The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[TAC]

I’ve been a fan since 83, and have come around to the fact that Adrian is by far the most important member and best songwriter. Not sure I would listen if he left again. The reason TFF is the best reunion album is because he wrote most of it.

It's hard to not call Steve Harris the most important member, but I feel the Adrian factor. He was my favorite member when he left in 1990. His presence provides vitally needed balance against a Steve Harris overload. And he also provides a musical depth that was missing while he was gone. He is vital.

I was so bummed when he missed the Boston show on the Ed Hunter tour. I was really excited to see him.

[Stadler]

I'm definitely not one of those who feel a need to listen to something because it's from a famous and established band.

Just to illustrate: I've never listened to Van Halen's Different Kind of Truth, I haven't listened to AC/DC's Power Up, I haven't listened to Helloween's new one yet.... 

In case you care, ADKOT was my album of the year in 2012, and I rate it higher than most of the Sammy stuff.  That's a SOLID record.

[TAC]

I'm definitely not one of those who feel a need to listen to something because it's from a famous and established band.

Just to illustrate: I've never listened to Van Halen's Different Kind of Truth, I haven't listened to AC/DC's Power Up, I haven't listened to Helloween's new one yet.... 

In case you care, ADKOT was my album of the year in 2012, and I rate it higher than most of the Sammy stuff.  That's a SOLID record.

ADKOT is an EXCELLENT album, even if a bit bloated, but still 8 or 9 songs deep. Power Up ..it's AC/DC. It's a nice listen, and you have to look at it as "It's all gravy at this point" with it.
The new Helloween is AMAZING!

[425]

I can't find the post earlier, but I thought someone posted something along the lines of Janick's stage antics being beneath Iron Maiden. Janick is on point live and THAT is all that Steve cares about. Like I said, his pick and note control is excellent, even while he's jumping around. His live solos can be a bit suspect, but he's usually only playing over 6 or 8 bars. I think he just tries to do something different than Dave and Adrian. He's actually quite important to their sound.

I find this idea strange considering that a hallmark of Maiden's live performances has always been a lot of running and jumping around from the band members, especially Bruce. I'm not sure I get the standard on which the singer jumping on the monitors while wearing some kind of feathery animal mask is good, but the guitarist dancing is bad.

[TAC]

Exactly.

[MirrorMask]

And let's not forget the "climb like a monkey" part 

[Stadler]

I can't find the post earlier, but I thought someone posted something along the lines of Janick's stage antics being beneath Iron Maiden. Janick is on point live and THAT is all that Steve cares about. Like I said, his pick and note control is excellent, even while he's jumping around. His live solos can be a bit suspect, but he's usually only playing over 6 or 8 bars. I think he just tries to do something different than Dave and Adrian. He's actually quite important to their sound.

I find this idea strange considering that a hallmark of Maiden's live performances has always been a lot of running and jumping around from the band members, especially Bruce. I'm not sure I get the standard on which the singer jumping on the monitors while wearing some kind of feathery animal mask is good, but the guitarist dancing is bad.

I wouldn't say "beneath" actually, but I'm not a fan of Jannick's stage stuff, and I have been begging my daughter to go see Maiden just for Bruce's.  The Bruce stuff is, to me, theater and stagecraft, tied to the song/theme.  And he sings the entire time, not missing a beat.   The twirling the guitar around the neck is... well, Cinderella (the band).  Not that I don't love Cinderella, I do (very much) but it's... Cinderella.   And I've already said I've seen them twice already where while the rest of the band was playing, he was spinning his guitar and ole-ing his guitar chord.

[cramx3]

I can't find the post earlier, but I thought someone posted something along the lines of Janick's stage antics being beneath Iron Maiden. Janick is on point live and THAT is all that Steve cares about. Like I said, his pick and note control is excellent, even while he's jumping around. His live solos can be a bit suspect, but he's usually only playing over 6 or 8 bars. I think he just tries to do something different than Dave and Adrian. He's actually quite important to their sound.

I find this idea strange considering that a hallmark of Maiden's live performances has always been a lot of running and jumping around from the band members, especially Bruce. I'm not sure I get the standard on which the singer jumping on the monitors while wearing some kind of feathery animal mask is good, but the guitarist dancing is bad.

