Iron Maiden to Celebrate 35 Years of Heavy Metal!

[Brian Damage]

Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden have abandoned plans to quit after their next album, insisting they'll keep rocking well into old age. Just last year, bassist Steve Harris suggested the group was close to disbanding, and that band members would walk away after the next release.

He said, "We've always said we're only going to do 15 albums; we're coming up to it. There's going to be an ending point."

But guitarist Adrian Smith reveals the group has experienced a shift in opinion as it celebrates its 35th anniversary - and band members have decided to keep on recording and performing.

Smith tells MetalHammer.co.uk, "We'll carry on. The great thing is that there's clearly a huge audience out there waiting to hear what we're going to do right now; and in the real world that's not a very common situation so you have to appreciate it."

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index...._plans_to_quit

[ABlairican Pie]

MAIDEN RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Davey 'Arry Adrian Janick

They're coming out with a new movie about their travels on their latest tour around the world, 'Flight 666'!!!!!

[ABlairican Pie]

1975

Iron Maiden officially forms in London on Christmas Day 1975. Founding member bassist Steve Harris, formerly of
the band Smiler, includes and vocalist Paul Day, who is dismissed from the band as he "lacks energy or charisma
onstage". He is replaced by vocalist Dennis Wilcock, a singer heavily inspired by the theatrics of KISS to where
he breathed fire and spit blood during shows. The band also features guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance.

The band takes their name from the 1939 movie 'The Man In the Iron Mask', based on the novel by French author
Alexandre Dumas, and from the title, the band takes their inspiration from the medieval torture device.

Steve Harris in 1974:

[ABlairican Pie]

1976

Harris hires guitarist Dave Murray to join the band, which causes irritation with guitarists Sullivan and Rance, who dislike the newcomer. Harris decides to break up the band, then reforms the group with Murray as the sole guitarist for a time.

Pics of Maiden live in 1976:

[ABlairican Pie]

1977

The lineup changed yet again when Harris hired a new guitarist Bob Sawyer, which caused tensions with Murray and vocalist Wilcock. Harris decided to fire both Murray and Wilcock, but then when the band gave a dreadful performance at one club, Harris ultimately fired the entire band. He started over yet again and rehired Murray, whom Harris thought was the most talented guitarist he had ever heard, and hired a new drummer named Doug Sampson.

The fledgling Iron Maiden was constantly beset with problems and poor professional habits from members who would soon be given their walking papers in rapid succession.

[ABlairican Pie]

1978

At one pub, the band ran into a vocalist by the name of Paul Di'Anno and interviewed him about the possibility of becoming the lead singer of Iron Maiden. Steve Harris was impressed by the gritty raspiness of Di'Anno's voice
which had a decent edge, and the former skinhead became the band's new singer.

On New Year's Eve of that year, the band finally recorded their own music, a demo featuring only three songs called 'The Soundhouse Tapes'. The demo sold out, over five thousand copies, in a matter of weeks. One song from the demo, "Prowler", made its way to #1 on Neal Kay's Heavy Metal Soundhouse charts in Sounds magazine.

[ABlairican Pie]

1979

After the punk scene, which kept many straight-on metal rockers on the sidelines in Britain for the past few years, mercifully imploded following the death of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, a new harder strand of metal rose to prominence in the U.K.: the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, an explosive form of rock which infused the energy and anger of punk with traditional metal, making it harder, faster, and more louder--and Iron Maiden were at its forefront. The band were becoming huge on the London club circuit and everywhere else.

In 1979, however, a stable lineup for the band remained elusive, as new guitarist Paul Cairns joined the band, then promptly left before they entered the studio. The band hired another guitarist, Dennis Stratton, who fortunately remained for the recording of the band's debut. One guitarist, Murray's friend Adrian Smith, was considered but was involved in his own band Urchin. Drummer Doug Sampson was dropped in favor of new drummer Clive Burr. In December 1979, Iron Maiden was signed to EMI. Earlier, the band was told by one label they would be signed if they cut their hair and played punk. Harris, who loathed punk, refused to do either. Part of their success was their unwillingness to compromise their principles for the sake of a quick buck (or pound note), and ultimately their stance paid off.

Bootleg copy from November 1979:

[ABlairican Pie]

1980

In 1980, Iron Maiden released their debut album which hit #4 on the UK charts. The album featured such monumental tracks as "Running Free", "Sanctuary", "Prowler", "Charlotte the Harlot", "Transylvania",
"Remember Tomorrow", the epic "Phantom Of the Opera", and their self-titled anthem, "Iron Maiden", which became a mandatory piece played at each concert. The band also created an identity for itself by the
familiar figure of Eddy, the ghoulish creature which would appear on every Iron Maiden album cover afterwards, drawn by illustrator Derek Riggs. Eddy would become the band's malevolent mascot.

