80s Classic Albums (Featuring: King Crimson)

[BlobVanDam]

Blob!!  No love for Hallowed Be Thy Name??   Really???

Oh, I still like it, I just don't enjoy it as much as the rest of the album.

[El Barto]

The preceding and following albums are top 3 in my book. NotB is a good album, but not a great one.

[Outcrier]

I love Maiden, but I was never huge on TNOTB.

This. Still, it has Hallowed Be Thy Name on it 

[lonestar]

It could be argued that TNOTB is responsible for me being a metalhead.

[TAC]

There's one thing that all of these albums have in common: MTV. And The Number Of The Beast is no different.
I like Bruce well enough, but I always found him disingenuous because he always slagged on MTV and always claimed they had no help in getting their music out there. Well, Iron Maiden is where they are because of MTV.

[Mladen]

Are you being ironic? Younger fans like me are being taught by documentaries and interviews that MTV and other mainstream media never supported Maiden, and now all of a sudden someone says these songs got a lot of play on MTV. I'm sure you know what you're talking about, though, you were around back in the day.

This album, although fantastic like most Maiden albums, is more respected and beloved in the general metal community, I think. It's not a huge fan favorite, most fans would rather go for Powerslave, Somewhere in time or Seventh son.

[Zantera]

This album, although fantastic like most Maiden albums, is more respected and beloved in the general metal community, I think. It's not a huge fan favorite, most fans would rather go for Powerslave, Somewhere in time or Seventh son.

I agree with this. I kinda get the feeling that TNOTB is the easy "go to" favorite for a lot of casual fans, whereas a lot of the hardcore fans don't tend to hold it as their favorite. There's exceptions of course, but this is just based on how I see it, with the people I know.

[hefdaddy42]

Are you being ironic? Younger fans like me are being taught by documentaries and interviews that MTV and other mainstream media never supported Maiden, and now all of a sudden someone says these songs got a lot of play on MTV. I'm sure you know what you're talking about, though, you were around back in the day.

I'm curious about this as well.  I watched MTV all the time during this period, and I never remember Iron Maiden getting much airplay.  Unless you mean on that metal show they had - I forget the name.

But I don't EVER remember them being in regular airplay, like Michael Jackson, Def Leppard, or Poison.

[wolfking]

One of the very first real classic metal albums I heard.  Instantly turned my heart into metal, never to go back.

[King Postwhore]

I saw Maidien a good amount. Of course not like MJ and others but you still could catch Flight Of Icarus on regular rotation.


This album was what got me into IM.  A neighbor got it and I went over to hang at his house and listen to it.  Of course the album cover was what sucked him in.  For me, it was the music.

[jammindude]

I was around back then.  I can tell you that the NotB videos were almost never played when they were new.   But as their popularity grew, MTV followed the trend.    NotB videos were virtually ignored, the Flight of Icaras video got a bit more airplay....but by the time Powerslave had come out, Iron Maiden were HUGE and MTV couldn't ignore one of the biggest bands in the country.    Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight videos got *A TON* of MTV exposure. 

EDIT: In fact, I seem to remember that they made quite a big deal out of the premiere of the 2MtM video.

[TAC]

Are you being ironic? Younger fans like me are being taught by documentaries and interviews that MTV and other mainstream media never supported Maiden, and now all of a sudden someone says these songs got a lot of play on MTV. I'm sure you know what you're talking about, though, you were around back in the day.

When MTV started, they would play just about anything. They would play Wrathchild regularly from the Live At The Rainbow video. When Run To The Hills came out, it was in heavy rotation. There's no question. Remember, this was still 1982, and just before MTV really exploded. But I can say that it is because of MTV that I became aware of Iron Maiden.

They also played Flight Of Icarus quite a bit.

It wasn't long after 2 Minutes To Midnight debuted that MTV forgot about Iron Maiden. They started to move into the Hair Metal territory and Maiden did not fit. And yes Hef, they were then relegated to the Headbanger's ball.

I will say that Maiden received NO radio airplay, at least in the Boston/Providence market.

