The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[TAC]

Even the Eddie thing is so choreographed and that's fine. It's the energy and joy that the band brings. I compare that with Rush, though I haven't seen them live in ages, but you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know when they were going through the motions. They were into it or they weren't.

[Stadler]

I think to a degree you have to have it that way so that a) the songs sound right, and b) no one gets hurt.   

I only saw one show this tour, but even if I saw multiple ones, if the team is delivering and not phoning it in - and on NO level did they phone it in on Saturday - I'll take it. 

[TAC]

I think to a degree you have to have it that way so that a) the songs sound right, and b) no one gets hurt.   

Totally. 

[MirrorMask]

I believe everything is coreographed, even which songs Bruce sings on top and which ones he sings on the amps... hell, I've even seen him always make the same amps jump before the final chorus of If Eternity Should Fail in multiple videos. But indeed, if it works for them, if nobody gets a guitar in the face because they know where they're supposed to stand and they're into it, who cares.

[Stadler]

There's also the fact that they are a stadium band.  You can't - well I guess you CAN, but it's not entertaining - have all five guys clumped up in one spot at the corner of the stage.   They are EXTREMELY good at spreading out on stage so that every fan can feel like there's a band member in front of them.    Bruce is the guy that fills in the blanks in that equation.   

[Lowdz]

Maiden England DVD has just dropped through the door from Amazon. *Rubs hands and laughs maniacally * 😀.

[PowerSlave]

There's also the fact that they are a stadium band.  You can't - well I guess you CAN, but it's not entertaining - have all five guys clumped up in one spot at the corner of the stage.   They are EXTREMELY good at spreading out on stage so that every fan can feel like there's a band member in front of them.    Bruce is the guy that fills in the blanks in that equation.   

That's definitely something that sets him apart from all other singers. He's often (and rightfully so) lumped into discussions with Ronnie and Rob. The difference between him and them is that he's so incredibly active on stage. I think that the other two have great stage presence, but Bruce is a madman 

[MirrorMask]

Rob has another kind of charisma, the one that allows him to stand there completely still and look like a badass. But yeah, Bruce is the running madman type 

[Grappler]

OH MY GOD.   

https://ironmaiden.com/news/article/what-does-this-button-do

HarperNonFiction will publish “What Does This Button Do” on October 19th. For the first time ever, Bruce shares his recollections of childhood and school days, joining Maiden, his solo career, aviation, his recent tongue cancer and much more. In typical Bruce style, this book was written exhaustively in longhand, filling seven A4 notebooks, which he has been working on meticulously whilst out on the road during The Book Of Souls World Tour.

The book will be released internationally with local language versions being made available too.

To read the full Harper Collins press release click here

Pre-order links here (more to be added as we get them):

[cramx3]

That sounds like a must read for me

[Mladen]

Amazing news. Bruce is such an interesting person that a fan like me can't not read his autobiography.

[Zydar]

Wow, that is a must have.

[Logain Ablar]

Just spotted that on twitter. I'm definitely getting it when it's released.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Yea that pretty much is an insta buy for me. 

[MirrorMask]

This is probably gonna be the first musician biography I'll buy 

Oh, and I quote the press release on Maiden's site:

The global publication on 19th October will be accompanied with a commensurate international book tour. More details to come soon on www.ironmaiden.com/news including dates for markets publishing local language translations

HE'S GONNA DO A BOOK TOUR? I MAY HAVE THE CHANCE TO MEET HIM??? Gaaaaaaaaaaaah I want a local event NOW!!!!!!!!!!

[wolfking]

I'm not a reader or a book guy at all but that's a must have.

[Kwyjibo]

This will be interesting.

Anyone knows what the title refers to? It's not excatly the usual title for autobiographies.

[MirrorMask]

Anyone knows what the title refers to? It's not excatly the usual title for autobiographies.

Totally wild guess: either something he saw during his medical procedures for getting cancer treatment, or just a whacky metaphor for curiosity, because Bruce is Bruce and can't be arsed with coming up with a pompous and serious title for his own autobiography.

[cramx3]

Could also just be due to his own curiosities that lead him into so many different professions and adventures in his life.

[TAC]

Totally wild guess: either something he saw during his medical procedures for getting cancer treatment, 

That makes a lot of sense.

I also could see him envisioning a clueless world leader looking at the "blow the world to smithereens" button about to press it while asking the question.

[Kwyjibo]

I thought it was maybe referring to a well known maiden episode that only I don't know and you guys could lead me to it. But then obviously not.

[MirrorMask]

Or, surprised I thought of cancer treatment before this, if it has an actual meaning, maybe it's a button in the cockpit of a plane.

