I never got into these guys in my Metal days. I had Piece of Mind and the only song I liked was the trooper.

Now, I just picked up every classic album. This shit is the bomb if you ask me.

They give me everything Metallica let's me down on (the only album I like anymore from Metallica is Master of Puppets).

Iron Maiden delivers the heaviest metal around on every tune. If you want some shit that makes today's Metal look like watered down alcoholic beverages, give the Maiden another listen.

Also: Bruce Dickinson "Accident of Birth" absolutely rocks. I was totally surprised at how much I liked it. I think I like it as much as any classic Maiden album. If you like metal, check it.

Love Iron Maiden. In the sixth grade I had a black-and-white checkered painters cap with a ton of Maiden pins on it (suddenly, D. Boon's voice echos in my head: "I must look like a dork"). ANYWAY, yeah, I was way into those guys in junior high and, actually, Seventh Son...is the first CD I ever purchased in, like, 1989 at an electronics exop near O'Hare--months before a CD player was even brought into our house. I need to get some of these albums back. I had Piece Of Mind on vinyl, but know where it's gone. Oh, and I saw Nicko McBrain give a drum clinic at the old Guitar Center way up north on Milwaukee Ave. He was funny...and good! He's got a fast right foot--plays that massive Sonor kit with only a single Ludwig Speed King pedal. Awesome thread--I'm back into Maiden! I've still never seen a picture of Bruce Dickinson without his foot propped up on a stage monitor.

And their haircuts look like Conan the Barbarian. Real knights of old.

Can you really call it a mullet when it looks that cool?

I'm telling you, Seamus, check the BD solo album. It really is good stuff...

no doubt these guys are Gods in the genre. they peaked with metal in the US, with number of the beast, piece of mind and powerslave.

if you like bruce's solo stuff, you should check out samson - his pre-maiden band.

over time i've gained a much greater appreciation for the paul di'anno records (iron maiden & killers). great, raw sound.

and most maiden fans blast me for this, but i really like the first record they did with blaze what's-his-name, the x factor.

There's always been lots of love for Maiden on this board...glad to see a couple more additions.

The Blaze era is much maligned, but both X Factor and Virtual XI had their moments.

Mr. Inches, it's time to take the next step, and get the DVDs Rock in Rio, The History of Iron Maiden Vol. i, Visions of the Beast, and a ebay VHS of the timeless Live After Death.

The Death on the Road DVD is out next week in the US, but has already been released in the rest of the world.

Here's the archived version of Maiden Week from 2004. (Many thanks to Jess)

Iron Maiden: Still a band whose new albums I greet with the fervor of that 12-year-old who stamped "IRON MAIDEN" into a shop-class-fashioned wristband back in '84.

The evil that men do surely lives on and on.

Nice. I thought for a second this was the song that was used in that one Miami Vice episode, but it was "Only The Good Die Young". Maiden on a big primetime buddy-cop show...that stil kinda cracks me up. They used a lot of music on that show though...

i remember that week, back when i was a newbie...

When the new album comes out later this year, I want to resurrect the thread, only this time include complete albums and videos...

who is going to ysi an essential maiden album for those who have no idea?

I've had that patented Maiden galloping rhythm (dun-dugga-dun-dugga-dun-dugga-dun-dugga) running though my head alllllllll day. That 2004 Maiden Week link is pretty hot.

not me...

Oh holy fuck that week will be a great one.

But I beg of them.... please, please, please, please do not use the same design team for the album cover this time around.

amen. eddie needs to come back strong.

Yeah, the artwork on Dance of Death seemed, erm, uninspired. Death on the Road looks a bit better.

sask, that link is awesome! great commentary, though i have to respectfully disagree that "sun and steel" is one of their weaker tracks. it definitely grew into one of my favorites.

Yeah, I've always been a bit lukewarm towards both "Sun and Steel" and "Quest For Fire". Though they're not abhorrent or anything...at least not on the level of No Prayer For the Dying.

oh, and thanks for the Somewhere In Time cover art explanations... outstanding!

I totally love Iron Maiden, but really. Ride The Lightning is so much heavier than anything the Irons ever did.

And props on that Dickinson album. I recommend his Chemical Wedding album, which followed. Fucking heavy, and with the man Roy Z on it.

Agreed

Iron Maiden never claims to be the heaviest band out there. But they do what they do so well in the world of metal.

Oh yeah, I know Maiden never claimed it. That's why I was responding to Mr. Inches' assertion.

Was lucky enough to see them on the "Number of the Beast" tour in 1982 opening for Judas Preist on the "Screaming for Vengence" tour at the Internation Ampethetre in Chicago.(damn, I'm fucking aging myself). Also saw them twice on Piece of Mind tour and Powerslave. They are still great and were the best part of Ozzfest last year by far

Damn....Time to find the Live After Death Movie again.

Aces High kicks off one incredible show.

Yeah, I know the feeling, I have to that vid out again. Flat-out CLASSIC.

My only time seeing Maiden in 22 years was April 1987 (Somewhereon Tour...they did "Mariner" and "Phantom of the Opera" ). I just want one more chance, that's all. I think I'm going to have to arrange a trip when the fall/winter tour rolls around.

God, I truly HAVE gotten too busy at work and life if a Maiden thread went two pages without me.

Maiden = My favorite Metal band ever. Period.

