Hey, thanks for stopping by to hang out. You're in the right spot for discussions about my favorite pop culture topics. Subjects may include vinyl, '70s sitcoms, cosmic super hero adventures, arena rock, conspiracy theories, thrift stores, '80s horror flicks, VHS culture, all things retro, lovely ladies, and the latest happenings in my world.
So come on down the steps (watch your head), pass through the rec room, and pull up a bean bag...you're hanging in my "bedroom in the basement!" EST. 1979
Well folks, there's only 2 days left in this month, and it looks like I won't be getting as deep into Maiden's discography as I intended. But fear not, as I will do more next May (barring an apocalypse in December 2012). Today and tomorrow I plan on posting videos from 1986's Somewhere In Time lp (which has one of the most detailed album covers...check it out!)
Today's song is "Wasted Years," a track written by rhythm guitarist Adrian Smith, who also sings lead vocals on the chorus. It's an example of a poppier '80s hard rock/metal sound, making it one of my favorites. The video rocks too, as it features clips of the band's older videos. It's funny they were already being nostalgic for their past only 6 years after their first album dropped!
Today's selection is my favorite song from their phenomenal fifth album, Powerslave. The footage is from their video compendium for their double Live After Death album which documented the World Slavery Tour of 1985. This tour was their biggest and most elaborate production to date, and showed the band playing at the peak of their performance.
Ok, there's only one week left in May, so I have to step up my Maiden posts! While going through their albums in chronological order, I realized how much I love the Piece of Mind album. Here's one more from that one.
Here's my other favorite song off of '83's Piece of Mind, "The Trooper!" You can smell the smoke on the battlefield when you hear this one...the music and lyrics paint a very vivid scene!
Today's selection comes from their second album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals (their fourth LP overall), Piece of Mind. Recorded live in 1983 on their "World Piece Tour," this video features their performance of the lead-off track for Piece of Mind, "Where Eagles Dare." Bruce's vocals are totally rapid-fire on this one, with some crazy high notes.
With this entry the Bruce Dickinson era begins. Except for a 5 year hiatus with the band from '93-'98, Bruce has been a fixture of Iron Maiden 30 years. What a voice! This selection is from the tour supporting his first album with the group (and what a first album!) The Number of the Beast, and is my personal favorite off of that release..."The Prisoner!"
In non-Maiden news, tomorrow I'm attending the Motor City Comic Con. I have not been to a comic book convention in 6 years and I'm super excited. Me and my good friends John, Ben, and Julia will be attending. My goal is to get some pictures taken with Dean Cain and Peter Tork. Look for a blog about what transpires on Sunday.
This clip features the title track Killers album. This shit is INTENSE! Clanging guitar, impassioned vocals, and a propulsive beat drive this song to the top of my list of favorite Maiden songs.
Starting tomorrow, and for the second half of May, we will be seeing Maiden videos featuring their second vocalist Bruce Dickinson (and maybe a clip of brief third singer Blaze Bayley). Enjoy this last clip of Di'Anno, and if you're brave enough, find a recent picture of him. Scary!
Another selection from Killers, this one is called "Innocent Exile." I love Steve Harris' bass intro...he is one of the top bass players of all time, in my opinion.
This might be my favorite track off of the legendary Killers album. I love the fast, frantic pace of Di'Anno's vocals on the chorus. The vocals are both punk sounding and pop sounding at the same time...very impressive. And the musicianship is of course top notch. This band accomplished more on their first 2 albums then a lot of bands do in their whole catalog. The lyrics are an early example of the band using an old horror movie as inspiration.
I couldn't find a clip of Paul singing it live, so this one from 1982's "Beast On the Road" tour feat. Bruce Dickinson will have to do. Enjoy "Murders In the Rue Morgue!"
The first of many sweet instrumentals by the band, this one is from a show in 1981 and also features a solo by Dave Murray (a very underrated guitarist in my opinion).
I've been planning this theme month since the week I started this blog, so I'm very excited that May is finally here. Iron Maiden are not just one of my favorite bands of the metal genre...they're also easily in my top 10 bands EVER. At times I don't even think of them as metal, as I feel that label stifles their amazing abilities and variety of sounds. They are at times metal, at times prog, at times virtuosic punk...I really dig everything they did primarily from 1980-1993.
I especially dig on the early stuff...those first 2 albums with original singer Paul Di'Anno totally ROCK. They have such a raw, primal energy. That band came screaming out of the gate on those first 2 albums, and when Bruce Dickinson became their singer in 1982 they didn't lose any momentum...they took it to the next level, and started trading in the punk-on-the-street lyrics for dungeons & dragons style imagery. And they pulled it off very successfully.
I will try and post at least a video a day by them, starting out from the very earliest stuff all the way to...well, we'll see how recently I get. Will infamous third singer Blaze Bayley make an appearance? He might...he just might.
For now, here's some really old footage of the first song from their first LP, a number entitled "Prowler." CRANK IT!