Uh well, we'll find out in some months 

[njfirefighter]

I thought it was a reference to flying planes and aviation, cockpit buttons etc. 

[Samsara]

Could also just be due to his own curiosities that lead him into so many different professions and adventures in his life.

That's how I took it.

[Mosh]

Could also just be due to his own curiosities that lead him into so many different professions and adventures in his life.

That's how I took it.

yup. Pretty obvious imo

[wolfking]

Could also just be due to his own curiosities that lead him into so many different professions and adventures in his life.

That's how I took it.

yup. Pretty obvious imo

Yeah, exactly.  I thought it was pretty obvious myself also.

[TAC]

So during this interview of Nicko on Eddie Trunk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_7jVrdzGoI&t=2s


Nicko talks about Keith Moon being an influence. Now a lot of drummers cite Moon as an influence, but is there any other drummer where you feel Moon's influence? To me, it shows through in Nicko's playing. Maybe a question for the drummers out there, but does anyone else feel this?

[Anguyen92]

I've been waiting for this for a while now, but Brave New World, Dance of Death, and A Matter of Life and Death albums is back on Spotify now.  Listening to the A Matter of Life and Death album right now.

[LudwigVan]

So during this interview of Nicko on Eddie Trunk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_7jVrdzGoI&t=2s


Nicko talks about Keith Moon being an influence. Now a lot of drummers cite Moon as an influence, but is there any other drummer where you feel Moon's influence? To me, it shows through in Nicko's playing. Maybe a question for the drummers out there, but does anyone else feel this?

Hey Tim,
I'm inserting this post from the other Maiden thread because it speaks directly to what you're referring to.  I think it absolutely shows through in Nicko's playing.  There's a wonderful elasticity in Moon's/Bonham's/Nicko's playing that each of their respective bands feed off of and build on. 

Thanks to this thread, I've been listening to a lot of Maiden over the past few weeks (listening to Dance of Death right now.  Slightly underrated reunion era album?)  and I've come to a significant realization.  Recording to a click track would have been near impossible for this band.  Whether that's good or bad depends on your point of view, but I think, especially in the reunion era and tracking live as a band, that if Nicko had a click in his ear, the music would be vastly different.  As a drummer who has practiced with a metronome for decades and as a music fan who's listening tastes generally veer towards music of the gridded out variety, I can find listening to Maiden to be challenging with their sudden tempo changes, especially the tempo changes that, to my ears, come off as a course correction.  If I get some time, I may drop something like Can I Play With Madness into Pro Tools or something similar and do a tempo map, just to see how much it changes throughout the song.  The thing I find impressive about the tempo changes is that they manage to pull it off as a band.  It's not just Nicko making adjustments and everyone else fumbling to fall back or catch up, it's the whole band working as one.  That's a pretty impressive inter band telepathy.

I'm not a drummer, though I have played in bands before (including marching bands, which is significant here) and I feel like the greatest bands do what you describe and it is - in part - why they are the greatest.  I've written here before, but it's to me why the vast majority of drummers STILL cite John Bonham as being the guy, and yet the majority of Zeppelin covers fall flat.   He and Page, in particular, had a really smooth way of doing just what you describe.   When I saw Temple of the Dog, they SMOKED a cover of Achilles Last Stand - one of the best Zeppelin covers I have ever heard - and in part it was because Matt Cameron and Stone Gossard were locked in, but the tempo was not.   It ebbed and flowed but did so as a band unit, not one guy scrambling to catch up to the other.

[TAC]

Right, but I wasn't so much talking about the pacing. I was thinking more about the approach to fills.

[MirrorMask]

Apparently there was a photo about Iron Maiden at Nova Rock Festival in June 2018 that has been removed and denied by the promoters.

Sincere mistake or a mess up that revealed something that was not meant to be seen? it may confirm another stint on the road next year, as people attending the latest concerts reported.

[Logain Ablar]

https://ironmaiden.com/news/article/legacy-of-the-beast-comic-book-series-revealed

I'm not much into comic books, but might be of interest to some..

[TAC]

https://bravewords.com/news/bruce-dickinson-to-release-soloworks-the-vinyl-collection-in-october-first-details-revealed

[PowerSlave]

https://bravewords.com/news/bruce-dickinson-to-release-soloworks-the-vinyl-collection-in-october-first-details-revealed

Meanwhile, he recorded a new album with Roy a few years ago, and I'm beginning to think that we'll never get to hear it.

[Mosh]

I don't think he recorded an album, just wrote and demoed some stuff.