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.
Here we go again! Let’s continue. Part 28 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
IRON MAIDEN – Ed Hunter / “Wrathchild 1999” (1999 video game/compilation)
Blaze Bayley was done. Maybe it was the performances. Maybe it was time for a change. Whatever had happened, Steve Harris decided it was time for Iron Maiden to get a new singer. Manager Rod Smallwood told him to meet with Bruce Dickinson, who wanted to make a return to Maiden and finish his career properly. Harris was skeptical. If Bruce quit once before, why would he want to come back?
After meeting with Bruce, Steve decided it was the right move. But it wasn’t as simple as that. Adrian Smith was in Bruce’s solo band, and Steve wanted him, too.
“Does that mean Janick goes?” asked Adrian, who was very much against the idea of forcing Janick Gers out of the band that he had spent the last decade in.
“No,” said Steve. “I want a three-guitar lineup.”
And thus was formed the guitar trio known to metal fans worldwide as The Three Amigos.
Iron Maiden, with Bayley, had already been working on the Ed Hunter video game. It was Maiden’s second attempt since the aborted Melt game was announced. In fact, in the game, it is Blaze’s head that you must find, not Bruce Dickinson’s. This hardly mattered in light of the massive news of a highly anticipated reunion tour featuring Bruce, Adrian, Steve, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and Nicko McBrain. This was not a one-off, Steve Harris made it clear that if you’re back in Maiden, you’re back for good. This was timed to coincide with the release of the game which also doubled as a Maiden compilation album — their second, since Best of the Beast.
This time it was a little different. To make it special, fans were permitted to vote for which songs were to appear on the disc, 20 tracks total over two discs. Since the 20 Maiden classics here were voted for online by the hard core fans, there is a fantastic balance of Maiden tunes from every era. There are no other Maiden compilations that feature such a heady brew of Paul Di’Anno, Bruce Dickinson, and Blaze Bayley era material.
It’s nice to hear such underrated classics as “Phantom Of The Opera” alongside semi-forgotten later material like “Tailgunner”. So many personal favourites are on here, including “Stranger In A Strange Land”, that I almost feel as if I put this disc together myself! They kick it off with the immortal Live After Death version of “Iron Maiden”; appropriate given that this compilation supported a greatest hits tour.
But that’s not all folks. Now that Bruce was back, it would be nice to promote that with a single. So, Maiden remixed “Wrathchild” with a brand new Bruce Dickinson lead vocal on it. The remix was done by Kevin Shirley, Maiden’s new producer and the man behind the boards of Journey’s Trial By Fire album. Since the original version of “Wrathchild” is already on the disc, this is a true bonus track, a little extra for the fans dying to get a preview of the reunited Maiden.
But it was a bonus only included on the US version of Ed Hunter, a version that was priced well over $40 in Canada. I found a “Wrathchild 1999” promo CD on eBay as well.
But how’s the game? Well, keep in mind it’s well over a decade old now. I don’t even know if it will run on a modern computer. It’s a first person shooter, with Maiden music in the background. You get to do combat in the environments of Maiden’s formative years in London, within their album covers, and if you’re lucky you might even run into Eddie. Personally, I never got that far. It’s a pretty challenging game and I’ve never made it very far. I enjoy it though, something about plowing through a bunch of monsters while “Phantom Of The Opera” is playing in the background is real fun.
Ed Hunter is not a “Doom” style first person shooter. I do not know the term for this type of game, but you do not have freedom of movement in the environments. It’s like a shooting gallery game.
I personally enjoyed Ed Hunter quite a bit. I used to take the game out to have a go every once in a while, and I still dust off the CDs for a rocking good time in the car. These discs make an excellent road compilation. I remember driving a bunch of people to a Record Store party (I was always the D.D.) with this on, and it went over very well! Overall I think it’s definitely a worthwhile purchase, if you can track one down at a reasonable price.
In the meantime, Maiden had to prove their mettle by making a new studio album…
For the first time in a long time, there was this vibe of, “new Maiden? Meh.”
I recall seeing this listed in our distributor’s catalogue and ordering one for myself. We didn’t even order it in for the store. Think about that! The catalog had the title listed as Vartual Xi, which made me wonder what the hell I was buying.
Virtual XI is the 11’th studio album by Iron Maiden. It is the second with Blaze Bayley on lead vocals and second to be co-produced by Nigel Green. It is also the second to feature cover art by Melvyn Grant, this time an improvement on his Fear of the Dark work (but only barely).
