Iron Maiden is one of the most famous Heavy Metal bands out there today. With a huge base of fans across the world from many different walks of life, it seems only natural that there would be some conspiracy theories along the way. I write this node to inform you about the major conspiracies and rumours encircling Iron Maiden. Whether the rumours are true or false - you decide.
1. The Drumming on `Virtual XI'. The drumming on Iron Maiden's 11th album `Virtual XI' was not done by the drummer Nicko McBrain but instead by the bassist (and founder) Steve Harris. This idea came about when a theory arose about the construction of the album. The theory goes that Steve writes the basic drumming track so Nicko has an idea about what to play. A lot of people began to comment about the finalised drumming tracks on the album not being up to Nicko's usual standard and that Steve must have done the drumming for the album. The theorist said that there was no evidence that Nicko had done the drums, and he refused to believe he had.
The drummer Nicko McBrain reputedly said to a small group of fans attending a Drum Test before a gig that Steve did not do the drum tracks but he himself did. It was also pointed out to the theorist that even if Nicko had been sick or otherwise incapacitated and couldn't do it, they'd either have waited for him to get better, or got a studio drummer in.
2. Virtual XI Bass - Although the original post on the Iron Maiden Bulletin Boards have been lost through the sands of time. I have been able to piece together how the rumour started. Someone posted something along the lines of;
"This was from an interview in The Times today... `Jim: "Nicko, is it true you played the bass on the Virtual XI album?" Nicko: "Yes it is, Jim.' There, proof beyond all doubt that Nicko really played the bass on VXI! Spread the word!"
3. Fear Of The Dark Vocals. For this rumour I actually do have the post in question. Mostly because it's the latest rumour to hit the BB
"Source: www.realrumoursthataretrue.com/blaze1104.html In the light of getting a new band together, RRTAT had the rare opportunity to speak to Blaze Bayley, former Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden frontman. Some very shocking things were found out in the interview! RRTAT: "Blaze, how do feel about the complete change in your band's line-up over the last year? Blaze: "It's not easy to cope with, having people coming and going all the time. With John Slater and Steve Wray I thought we had a stable foundation within the band after Rob Naylor left, but it wasn't to be." RRTAT: "Did it make you think about giving your musical career a rest?" Blaze: "Of course not! Lots of bands go through changes and come out of it even stronger. When Paul Di'Anno left Maiden, they got Bruce to replace him, and look how much the band's success soared! I hope that with the brilliant new musicians BLAZE now have, we can get back out on the road in earnest to support the new album." RRTAT: "Talking of Maiden, have you had the time to pick up their new DVD?" Blaze: "Not yet, but I plan to very soon. To be honest there are lots of things that even I don't know about the early days of the band!" RRTAT: "Are you excited about the possibility of being involved in the making of a subsequent DVD release, detailing your time in Maiden?" Blaze: "Yeah, it'll be great to be able to tell my story as the singer of the greatest band in the world. I have some old footage of some of the performances we did on The X Factor and Virtual XI shows, and more than anything I'd love the fans to be able to see what the band were like at that time. Of course, there's also the little unknown stories about my involvement with Maiden, even before Bruce announced his departure." RRTAT: "Really? Would you feel like telling us?" Blaze: "I think that'll lie in rest for now." RRTAT: "Oh you think so? Well I just happen to have a contract here for a certain record and management company who'll actually promote your albums properly and let you do decent-length world tours in lots of different countries and venues... but if you're not interested..." Blaze: "Hey, every man has his price, I'm sold! Well, not many people know that Bruce didn't actually sing all of 'Fear of the Dark'. The start, the start, the start, the start, the start... it's me!" RRTAT: "Are you mad?" Blaze: "I'm tough as steel!" RRTAT: "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. So Blaze, are you saying, under the oath of the sacred truth of all news and media, that you sang the quiet bit at the beginning of 'Fear of the Dark'?" Blaze: "Yes. Yes I am." RRTAT: "This interview's over!" ----------------------------------- Not a lot of people know THAT!"
In the light of getting a new band together, RRTAT had the rare opportunity to speak to Blaze Bayley, former Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden frontman. Some very shocking things were found out in the interview!
RRTAT: "Blaze, how do feel about the complete change in your band's line-up over the last year?
Blaze: "It's not easy to cope with, having people coming and going all the time. With John Slater and Steve Wray I thought we had a stable foundation within the band after Rob Naylor left, but it wasn't to be."
RRTAT: "Did it make you think about giving your musical career a rest?"
Blaze: "Of course not! Lots of bands go through changes and come out of it even stronger. When Paul Di'Anno left Maiden, they got Bruce to replace him, and look how much the band's success soared! I hope that with the brilliant new musicians BLAZE now have, we can get back out on the road in earnest to support the new album."
RRTAT: "Talking of Maiden, have you had the time to pick up their new DVD?"
Blaze: "Not yet, but I plan to very soon. To be honest there are lots of things that even I don't know about the early days of the band!"
RRTAT: "Are you excited about the possibility of being involved in the making of a subsequent DVD release, detailing your time in Maiden?"
Blaze: "Yeah, it'll be great to be able to tell my story as the singer of the greatest band in the world. I have some old footage of some of the performances we did on The X Factor and Virtual XI shows, and more than anything I'd love the fans to be able to see what the band were like at that time. Of course, there's also the little unknown stories about my involvement with Maiden, even before Bruce announced his departure."
RRTAT: "Really? Would you feel like telling us?"
Blaze: "I think that'll lie in rest for now."
RRTAT: "Oh you think so? Well I just happen to have a contract here for a certain record and management company who'll actually promote your albums properly and let you do decent-length world tours in lots of different countries and venues... but if you're not interested..."
Blaze: "Hey, every man has his price, I'm sold! Well, not many people know that Bruce didn't actually sing all of 'Fear of the Dark'. The start, the start, the start, the start, the start... it's me!"
RRTAT: "Are you mad?"
Blaze: "I'm tough as steel!"
RRTAT: "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. So Blaze, are you saying, under the oath of the sacred truth of all news and media, that you sang the quiet bit at the beginning of 'Fear of the Dark'?"
Blaze: "Yes. Yes I am."
RRTAT: "This interview's over!"
-----------------------------------
Not a lot of people know THAT!"
For those that can't be arsed to read it all: In summary it says that Blaze Bayley sung the intro to the famous Iron Maiden song 'Fear of The Dark'. Many people took this rumour seriously (including me).
4. `Sirensvoice' - A person who claims to have done a lot for Iron Maiden. The most prolific claim he has made is that he wrote the lyrics to the Iron Maiden single "Wildest Dreams", he sent them to Bruce Dickinson, who claimed them as his own. He also claims to have told the band to release "Visions of the Beast" a compilation of videos - and he told Maiden to support its release with a tour. The most recent of his claims is that he told Iron Maiden to release a DVD chronicling the history of the bands early days, entitled "Early Days". I expect when they support the DVD with a tour, he will have said the tour was his idea. In light of the recent murder of 'Dimebag' Darell, I have deemed this to be a very dangerous and suspicious rumour.
5. Blaze is the Messiah. Another Rumour about vocalist Blaze Bayley. This one came about the release of his First album "Silicon Messiah". The album featured pictures of Blaze looking a bit... well... messiahish.
6. Iron Maiden are Satanists - This rumour has been floating around ever since Iron Maiden's third album Circa 1982 'The Number Of The Beast'. They say the lyrics in the song praise Satan etc... Let me clear this one up for you - Iron Maiden are not Satanists. The song was based on a dream Steve Harris had. Thats all there is to it.
In conclusion, all of these rumours - unfounded as they may be - are all, without exception, true.
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