Completely agree.  I also think the jumping around adds to the live performance.  The thing I dislike the most about a Dream Theater show is how they are fairly lifeless on stage.  It's not a good vibe IMO.  We are talking metal music, not classical.  Being energetic on stage is a huge part of metal IMO.  It's not just a maiden thing.  I saw Avatar the other week, the amount of headbanging those guys do is crazy.  But it's part of rocking out on stage.  It gets the crowd to also rock out.  Bruce's antics are a bit different than Jannicks, but the point is the same.  To get the crowd active and engaged. 

[Architeuthis]

With Dream Theater, the technicalities of their music make it more difficult to jump around on stage. I don't see the need for it, the music speaks for itself.  Jordan occasionally brings out the keytar so he can come up front and rock out, and him and JP do some unison, even Myung joins in on that. JLB moves around but doesn't overdo it.  DT's stage act is just fine to me. At least you could see MP or MM, whereas Nicko is buried behind the kit. 
Bruce Dickinson is just a freak of nature and is a lot more athletic than most performers.

[Lupton]

I’ve been a fan since 83, and have come around to the fact that Adrian is by far the most important member and best songwriter. Not sure I would listen if he left again. The reason TFF is the best reunion album is because he wrote most of it.

And this probably explains why TFF is my least favorite of the reunion era. I tend to skip all the Smith tracks as I find most of them fairly boring and generic sounding.

[Architeuthis]

My favorite tracks on TFF are Isle of Avalon, The Talisman, and When The Wild Wind Blows.  Starblind and Coming Home are great too, come to think of it.

[Herrick]

I'm a sucker for Janick's playing, so I don't really get the hate that pops up from time to time. Then again, I joined the Iron Maiden party in 2003, so he was well established in the band by then. Many of the things I love the most in the band, like the climactic solos in Blood Brothers, Rainmaker, and The Red and the Black wouldn't be the same without him – and I do appreciate that he's willing to get noisy with his solos from time to time. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I would definitely miss him were he not in the band.

I do think it's special that the three guitarists are so distinct in terms of timbre, composition, and approaches to soloing that you can (mostly) tell who's playing without seeing footage.

I've heard that Gers plays Smith's solos on the older stuff and fucks them up. I've only seen the band once 21 years ago and I haven't watched much live stuff so I've no idea how true that is about the solos.

I never had a problem with Gers' stage presence. I think it's entertaining. I liked all the lead playing on Senjutsu but I've no idea who is playing which solos.

[Lupton]

My favorite tracks on TFF are Isle of Avalon, The Talisman, and When The Wild Wind Blows.  Starblind and Coming Home are great too, come to think of it.

 

I like The Alchemist, The Talisman and When the Wild Wind Blows. Not much else there I care for. Title track is OK. I don't get the hate for El Dorado. It just sounds a bit average. Every now and then I have the hankering to list to Isle of Avalon.  It seems that TFF and AMoLaD (another one eveyone ranks highly) are pretty slim pickings for me. I haven't figured an order yet as I've seen everyone on the last few pages posting their reunion rankings. But I know TFF and AMoLaD would be at the bottom.

[pg1067]

So I grew up with Adrian in the 80's and I'll give you my take.

I honestly never really followed Iron Maiden and gave their solos much of a thought.
(EDIT: I DID follow Iron Maiden heavily. It was their solos that I never really considered..)

Iron Maiden were different that way in that they operated as a band. It was about the songs and how they were constructed. And Dave and Adrian's strength were working together, creating dual harmonies.

Here's a magazine cover from 1985.



. . .

They were basically a package deal. Even Ronnie Dio called on them to play the harmonies on Stars.

I'm generally with you on the perception of Maiden through the '80s, although I probably paid more attention to the solos than you did.  I always preferred Dave over Adrian, but both were great, and the idea of them being a cohesive unit was paramount.  I once read a review of one of their shows here in Southern California.  The reviewer was obviously not a metal fan, but he seemed genuinely impressed with Maiden.  After a quick jab at the fans who cheered for the roadie playing a "drum solo" before the show started, he complimented Bruce's singing and his demeanor as a front man and was very impressed with Dave and Adrian's "guitar solo" spot, which eschewed flash for tasteful licks and harmonies.