You’ll notice the Iron Maiden logo was changed — the jagged bits lopped off! It is this logo that Maiden used almost exclusively going forward. I prefer the original.
I was living with T-Rev when the album came out, early ’98, and both of us were heavily into the Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye. One Saturday night when he was out working his second job at the Waterloo Inn, I stayed home with Virtual XI, Goldeneye, and enough junk food to last the weekend. I was set. And my feelings on Virtual XI largely go back to that night and the great fun it was to play the Statue Park level whilst rocking out to “When Two Worlds Collide”.
As highly as I rate the two Blaze albums, I will be the first to admit that he was the wrong singer for this band. His voice lacks the range. As I argued in my review for The X Factor, I think Blaze’s voice suited the mid-90’s and the darker tones that Maiden were taking. I remember cranking Best of the Beast in my store, Dickinson wailing away, and two kids laughing. Context is important! In the 90’s, tastes had drifted and so had Maiden. And don’t lie to me — you owned one of these five albums: Ten, Nevermind, Superunknown, Purple or Dirt. I know you did!
I personally enjoy the dreadfully-titled Virtual XI. I bet Steve Harris wishes he could take that title back. It is not as strong as the powerfully dark X Factor album. This is Iron Maiden trying to relax a little more, be more comfortable in their new sound, and trying to lighten up a bit after an entire album of dark thoughts and suicidal tendencies. Witness “The Angel And The Gambler” which is as close to a good-time rocker as Iron Maiden get. Its problem (and the problem with a few songs on the album) is length: At 10 minutes, it’s not an epic, it’s too repetitive. I could also do without Steve’s boppy keyboard line.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The album kicks off with “Futureal”, a short fast rocker akin to “Man On The Edge” or “Be Quick Or Be Dead”, but with plenty of melody to spare. Harris wrote this one with Blaze.
Up next is “The Angel And the Gambler” which I guess Steve was hoping would sound like 70’s UFO or something like that. A classic Davey guitar solo keeps it in Maiden territory. It had a good video, very Star Wars cantina, funny with dated CG! The video however doesn’t do much to make Blaze Bayley’s case as a frontman.
Then, back to the darkness that marked the last album. “Lightning Strikes Twice” is a decent song with quiet verses and a powerful chorus. It takes a while to build unfortunately, since it’s only 5 minutes long.
Side one ended with “The Clansman”, continuing the Maiden tradition of basing songs on movies and historical events! This was the epic of the album, and one that they performed into the Dance of Death tour. You’ll be chanting, “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” by the end. This one sounds very traditional Iron Maiden, especially the fast parts.
Side two kicked off with a personal favourite, “When Two Worlds Collide”. Here’s Maiden’s take on the whole Deep Impact/Armageddon thing:
Now I can’t believe its true
and I don’t know what to do
For the hundredth time
I check the declination
Now the fear starts to grow
even my computer shows
There are no errors in the calculations
Kinda cheesy, kinda nerdy-cool at the same time. Have you ever seen the word “declination” in a heavy metal lyric before? This is the first and only collaboration between Steve, Blaze and Dave Murray.
Another dark and moody one is up next, “The Educated Fool”, another one I like quite a bit due to its delicate guitars. At this point Maiden were no longer trying to simply assault you aurally, now they were introduced in a smoother sounding guitar sound. But the song does kick in soon. There’s a line reflecting some of Steve’s personal inner pain, “I want to see my father beyond.”
This is followed by “Don’t Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger”. These songs are good tunes, but by this time we’ve already had several dark and moody ones with repeated choruses. The repetition was getting a bit much. Even the previous song, “The Educated Fool” suffers from repetitive chorus syndrome.
Last up is the closer “Como Estais Amigos”, translated as “How are you my friends”. It was written by Blaze and Janick. This one has an epic vibe to it as well, with its anthemic chorus of “No more tears, no more tears. If we live for a hundred years, amigo no more tears.” It is as if Maiden are saying, “We have been through some rough patches but better times are up ahead.” And yes, Maiden really did go through rough times, Steve Harris in particular.
And that is it, a mere 8 songs. Brevity this time unlike the previous two albums. No B-sides were recorded, either. The only B-sides were live. Let’s have a look at ’em!
“The Angel And the Gambler” was released in two parts, one with cover art by Derek Riggs, one from the forthcoming new Maiden video game, Ed Hunter. They wisely included a single edit on the second one. The B-sides were live takes of “Blood On the World’s Hands” and “The Aftermath”, which if you recall are two of the songs I ranked poorly on The X Factor.
