Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. This Monday, Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno passed away at the age of 66. Although Di’Anno faced his fair share of health woes over the years, the news still came as a shock to the metal community, as well as this here webzine. After all, we had just spoken with the iconic frontman a few months ago. Despite all the hardship that had come his way, Di’Anno was in good spirits, eager to take the bull by the horns. In that interview, we asked him the age old question: Iron Maiden or Killers? Today, we pay tribute to Di’Anno by his answer to that question, the album that started it all, Iron Maiden. Rest in power Paul.
“Where were you in ’79 when the dam began to burst?” Iron Maiden were cutting their teeth on the live circuit, playing every pub, club, and concert hall they could, establishing a name for both themselves and the soon to explode NWOBHM movement. Fusing the gallop riffs of UFO, adventurism of Judas Priest, and unbridled energy of punk rock, Maiden created their own singular sound, which was captured properly for the first time on their debut demo, The Soundhouse Tapes (1979).
Limited to 5,000 copies, The Soundhouse Tapes made its way around the UK fast. Before you knew it, the name “Iron Maiden” was on the lips of every denim and leather clad longhair from London to Sheffield, Birmingham to Liverpool, and everywhere in between. It didn’t take long for EMI to take notice, who quickly signed the band and subsequently issued their self titled debut album on April 14, 1980. Little did the world know that Iron Maiden would mark the beginning of a dynasty that would not just change the course of heavy metal forever, but define the music itself.
Before we explore Iron Maiden the album, let’s explore its visual component, shall we? I’m not going to say heavy metal lacked a visual identity entirely in 1980, but it was still being fleshed out. After all, Judas Priest had only adopted their legendary all-leather look just a couple years earlier. Beforehand, to paraphrase Martin Popoff, Black Sabbath looked like Fleetwood Mac who looked like The Doobie Brothers…you get the idea.
As for album art, most bands, whether they were prog, psych, metal, or something in between, opted for the visual trip-outs of Hipgnosis. If they couldn’t afford the famed collective, they’d scour the earth for any artists that were Hipgnosis-esque. Sure, there were exceptions. Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), with its hellscape nightmare and 666 bedframe, is perhaps the first example of a truly metal album cover. Judas Priest’s Sad Wings of Destiny (1976), with its image of a fallen angel cast into the underworld, is another strong contender for early metal cover art.
Metal’s visual identity would fully be established come the advent of the NWOBHM, largely thanks to Maiden. The band themselves boasted a “metal” look, decked out in long hair, leather jackets, and denim jeans, which was only to be overshadowed by their ghastly mascot, Eddie. Created by artist Derek Riggs, Eddie made his debut on the cover of Maiden’s first single, “Running Free”, a couple months earlier in February, 1980. There, we see him standing ominously in the shadows of an alley, as a young longhair desperately tries to run away. On the Iron Maiden album cover, we’re introduced to Eddie properly, in all his horrific glory.
The decomposed zombie stands against the backdrop of a moonlit brick wall on an unsuspecting street. Perhaps it could be yours? His eyes pierce into your soul, beaming with the same fevered intensity as the streetlights and moon itself, and his open mouth reveals a ferocious snarl. His leathery, rotting skin is the figurative cherry on top, making Iron Maiden the most extreme metal album art of its era. Sure, by 2024 standards, it seems tame. After all, this same cover art graces shirts sold in Wal-Mart today. However, keep in mind the time. Derek Riggs walked so Vincent Locke could run!
Iron Maiden opens with my personal favorite Di’Anno era song, and arguably the greatest “first album, first song” of all time, “Prowler”. There’s a rawness to this song (and the whole album for that matter, but we’ll explore that later) that matches the atmosphere of the album art, as if the band themselves had just crawled out of a sewer, ready to take on anyone who stands in their path. Di’Anno absolutely sells the lyrics with his commanding vocal snarls, which are framed by razor sharp riffing, subtle harmonies, and a high speed blast halfway through. To this day, it tears through speakers like a switchblade, setting the tone for a rollercoaster of an album.
“Remember Tomorrow” follows, and though I wouldn’t go so far to call it a ballad, it does showcase Maiden’s dynamics, sounding worlds apart from the band who just walloped us with “Prowler”. Di’Anno’s vocals fluctuate from a gentle whisper to powerful screams. The band matches the intensity with a contrast of soft verses and loud choruses. The atmosphere itself is one of cryptic uncertainty, while the lyrics evoke the abstract nuances of ’70s progressive rock, a prime influence of Steve Harris, if not the biggest influence altogether.
