It was with great joy that we anticipated Iron Maiden’s first live album since Donington 1992: Rock In Rio! A decade had passed, and with it, three new studio albums, all of which are represented in the live set. The new six-man Iron Maiden lineup was on fire, and little did we know it would become the most stable lineup in the band’s history. Though they had released live B-sides from the Ed Hunter tour, Rock In Rio was the first full live album with the new lineup, and of course, new songs! We even got a live DVD out of it.
In Rio, Iron Maiden played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their entire career, only topped by the 350,000 people who saw them in Rio in 1985. They hit the stage with a setlist generous on new songs, classic hits, and respectful nods to the Blaze era.
Harrison and I will break down the album, produced by Kevin Shirley, track by track in tonight’s special live episode. Don’t miss this one as we always enjoy interacting with the comments, and we can do this best when we are live.
Much like Iron Maiden, we are best when we are live. Check it out tonight!
Friday October 10 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 22: Brave New World
Special Guest: Davey Cretin from Cretin Classics
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #118
How do you move on from a special interview with former Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley? By going to the next album, of course! After the wildly successful Ed Hunter reunion tour, the new six-man Iron Maiden lineup of Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were tasked with creating a new Iron Maiden studio album. With new producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley at the boards (whom they tested out on “Wrathchild 1999” – see Episode 21), the band had to capture their classic sound with modern production and a new three-guitar configuration.
The band toiled away in the studio as fans speculated. Finally we were given a preview of the new Maiden sound on the first single “The Wicker Man”. This was followed by the rapturous release of Brave New World on 29 May 2000. Together, with the legendary Davey Cretin of Cretin Classics, Harrison and Mike break down the album’s 10 tracks in incredible detail. You simply will not find a better analysis of this album anywhere else on the internet.
We don’t just dive deep into the album. As usual, you can expect us to tackle all the live B-sides from “The Wicker Man” and “Out of the Silent Planet”. We will also look at some very rare CD singles, including the elusive remix of “The Wicker Man” with additional lyrics. We will also have a good look at the album and singles artwork, and even a special edition DVD of the Wicker Man movie with Edward Woodward and Sir Christopher Lee.
Before we’re done, Harrison will take us through the Brave New World tour, the setlists and the performances. Expect the level of detail, analysis and pure love that you have come to know from 50 Years of Iron Maiden. It’s all here as we enter the brave new world of the Maiden reunion era!
Friday September 26 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube.
The Multiverse Saga has been moving at a glacier’s pace. We’re umpteen movies and series worth of content into the 2nd saga, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse Saga, and the Avengers still haven’t assembled! The pieces are finally moving into place for this to happen, hallelujah, in Captain America (4): Brave New World. We’re also finally seeing some resolution to events set in place during the Eternals (2021), Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and even The Incredible Hulk (2008). It also sets up the sure-to-follow Mutant Saga. None of this is spoiler territory as we’ve seen these reveals in trailers and casting.
Fans are sick of the setup, and movies have to stand on their own. Captain America 4 doesn’t really do that; it really helps if you’ve seen the above films. It is, however, a better than average Marvel movie. Some issues that have plagued recent ones have been improved upon. It still feels like one piece of a larger puzzle, which wasn’t so much an issue with Phase One’s Captain America films.
Captain America is now Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and the movie recaps that Steve Rogers entrusted the shield to him. Carl Lumbly returns as Isiah Bradley, the forgotten super soldier that was ill treated by his country. Just as there is a new Captain America, there is also a new Falcon: Joaquin Torres played Danny Ramirez. Those who haven’t seen or don’t remember much of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be lost as to who these characters are. New to the team is Harrison Ford as now-President Thunderbolt Ross. Controversially to some, this role was recast after the death of William Hurt. Harrison’s take on the character is far more Ford, but I had forgotten how much I like the guy as a baddie. Ford’s role was large, and he was great in every mood of the mercurial president. Also new to the multiverse, Shira Haas was terrific as the former Black Widow, Ruth Bat-Seraph. Giancarlo Esposito was a fine secondary villain as Sidewinder, but we have all seen Esposito chew the scenery with far more vigor in other famous roles. He brought the chill, but not so much the fury.
Since Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam is more accepted as Captain America, but still suffers from self doubt and questions whether he should have taken the super soldier serum or not. He is given perspective from the supporting characters, but ultimately feels like he has something to prove. It’s not as emotional or satisfying a character arc as he had in the TV series. Mackie, of course, plays the role with the passion we expect from the actor. He is certainly his own Captain. Steve Rogers was more quiet and reserved. He spoke softly, but knew he could back up his words. Mackie’s Captain is a little more fun loving, a little more brash and loud, and a blast to watch, especially in intense one-on-one scenes with Ford.
