The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[wolfking]

That's a class photo of you and your boy Tim.

[TAC]

Thank you, brother!

[cramx3]

He is sporting my No Prayer For New York event shirt with the WTC (I saw them at Brendan Byrne).

Only a local NJ guy would know what this is these days, very cool though 

My college roommate lived in Wayne NJ, so we always planned visits around concerts. I saw a bunch of shows at the Meadowlands, and in the NY area. Saw Metallica on the Justice tour in '89 there too.

Saw Iron Maiden a couple times there, but always as "Izod Center" including the full AMOLAD performance in 2006 and the ROTAM performance from Flight 666. I've seen many Devils and Nets games as Brendan Byrnes

[TAC]

He is sporting my No Prayer For New York event shirt with the WTC (I saw them at Brendan Byrne).

Only a local NJ guy would know what this is these days, very cool though 

My college roommate lived in Wayne NJ, so we always planned visits around concerts. I saw a bunch of shows at the Meadowlands, and in the NY area. Saw Metallica on the Justice tour in '89 there too.

Saw Iron Maiden a couple times there, but always as "Izod Center" including the full AMOLAD performance in 2006 and the ROTAM performance from Flight 666. I've seen many Devils and Nets games as Brendan Byrnes

For some reason I didn't see Maiden in '88 there. My friend called me after the show. He came up here and saw them in Providence with me, and I went solo to the Worcester show.

I also saw the Operation Rock n Roll tour in '91 there featuring Judas Priest/Alice Cooper/Motorhead/Metal Church/Dangerous Toys.

Saw Monsters Of Rock (VH, Scorps, Dokken, Metallica, KC) at Giants Stadium in '88, Metallica on Long Island in '91 and Maiden (and DT!) at the Ritz in '92 during those visits.

[Dedalus]

I'm listening to En Vivo right now and I just wanted to say that the version of The Talisman is amazing. 

EDIT:

[425]

So nice, you said it twice!

I agree, that performance is wonderful. It's what finally got me to fall in love with the song. Not that I didn't like it before, but I was focused on Avalon, Starblind and Wild Wind, and hadn't been paying The Talisman its due until I saw this.

[Dedalus]

So nice, you said it twice!

I agree, that performance is wonderful. It's what finally got me to fall in love with the song. Not that I didn't like it before, but I was focused on Avalon, Starblind and Wild Wind, and hadn't been paying The Talisman its due until I saw this.

 

I wrote a larger comment, decided to delete and leave just that part. I copied and pasted twice 

[KevShmev]

What is the consensus on original singer Paul Di'Anno?  I gave the debut a spin from start to finish to kick off the Maiden run through a friend and I are doing, and found his singing pretty underwhelming.  Musically, the album was really good, but it felt like the majority of the songs were let down a bit by the vocals.

[425]

It's hard to put a finger on the general consensus. There's definitely a group of people who really like him, and some who really don't care for him. My guess is the majority position would be that he's a solid singer, but the band took a huge step forward vocally with Bruce.

That's basically my opinion. I think Paul did solid work, and he has a few performances that I find touching (Remember Tomorrow is the one that comes to mind), but I don't think I would have gotten into the band if Paul was always their singer (and I don't think they would have achieved nearly as much).

[KevShmev]

Remember Tomorrow is one I liked quite a bit.

Phantom of the Opera is pretty bad ass, for sure.

Will need to spin it again to see if any others grab me more.  I liked certain things about every song, especially the intros.  They really did a good job on that first album of kicking songs off in a cool way.

[Zydar]

I think Paul added a kind of rough, punkish feel to the first two albums with his vocals.

[TAC]

Remember Tomorrow is one I liked quite a bit.

Phantom of the Opera is pretty bad ass, for sure.

Will need to spin it again to see if any others grab me more.  I liked certain things about every song, especially the intros.  They really did a good job on that first album of kicking songs off in a cool way.

Those are easily the two best tracks. Phantom is a Top 10, maybe Top 5 Iron Maiden track for me.

There’s nothing as good as Phantom on Killers, but the songs and the vocals are much stronger.

[MirrorMask]

It's hard to put a finger on the general consensus. There's definitely a group of people who really like him, and some who really don't care for him. My guess is the majority position would be that he's a solid singer, but the band took a huge step forward vocally with Bruce.

Yeah, for what Maiden were doing at that time, in that East End scene and at the beginning of their carrer, Paul was basically perfect. But worldwide stardom could have come only with Bruce.

[Herrick]

I always liked Dianno's singing on the first two albums. I got into the band chronologically (besides Virtual XI) so I hadn't even heard the band with Dickinson until I got The Number of the Beast.

[nick_z]

I find Di'Anno to be just the right singer for Maiden's first two albums. Obviously, Dickinson was what they needed to bring it to the next level, beyond the confines of NWOBHM.

But there's such a charm to these two albums that really sets them apart from contemporaries of that scene, I think, and Di'Anno certainly has a big role in that. Prowler, Remember Tomorrow, Running Free, Phantom, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Killers, Purgatory (that's one of my sleeper favorites from the first two, actually)...he's just perfect in those...

[KevShmev]

He is sounding better on the second listen, so it might just be a case of me having to get used to his voice.