Part of me feels because of his longstanding romance with progressive rock (amongst other factors), Harris continues to deny the influence of punk rock on Maiden’s early days. Sorry ‘Arry, but “Running Wild” doesn’t fool us. Power chord riffs, driving drumbeats, defiant lyricism, and a rowdy aura? Yeah, this has all the makings of an early Damned classic, albeit with a heftier, metallic edge. It’s metalpunk at its finest, which is a descriptor that fits this album well, even if the songs are executed in a more sophisticated manner than Motörhead.
Side A closes with Maiden’s first epic, and the song that would foreshadow the greatness they’d achieve in the years to come, “Phantom of the Opera”. In this first show of ambition, Maiden takes everything they learned from the likes of Yes, Genesis, and Jethro Tull in the ’70s, reinventing those tropes with a metallic twist. It clocks in at 7 minutes and 20 seconds, but doesn’t feel it one bit, breezing through every twist and turn and keeping us on the edge of our seats. Its foreboding atmosphere and dazzling guitar work elevate the suite to the next level. Sure, we’ll forever sing the praises of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, but I’d be damned for not acknowledging how well Murray played with Dennis Stratton on this song alone.
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by another Maiden maiden voyage (see what I did there?), “Transylvania”. Similar to “Phantom”, “Transylvania” showcases the band’s musical chops and spellbinding progressive maneuvers: Aspects that would further be refined come 1981’s Killers. Although “Genghis Khan” will forever be the definitive Maiden instrumental in my book, “Transylvania” is no slouch, guaranteed to get me headbanging and air guitaring in unison from start to finish.
Perhaps the most unsuspecting moment of Iron Maiden is its gentlest. To this day, “Strange World” stands out as an anomaly in the Maiden canon, bearing semblance to the mellow moments of early Zeppelin and Sabbath albums, serving as a calm amidst the storm. It’s otherworldly, psychedelic, and a firm reminder that this album was indeed record in the ’70s. The tail end of the ’70s (December, 1979 to be exact), yes, but the ’70s nevertheless. More metal bands could learn a thing or two from “Strange World”. It ain’t all about being the absolute heaviest all the time.
Those lucky enough to be in the American market (such as yours truly) were treated to a “bonus track” halfway through side B in “Sanctuary”. If “Prowler” and “Running Free” boasted mere hints of metalpunk, as some revisionists may imply, then “Sanctuary” is the coup de grace. Alongside Motörhead, it’s prime law evading metal, one feeling a sense of danger and recklessness in the delivery of Di’Anno’s vocals and the intensity of the guitars. Add some convincing sirens and you’ve got a fugitive’s anthem.
“Charlotte the Harlot” is yet another anomaly in the Maiden canon, not musically speaking, but compositionally speaking. It is the sole song in the Maiden catalog to be written completely by Dave Murray. I know, I had to triple check this myself, but apparently in 45 years, the man has fully written only one song musically and lyrically, which begs the question: Why? “Charlotte” is a fiery NWOBHM banger, expanding upon the street life themes explored throughout the album. Not only that, but it set the stage for an even greater sequel in “22 Acacia Avenue”. Per Murray, the saga is based on a true story. Charlotte, if you’re out there and reading this, we’d love to talk with you…for historical purposes, of course.
Closing it out is the song that has since become Maiden’s anthem, capping up nearly every Maiden show since 1980, “Iron Maiden”. Sometimes all you need is a simple riff to drive it home. In the case of “Iron Maiden”, it’s a quite unusual riff, especially for 1980, but Iron Maiden is quite an unusual band. When Di’Anno screams, “Iron Maiden’s gonna get you.”, it’s not so much a threat, but a promise said with authoritative force. Even if Di’Anno himself would be gone a little over a year later, this is a band we’d be hearing from for a long time…and we still are.
As I type this, Maiden are currently amidst their Future Past Tour, which finally comes through my hometown of Chicago tomorrow night. In fact, this original essay was supposed to be about the album they’re currently celebrating on said tour, 1986’s Somewhere in Time. But when the news of Di’Anno’s passing broke, I knew that would no longer be the case. After all, without Iron Maiden, there is no Somewhere in Time…or Powerslave…or Number of the Beast…or Seventh Son of a Seventh Son…or, well, again, you get the idea.
To Paul Di’Anno and Clive Burr, now tearing it up in the afterlife, Dennis Stratton, whose contributions to this Maiden voyage shall never go unnoticed, and Steve Harris and Dave Murray, who continue to wave the Maiden banner proudly all these years later, we salute you. As the old song goes, “Wherever you are, Iron Maiden’s gonna get you, no matter how far”. They sure got us, and if they haven’t gotten you yet, you’re next.