“Futureal” was the second single, with more Ed Hunter cover art. Inside, a poster featuring Derek Riggs’ far superior artwork. The live tracks were were “Man On the Edge” (another one I’m not fond of) and “The Evil That Men Do”, from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son! This is one of the few official versions available of Blaze doing a Bruce song. My take? His “Come on! Come on! Come on!” intro fails to inspire me, but the band is playing it fast and great. Vocally this one is well suited to Blaze’s voice. He does an excellent job. (He does screw up the lyrics in the same place that Bruce used to, too!) It was recorded in 1995, which makes sense. Everything I’ve heard from that tour sounds great. Everything I’ve heard from the Virtual XI tour, however…
I think after this album the vibe was generally one of “Who cares what Maiden do next?” I still would have loyally bought it. I had just given up on the idea of Maiden being a huge band that mattered again. I didn’t expect albums that would impact me the way that Piece of Mind or Powerslave or even The X Factor did. Maiden seemed to be coasting, at a time that Bruce Dickinson was forging forward with superior solo albums. In general though, it seemed metal was done, Maiden pretty much with it, and all that was left were unremarkable studio albums and tours.
Much like other UK singles, “Virus” was released in two parts each with its own B-sides and cover art. If you bought the first, you also got a box with 5 postcards and space to store the second disc.
The first disc contained the (unadvertized) single edit version of “Virus”. I can happily live without the slow, boring, goes-nowhere first three minutes of that song. At least the single edit only has the up-tempo part of the song. I recall when the single came out, a few of us had grumbled that Maiden seemed to be losing it…
The B-sides on this first single were the previously released covers, “My Generation” and “Doctor Doctor”. You could get these tracks on the previous single, “Lord of the Flies” from The X Factor. Having said that, these are great versions, among the best covers Maiden have ever recorded in this writer’s opinion. “My Generation” is of course the Who classic. Maiden breathe their original punky sensibilities into this one, and it rocks like nothing that actually made it onto The X Factor! “Doctor Doctor” is a beefed up version of the classic UFO song, and my preferred version.
The second disc was the really, really special one. It had the album version of “Virus” (all bloody 6:15 of it, ugh) but it also has the ultra rare “Sanctuary” and “Wrathchild” from the 1979 compilation album, Metal For Muthas! When I had first picked up the single for “Virus”, I didn’t even know these recordings existed. Collectors rejoice! These tracks were previously unavailable anywhere else but Metal For Muthas, and this is the first CD release.
“Sanctuary” and “Wrathchild” both feature Paul Di’Anno on vocals, and are from the short-lived Maiden lineup of Di’Anno, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Tony Parsons, and Doug Sampson. This represents one of Maiden’s earliest recordings. There are more from this lineup, but we’re not going to talk about those for a while yet…
Do I need to mention that these two tracks are just pure smoke of the early-Maiden variety?
A quick glance at Wikipedia reveals that there is a 12″ single release of “Virus” as well, this one with the two missing Soundhouse Tapes tracks that weren’t on the Best of the Beast CD. Adding to “want” list!
I found the cover art of the “Virus” single to be a little lacklustre, particularly the one in the petri dish. Like, really? It didn’t scream to be made into a cool poster for my wall. There were some cooler things on the postcards including one by Derek Riggs.
A lot of fans confidently proclaimed that you can’t replace Bruce Dicksinson. To some degree, they were right, but Iron Maiden refused to pack it in. Steve Harris was going through dark times, particularly a painful divorce. It was Dave Murray who fired up the demoralized band: “Why should we pack it in just because he quit?”
They began the audition process, eventually calling Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley. Wolfsbane were once the new proteges of none other than Rick Rubin, who signed the band to Def American and produced their first album. Regardless of Rubin’s involvement, Wolfsbane made little impact.
Bayley turned up at the audition and they played roughly seven numbers including “Hallowed” and “The Trooper”. The personalities meshed and after listening back to the tapes, it was Nicko who declared, “There, now that sounds like Iron Maiden, dunnit?”
With the resulting album, The X Factor, as the only evidence before us, one might wonder just what Nicko was hearing. I remember being quite surprised when I listened for the first time: “This guy doesn’t have any range!” His voice fit in better with the darker tone of the 1990’s than Bruce’s did, but would it work?
As an album – disregarding the live shows, stage presence, or what happens later – I think The X Factor is damn fine. Perhaps it’s not a fine Iron Maiden album, although Steve ranks it among his top three. It’s decidedly darker, softer & slower and sparse, but it is also deeply personal. Characters on all songs are tortured souls, reflecting Steve’s inner torment.