The cloak-and-dagger plot isn’t too complex. It all comes down to a personal vendetta to take down President Ross and expose him as the monster he really is. There’s worldwide tension over Celestial Island, a massive statue in the middle of the Indian Ocean that was created during the events of the Eternals and barely referenced since. Why? Probably because the celestial named Tiamut is not just made of rock, but also contains Adamantium. The same stuff Wolverine’s bones are made of. With Adamantium introduced into the storyline, we have even more setup for the eventual X-Men. Turns out this stuff is even more valuable than Vibranium, and stronger too. America and Japan are at the edge of war after an incident involving a stolen shipment of Japanese-owned Adamantium. In an eerie case of prophecy, America and its allies are falling apart. This, and some scenes with Ross losing his temper to his upper staff, felt…ominous.
Ultimately, at the end of the film, you know what Marvel wanted to show you: Captain America vs. the Red Hulk. There are plenty of action scenes before that, but this is where Marvel may be learning something of a lesson. If you look at something like Black Panther 2, or the Marvels, the action scenes had way too much going on with so much visual noise. They were hard to follow, and in many ways, nonsensical. These action scenes are scaled down. In fact, the battle of Celestial Island featured primarily just four combatants: two jets, Captain America, and the Falcon. There were missiles and big fleets of ships, but the action was kept to mostly those four elements. The Red Hulk segments also felt scaled back slightly, and easy to follow and enjoy. We saw the film in IMAX, and the Red Hulk looked great. The action wasn’t as CG-ish and washed out as we were used to. The giant Celestial made a cool backdrop for a battle, but I would have liked to have seen more.
The soundtrack was interesting. While I liked the score by Laura Karpman, it didn’t feel like it fit the mood of several scenes, including the opening.
There is one character design that deviated far from the original comic material and looked creepy enough, but might have missed the mark of what could have been.
There is one post-credit scene. Everyone in the theater stayed. They knew the drill. It was a cool little sequence that hints at the big things we know are coming in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. It feels like we’re finally getting closer to the ending.
Rating the four Captain America films, you just cannot top The Winter Soldier, or Civil War. That’s not going to happen. Brave New World is a welcome continuation of the legacy. It’s light on big emotions, but it does satisfy for action and furthering the adventures of the heroes who will one day soon be known as the Avengers again. Bring it on.
Attention: Mike’s mom. You don’t need to read this one. Skip it please.
RECORD STORE TALES #903: Online Dating in the Brave New World (2000)
It was the year 2000 and the world seemed new to me again. Iron Maiden had a fresh reunion album on the horizon, ushering in a long-awaited rebirth of classic heavy metal. The snow was melting, and spring was in the air. Things were going really, really well. Especially at the Record Store. My store had a “head office” (actually a broom closet) in its back room. That’s why the upper management was always breathing down my neck. But I had heard through the grapevine (actually Tom) that head office was moving to a new location across town. They never told me, but Tom did. I was elated. Things were looking way up.
I also had what at the time I called “the best first date I’d ever been on”. I even washed my car before driving to Hamilton to see her. That’s how my parents knew something was up! Her name was Terra and she fancied herself a photographer. Strangely her apartment was filled with photos of herself. That should have served as a warning. T-Rev also dated a girl who was obsessed with photos of herself, and that didn’t work. His story was told in a song by local band The Candidates called “Who’s Your Daddy Now?” “Sold your soul for a photograph, I tore it up and had the last laugh. Who’s your daddy now? He ain’t got nothin’ on me!”
But I had to take my chances. The first date went so well that I called up T-Rev on my cell phone and told him I thought I met “the one”.
I did confide in T-Rev one thing that was unusual about Terra. She didn’t drink or do any drugs, which I liked. I rarely drank and had never touched a drug. What was unusual was that Terra was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. In my mind, trying to ease my concerns, I said “that means neither of us drink or do drugs – so that’s a good thing.” I wouldn’t be heading out to bars with her, or anything like that. I had to give her a chance for date #2.
She thought it would be fun to catch a sunrise together. She lived in Hamilton so it would take me an hour to get there before the sun came. I had never watched the sunrise with a girl before, so I was on board. The people at the Record Store thought I had a screw loose.
“You’re going to drive to Hamilton at 5:00 in the morning, to watch a sunrise?” asked one of the supervisors. They didn’t get why I thought it was such a cool idea. It sounded romantic to me and I’d never done anything like that before.
I called Terra up the night before our sunrise date and she had suddenly changed her tune. “That’s reeeaally early,” she complained about her own idea.
So that idea was off. Instead I came down in the afternoon. We hung out and watched MuchMusic. Britney Spears had just come out with “Oops! I Did It Again” and I can remember watching that video in her apartment. “I want a PVC bodysuit!” said Terra. I just wanted to do anything but sit around watching MuchMusic. After a few hours of watching Static X, Disturbed and other staples of the era, I headed home.