Unfortunately, while the band was drawing large crowds touring with KISS and Judas Priest, there was further trouble in the ranks. Though Gene Simmons believed that the band was on its way to the top and even asked for one of the band's own t-shirts, that journey was to continue without guitarist Stratton. Often he preferred to tour with other bands rather than remain with his own band, the Maiden, and he seemed to enjoy playing lighter forms of rock such as the Eagles and "corporate" American bands than metal. Maiden's
management grew concerned with his commitment to the cause and questioned his loyalty to the band. It wasn't right that he spent more time hanging out with other bands while his own required unity at this
important juncture of their careers. It was decided that Dennis Stratton was no longer a member of the band, though he insisted that his commitment had never wavered, but it was all for the best. He was devastated when he was fired, but his replacement was waiting not far in the wings.

In other Maiden developments, the band was racking up considerable controversy with their album single
artwork for the track "Sanctuary": Eddy was depicted as knifing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,
who had dubbed herself "the Iron Maiden", and outrage ensued. It was considered unpatriotic to show the
new PM murdered, therefore, future pressings of the single placed a black bar over her eyes. In a second
single cover, for the non-LP track "Women In Uniform", "Maggie" Thatcher was shown as completely alive and waiting in ambush for the unsuspecting Eddy as he strolled with two gorgeous women. This time the artwork was criticized for a different reason: Eddy was now "sexist", a "womanizer"!

Regardless, at the peak of the NWOBHM scene, which boasted such bands as Saxon, Motorhead, Angel Witch, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Diamond Head, Girlschool, and even a young Def Leppard, Iron Maiden were at the head
of the pack with even greater fame ahead of them--as well as a few changes.

[ABlairican Pie]

1981

Now that guitarist Dennis Stratton was out of the band, the time came for Maiden to find a new guitarist. They did not need to look far, as they called up Dave Murray's friend Adrian Smith to fill the vacant guitar slot. Smith accepted, and once again the band was complete. The next album, the first to feature Smith, was 1981's 'Killers', which depicted Eddy in one of his most memorable poses: He wields a hatchet, grinning malevolently as the hands of a helpless victim clutches his shirt in a death grasp. While the album did not yield as many classic singles as their debut did, the record is considered a genuine metal classic which would inspire many Bay Area thrash bands such as Metallica, Exodus, and others such as New York thrashers Anthrax.

The album kicked off with a brief instrumental piece, "The Ides Of March", which segued into the pummelling lead track "Wrathchild", with Harris' thundering bass. Other songs included "Murders In the Rue Morgue", based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, "Another Life", "Genghis Khan", "Innocent Exile", "Prodigal Son", "Purgatory" and "Twilight Zone", which were both released as singles, "Drifter", and the title track. The sound was raw, fast, and featured excellent dual guitar work with Murray and Smith. The release of the album prompted the band's first tour of America.

However, as the band was tasting its first international success, trouble once again brewed within its ranks. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno spent more time carousing and getting drunk and high more than focusing on his performances. This was becoming a problem within the band which demanded professionalism
at this level of their careers, and his constant inebriation and cocaine use was affecting his singing and performing live. Maiden was not about to self-destruct because of their frontman's reckless and irresponsible behavior, so they decided to fire him.

Later that summer, the band released a mini-LP, 'Maiden Japan", which was recorded live in Nagoya, Japan, and included five tracks.

[ABlairican Pie]

1982

1982 was the biggest year so far for the Maiden. With Paul Di'Anno out of the picture due to his reckless carousing and drug indulgence, it was time to find a new singer. They found one in the frontman for the
popular NWOBHM Samson, whose lead singer Bruce Dickinson, nicknamed "Bruce Bruce", had a fine set of
pipes and strong stage presence. Once when Samson opened up for Maiden, Dickinson told himself, "I'm
going to audition for this band, and I'm going to get in!" His self-confidence ultimately paid off, as the
band told him that he was the new singer. In late 1981, the band toured in support of several upcoming
singles with the new frontman, whose singing style was uniquely different from Di'Anno's gruff, raspy
punkish style: Dickinson's voice was soaring, operatic, and he was nicknamed "the human air raid siren".

In 1982, the band's next album, 'The Number of the Beast', was released to huge acclaim. It was regarded
as one of the most perfect metal albums of all time, with several songs which became instant classics: "Run To the Hills", the riveting "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and the infamous title track. Other
excellent songs included "Invaders", "Children Of the Damned", "The Prisoner", and "22 Acacia Avenue".
The album hit #1 in the UK and became a top seller elsewhere in the world and in America.