But 1982 was a key time in Maiden's history, and it was perfect timing with MTV's infancy that opened Maiden up to future die hards like me.

I was around back then.  I can tell you that the NotB videos were almost never played when they were new.   But as their popularity grew, MTV followed the trend.    NotB videos were virtually ignored, the Flight of Icaras video got a bit more airplay....but by the time Powerslave had come out, Iron Maiden were HUGE and MTV couldn't ignore one of the biggest bands in the country.    Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight videos got *A TON* of MTV exposure. 

EDIT: In fact, I seem to remember that they made quite a big deal out of the premiere of the 2MtM video.

I was going to look for you on this. Run To The Hills was played CONSTANTLY, but they definitely left The Number Of The Beast (the song) alone.

In fact, we didn't have cable, so I could only watch MTV at my grandmother's house in the city. I would stay over on many Saturday nights specifically for the MTV Saturday Night concert. I couldn't go and not see RTTH quite a few times during a visit.
I finally bought the album in mid August '82. But they had been playing the video for months earlier, the album being released in March.
Like I said, they were playing Whrathchild a year earlier.

MTV didn't follow Maiden. They made them. Maiden's tour with Judas Priest wasn't until the fall, and that's what really blew them up. heck, before Screaming For Vengeance, Priest was still playing theaters, but due to the heavy rotation of You've Got Another Thing Coming, it blew Priest up into the arenas..

[Mladen]

This has turned into a very interesting discussion. I really appreciate the comments. 

[TAC]

This has turned into a very interesting discussion. I really appreciate the comments. 

I added to the previous post while you were posting. I'm going to try and jog J-Dude's memory.

[jammindude]

Ya...I forgot about RttH.  (mostly because it's been so overplayed that I've grown not to like the song very much)   That did get a decent amount of airplay.

But I'm going to disagree on the Powerslave era.    I'm going to say that the hair metal explosion and the waning interest in IM that you mention didn't happen with MTV until Somewhere in Time.   That album really didn't fit into any catagory at the time.    The battle lines were being drawn with synths vs. no synths and by 1986, thrash metal was filling a "no synth" void that a lot of classic bands like Priest and Ozzy and Crue had left behind.   

Somewhere in Time (in my experience) had a very negative backlash when it first came out because of the "no synth" atmosphere that permeated the hard core crowd.     Today it's hailed as a classic, and I've grown to really like it over the years.   But I was 16, full of piss and vinegar, and my friends and I had already been listening to the "big 4" religiously for 2 years straight.   Somewhere in Time seemed like Iron Maiden-lite.   

But back on topic.   The Powerslave/Life After Death period was Iron Maiden's popularity at it's peak.  Both on MTV and on radio.   But that really fell off the table with the mid-80's hair metal explosion and the synth sounds of SiT.   

[TAC]

Ya...I forgot about RttH.  (mostly because it's been so overplayed that I've grown not to like the song very much)   That did get a decent amount of airplay.

But I'm going to disagree on the Powerslave era.    I'm going to say that the hair metal explosion and the waning interest in IM that you mention didn't happen with MTV until Somewhere in Time.   That album really didn't fit into any catagory at the time.    The battle lines were being drawn with synths vs. no synths and by 1986, thrash metal was filling a "no synth" void that a lot of classic bands like Priest and Ozzy and Crue had left behind.   

Somewhere in Time (in my experience) had a very negative backlash when it first came out because of the "no synth" atmosphere that permeated the hard core crowd.     Today it's hailed as a classic, and I've grown to really like it over the years.   But I was 16, full of piss and vinegar, and my friends and I had already been listening to the "big 4" religiously for 2 years straight.   Somewhere in Time seemed like Iron Maiden-lite.   

But back on topic.   The Powerslave/Life After Death period was Iron Maiden's popularity at it's peak.  Both on MTV and on radio.   But that really fell off the table with the mid-80's hair metal explosion and the synth sounds of SiT.

Yes all the way!

I agree that MTV was with Maiden through Powerslave. I guess that's what I meant when I said after 2MTM. IIRC, they made a big deal of Live After Death.

