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Iron Maiden
: ****
No doubt one of the best metal debuts from one of the best metal bands ever! This one just never gets old, from the opening chords of Prowler to the deranged, creepy title track, it never lets up. It also spawned their first top fourty hit, Running Free, which is now one of Maiden's classics. The 7 1/2 minute rocker Phantom of the Opera showed Maiden could hang with the best of the prog rockers too, and would go on later to do the even longer Rime of the Ancient Mariner at 13+ minutes! It also has Maiden's first all music composition with Transylvania. Charlotte the Harlot is another fave, which has spawned a couple of follow up songs (22 Acacia Avenue for one). And Even though tracks like Sanctuary and Remember Tomorrow get lost in the mix, they're just as good as the rest. The only reason i didn't give this cd, and the follow-up Killers 5 stars is because even as great as these are, they don't hold much of a candle to the Number/Piece/Powerslave era of Maiden's career. Oh, yeh, don't forget to check out Maiden's new one Brave New World, wich is the best the band has put out since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
This is where it all began for Iron Maiden. Granted, they did have a 3 song demo EP by the name of "The Soundhouse Tapes," but both "Prowler" and "Iron Maiden" from that lp made their way on to this one.
This album was a bold move considering the music scene of the late 70's and early 80's. Disco was on its way out and New Wave and Punk was on its way in. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Who were by this time considered rock dinosaurs. To come out with a Heavy Metal album at this time was a bit of a risky proposition, but EMI liked what they heard and the band was signed for an album. The rest, as they say, is history.
While time has taken some of the edge off this album, this was pretty heavy stuff when it came out back in 1980. Granted, these songs are now 24+ years old, but they still retain the original intensity and raw power. You'll still hear the band play "Sanctuary," "Iron Maiden," and "Running Free."
The band's line up at this time was Paul Di'Anno on vocals, Steve Harris on bass, Dave Murry on guitar, Dennis Stratton on 2nd lead guitar, and Clive Burr on drums. Only Dave Murray and Steve Harris remain today. Di'Anno never followed up his Iron Maiden success, but is still an excellent vocalist. Dennis Stratton is currently touring with Praying Mantis. Clive Burr has since retired from the music business and is battling multiple sclerosis.
If you want to see where it all began for Iron Maiden, this is the album to purchase. Keep in mind this is now almost 25 years old, so you're not going to get "Powerslave" or "Brave New World;" but what you will get is a young, hungry band from the early 80's who eventually clawed their way to the top of the heavy metal heap.
This album is fantastic and it simply does not grow old!! For example, an Iron Maiden fan will seldom listen to 1987ýs SOMEWHERE IN TIME, for example. But he will always find himself listening to their debut.
There are a few weak tracks here, like RUNNING FREE and IRON MAIDEN (they play it live until nowadays, donýt what for)
 Man, all I hear from these other reviewers is how great Piece of Mind is or other albums with Bruce. Give some credit to their first album. Not to mention Paul Di'Anno, who I think was a better singer for Maiden. Sure Bruce has a better vocal range, but Paul, damn, he had attitude. His voice sounded so cool. I really liked his voice in Prowler. He just howls to the riffs.
Now the music. Prowler, now this is an album opener. How can you people say that Aces High, or The Wicker Man is better than this? This is one of my favorite songs by Maiden. Don't get me wrong, I love Aces High. But Prowler is such a great song. The opening riffs made with the wah pedal just blow your mind! The singing goes so well with the music. The chorus is so cool, you'll be singing it for weeks. Then it leads to the solos. Man, they're nice. Fast as hell but simple at the same time. This is not a complex song. Aces High is much more complex. But doesn't mean its not good. Such an underrated song to the new generation of Maiden fans.
There are some tracks here that aren't exactly spectacular like Sanctuary,Remember Tomorrow, Running Free,Charlotte the Harlot and Iron Maiden. But I still like these songs and always will. Sanctuary is good but just doesn't deliver as much as Prowler. Remember Tomorrow is a great change from slow to fast, I really like the bass in this song. Running Free is just punk like all over. The bass intro followed by the drums is just such an enjoyable beat. The chorus is catchy as well.
Phantom of the Opera is my second favorite song done by Maiden. This song just shows how technical their music can be. After the first solo comes in, you know you're gonna be on a wild ride. The instrumental section is where the song really shines. The riffs backed up with the bass in this song is just amazing. If you don't like this song, but you like songs from the Bruce era, you're an idiot. This album is worth the price for Prowler and Phantom alone. I can't get tired of this song.
I used to think Genghis Khan was better than Transylvania, but I really just had to give time to see which was better. I still like Genghis Khan, its just that Transylvania gives off such a better atmosphere. The riffs and solos are fast as hell, how can you not love this instrumental? Better than any Metallica instrumentals. The Call of Ktulu is nice but Transylvania kicks its ass. Not to mention Maiden doesn't stretch out their instumentals to 10 mins pointlessly.
Strange World is a nice little break after Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania. Paul's vocals are really nice here, even though he sounds as if he's been [...]. The music is awesome and is played as a blues type ballad. Very nice.
Charlotte the Harlot isn't a standout. I like the intro. But the song just doesn't appeal too much. I like 22 Acacia Avenue a lot more than Charlotte the Harlot now. Acacia is just thought out better and is a little more deep. The title track is simple, it has no solos but is fun as hell to sing along to. The riffs are cool. This is the only track on this album that I think is overrated.
I still wonder why the hell Burning Ambition was released as a B'Side on the Running Free single instead of on this album. That song is truly incredible. It is short (2:42) but really good. The solo is f*cking awesome.
This album has no fillers. 2 incredible songs, 2 great songs, and the rest are still good. Don't call yourself a fan and start wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts if you've never even heard this album and Killers before. The raw, garage sound on this album are the roots of Maiden and are very unique. You really need to give the Paul Di'Anno era a try. It's truly amazing.
People rave about the current 3 guitar line-up and Bruce Dickenson -- but although Bruce looks the part, Paul DiAnno's voice always sounded much better to me. Dennis Stratton was also memorably good (who needs 3 blondes with strats anyway?!). I was lucky enough to see Maiden live twice before they had chart success and they were wonderful -- everybody knew they were something special (although their support band, Praying Mantis, were also exceptionally good). Every song on this album is a classic hard rock track. If Iron Maiden is heavy metal -- then they are certainly the best of it and this album is a rock classic. I always felt that Iron Maiden really carried on the classic British rock tradition, and were much more than some of the gimmicky, flash-in-the-pan metal formula groups. I guess they have stood the test of time. You don't have to head bang to enjoy this album (but you might get the urge to!). All tracks on this album are superb. [I have the original vinyl album, so I cannot comment on the "enhanced" CD format -- it sounds great on vinyl though!].
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