Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
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Free Music Notes for Iron Maiden
Free Music Review: An air-guitarist's wet dream!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I listen to this album at least once a day; it's what gets the blood flowing!
It turns out the band members hated (and still do hate) the production on this album, but the fans love it (and some say it's their best album, too!) Let's break it down, track by track:
1. Prowler: a balls out, full on rocker (one of the best album openers ever) with a speed and aggression that put all punk bands of that era to shame... 10/10
2. Sanctuary: already by the second song you realize that this band means business...10/10
3. Remember Tomorrow: I love this song! It has everything you could ask for... a slow, mellow intro; an intense buildup to the chorus; out of nowhere they throw in a time change and a few solos before going back to mellow... 11/10
4. Running Free: Maybe 3 or 4 out of all my friends listen to metal... but ALL my friends know and love this song... you just can't help but sing along! 10/10
5. Phantom of the Opera: from the moment I heard the first few notes I fell in love with this song! The BEST song on the album (and one of Maidens best) this song will make you headbang, airguitar, or just go crazy... 100/10
6. Transylvania: Best. Instrumental. Ever. 10/10
7. Strange World: The mellow tune on the album... I'm led to believe it's about vampires(!)... the solos are absolutly beautiful; so much feeling and expression! 11/10
8. Charlotte the Harlot: Another great rocker written by lead guitarist Dave Murray (he doesn't write many songs since his style of playing is improv, but when he does you know it's gonna be good) 11/10
9. IRON MAIDEN: the title track... like Prowler it only has one verse... but sometimes it's better to keep things simple... and just like Prowler is as a strong opener, IRON MAIDEN is the perfect end to a PERFECT debut! 10/10
Overall I gave it a 5 star rating (...only because 5 is the max) anyone who rates it less shouldn't be taken seriously.
\m/ UP THE IRONS! \m/
Free Music Review: Maiden's First and Best Album
Hit: 5 Stars
The time of this writing is March 25, 2005. I updated this review on June 6, 2007. Looking back on it all now, I have to say that Iron Maiden's Iron Maiden, is their first and best album.
It is mind boggling to consider the quality of the recording considering it was done in 1979, a time when many hard rock/heavy metal bands were unable to capture such high fidelity sound and/or energy or aggressiveness on their releases. In other words, the production quality is excellent.
Every track on the album is a compliment to the one that follows it, and as far as the lineup, in my opinion this was their best. Those who do not know early Maiden and are fans of Bruce Dickerson will most likely disagree. But I actually prefer Paul Di'Anno to him. Di'Anno's vocal style added a totally different dimension to the band. It would have been interesting to hear what their third release would have sounded like (Di'Anno only recorded two albums with the band) had he remained on board.
What is especially attractive about Maiden as exemplified by this debut, is their compostions are done in such a way that the bass lines stand out, as opposed to being under a mix of riffs in a two guitarist line up. Credit their phenomenal bass player, composer and founding member Steve Harris for this.
That said, all of the technological foot pedal gadgetry was put to its best use is on this album, the wah wah pedal, overdrive, screaming and or very melodic solos and harmonies. Check out the opening track, Prowler, and the dreamy and melodic Strange World, track no. 7. to see what I mean. Again, It's all here on this album, from hard driving thumping bass to delicate harmonics and the use of overtones, wailing guitar and blistering solos, and great chord progressions.
Phantom of the Opera, track no. 5, my favorite Maiden song off all time, is testimony to that. For true metal fans espeically Maiden fans, this album should be a collectors item. At the very least you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.
Free Music Review: Great Debut
Hit: 5 Stars
Iron Maiden has had a truly amazing career for a heavy metal band. Despite some line-up changes through the years, including lead singers, the core of the group has remained stable. Bruce Dickenson coming back to the band as lead singer recently has strengthened the band simply because he has a voice and ability to really carry a heavy metal band. Iron Maiden has been making great music for over 20 years now. I've only seen them live twice and that was in the 1980's. They put a fabulous show. And Eddie is a great mascot.
This, their debut album released in 1980, remains one of their best. Unlike many heavy metal bands at the time, who leaned toward very long songs with extended solos, this album has typically shorter hard driving songs with very clever lyrics. It featured Paul Di'Anno as the lead singer, who I thought was very good in the few albums he is on.