Couple other things.  That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.  Also, with Stars, the whole band was invited to participate, but they were at the end of a two week break in the World Slavery Tour after returning from Australia.  The recording of Stars happened 2-3 days before Maiden resumed the tour in Portland, Maine, and it was only really feasible for Dave and Adrian to fly in and fly out of Los Angeles (I believe in the same day) and pop in the studio for an hour or two, so they came up with the harmony bits during the recording of the main tracks.

I REALLY wish Wendy Dio would figure out how to get Stars re-leased on digital media with the "loads of outtakes for the video" that she has mentioned.

[nick_z]

The Final Frontier is the album that has grown on me the most, out of the reunion stuff. For some reason, I was in a Maiden "lull" when it came out, and I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it at first. But now I really like it.

There are some pretty amazing songs on it, both long and short. The one thing that holds it back a little for me is how it starts. The title track...I don't enjoy it much. And while the Satellite 15 intro is interesting, the whole thing makes for a good chunk of running time at the very beginning that is just kinda there. El Dorado is ok -  not great, but fun enough. All in all, not an exciting start.

But then it all gets much better 

[TAC]

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

Also, with Stars, the whole band was invited to participate, but they were at the end of a two week break in the World Slavery Tour after returning from Australia.  The recording of Stars happened 2-3 days before Maiden resumed the tour in Portland, Maine, and it was only really feasible for Dave and Adrian to fly in and fly out of Los Angeles (I believe in the same day) and pop in the studio for an hour or two, so they came up with the harmony bits during the recording of the main tracks.

Cool. Yeah, you would think Bruce would've been included in the vocal.

I saw them a 10 days after that Portland show.

[Stadler]

With Dream Theater, the technicalities of their music make it more difficult to jump around on stage. I don't see the need for it, the music speaks for itself.  Jordan occasionally brings out the keytar so he can come up front and rock out, and him and JP do some unison, even Myung joins in on that. JLB moves around but doesn't overdo it.  DT's stage act is just fine to me. At least you could see MP or MM, whereas Nicko is buried behind the kit. 
Bruce Dickinson is just a freak of nature and is a lot more athletic than most performers.

Not physically possible. It's like pouring water on yourself to dry off.  Or putting things in the freezer to bake.

[Lupton]

Regarding the onstage antics. I saw Maiden here in Dallas in 1999 at the long defunct Bronco Bowl. Virtual XI was the latest studio album and I think they were touring for the Ed Hunter game which may have not even been released at that point. I went into that show clueless with some friends who simply wanted to see "Iron Maiden". No one know who was in the band. Hell, I still thought Blaze was still their singer and was still pretty casual in my fandom myself.

So you can imagine my surprise when Maiden took the stage and there was Bruce fronting the band! I was completely shocked and had no clue that he had rejoined. What a cool way to find out that Bruce was back! Plus they had three guitarists. This also perplexed me. I thought Maiden only had two guitarists? As a casual Maiden fan, I did not know the guitarists names or who did what. I did notice that one guitarist spent like 70% of the show spinning his guitar around his head (probably exaggerating the way memory cheats). But the music and performance was awesome. They played almost all of the Ed Hunter greatest hits package so the set was killer. This performance left a big impact on my friends who loved all the rock'n'roll spectacle stuff. They absolutely loved Janick spinning his guitar! Well the same group of us went to see Maiden again in 2010 for the TFF tour hoping to relive the experience, and as you could guess everyone in our group pretty much hated the show. Probably mostly due to the set list of newer material. But I remember the distinct disappointment from my friends (again these are casual music listeners) that "the guitarist" wasn't spinning his guitar enough   (like he was at that impressionable performance 10 years earlier). Our comedy quote of that evening: "They no longer gallop. They only march." 