Prowler is another highlight.  I really like that one.

[porcacultor]

I really enjoy Di'Anno's vocals on the two first albums... Really sad to listen to him nowadays. It's a bad sign when he does a solo concert and his band plays BOTH the Maiden instrumentals of the era (Transylvania AND Genghis Khan). Not to mention Blitzkrieg Bop as the chorus (nothing against the song, but it feels cheap coming from him).

Then again, he's either gone through enough misfortune or wrought said misfortune upon himself for me to be even bringing this late-period nonsense up 

Did your version of the first album have Sanctuary as the second track, KevShmev? My version of the album (the 1998 remaster) from when I was a kid used to have it there, but now I see the 2015 remaster (and de facto version on streaming) omits Sanctuary in that position. Totally changes the flow of the thing, I feel.

[Zoom E]

I’m very fond of Di’anno’s vocals, and the debut is my second favourite Maiden album (after The Number of the Beast).

[Lupton]

The way Paul shrieks on the title track "Killers" doesn't really remind me of anyone else. Maybe its slightly reminiscent of DLR yelps? I agree with everyone saying that Paul was a good fit for those 1st two records.

May just be me, but in a fight Genghis Khan wins over Transylvania. Love Clive's drumming on that tune.

[TAC]

Wratchild??

[jammindude]

OMG I had to double check because I have the same version.  But that's totally what mine says too. 

[Glasser]

Wratchild??

Yes, Stephen Pearcy is the guest vocalist.

[TAC]

OMG I had to double check because I have the same version.  But that's totally what mine says too. 

Yeah, that's a scan of my copy.

[KevShmev]

Did your version of the first album have Sanctuary as the second track, KevShmev? My version of the album (the 1998 remaster) from when I was a kid used to have it there, but now I see the 2015 remaster (and de facto version on streaming) omits Sanctuary in that position. Totally changes the flow of the thing, I feel.

No, but I checked it out anyway. It was okay, but seemed a bit generic.  That and Charlotte the Harlot are the two I will likely not revisit again.

[WardySI]

Didn't dislike it as such, far from it but am warming more to The Parchment now, its second half is superior so it was a little more effort required but that last few minutes is simply magnificent 

[jammindude]

See…and I grew up with the US version that placed Sanctuary before CTH. So I have trouble hearing it with the original UK track listing.

[wolfking]

When I discovered Maiden, I can't quite remember where the first two albums came into my purchase history.  I knew the whole first album from the live releases so I think the debut was one of the last I got.  I never really listened to the debut that much.  I'll always usually take the various live versions, and the 88 versions of Charlotte and Prowler were very cool.  Strange World is beautiful though.

Killers was a different story.  I listened to that one a lot more.  I enjoyed the more punk qualities of that one.  Songs like Another Life, Innocent Exile, Purgatory were very different from what the band has ever done since, so it's a pretty good listen overall.  The title track, Rue Morgue and Wrathchild are classics too.  I'm not the biggest Paul fan, but really like him on this album.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Didn't dislike it as such, far from it but am warming more to The Parchment now, its second half is superior so it was a little more effort required but that last few minutes is simply magnificent 

The Parchment has Bruce's best moments on the album for me. "Cry, we are ready to believe" and "Take me theeeeeeeeeere" are incredible.

[wolfking]

Didn't dislike it as such, far from it but am warming more to The Parchment now, its second half is superior so it was a little more effort required but that last few minutes is simply magnificent 

The Parchment has Bruce's best moments on the album for me. "Cry, we are ready to believe" and "Take me theeeeeeeeeere" are incredible.

Have you warmed more to the album mate since your first couple of listens?

[wolfking]

I think Hell on Earth has become my fav tune now.  Words can't describe how incredible this song is.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Didn't dislike it as such, far from it but am warming more to The Parchment now, its second half is superior so it was a little more effort required but that last few minutes is simply magnificent 

The Parchment has Bruce's best moments on the album for me. "Cry, we are ready to believe" and "Take me theeeeeeeeeere" are incredible.

Have you warmed more to the album mate since your first couple of listens?

Not really, and I did try hard. But those two moments on The Parchment are cool, as are portions of Hell on Earth and the whole WOTW. Other than that, I still think this is a largely uneventful and unnecessary album. But will I be at the show when they play in my city?Yes! Will I spend my hard earned dollars on merch at the same show? Also yes!

[Cool Chris]

So, the CD I bought at Target with the lenticular cover and the booklet has a couple blank pages! Not that I care a lot, but annoying to be missing some lyrics.

[Grappler]

So, the CD I bought at Target with the lenticular cover and the booklet has a couple blank pages! Not that I care a lot, but annoying to be missing some lyrics.

The band became aware of that issue and put the full booklet online for a free digital download.

[nobloodyname]

So, the CD I bought at Target with the lenticular cover and the booklet has a couple blank pages! Not that I care a lot, but annoying to be missing some lyrics.

You could jump on the back of this: https://box.ironmaiden.com/ Be quick, though.

[DoctorAction]

I love Killers. It's pretty much my favourite Maiden album joined with whichever one of NOTB/PW/SIT/SSOASS is flicking my switches that week.