As anyone who's known me for a while around these parts knows, I'm a huge fan. They're pretty much the band that got me seriously into metal about four years ago. I've managed to catch them live twice now, and they're still incredible. And, yeah, agreed that the "Dance of Death" cover sucked, but the record itself was pretty badass, if a bit more of a grower than much of their earlier material. I eagerly anticipate the new record. And maybe this time around, Maiden Week will have more than three participants (the first time, Sask dominated and Ben and I weighed in frequently.)

I could say so much more, but I'll leave with a simple: UP THE IRONS!!!


Edit: And, oh, how I hate "Quest For Fire." For the longest time, it was my least favorite Maiden song, then I heard No Prayer For The Dying.

The original Maiden thread is the one thread off all threads that I wish was saved.

ahem. any chance?

pretty please?

I might be able to throw one together this weekend, although I doubt I can cut the essential maiden down to even 2 albums.

oh i didn't mean a compilation. maybe just a really good album. sorry for the confusion.

If no one else does, I'll post an album or two this week.

Bean's right, the essential tracks are far too numerous to post all at once. I'll post Number and Powerslave when I can. Oh hell, I'll ysi Powerslave now. Give me 90 minutes.

Kick ass. Thanks Burzum!

Awesome, Burzum, thanks. Powerslave should be up in a little over an hour and a half (slow upload for me).

Deisel's Iron Maiden mixes rule. They are nonstop awesome.

And I'm going to listen to "Anthems" right now.

Here's Powerslave, my personal favourite Maiden record:

hxxps://s23.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=06FQBHOED3GDY3JBC1VXVDE3MC

Bumping because this album needs to be heard by the non-believers!

Great freakin' album.

The Death on the Road dvd has been delayed, as expected. European buyers were complaining about errors on the discs, and to no one's surprise, the Feb. 21 US release has been pushed back. No official date yet...I'm glad I didn't pre-order this.

i'm sure some of the old school fans have these, but here are some of my favorite maiden b-sides/covers:

burning ambition (b-side off the debut album)
hxxp://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2B99P66QVFNXG1BUX0PU6589YM

total eclipse (number of the beast b-side)
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0TKYZ1B9KK38A31LL3MPXNHCJ3

cross eyed mary (piece of mind b-side. excellent jethro tull cover)
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2NKOS1Y9TA9YH3SWVS66ABKS1F

juanita (somewhere in time b-side)
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1XRDE6KXS4FOZ18CI3PJB1I1EY

rainbow's gold (powerslave b-side)
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0GWGQQXPT0PGF3DE0OTD73SB4A

communication breakdown (spotty zep cover)
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0M02LUHUWGG4B0ZZKWGIPZ1UDX

I laughed the first time I heard Bruce scream, "In a time, when dinosaurs walked the earth.....", but I really like that song, now. Maiden are easily in my top three bands of all time, and I was talking about them with my brother (who puts them at 1) the other day. I just don't get why people bash Maiden at all. Are Bruce's vocals really that over the top, and does Eddie really make them Spinal Tappish? I believe that Iron Maiden are by far the best band to get no radio play in the U.S. By far. No one else comes within three galaxies on that one.

maybe a little over the top, but i always appreciated the thought behind them. many of their songs are mini history/literature lessons. amidst the anti-metal movement of '86 it was pretty awesome to basically force my 8th grade english teacher to play "rhyme of the ancient mariner" because she was looking for modern examples of classic poetry.

and eddie? never really considered him much more than a cool comic book type character on album covers, as well as comic relief as to where they'd incorporate him into live performances.

Just want to say I listened to 'Sun And Steel' for the first time in years just now.

It was better than I remember it being.

life is, indeed, just a wheel.

If there's one Maiden song from the classic era that's underrated, it's "Still Life"...

That may be true, but it was never underrated by me.

When I was getting into Maiden, it was through their live material. Live After Death and the arguably even better Maiden England covered a lot of ground, and so I warmed far more to songs featured on them than other tracks. As a result, I always loved songs like 'Still Life' and 'Infinite Dreams' (now, no-one ever mentions that one...).

I guess the one exception would be 'Back In The Village', as that just ruled anway. But yeah, what a great pair of live albums. The only recurring songs (as far as I can recall) are 'Number Of The Beast' and 'Iron Maiden', with 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' being on the video of Maiden England.

If anyone's going to be in Skokie tonight at 8pm, Iron Maiden: Death on the Road is playing on the big screen.

I like that song that's based on Frank Herbert's Dune.

I'm not sure which tune that ^ is, but "Where Eagles Dare" obviously led me to a mini Alistair MacLean kick in high school.

From what I understand, all screenings of the DVD have been postponed, due to DVD errors on the NSTC version.

These are all great! My all time favs are their cover of Thin Lizzy's "Massacre" and "That Girl".
Also, the live Dianno Maiden version of "Ive got the fire" is pretty damn smokin.


About Quest for Fire and Sun and Steel, I love Piece of Mind, but that record goes seriously downhill after Still Life, which is one of their best. I am a big Maiden fan from way back.

My fav Maiden is the Di'anno stuff, Killers is one of the best albums ever. Shame his solo career is so horrid.

I just recently got into the pre-Dickinson album's (self titled and Killers). I like it a lot. A lot more rock than the later stuff. Instrumentally it is very different, and very good, but vocally I have to give the nod to Bruce as being better.