I've been trying to understand all this in hindsight. My guess is when Adrian came back that immediately plugged a hole freeing Janick up to do whatever he pleases on stage (so he was basically a 5th wheel for much of that '99 show of mostly older pre-90s material). However, as time went by, Maiden had more of a chance to work together and to really integrate the 3 guitar thing to all their past songs. Maybe on the Ed Hunter tour the merger was too fresh, so depending on the song one of the guitarists was surplus to requirements. I've also had a chance to go back and review that 2010 setlist to try to understand why it was so lacking in up tempo numbers. Let's just say you have to be a big fan of BNW, DoD and AMoLaD to like that setlist.

Anyhow, guitar dancing aside, the pyrotechnics will always get the biggest applause at any live shows..be it Kiss, Rush, etc... It's probably part of our monkey DNA.

[TAC]

There are some pretty amazing songs on it, both long and short. The one thing that holds it back a little for me is how it starts. The title track...I don't enjoy it much. And while the Satellite 15 intro is interesting, the whole thing makes for a good chunk of running time at the very beginning that is just kinda there. El Dorado is ok -  not great, but fun enough. All in all, not an exciting start.

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

[Herrick]

There are some pretty amazing songs on it, both long and short. The one thing that holds it back a little for me is how it starts. The title track...I don't enjoy it much. And while the Satellite 15 intro is interesting, the whole thing makes for a good chunk of running time at the very beginning that is just kinda there. El Dorado is ok -  not great, but fun enough. All in all, not an exciting start.

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

It's a weird change when they go into The Final Frontier after Satellite 15. It's not terrible or anything but it just doesn't work for me.

[nick_z]

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

Absolutely yes to both.

Further thoughts on TFF the album: When the Wind Blows and The Talisman are (rightly) often mentioned as centerpieces...but another song I greatly enjoy is Starblind. Such a cool vibe. And The Alchemist is one of my favorite shorter songs of the reunion era.

[jammindude]

S-15 is probably the #1 reason I fell in love with TFF. That has got to be the coolest opener in Maiden’s entire catalog.

[cramx3]

There are some pretty amazing songs on it, both long and short. The one thing that holds it back a little for me is how it starts. The title track...I don't enjoy it much. And while the Satellite 15 intro is interesting, the whole thing makes for a good chunk of running time at the very beginning that is just kinda there. El Dorado is ok -  not great, but fun enough. All in all, not an exciting start.

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

Yup on both points.  I HATE how S15 isn't it's own track.  Seperated gives it that space to be an "opener" but as the same track it feels like it's the first song and I just don't personally view S15 as a song (yes, I know it is technically) but as an opener.  As an opener, it's pretty cool and definitely unique for IM.  As a song, it's really not my thing pairing it with TFF.  TFF itself is a decent song.  This may just be a problem with how my brain handles this, but TFF album as a whole would greatly benefit from splitting these two tracks IMO.

Also, The Talisman is my favorite on TFF.  In fact, I'd say the songs they performed from TFF at En Vivo are the best tracks.  I feel like that's a rare opinion for me as they often choose to not play songs I really enjoy. 

[nick_z]

S-15 is probably the #1 reason I fell in love with TFF. That has got to be the coolest opener in Maiden’s entire catalog.

Yes, it's a super-cool opener...but then what do you think of the Final Frontier part of that track?

[Stadler]

S-15 is probably the #1 reason I fell in love with TFF. That has got to be the coolest opener in Maiden’s entire catalog.

I'm with you on that.  I love it.  TFF has aged very well for me.

[Stadler]

There are some pretty amazing songs on it, both long and short. The one thing that holds it back a little for me is how it starts. The title track...I don't enjoy it much. And while the Satellite 15 intro is interesting, the whole thing makes for a good chunk of running time at the very beginning that is just kinda there. El Dorado is ok -  not great, but fun enough. All in all, not an exciting start.

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

Yup on both points.  I HATE how S15 isn't it's own track.  Seperated gives it that space to be an "opener" but as the same track it feels like it's the first song and I just don't personally view S15 as a song (yes, I know it is technically) but as an opener.  As an opener, it's pretty cool and definitely unique for IM.  As a song, it's really not my thing pairing it with TFF.  TFF itself is a decent song.  This may just be a problem with how my brain handles this, but TFF album as a whole would greatly benefit from splitting these two tracks IMO.