Also important to note: This is the first Iron Maiden album since the first one, not to be produced by Martin Birch. Now, Steve Harris and Nigel Green were producing at Steve’s home studio.
The band made no bones about the new direction, starting off with the 11 minute epic “Sign of the Cross”. A new sound, Gregorian chanting, begins this tale based on The Name of the Rose, specifically the torture part! Blaze ominously warns that “Eleven saintly shrouded men have come to wash my sins away.” The song was written solely by Steve Harris and it follows in the mold set by Fear of the Dark: long, soft, bass-driven sections backed by soft keyboard beds.
It suddenly lurches into a slow march around the 2:45 mark, sounding much like Iron Maiden, but slowed down, more precise, and with a lower, rougher voice spitting out the words. It is similar to past epics in that it goes through different sections and dynamics. Although a soft epic, it is one of the best songs of the Blaze era. Indeed, the band continued to perform it even on the Brave New World tour.
As if to allay your fears that Maiden has gone soft, “Lord of the Flies” is next, retelling the old story of the boys stranded on the jungle island . It stutters forward at first before breaking into a solid groove. This Harris/Gers winner was chosen as the second single. Once again, Maiden continued to perform it even into the Dance of Death tour. Blaze growls his way through the words, his solid baritone carrying the catchy verses and choruses. Davey’s familiar guitar stylings in the solo are vintage Iron Maiden.
The third song on the album to be based on a book or movie is next, the manic “Man on the Edge”. Blaze’s first writing credit with Steve, it’s based on the excellent (and my personal favourite) Michael Douglas film, Falling Down. Lyrically though…this one is pretty poor:
The freeway is jammed and it’s backed up for miles
The car is an oven and baking is wild
Nothing is ever the way it should be
What we deserve we just don’t get you see
A briefcase, a lunch and a man on the edge
Each step gets closer to losing his head
Is someone in heaven are they looking down
‘Cause nothing is fair just you look around
Really guys? “The car is an oven and baking is wild”? What does that even mean?
Even though the band continued to play this one into the Ed Hunter tour, it’s not really a standout Maiden track to me. While it serves as a fast manic number to bang your head to while singing along, it’s simply not that great a song.
Maiden wisely sequenced these three songs first, three songs that wouldn’t alienate fans or critics even with the change at the microphone. It is only now that The X Factor begins to show its true dark face.
“Fortunes of War” is a slow, mournful ballad, a beautiful song, perhaps the sequel to “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” lyrically and musically. There’s Steve’s bass, backing the soft sections with faint keyboards. As if you couldn’t tell by the bass being one of the lead melodic instruments, this one was solely written by Steve. I like this song. Reading between the lines you can hear Steve’s pain, and you can definitely hear it musically, before the song kicks into a triumphant upbeat section with guitar harmonies at 4:35.
“Look For the Truth” is next, beginning ballad-like before going into a mid-tempo stomp. This song featured the new writing triumvirate of Steve, Blaze and Janick. Lyrically, it would be seem to be inspired by Steve’s personal struggles. Musically, I think this is another strong number, and it has a great Davey solo. If there is one thing that always grounds Iron Maiden to its roots on The X Factor, it is Davey’s solos.
This concluded the first side. Side two begins with another slow one, “The Aftermath”, written by the same triumvirate. It is at this point that I began to tire of the slow pace. Lyrically I don’t think this one stands up to anything on side one. Another war song, it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. It was dropped from the live set after this tour.
Although it’s still the bass carrying the melody, “Judgement of Heaven” quickens the pace. “I’ve been depressed so long, it’s hard to remember when I was happy,” sings Blaze on this obviously Steve-written piece. Yet it’s a positive message, Steve trying to stay strong and look to the future. Once it gets going, it’s a pretty good song, with the chorus being particularly catchy. Blaze’s “yeah yeah’s!” are as close as we get to hearing Blaze trying to do anything in an upper range!
The worst song is up next, “Blood on the World’s Hands”. A really dull Steve bass melody (guess who wrote this song!) takes a full 1:12 to introduce the damn song! There’s nothing here that really makes the song memorable.
Although it starts very slow (again) with bass melodies carrying it (again), “The Edge of Darkness” is a much better song. It follows the plot and quotes dialogue from Apocalypse Now: “What I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one.” Musically, Nicko pounds this one into submission. It stomps forward like a powerful beast, unstoppable, albeit slow and plodding. But fear not, it picks up again at 2:55, going into a faster guitar-harmony based section. Although the album certainly does not need more slower songs at this point, “The Edge of Darkness” is a win.