Date #3 was the weird one. She had an AA meeting that night and didn’t want to miss it. I offered to drop her off on my way home, and that turned into her inviting me to the meeting. Going to it was one of the most regrettable decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I did not realize it was a “closed meeting” or what that meant. I don’t know why she thought bringing me along was a good idea. I was curious, and I liked Terra. I trusted her that this was OK.
The AA meeting was in the basement of a nice church. We all sat in a circle. “When it comes your turn to talk, just pass,” said Terra. So I did. Instead I listened to stories that, quite frankly, I never should have heard. Me being there was an invasion of the group’s privacy and I felt uncomfortable immediately. I wanted out that door. I waited for an appropriate break.
When the group leader broke the meeting into smaller groups, I said to Terra, “I have to go, I’m not comfortable, I’m really sorry.” She said it was OK and that we would leave together. We briefly spoke to the group leader. His name was Mike too. “We have groups for beginners too, if you feel you’d like to come back and talk about whatever is going on.” This made me feel even worse. I was masquerading as someone I was not, for the sake of sitting next to a girl in this room. I thanked him and we left together.
I decided that would be our last date.
Which is why I am still surprised I went on date #4. Mother’s Day weekend 2000.
The phone rang on the Friday night. “What are you doing this weekend? Do you want to come and hang out at my mom’s place in Huntsville?”
I silenced the alarm bells going off in my head. The suddenness of the invite was strange but if she was introducing me to her mom, that sounded alright. I packed a small bag and headed to Hamilton to pick her up. A few hours later we were in Huntsville. We went to a bar where her friends were. There was a covers band playing. I found a spot to watch. They played “War Pigs”. I was happy. But where was Terra? She left me there watching this band while she hung out with her friends. Outside, one of them passed her a joint and she had a haul. On the way back to her mom’s place, she said “I really shouldn’t have smoked that joint,” and I was shaking my head wondering what the hell I was thinking.
Her mom was really nice and made me feel very welcome. They had a beautiful place up in Huntsville. Huge, with a guest house in the back where I slept. But by the end of the weekend, her mom was giving her shit for hanging out with her friends instead of the guy who brought her to Huntsville. I felt the same way. The whole weekend was her hanging out with friends, and me tagging along. We never did anything just the two of us. I felt good that her mom at least recognized there was something fucked up about it. They had a big argument in the kitchen while I sat in the living room with one of her friends, not speaking, just staring at the newspaper.
I raced back to Kitchener barely in time for Mother’s Day dinner. This time I really did mean it: that was the last date. That was the end of it. No more. I never saw her again. I could tell when I’ve been hosed. She promised me $50 in gas money that I knew I was never going to see. I shot off an email mentioning the $50 debt, and that was our last communication.
Iron Maiden came out with a brand new single called “The Wicker Man” which served as my cheer-up. I bought the CDs and the vinyl and immersed myself in new music. I always turned back to music when stuff went sour with a girl. In this case, one of my favourite bands were triumphantly returning with their strongest lineup. Three lead guitars. I couldn’t wait to hear it. Terra was the past, but the “Wicker Man” was the future! I felt that jolt of energy again. The life-giving electricity of rock and roll.
Valuable lessons learned here. Not many of my friends can say that they’ve been to an AA meeting. I’ve been there and I know it’s not a place for outsiders. A learning experience and not one I’ll repeat.
Most bands have stinker albums somewhere in their history. For Styx, that would be their sadly disappointing reunion album Brave New World. Styx were not exactly in harmony with lead singer Dennis DeYoung, and this would be his last album with the band.
The most obvious evidence of the dischord in the band is that Brave New World sounds like two groups. In one: Tommy Shaw and James Young. In the other: Dennis DeYoung. The songs with Shaw and Young singing have hardly any DeYoung, and vice-versa. It sounds as if they could find no common ground. Far removed from the days of old, when even a disagreeing band could sound like a group.
The single “Everything is Cool” is by far the hardest rocking and best song. There are a few decent ones, such as the exotic title track, but nothing that the band would still perform on stage today. The most Styx-sounding track is Dennis’ ballad “While There’s Still Time”. That’s right, a ballad! Shaw’s “Just Fell In” is also swell, with a 1950s vibe. Other songs such as “Number One” are annoyingly modernized. The late 1990s is not a period that has aged well in music. The production, the mish-mashing of styles…Styx seemed to pick up on the bad parts of these trends. Too much programming, too many samples. Not enough Dennis! DeYoung can only be distinctly detected on a handful of tracks, mostly ballads. These are often the best songs…all but “Hip Hop-cracy”, which is so painfully 1999.