Also, The Talisman is my favorite on TFF.  In fact, I'd say the songs they performed from TFF at En Vivo are the best tracks.  I feel like that's a rare opinion for me as they often choose to not play songs I really enjoy.

En Vivo is a solid live record.  One of my favorites in the Maiden catalogue.

[DoctorAction]

I thought the intro was an amazing and fresh way to start an Iron Maiden album. My only complaint is that I wish they had split S-15 and the title track into different tracks so I could skip it if I wanted too.

And El Dorado would've made more sense thematically and stylistically as the second track of The Book Of Souls, whereas Speed Of Light would've fit in much better on TFF.

Absolutely yes to both.

Further thoughts on TFF the album: When the Wind Blows and The Talisman are (rightly) often mentioned as centerpieces...but another song I greatly enjoy is Starblind. Such a cool vibe. And The Alchemist is one of my favorite shorter songs of the reunion era.

I tend to just play the four tracks from The Alchemist through to a the Talisman and I LOVE those. CH and TMWWBK are good too but not quite as good. The rest is fine. Doesn't suck but doesn't rock either. Solid record with really high highs.

[pg1067]

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

The small version looks for all the world like Steve, but I enlarged it a bunch, and now I'm not so sure.  Obviously, that would make more sense.    Unfortunately, I don't have that issue, so I can't check it that way.  It's a little more clear here:  https://reverb.com/item/5269856-guitar-for-the-practicing-musician-january-1985-iron-maiden-on-the-cover

[wolfking]

I'm a sucker for Janick's playing, so I don't really get the hate that pops up from time to time. Then again, I joined the Iron Maiden party in 2003, so he was well established in the band by then. Many of the things I love the most in the band, like the climactic solos in Blood Brothers, Rainmaker, and The Red and the Black wouldn't be the same without him – and I do appreciate that he's willing to get noisy with his solos from time to time. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I would definitely miss him were he not in the band.

I do think it's special that the three guitarists are so distinct in terms of timbre, composition, and approaches to soloing that you can (mostly) tell who's playing without seeing footage.

Rainmaker is all Dave mate.

Not all, man – I mean the part where they're all harmonizing before the chorus kicks back in. I don't think that's all Dave multitracking himself, and the way at his and Janick's sounds mesh in that part is pretty grand (maybe Adrian's playing along in that part too, though I think he does the rhythm part live).

Well, obviously Maidens harmonies are a given that it's at least a couple of them playing.  You said solos though, hence my comment.

[TAC]

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

The small version looks for all the world like Steve, but I enlarged it a bunch, and now I'm not so sure.  Obviously, that would make more sense.    Unfortunately, I don't have that issue, so I can't check it that way.  It's a little more clear here:  https://reverb.com/item/5269856-guitar-for-the-practicing-musician-january-1985-iron-maiden-on-the-cover

THAT'S ADRIAN!!

[Herrick]

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

The small version looks for all the world like Steve, but I enlarged it a bunch, and now I'm not so sure.  Obviously, that would make more sense.    Unfortunately, I don't have that issue, so I can't check it that way.  It's a little more clear here:  https://reverb.com/item/5269856-guitar-for-the-practicing-musician-january-1985-iron-maiden-on-the-cover

That's definitely Smith.

[wolfking]

Why would Steve be on a guitar magazine holding a guitar when it says Adrian Smith on the left hand side! 

[Dedalus]

I'm definitely not one of those who feel a need to listen to something because it's from a famous and established band.

Just to illustrate: I've never listened to Van Halen's Different Kind of Truth, I haven't listened to AC/DC's Power Up, I haven't listened to Helloween's new one yet.... 

In case you care, ADKOT was my album of the year in 2012, and I rate it higher than most of the Sammy stuff.  That's a SOLID record.

ADKOT is an EXCELLENT album, even if a bit bloated, but still 8 or 9 songs deep. Power Up ..it's AC/DC. It's a nice listen, and you have to look at it as "It's all gravy at this point" with it.
The new Helloween is AMAZING!

Stadler and TAC 

It is possible that at some point I will return more attention to VH's discography. I know DLR records well, but Van Hagar is practically unheard of for me, YEARS I HAVE NOT LISTENED TO ANYTHING. The truth is I've never been a big fan of VH.