Less successful is the introspective “2 a.m.”. It’s not dreadful, but it’s pretty pedestrian for Maiden, although I’m sure it was deeply personal to Steve. It’s yet another slow song that goes into a powerful stomp, but that’s too many now.
The quirky “The Unbeliever” ends the album on a better note. It has a neat slippery little riff, and it’s rhythmically very different. Written by Harris/Gers, it’s marked with a standout Janick solo. Even though it’s fast paced, there’s no denying that “The Unbeliever” lacks the crunch and volume of Maiden songs of yore.
And that perhaps is one of the most surprising things about The X Factor. Regardless of the change in direction, singer and artwork, it is the production that shocked me. Clean, free of dirt and distortion, Iron Maiden had never sounded this clear on record. But is that a good thing? I desperately wanted a little more grit and grime in the guitars, not to mention volume. The production is otherwise excellent. The drums are like Bonham on steroids and the bass (of course) chimes perfectly on every cut. I just wish there was more guitar. It’s Iron Maiden, and I felt like I didn’t get enough guitar.
This being a new era for Iron Maiden, the band chose Hugh Syme (he of many Rush and Megadeth covers not to mention dozens more) for the new Eddie. Going for a realistic look, the Eddie lobotomy cover was deemed too scary for some markets, and we received the less graphic electric chair cover facing front.
Now, onto the singles.
The first single, “Man on the Edge” had numerous B-sides.
“Justice of the Peace”: A fast paced rocker about injustice in today’s “sick society”, again reflecting Maiden’s new darker, serious lyrical bent. This is Dave Murray’s only writing credit (with Steve). (Available on US CD single or UK CD single part 1.)
“Judgement Day”: Manic and fast like “Man on the Edge”, relentless although not tremendously catchy. (Available on US CD single, or UK CD single part 2.)
“I Live Way Way”: Starts slow and chime-y like many of the album songs. Yet it launches up to speed after this intro. Another fast B-side, I’m now wondering why Maiden chose to stack the album so heavy with slow songs and pseudo-ballads when they had all this stuff waiting in the wings? Perhaps replacing two album songs with two of these could have changed the balance so much. (Available only on 12″ single or Japanese 2 CD version of The X Factor. The 12″ single comes with a massive poster.)
Parts 1 and 2 of the UK CD single also had a two part Blaze Bayley interview. Essential only to the fan.
It also came with a box designed to house the album and future singles. But even when I include my redundant US “Man On The Edge” CD in the box, there’s still room to spare. This indicates to me that there were more singles planned but cancelled.
The second single, “Lord of the Flies” had two awesome B-sides! Covers. Covers of “My Generation” (The Who) and “Doctor Doctor” (UFO)! And let me tell you, Maiden is one of a few bands that can do “My Generation” properly. Steve ably handles the backing vocals while Blaze spits his way through the lead. This sounds very live off the floor and perhaps it was. “Doctor Doctor” is one that I actually prefer to the UFO original. Blaze nails the vocal, the band are solidly in the groove, and Nicko nails it home. Surely, this must be considered one of the best Maiden covers of all time!
Conclusion and final thoughts:
As always, context is very important. When The X Factor came out, I was working at the store, and I had been waiting three long years to hear it. It was the mid-90’s, and most bands chose to get “darker” or “more serious” or “modernize” in order to stay relevant. It was true from Bon Jovi to Metallica with varying degrees of success.
For me, The X Factor was one of the few things that had come out worth listening to that fall, and I listened to it non-stop. It was largely the novelty, and partly the lack of other new options, but I grew to really like most of The X Factor. It took three listens, I do remember that much. But in the 1990’s, all things considered, it really wasn’t that bad.
28 August 1993: Bruce’s final show. And for the occasion, Maiden decided to team up with…a magic act?
I don’t know who this Simon Drake fellow is, but his “horror magic show” or whatever the hell you wanna call it is just plain awful! Simon serves as a guest act during Iron Maiden’s final show, Raising Hell, available on VHS and DVD. He does magic skits at various places during the show, sometimes interacting with the band, but always with this really bad cheesy metal music (not Maiden!) behind him. And the bit where he kidnaps Dave Murray? Awful! D’y’think that the real Dave might actually be still behind the giant curtain they walked behind? You can still hear his guitar even after he has it taken away from him, and has a hand chopped off!
Simon Drake sucked! This is magic? He pretty much ruined Raising Hell, for the most part. Good thing VCR’s used to have “fast-forward” buttons!