I have three favorite songs on this CD that I would give a star to but I like the entire collection of work, which gives it a big thumbs up. Hardcore Maiden fans will be surprised that Charlotte the Harlot and Iron Maiden didn't get a star because they are both very popular songs. I like them both but they don't inch their way into a star category for me.
I rate this CD a solid three stars:
Running Free *
Phantom of the Opera *
Sanctuary *
Ratings: CDs are rated simply by how many good songs are on the album. Great songs get two stars, and good songs get one star. Songs that get no stars are those that I might like but not enough to give it a star or ones I find boring or actively dislike. CDs are not penalized for songs that I don't like because they are easy enough to skip over. There is no maximum number of stars a CD can get, but of course the more stars it gets, the better the CD.
As with all reviews, these are my subjective opinions on the album.
Free Music Review: Iron Maiden wants you for dead!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the album that started it all. Iron Maiden's fantastic debut. It's not exactly the Maiden we all know and love today, but it's still a solid debut, one of the best ever. Paul DiAnno has a much different vocal delivery than Bruce, more rough and aggressive, but it still works. And, he's also an excellent singer, as you will see on such tracks as "Remember Tomorrow" and the surprisingly soft "Strange World" (one of the few Maiden songs that never gets heavy).The musicianship is excellent here. The music itself sounds like a cross between 80's punk and Deep Purple. However, the technicality is taken up a notch. Even without Adrian Smith, the guitars still blaze like a wildfire. Steve Harris puts on what may be his best performance to date. He is truly one of the best bassists in rock. He even gets a couple of brief solo spots. Nice drumming from Clive Burr. He's not as techinically proficient as Nicko, but he may be a bit faster.
The music is generally not as epic (most of the songs are under 4 minutes), but they're still great. Standouts would have to be "Prowler", "Phantom of the Opera", the aforementioned ballads, the awesome instrumental "Transylvania" (check out Iced Earth's album "Horror Show" for their incredible cover of the song), and of course "Iron Maiden". But I don't think there's a bad song here.
I don't think this album can stand up to the later work with Bruce, but it's still great stuff, one of the best albums of 1980. I personally think it destroys "British Steel" and "Back in Black", even if those two (great) albums were much more commercially successful. While it would have been alright (or as Paul would say, "olroight") if they had kept Paul and made a bunch of albums like this, I for one am glad they got Bruce. But, it's a shame that Paul never really did much after this. He's very talented. Anyway, this is a great album, and every Maiden fan needs to hear where it all began.
UP THE IRONS!!!
Free Music Review: A major foundation of metal . . .
Hit: 5 Stars
Iron Maiden's self-titled first album, released in 1980, was truly a trendsetter in what at the time was an emerging genre. While this was not their breakthrough record, it started them off on an aggressive note that gave them the foundation for their more polished works in later years.
All the pieces seemed to fit together for this recording session. At this period of time, heavy metal had not strictly been defined. Thus, the songs burn with a fierce energy, and the band seemed more interested firing out a unique style rather then trying to "conform" to a certain established sound. The singer at the time, Paul Di'Anno, who would be gone after their second album "Killers", was the perfect compliment to their early approach. He could sing in this rough, raw tone, at times sounding like a possessed demon, while at other times singing in this serene, beautiful manner. Steve Harris, the bassist, was (and always has been) a monster on the bass, and the guitars (Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton) were uncompromising and uninhibited.
As for the songs themselves, well, many tracks off this album (six out of nine) turned into frequent concert staples. Not bad for one album. Iron Maiden proved from the get-go that they could play as hard as any band around, and yet do it with passion, musical expertise (with amazing compositions), and even some sentiment. A couple tracks show a heartfelt lighter side. Listen to Strange World. Absolutely beautiful!
There is a magic to this album that could never be recaptured (by Maiden or any other band). The early time period, the emerging sound of faster metal, and the rawness of the band, all collectively joined to create a special piece in musical history. I would recommend the album, not only to fans of metal, but to anyone with an appreciation for all types of music. Sit back and let yourself mentally drift to a small club in 1980. You'll feel like you're really there.