I've listened to Helloween a lot when I was a teenager. Probably the records I listened to the most are The Time of the Oath (my favorite) and The Dark Ride. I don't know why, but then I stopped listening to them. I don't remember if I've ever listened to Rabbit Don't Come Easy, but I'm pretty sure I've never listened to any of the following albums.

[Dedalus]

Regarding the onstage antics. I saw Maiden here in Dallas in 1999 at the long defunct Bronco Bowl. Virtual XI was the latest studio album and I think they were touring for the Ed Hunter game which may have not even been released at that point. I went into that show clueless with some friends who simply wanted to see "Iron Maiden". No one know who was in the band. Hell, I still thought Blaze was still their singer and was still pretty casual in my fandom myself.

So you can imagine my surprise when Maiden took the stage and there was Bruce fronting the band! I was completely shocked and had no clue that he had rejoined. What a cool way to find out that Bruce was back! Plus they had three guitarists. This also perplexed me. I thought Maiden only had two guitarists? As a casual Maiden fan, I did not know the guitarists names or who did what. I did notice that one guitarist spent like 70% of the show spinning his guitar around his head (probably exaggerating the way memory cheats). But the music and performance was awesome. They played almost all of the Ed Hunter greatest hits package so the set was killer. This performance left a big impact on my friends who loved all the rock'n'roll spectacle stuff. They absolutely loved Janick spinning his guitar! Well the same group of us went to see Maiden again in 2010 for the TFF tour hoping to relive the experience, and as you could guess everyone in our group pretty much hated the show. Probably mostly due to the set list of newer material. But I remember the distinct disappointment from my friends (again these are casual music listeners) that "the guitarist" wasn't spinning his guitar enough   (like he was at that impressionable performance 10 years earlier). Our comedy quote of that evening: "They no longer gallop. They only march." 

I've been trying to understand all this in hindsight. My guess is when Adrian came back that immediately plugged a hole freeing Janick up to do whatever he pleases on stage (so he was basically a 5th wheel for much of that '99 show of mostly older pre-90s material). However, as time went by, Maiden had more of a chance to work together and to really integrate the 3 guitar thing to all their past songs. Maybe on the Ed Hunter tour the merger was too fresh, so depending on the song one of the guitarists was surplus to requirements. I've also had a chance to go back and review that 2010 setlist to try to understand why it was so lacking in up tempo numbers. Let's just say you have to be a big fan of BNW, DoD and AMoLaD to like that setlist.

Anyhow, guitar dancing aside, the pyrotechnics will always get the biggest applause at any live shows..be it Kiss, Rush, etc... It's probably part of our monkey DNA.

Very cool post. 

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

The small version looks for all the world like Steve, but I enlarged it a bunch, and now I'm not so sure.  Obviously, that would make more sense.    Unfortunately, I don't have that issue, so I can't check it that way.  It's a little more clear here:  https://reverb.com/item/5269856-guitar-for-the-practicing-musician-january-1985-iron-maiden-on-the-cover

THAT'S ADRIAN!!

That Guitar for the Practicing Musician edition is pretty rare.  It also amuses me that it features Dave and Adrian, but the photo is Dave and Steve, and Steve is holding a guitar, rather than a bass.

Looks like Adrian to me..

The small version looks for all the world like Steve, but I enlarged it a bunch, and now I'm not so sure.  Obviously, that would make more sense.    Unfortunately, I don't have that issue, so I can't check it that way.  It's a little more clear here:  https://reverb.com/item/5269856-guitar-for-the-practicing-musician-january-1985-iron-maiden-on-the-cover

That's definitely Smith.

Why would Steve be on a guitar magazine holding a guitar when it says Adrian Smith on the left hand side! 

But I 'm with pg1067, at first glance I also thought that was Steve.   

[nobloodyname]

You can add me to the pile on

I thought it looked like Steve from a distance but it's definitely Adrian with Steve's hair in the larger version.

Here we go, not that anybody cares about these lists:

Brave New World
Senjutsu
Dance of Death
A Matter of Life and Death
The Book of Souls
The Final Frontier

Slightly surprises me that I've now put A Matter of Life and Death above The Book of Souls.