Thankfully, Iron Maiden kick ass. With a few Eddie’s and some big backdrops, they’re playing a smaller venue (a TV studio) and it feels really intimate. Bruce is awesome, wailing and running around like a man possessed on opener “Be Quick Or Be Dead”. He does “Hallowed” perfect…really, everybody in Maiden is flawless, on fire, possessed. And by flawless, I don’t mean note perfect — there’s mistakes, but they make it perfect!
But you know who really stands out to me? Janick Gers. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more physical guitar player since Ritchie Blackmore! So why the hell is the camera on Steve Harris during Janick’s manic “Afraid To Shoot Strangers” solo!? There are quite a few missed money shots. Why?
Because it wasn’t directed by Harris, that’s why, it was directed by somebody named Declan Lowney, I guess that’s the TV production type deal. So beware: Maiden England this is not!
One thing I find a little strange: It’s Bruce’s final show, but they still played the instrumental, “Transylvania”. Nothing against that song, but why not one more vocal number? I know they were playing it live on that tour, but still.
Tracklist:
“Be Quick or Be Dead”
“The Trooper”
“The Evil That Men Do”
“The Clairvoyant”
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”
“Wrathchild”
“Transylvania”
“From Here to Eternity”
“Fear of the Dark”
“The Number of the Beast”
“Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter”
“2 Minutes to Midnight”
“Afraid to Shoot Strangers”
“Heaven Can Wait”
“Sanctuary”
“Run to the Hills”
“Iron Maiden”
And of course, it is during “Iron Maiden” that Bruce finally meets his end. One of the few highlights of the magic act is the end of Dickinson…
Rating for just the band, not the magician:
5/5 stars
Rating for the magician, not the band:
-1/5 stars
Rating for the overall video, setlist, stage show, direction, etc:
4/5 stars
Average rating:
2.666~/5 stars
What happens next? Will the band carry on? What will Bruce do? Stay tuned…
Part 13.5 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!(?) I just dug up this single from my collection, so this one actually falls right afterNo Prayer For The Dying!
IRON MAIDEN – “Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter” (1990, etched 7″ single)
“Satan’s work is done Donington!” – Bruce Dickinson
IRON MAIDEN – Live At Donington August 22nd 1992 (1993 CD, 1998 remastered edition)
I imagine if Bruce remained in the band, Maiden probably wouldn’t have released three live albums in one year. But they needed time to regroup and figure out what the hell to do next. In the meantime, as if to say, “We’ll be back!” Maiden released Live At Donington August 22nd 1992.
A much better recording than its two predecessors (A Real Live One and A Real Dead One), it’s a very special set. It’ll never be Live After Death (that’s impossible) but this is one of the finer Maiden live albums to come down the pipe. I mean, just look at the first three songs! A smoking “Be Quick Or Be Dead”. An absolutely devastating “Beast” (I like that they threw it in early). A surprising “Wrathchild”, one of the best Maiden songs of all time.
Then I get a little disinterested — “From Here To Eternity” is not a personal fave, and “Can I Play With Madness” is flat sounding again, just like on A Real Live One.
“Wasting Love” is better. The dual guitar harmony is a little off, but it’s live, what you hear is the way it was. Bruce pushing his voice to the breaking point. The mix is nice here. You can hear Nicko’s drums beautifully and both guitars clear as a bell.
A fiery “Tailgunner” takes us out of ballad territory and back into traditional Maiden: pumping guitars and lyrics about good ol’ WWII. I like when Bruce sings, “No more bomber just one big bomb, hey hey, whooo! Pussshhhttt!” as if to imitate the sound of a bomb going off!
Then, “The Evil That Men Do” lives on and on. Bruce urges Donington to scream for him; they do and he responds with a solid “Fuck yeah!”
Incidentally, does anyone know why Bruce always seems to sing the words to this song wrong, live? This album and A Real Live One, he sings:
“And I will pray for her,
Someday I may return,
I will bleed for her,
If I could only make her learn.”
The actual lyric on the album is:
“And I will pray for you,
Someday I may return,
Don’t you cry for me,
Beyond is where I learn.”
Anybody?
Bruce then introduces the modern war ballad, “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”. I think this is one of Maiden’s greater songs, at least once it gets going into that awesome guitar melody…and then another one after that!