[KevShmev]

I have zero recollection of Maiden on MTV back then, and I watched it a ton in the 80s, but I likely tuned it out since music that heavy would have been a total turnoff to me at the age of 10.   I didn't get into really any metal until I was around 19 (unless you count hair metal, which was more rock than metal, really).

[LudwigVan]

There's one thing that all of these albums have in common: MTV. And The Number Of The Beast is no different.
I like Bruce well enough, but I always found him disingenuous because he always slagged on MTV and always claimed they had no help in getting their music out there. Well, Iron Maiden is where they are because of MTV.

I think this disingenuousness came from the fact that Maiden went out of their way to disassociate themselves from the 'corporate' mainstream (of which MTV was a perceived party), preferring to revel in their identity as a band for the working class.

The thing that gets to me about TNOTB is the fantastic sound of Clive Burr's drums on this album, and the stark change that comes with Nikko replacing him on Piece Of Mind. I always wonder how POM and Powerslave would've sounded if Burr were healthy enough to stay with the band.

[wolfking]

I always preferred Clive's playing to Nicko.  More variety and groove IMO.

[Mosh]

Wow, I had no idea Maiden had gotten so much mtv exposure. The docs make it seem like they were flat out ignored. Very interesting.

[Cyclopssss]

No I remember Run to the hills getting quite a lot of airplay on Headbangers' Ball. That was the turnaround point. Hilarious clip as well. Too bad the one for NOTB was so laugingly bad.

I had just become a fan after Killers came out. I remember seeing this glorius album cover in my record store and going 'ooooohhh yeasss!'
Really great album, I remember being blown away by Bruce's vocals. Also how great songs like Hallow be thy name, the Prisoner and 22 Acacia Avenue were. Hell, even the B-sides on that album were great. I've always loved Clive's playing on the earlier album, he could swing. Such a waste of great talent. What a dreadful disease MS is. 

[hefdaddy42]

No I remember Run to the hills getting quite a lot of airplay on Headbangers' Ball.

Well, this is what I was asking.  I don't remember IM ever getting much airplay on MTV at all.  Was it all (or mostly) on Headbangers Ball?  It must have been.

[Cyclopssss]

Yeah, that was pretty much all I was watching on that channel. 

[T-ski]

the only Maiden video I remember getting heavy airplay on MTv was "Wasted Years".

[bosk1]

Outside of Headbanger's Ball, Iron Maiden did not get much MTV play outside of Run To The Hills, which was on a fair amount.  They clearly weren't ignored by MTV.  But MTV was not the reason they blew up either. 

[Kwyjibo]

And then MTV is not the same in all countries. If I remember correctly, we in Germany got MTV later and when we got it, Metal outside of Headbanger's Ball was a rarity. The only video from Maiden I remember seeing on MTV is "Holy Smoke" and that was much later.

[Lowdz]

It could be argued that TNOTB is responsible for me being a metalhead.

It played a big part for me too. The impact of this album in the UK was pretty huge at the time. I loved Killers - still do, its my favourite IM album but TNOTB was quality. Gangland is a poor song (until DT made it something special) and Invaders isn't great but I can live with it. The rest is classic and got a metal band on Top of the Pops with proper metal songs.

I love hallowed and its compulsory to try to hit the Bruce notes in the first verse and hold them

[hefdaddy42]

Outside of Headbanger's Ball, Iron Maiden did not get much MTV play outside of Run To The Hills, which was on a fair amount.  They clearly weren't ignored by MTV.  But MTV was not the reason they blew up either.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Winger got a ton more airplay than Maiden did on MTV.

[jammindude]

 I just remember that there was an ad campaign for the premiere of the 2MTM video. They made a really big deal about it and then premiered it in prime time.

[King Postwhore]

POM is when they started to play IM videos on a regular basis.  Before that it was only Headbangers Ball.

[TAC]

No I remember Run to the hills getting quite a lot of airplay on Headbangers' Ball.

Well, this is what I was asking.  I don't remember IM ever getting much airplay on MTV at all.  Was it all (or mostly) on Headbangers Ball?  It must have been.