It’s kind of a shame that the Styx reunion sputtered the way it did, but the silver lining was their second life with Lawrence Gowan. The Styx reunion album was sadly a bust.
Ed Hunter tour complete, the returned Bruce Dickinson and the boys hit the studio. Steve had already begun writing several new songs while Blaze was still in the band. Several of these made it onto the new album, with Bruce singing them instead.
Brave New World features the brand new three guitar lineup of Gers, Murray and Smith (aka “The Three Amigos”) for the first time in the studio. Steve Harris had flirted with a three guitar lineup very early in Maiden’s career. The original Iron Maiden lineup consisted of two guitar players named Terry Rance and Dave Sullivan. Neither were standout solists, but Dave Murray was. Harris’ concept was to bring in Murray as a third guitarist to solo over the other two. The other two didn’t like that idea and they split. Since then, fans have wondered what Maiden would sound like with three guitars. Wonder no more.
Brave New World is also the first full Maiden album produced by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (he did the “Wraithchild” promo single prior to this), and features cover art partially done by original Maiden artist Derek “Dr. Death” Riggs. Anticipation ran high!
I was not disappointed.
Starting off with “The Wicker Man”, the first single, you can instantly hear all of Adrian’s style and substance. It’s such a welcome sound. “The Wicker Man” has a slightly-“Two Minutes To Midnight”-styled riff, which leads into this short catchy blast of awesome. “Your time will come!”
From there, it’s the slow and heavier “Ghost of the Navigator”, an equally strong song. Then, the title track “Brave New World” has chiming guitars, and soft verses with heavy choruses. It suffers from Repetive Chorus Syndrome, something that has really dogged Maiden since The X Factor. Lyrically it seems to be an environmental theme, continuing with the real-world based style of writing from the previous albums.
Steve Harris’ “Blood Brothers” is next, which once again suffers from the repetitive chorus. Otherwise, a strong song. “Side 1” of the vinyl version ended with the lethal “The Mercenary”, fast and deadly.
“Side 2” kicked off with an epic track, “Dream of Mirrors”. Clocking in at nearly 10 minutes, it’s one of Maiden’s greater epics. I would place this one pretty low on the list, especially with the repetitive chorus of “I only dream in black and white, I only dream when I’m alive, I only dream in black & white to save me from myself.” OK then.
“The Fallen Angel” is next, and even though Bruce didn’t write it, I find it somewhat similar to some of the stuff on his Accident of Birth album. Then, another 9 minute epic! “The Nomad” is slightly middle eastern in sound, something they previously explored on “To Tame A Land” and “Powerslave”. It is not, however, a standout track.
Second single “Out of the Silent Planet” is a cool sci-fi track about alien invasion. This is a fast one with one of those Dickinson choruses that you never forget. It was written by Bruce with Janick and Steve. I’m quite fond of this song
The album closes with “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate”, almost 9 minutes in length and an underrated classic. I love the sparse ending to this song. You can really hear the guitars. And Nicko’s outro! “I fucking missed it!”
I love the three guitars. It was a brilliant idea to have Adrian come back, but nobody else have to leave. Adrian Smith is the melodic one who writes his solos out in advance. Janick Gers is the manic, spontaneous one whose solos frequently sound out of control. Dave Murray is somewhere between the two, with melodic, but barely-in-control trademark Maiden guitars. With this mix, the solos are deliciously diverse and you can identify each player.
Shirley did a fine job on production, lending Maiden a powerful modern sound with big, big drums and clear, sparkling guitars.
There were of course singles to collect. And collect them I did. The fine cover art (some of the Maiden’s best in my opinion) was done by Mark Wilkinson, of Marillion/Fish fame.
1. “The Wicker Man” singles, parts 1 & 2 which featured the cool “Wicker Man” video, as well as several live tracks from the reunion “Ed Hunter” tour. Of note were several Blaze era songs with Bruce singing. This is the only place you can hear Bruce belting out “Futureal” and “Man on the Edge”. They are also home to two smokin’ versions of the classics “Powerslave” and the awesome “Killers”.
2. “Out Of The Silent Planet” single, which had that video, and two more tracks from the “Ed Hunter” tour: “Wasted Years” and “Aces High”. With Adrian back in the band, this version of “Wasted Years” is superior to the one on the “Hallowed By Thy Name” single.
The Multiverse Saga has been moving at a glacier’s pace. We’re umpteen movies and series worth of content into the 2nd saga, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse Saga, and the Avengers still haven’t assembled! The pieces are finally moving into place for this to happen, hallelujah, in Captain America (4): Brave New World. We’re also finally seeing some resolution to events set in place during the Eternals (2021), Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and even The Incredible Hulk (2008). It also sets up the sure-to-follow Mutant Saga. None of this is spoiler territory as we’ve seen these reveals in trailers and casting.
mikeladano.com 