The first CD of Donington closed with “Fear Of The Dark”. Interesting — playing this one halfway through the show, and not the end! How things would change, as this song became more and more of a classic. The Donington version is great, I love Janick’s pinch harmonics. The remastered CD loaded four more songs onto disc one from here, freeing that space off disc two for video content. I’m only mentioning this because depending on which version you have, your disc may end on a different song. But I think “Fear Of The Dark” may as well close the disc, as it’s a perfect place to pause!
“Bring Your Daughter” was up next. I can always pass on this song, although the redeeming factor are the wild and crazy guitars! I could do without the singalong intro, but the fans at Donington are sure into it!
The brilliant “Clairvoyant” pumps the crowd up once again. Once again, Janick crazies-up the guitar work making the whole thing more manic.
“Heaven Can Wait” of course was the big singalong song, I just wish they’d play something else from Somewhere In Time instead of this number. Although I do like it when Bruce allows Nicko to have a word. “Oiiiyyyeeeee!” This is followed by “Run To The Hills”, which indicates we’re getting closer to the end. Personally I’m tiring of this song, and the guitars sound too thin.
“2 Minutes To Midnight” serves as a reminder of the great tunes that Bruce and Adrian used to write together. Great riff (even if poached from “Wildfire” by Budgie), great song. Funny: As a kid, I loved “Hills” and didn’t really like “2 Minutes”. Now, I really love “2 Minutes”, but I’ve heard “Hills” just too many times.
Then: four classics in a row. “Hallowed”, “Trooper”, “Sanctuary”, and “Running Free”. “Hallowed” is still one of the very greatest Maiden tunes of all time, and in many ways I think it’s better live. In particular, the Live After Death version is great. But Bruce sings his teeth into this one too, and it’s just that much better for it. Once again, I can hear some tasty pinch harmonics in the opening. Is that you Janick? Guess I’ll have to wait until this show comes out on blu-ray in 2013….
“The Trooper” is of course pummeling as ever, and “Sanctuary” a welcome rarity from the earlier punkier days. I like when Bruce introduces Nicko as “old Flatnose himself”.
“Running Free” though was very special indeed, and a harbinger of things to come.
Adrian came out and joined the band for this one, a special appearance at a special gig. For years I had no idea: It’s not like you can really understand what Bruce is saying when Adrian comes out, perhaps overcome with emotion! This really was a preview of the most beloved, long-standing Maiden lineup of all time: Bruce, Steve, Nicko, Davey, Janick, and Adrian. It would be seven years before they played together again, but here’s the first.
The cover art and packaging was decidedly bootleg: A plain white cover with a Maiden logo stencil and the title in sloppy typewriter font. No booklet at all. Thankfully, this was rectified with Mark Wilkinson’s poster art, used for the remastered cover art. The remaster did indeed feature a full booklet packed with photos, and some live video stuff that may or may not work on your current machine.
And thus ends Live At Doningon, and thus ends the last album with this lineup. It would be uncharted waters forward, as Maiden began the audition process for a new lead singer for the first time in a decade.
But there would be one more special show. One more release to talk about: Not an album, but a video. Next time, we’ll talk about Bruce’s final show, called Raising Hell, featuring the decapitation of the band’s lead singer!
Part 17 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews! NOTE: This album was later reissued as part of A Real Live Dead One.
IRON MAIDEN – A Real Dead One (1993)
When Maiden hit the road for what was to be Bruce’s farewell tour, it did not go as the band intended. There were some positives: Because this was Bruce’s farewell, the band decided to pull certain older tracks out of the box, and record them for the next live album, A Real Dead One. But three of the four other Iron Maiden members (Janick Gers being the sole holdout) have accused Bruce of sabotaging that last tour. I’m sure this is all water under the bridge now, but Maiden were furious that Bruce seemingly stopped trying, barely sang, and underperformed on certain stops on the tour. Only the big gigs, with the cameras and the press, did Bruce put any effort into singing, claimed the band.
Whatever the case may be, Bruce did turn up for the tracks on A Real Dead One. And Maiden stacked the deck with great tracks, stretching from the first album to Powerslave. And those older seldom heard tracks that Maiden pulled out of the box? Yeah! You get classics like “Remember Tomorrow”, “Where Eagles Dare”, and “Prowler”. None of those songs were on the immortal Live After Death (neither was “Transylvania” or “Sanctuary”!) so that brings added value to this album, as a companion piece of sorts.
But it could never live up to the legacy set by Live After Death, and although it’s certainly better than A Real Live One, I can’t say I play this too frequently. The band are on fire and playing as furiously as ever. The solos are nothing if not sublime. Steve and Nicko gallop forward driving the whole thing. That’s all well and good. The vocals don’t seem mixed high enough to me. Bruce’s voice is also obviously wearing with age. It happens. I think the album has a better overall sound than A Real Live One however.
