The Faithful readers of my blog may be wondering why Iron Maiden, or Slayer, or Anthrax haven't been covered in my 1980's entries. I didn't discover Iron Maiden until my junior year of high school, Slayer until college, and Anthrax until junior high.
The two former bands rose to popularity during the height of the "satanic panic" when every news media outlet, and conservative group had accused these bands of practicing Satanism. My parents wouldn't let me own their albums during that time period from 1983 - 1993 when virtually everybody in rock music had been accused of worshipping the devil. By 1993 a sub genre of Hip Hop called "Gangsta Rap" rose to popularity and those same media outlets and conservative groups found a new target, and suddenly the sensational journalism surrounding these metal bands disappeared.
I've decided to write entries of essential songs by the artists who were around during the 80's and 90's that I didn't discover until later in life to fill in the gaps of anything missing from the years in my other entries. For this entry I give you Iron Maiden who have sold over 80 million records world wide, and are still making great music to this day.
Iron Maiden have an interesting background to say the least. They were formed in the mid to late 1970's in the U.K. at a time when heavy metal was almost a dying art. Punk Rock was the thing during that time for British teenagers, and the kids had turned their backs on Black Sabbath. Then came the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Iron Maiden sounded like a punk band at first and the British teenagers who were into punk accepted Iron Maiden with open arms. Members of Iron Maiden to this day deny any punk influence, but if you listen to the first two Iron Maiden albums it's obvious that they were influenced by punk. Listen to their B-side "Burning Ambition" It's everything punk rock is about.
I really look up to and admire this band. They are great guys, and they sold over 80 million records with little to no radio airplay. In 1982 when they fired original lead singer Paul Dianno and brought in Bruce Dickinson as their lead singer they were about to become a force to be reckoned with.
Bruce is an amazing guy in his own right. He's a fencer, he is the pilot of the band's Boeing 757 plane dubbed "Ed Force One", fly's himself, the band, their crew and all their equipment from continent to continent and still is able to run around on stage with high energy and deliver a great performance at every concert. Did I mention he is 58 years old? I hope to have that much energy when I'm that age.
I first discovered Iron Maiden in 1997 while watching the 1985 Dario Argento Film "Phenomena" which is also known by it's heavily cut version in America "Creepers." In one of the scenes a song by Iron Maiden called "Flash Of The Blade" played. It was instant love. I immediately went out and bought their 1984 album "Powerslave" that included that song. After hearing that album, I took it upon myself to discover the rest of their material.
This entry is the first in a two part series. In a future entry I will post their work from 1991 - 2016. Here's 42 songs to get you started.
Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.
...on to the playlist.
1. Prowler.
2. Sanctuary.
3. Remember Tomorrow. - This is one of my favorite songs from the first album. It's a ballad that turns into a rocker.
4. Running Free.
5. Phantom Of The Opera. - I remember seeing Iron Maiden live in 2005 on Ozzfest. On the tour they were only playing songs from the first four albums. One of my friends who attended the festival with me is a Hippy through and through but he also likes metal. When lead singer Bruce Dickinson introduced this song he said to the audience " This song right here is the definition of heavy metal and if you don't believe me you can go listen to some f*cking hippy sh*t like the Dave Matthews Band." I remember my friend being highly offended by that statement.
6. Iron Maiden. - The band closes every show with this song, and the band's huge robotic mascot "Eddie" comes out on stage during it and harrasses the members of the band.
7. The Ides Of March/Wrathchild. - This is really two songs but they belong together. The first is an instrumental, and it transitions nicely into Wrathchild.
8. Murders In The Rue Morgue.
9. Another Life.
10. Innocent Exile.
11. Killers. - This song sounds so creepy and evil.
12. Purgatory. - The first Iron Maiden shirt I ever owned had the cover from this single on it. I got it on their "Give Me Ed Till I'm Dead" tour in 2003.
As opening acts they had Motorhead and Dio. The Lead singers of both of the opening acts are now deceased and I'm glad I got to see Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio perform live before both of their deaths from cancer.
13. The Prisoner - This song is based off the BBC TV series "The Prisoner."
14. The Number Of The Beast. - This song caused a lot of controversy for the band and got them labeled as Satanists. It's probably the song they're most known for.
15. Run To The Hills - This song is one of the few by Iron Maiden that got played on the radio. It's about Native Americans, and the battles they faced to keep their land.
16. Gangland.
17. Hallowed Be Thy Name. - The story in this song is told from the perspective of a woman falsely accused of being a witch before being burned at the stake.
18. Where Eagles Dare. - Nicko's drumming is great on this song, and so is Steve's bass playing. I think Steve Harris is the best bass player in the world.
19. The Flight Of Icarus.
20. Die With Your Boots On.
21. The Trooper. - This song is about "The Charge Of The Light Brigade." It's a fan favorite too.
22. Still Life. - This is one of my favorites. Bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, and Judas Priest were accused of putting backward messages in the music and brainwashing kids to worship the devil. So Nicko thought it would be funny to record a backwards message for the intro. When played forward it's a funny message with a belch at the end. I forget exactly what it says.
23. Aces High.
24. 2 Minutes To Midnight.
25. Losfer Words (Big Orra). - This is a great instrumental song.
26. Flash Of The Blade. - The song that started it all for me.
27. The Duelists.
28. Back In The Village.
29. Powerslave. - This song is about Egyptian Pharoahs.
30. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. - There's always tons of history lessons on an Iron Maiden album.
31. Wasted Years. - The message in this song is great, and it's a very catchy tune too. The message is to not spend your time in the past, to live in the now, and make every day going forward the best of your life.
32. Heaven Can Wait.
33. Stranger In A Strange Land. - Bruce Dickinson once said in an interview that you can't have synthesizers in heavy metal. I'm guessing this isn't a heavy metal song because it has synths.
34. Moonchild. - This song is so epic.
35. Can I Play With Madness?
36. The Evil That Men Do. - This is one of those Maiden songs that's so catchy you'll be singing the chorus for days.
37. The Clairvoyant.
38. Tailgunner.
39. Holy Smoke. - This song is about the Televangelists that would dupe people into sending them money in exchange for eternal salvation. I think the lyrics " Died on the cross and that ain't funny, but my so called friends are making me a joke. They missed out what I said like I never spoke. They choose what they want to hear. They don't tell a lie. They just leave out the truth as they're watching you die" sums up what these fire and brimstone preachers are all about.
40. Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter.
41. Revelations.
42. Sun And Steel.
Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: 1989.
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