However, in the U.S., which was undergoing an ultraconservative makeover in Reagan's America, many
born again Christian activists regarded the album, and other metal albums like it, as literally "Satanic" due
to the cover and title song. A militant campaign to destroy the album and others by metal artists such
as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and others was enacted, and the albums became fuel for bonfires and public smashings by enraged Christians. One of the complaints about the album was that it contained "backwards masking" messages, which embedded evil and destructive thoughts and phrases in
the minds of the listener when played in reverse. There was no truth to the claims that Maiden, Ozzy,
Priest, or anyone else (in particular, Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" was especially suspect, due to guitarist Jimmy Page's occult leanings) put any such messages in their recordings. In fact, Dickinson said
that, for all of their critics' insistence that they were a "Satanist" band, the group told them to forget
about it, because "we're not interested!" Interestingly, the band not only was inspired by a poem by
Scottish poet Robert Burns to write it, but also by a chilling nightmare by Steve Harris where he dreamed
of the rise of the Devil incarnate, the Antichrist, "the Beast", as foretold in the Book of Revelation in the
Bible. The song was essentially his warning to the world, and for all of the "Christian" critics burning and
banning their albums, Maiden were basically doing the job of the church!

The album also featured the vocal talents of actor Patrick McGoohan (RIP), who not only spoke the
haunting monologue which opens the title track ("Woe to you, O earth and sea..."), but also the opening
of "The Prisoner", a song based on the the actor's popular late 60's cult t.v. classic of a former government worker who is abducted and imprisoned on a remote island village as secret forces conspire to pry his reasons for quitting his post.

Producer Martin Birch also received a little surprise when a bill for an auto accident amounted to £666.66!

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" became one of Maiden's most popular songs and was required playing at every concert. The dual guitar harmonies, building tempos, and Harris' trademark "galloping" bass made the song
one of the most memorable tracks in Maiden's ever-growing catalogue. "Run To the Hills", a track about
the slaughter of Native Americans over a century ago, became one of their biggest anthems. "22 Acacia Avenue" was a sequel to the saga of "Charlotte the Harlot" from their debut.

[ABlairican Pie]

1983

While 'Number Of the Beast' represented Maiden's breakthrough in America, the followup album, 1983's 'Piece Of Mind' was a bigger commercial seller. The track featured Eddy bound in straightjacket, locked in the cell of a sanitarium. The album included such successful tracks as "The Trooper", one of the band's biggest anthems, about the Crimean War between Britain and Russia in the 1850's, and "The Flight Of Icarus", a retelling of the classic Greek myth where the doomed central figure learns to fly with homemade wings to certain death. The latter song was designed to be a radio hit, though Harris did not particularly like the song, feeling it was an attempt to make Iron Maiden sound "commercial" and accessible to the airwaves. It was too "soft" in his opinion and did not represent fully what the band was about. Other excellent tracks included "Where Eagles Dare", "Revelations", where Bruce tried his hand on guitar, and "Die With Your Boots On". One one track, "Still Life", new drummer Nicko McBrain, who replaced Clive Burr, lent his voice to an amusing "backwards masking" track to befuddle the paranoid religious minions looking for "evil" in rock recordings. The snippet of the track, when played frontwards, stated, "Don't meddle with things you don't understand!" Burr had tired of the road and had a few musical differences with the band, so veteran drummer McBrain, who played with French band Trust, stepped in to fill the vacant drumkit.

The closing track, "To Tame a Land", was a reference to the sci-fi/fantasy saga 'Dune', though when the band asked for permission to quote from the novel, author Frank Herbert threatened them with a lawsuit if they quoted it by name, being told by his agents, in no uncertain terms, that he neither liked heavy metal nor Iron Maiden. The band went ahead and recorded the song in the book's honor, though in a more subtle fashion to avoid legal repercussions.

The album was huge, as was the World Slavery Tour that year. Maiden was quickly one of the biggest bands on the planet.

[ABlairican Pie]

1984

The next album up by Iron Maiden was 1984's 'Powerslave', another quality work which featured such popular tracks as "Aces High", "2 Minutes To Midnight", and the title track, as well as their longest song, the epic 'Rime Of the Ancient Mariner", based on the poem by 18th/19th century poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The Maiden were certainly a literary band, and were not afraid to record and perform a song live which lasted about thirteen minutes.
"2 Minutes" also dealt with the topic of war and the trend toward seeking power and glory by militaristic political leaders. Other songs included the instrumental "Big 'Orrah (Losfer Words)", "Flash Of the Blade", "The Duellists", and "Flash Of the Blade".