Hef, in 1982 Run To The Hills was in heavy rotation. The second video from the album was the title track, which was shown quite a bit less, probably due to the devilish nature. In May of 1983, Flight of Icarus, had its World Premiere, and was in regular rotation. But The Trooper was played sparingly.
In late 1984, MTV did make a big deal of the premiere to 2 Minutes To Midnight., and the following summer to Live After Death.
As J-Dude mentioned, there was a shift sometime in 1986, where classic metal bands got relegated to the Headbanger's Ball, which really didn't start until mid to late '86 or so, and hair metal/keyboard stuff became popular.

I just remember that there was an ad campaign for the premiere of the 2MTM video. They made a really big deal about it and then premiered it in prime time.

True. The same thing happened before with Icarus.

Outside of Headbanger's Ball, Iron Maiden did not get much MTV play outside of Run To The Hills, which was on a fair amount.  They clearly weren't ignored by MTV.  But MTV was not the reason they blew up either. 

Bosk, RTTH, Icarus, and 2 Minutes were all played. Now I maintain that MTV, and the Run To The Hills video played a huge influence in their popularity. How else could you explain it?
They were a great live band, and word of mouth played a big part, as they toured with Priest on the Point Of Entry/Killers tour, whih played theaters, and then the Screaming For Vengeance/TNOTB tour, which was catapulted to arenas on the STRENGTH od the You've Got Another Thing Coming/RTTH videos.
It was a key time for Maiden, and while J Dude mentions that Maiden's popularity was at its highest in 1985, their big break came in 1982 on the strength of:
1. A great album
2. A great supporting slot on a major tour
3. Exposure on MTV

[bosk1]

Bosk, RTTH, Icarus, and 2 Minutes were all played.

I never said other videos weren't played.  They were.  They just weren't played all that much in comparison to a lot of other bands.  Clearly, they weren't completely ignored (you can even go back to MTV's first day, when Maiden got a total of 6 plays for 2 different songs).  But that still doesn't change what I said in my earlier post.

Now I maintain that MTV, and the Run To The Hills video played a huge influence in their popularity. How else could you explain it?

You can maintain that all you like.  Outside of Run To the Hills, I'm not sure it is accurate.  And I don't need to explain it.  Why a given band reaches a certain level of popularity is generally very complicated and is based on many, many factors.  I can't pretend to have an explanation.

[hefdaddy42]

Hef, in 1982 Run To The Hills was in heavy rotation.

If you say so.  All I can say is that I was a heavy watcher of MTV, and I don't ever remember IM being in "heavy rotation."  Maybe they were and I just missed it.

Also, there isn't a word about a video on the wikipedia pages for the album or the song, so it must not have been THAT impactful.

But whatever.  Like I said, I don't even like the band that much, so it doesn't really matter to me.

[TAC]

Now I maintain that MTV, and the Run To The Hills video played a huge influence in their popularity. How else could you explain it?

You can maintain that all you like.  Outside of Run To the Hills, I'm not sure it is accurate.

And that's all I'm really saying. THAT was their big break. For Iron Maiden to pretend that MTV had nothing to do with it is disingenuous.

If you say so.  All I can say is that I was a heavy watcher of MTV, and I don't ever remember IM being in "heavy rotation." 

Not sure when you started watching, but was it as early as 1982? Like I said, in a weekend, I could see the video maybe a half dozen times. If it was anytime after 1982, then yes, it was easy to miss Iron Maiden on MTV.



People, Iron Maiden is one of those bands that was probably destined for greatness. But MTV gave them their break in America in 1982. They just did. After 1982, they really didn't and they had NO radio airplay whatsoever.

But whatever.  Like I said, I don't even like the band that much, so it doesn't really matter to me.

Cool. All good.

[jammindude]

Well....rock radio played a big part too.   My first exposure to Iron Maiden was hearing Still Life on the radio.   That might be hard to believe, because Still Life was not a single.  I don't know why local rock radio chose to play that song first (it was a precursor to the album coming out) but rock radio was also behind Iron Maiden as well.