I don’t think “Remember Tomorrow” needed backing keyboards, although Dave and Janick’s guitar work is beautiful. I love Janick’s noisy chaotic solo that still somehow fits the song. I also love Nicko’s drum work and fills.
“Hallowed By Thy Name” appropriately closes the album, and was also the album’s single. The fantastic cover art shows Bruce being killed by Eddie, a trick they would try live for their final gig (and more on that when I get to it). “Hallowed” had two unique live B-sides: “Wasted Years” and “Wrathchild”! Both are worth having. “Wrathchild” probably could have been on this album, and “Wasted Years” definitely should have been on A Real Live One.
Derek Riggs came back for the cover art. DJ Eddie seems to be spinning discs in hell, at 666 FM!
Even though this was Maiden’s second live album of 1993, it was not their last! Stay tuned…
3.5/5 stars
Below: Note Bruce promoting his cousin Rob Dickinson’s new band, Catherine Wheel! Also seen, the CD for the combined A Real Live Dead One release.
Part 16 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews! NOTE: This album was later reissued as part of A Real Live Dead One.
IRON MAIDEN – A Real Live One (1993)
And then the bombshell hit. Just as Iron Maiden were releasing their next live album, Bruce Dickinson was leaving the band.
It was another in a string of major metal singer departures: Vince Neil and Rob Halford in 1992, and now Bruce Dickinson. Not to mention Dio splitting with Sabbath, again. It was a very demoralizing time to be a metal fan.
Tattooed Millionaire was a big enough success to warrant a sequel. On the advice of Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, Bruce was encouraged not to just do a half-assed sequel, but to really throw himself into the creative process. What he came up with was very different and intriguing; Bruce likened it to early Peter Gabriel. This triggered some soul searching. What if this direction was to pursued? What then?
Bruce approached Smallwood. “As you can see, the music is very different, that’s the good news,” he started. “The bad news is I’ve decided to leave the band.”
As a compromise, Bruce agreed to do the next tour, promoting the live album A Real Live One. A Real Live One was a document of the Fear of the Dark tour, and after it was mixed the band planned to hit the road again for a second leg. Bruce did not want to jeopardize the tour, and Steve Harris agreed to do it as a farewell. This was a decision that all parties would regret, but more on that later. In the meantime, Maiden had a live album to promote, with a distinct black cloud over it.
Maiden had chosen to do two live albums. First came A Real Live One, which covered music from 1986-1992. Then, post-tour, A Real Dead One covering the early years was scheduled. Splitting the live album into two may have proven to be a mistake, as it meant A Real Live One was lopsided and full of songs that many in North America did not care about: “Heaven Can Wait”, “From Here To Eternity”, “Bring Your Daughter”, but nothing of the beloved earlier period previously covered on Live After Death.
And how do you top an album like Live After Death? You can’t, so A Real Live One was doomed to be deemed inferior from the start.
Making matters worse, not only were Maiden releasing a live album that summer, but so did Kiss, Ozzy, and Van Halen.
The production seemed a little muddier (the first without Martin Birch since the early days). The performances were fine, as expected, Maiden are nothing but professionals. I don’t listen to this album often. Later live albums that cover this material are superior, and it would have helped if the album had pre-1986 classics on it. Although A Real Live One had four albums to draw upon, that period of Maiden is not the golden era, and the albums are undeniably less classic than the pre-’86 period.
I can understand their reasoning of doing the release like this. I’m sure they felt that a live album without overlap with Live After Death was better value for the money. And if you wanted those songs, you could get A Real Dead One later on. But still, a Maiden live set without “The Trooper” or “Hallowed” or “Number” was a lopsided Beast indeed.
Worthy: “Fear of the Dark”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, “The Evil That Men Do”, “The Clairvoyant”.
Ugh: a flat “Can I Play With Madness” & “From Here To Eternity”.
Missing: “Wasted Years”. That would have been a worthy addition to the set.
Derek Riggs returned to do the cover art for this and it’s a fun striking painting. Nothing special, just another cool Eddie.
The single was the awesome “Fear Of The Dark”, live (which had a better cover than the album). This had become a concert classic already, with a massive fan singalong. The B-side was “Hooks In You” from the No Prayer album and tour. I’ve never been a fan of this song, but I have no problem with Maiden issuing live B-sides of songs that are rarely aired live. It’s good for documenting history. It’s also available on the Fear of the Dark bonus disc edition.
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