With this album, the band began its most adventurous undertaking yet, a colossal tour featuring an outsized set with an Ancient Egyptian motif resembling a sarcophagus of the Pharoahs--during which a mummified Eddy would burst through a wall and frighten concertgoers. The lavish set was hailed as the most spectacular rock and metal production ever devised, and nightly, the band would deliver a blistering performance full of explosions and huge lighting rigs, as well as a towering Eddy rising from the dead.

However, the band's gruelling thirteen-month jaunt across the globe brought them to the breaking point. The band was so exhausted by this extended excursion that they nearly were about to break up. The band was in demand, but they toured over a year without a break. Bruce found himself
nearly ready to collapse onstage on many occasions toward the end of the tour. He could barely keep going on. Fortunately, the band bragged that they had fueled themselves on 50,000 cans of beer during the long tour! The tour was a huge success, though the band was completely drained by the close of it.

It was also during this time that the band became the first metal group to tour behind the Iron Curtain, playing shows in Poland, in 1984. They explained
that American folk-pop star was about to go, but the communist authorities denied him entry, stating he was an "American capitalist"! Maiden was up for the task of bringing their awesome show to a Soviet-controlled country, and countless Poles were extremely grateful.

[ABlairican Pie]

1985

On the tenth anniversary of the band's career, in 1985, Iron Maiden released
one of the finest live rock and metal albums of all time, 'Live After Death', recorded over four nights at the Long Beach Arena during their World Slavery Tour the year before. The album gave a stunning glimpse of the band in full action, delivering a powerhouse selection of songs including "Aces High", "2 Minutes To Midnight", "Revelation", "The Trooper", "Number Of the Beast",
"Run To the Hills", "Rime Of the Ancient Mariner", "Running Free", "Iron Maiden", "Powerslave","Hallowed Be Thy Name", and others to an enthusiastic crowd on four sold-out nights in Los Angeles--all done, as Bruce claimed, without the benefit of radio airplay or heavy promotion. Iron Maiden's massive successful promotion was largely from word-of-mouth, as would be one of their musical descendents, Metallica and other Bay Area thrash bands that were coming to the fore in metal.

During the live concert video, Bruce Dickinson slammed the ridiculous phenomenon known as MTV, another "musical" outlet which scarcely played the band's videos yet hyped other flash-in-the-pan wannabe "artists" whose fifteen minutes of fame would be up when a trendy clip was taken off heavy rotation. Maiden was hugely successful with little or no airplay from the cable channel. As visual as the band's shows could be, it was the music which came first and foremost. The props and effects were frosting on the full musical cake. Given the epic, dramatic nature of the band's music, a full-scale musical production with huge lavish sets made perfect sense. In lighter notes, Bruce also gave the audience a hilarious history lesson about poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his use of hemp--a hallucinogenic herb which also used copiously by none other than Queen Victoria, to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps!

The album opens with Winston Churchill's speech motivating Brits against the scourge of the Nazis in 1940, which segues into "Aces High": "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender ..."
On the album cover, again illustrated by Derek Riggs, a tombstone contains a quote by science fiction author H. P. Lovecraft, "Not dead which eternal lie, yet with eons even death may die." This quote was included in the song by Metallica, "The Thing Which Should Not Be", which would appear on their 1986classic thrash metal opus, 'Master Of Puppets'.

After the band played over 193 hectic dates in thirteen months, the band took a well-deserved six-month break, deciding not to embark on a proposed tour behind the monumental live album. At that point, Iron Maiden had conquered the world. The planet lie at their feet, as they had become the biggest band of the year. Their success and importance was undeniable. What lie next for the world's biggest, most important band of the 80's?
(Sorry, U2... )

[phoebe7165]

I'm going to see them Thurs. in Ft.Lauderdale!!!

I'm pretty excited since I've never seen them before!!

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally Posted by phoebe7165

I'm going to see them Thurs. in Ft.Lauderdale!!!

I'm pretty excited since I've never seen them before!!

Prepare to be blown away!!! Since they're closing out their yearlong tour at spring break in Fort Lauderdale, it's guaranteed to a be spectacular show!!!

Oh yeah, the smilies above represent the "five" members of Iron Maiden. There are actually six: Steve Harris on bass, Bruce Dickinson on vocals, Dave Murray on guitar, Adrian Smith on guitar, and Janick Gers on guitar--there are three guitarists in Maiden, and one bassist, plus Nicko McBrain on drums. So there are six members total.