Saxon – Crusader

On November 19, 2024November 18, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Album of the Week5 Comments

Saxon had been one of the leading acts of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal coming into 1984. By then it was time to shift gears into other sounds, and Saxon would set out to update themselves for the rest of the decade.

Saxon – Crusader

Released January 30, 1984 via Carrere Records

In the mid-80’s Saxon were riding a streak of albums that would go on to sell a million copies each and largely define the career of the pioneering British outfit. But the times were changing and Saxon were poised to explore new territory to adapt. Saxon had not failed in their career by any means, but by this time the NWOBHM was largely fading out as Iron Maiden had taken the crown and run with it while many other outfits were facing obscurity. Saxon were somewhere inbetween – successful but not world-conquering.

Saxon’s line-up through their history needs at least a short book to recount, but in this time period they had a stable group together. Biff Byford was and still is the band’s singer. Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn were the guitar tandem. Steve Dawson was on bass, and Nigel Glockler on drums. Glockler is with the band today along with Byford, and Quinn retains some degree of involvement though has retired from performing.

Crusader features 10 tracks at a decent 39:10 runtime. There was a deluxe reissue in 2009 that features a second disc full of bonus tracks. This is the version of the album I own but I’ll confine today’s conversation to the original album as my posts are too long as it is, no need to write 5,000 words about some bonus tracks. But in general terms, the 2009 CD reissues of these Saxon albums are worth the price of admission.

The Crusader Prelude

This is a small intro bit, with a bit of war and horse sounds. Nothing much too it and no reason for me to grade it, but a neat little piece that adds a bit of atmosphere to the impending title track.

Crusader

Now on to the title track and we get more build-up first, with the song establishing its main rhythm with a brief, ominous spoken intro before Biff comes in. The song operates at a bit of a slower pace, and is a bit militant in its presentation, just as a crusader marching into battle. There’s a kind of long breakdown section before another bellowing spoken part that then goes into a guitar solo.

There is nothing wrong with this song – it is the highlight of the album and will garner a high score here. I will say that this song does get an extra kick in the ass when done live. But this original recorded version is one of Saxon’s most-streamed songs, out of a catalog of 24 albums, so it clearly resonates with the fanbase. Grade: A

A Little Bit Of What You Fancy

This one is a fairly high-octane boogie with a very melodic gang chorus that sounds very, very ’80’s. It’s an odd proposition as it causes the fan of classic Saxon to raise an eyebrow, yet it’s a very enjoyable jam. Saxon are expanding their base through the rock realm here and it’s a bit mixed but a worthwhile listen overall. Grade: B

Sailing To America

This song’s premise is totally Saxon – it’s a historic account of the Pilgrims who sailed over on the Mayflower or however the story goes. The music is very airy and melodic here, it’s another push into other areas for Saxon and it’s honestly a bit weird. Like, this isn’t that far removed from a Journey track. But we didn’t get a Steve Perry Thanksgiving song, we got a Saxon one instead. It’s kind of befuddling though listenable by any measure. Grade: C+

Set Me Free

Now we get a cover song, this being from The Sweet. This version is a nice ’80’s update to the original, which actually has a fair bit more edge to it than this more smoothed over cover. This song does leap out a bit in comparison to most of the album. It is a good choice for a cover song as it does seem to fit what Saxon are largely up to here. Grade: A-

Just Let Me Rock

A very simple track here with an easy to grasp premise – Saxon would like to rock. They do so in the powerful chorus for sure. For the verses they go very light and melodically atmospheric (whatever that means). I find the contrast between verse and chorus a bit jarring but I can live with it. Grade: B-

Bad Boys (Like To Rock N’ Roll)

There were a whole lot of bad boys in ’80’s rock and Saxon were not going to be left out of the mix. What did get left out of the mix is a bit of beef to make this song more powerful. It’s not bad but man this is very light and kind of thin. I get that the band were pushing this sort of sound but I think they could have amped this one up a bit more. Grade: C

Do It All For You

This was one of the album’s two singles (the other being the Pilgrim song). It is a ballad that has some extra push behind it, but overall it’s still a ballad and one that I personally find a bit ill-advised. Not a bad song but not really what I’m looking for from Saxon. It’s tougher to grade this forty years out since the band have been balls to the wall since the mid-90’s, but this is a somewhat odd inclusion. Grade: C-

Rock City

This one is a more upbeat and pounding rocker, though again it is a very rock track and not particularly in line with Saxon as we generally know them. This one isn’t really ill-fitting though, it gets the job done and makes for a good listen. Grade: B-

Run For Your Lives

The record closes with another track along similar lines to the one before – very ’80’s and melodic, perhaps a hair light, but still pretty worthy and nice to hear. Grade: B-

Crusader comes off as something of a mixed bag. The album is very melodically pushed and in several places feels like it lacks a bit of bite that would put some of these songs over the edge. It’s also kind of a paint by numbers thing in many respects, this is a standard plate of rock music without a ton of dynamic ideas to set it apart. The grand exception is the title track, which is a total monster and could be considered an early power metal masterpiece. It’s also Saxon’s 5^th most played song live, so it hit pretty hard and wasn’t even a single.

This one did confuse the fanbase a bit on release and still does confound many years later. But at the end, I find a decent and sometimes really good album, and overall I can play this without too many hang-ups over the change in direction that would only become more drastic on the next few albums.

Album Grade: B-

In terms of success, Saxon kept themselves in the game here. The album charted at 18 in the UK and in similar positions across many other European countries. It did very modestly chart at 174 in the US. While sources aren’t entirely official, the estimated sales total worldwide is 1.5 million copies, not a bad haul for a band that didn’t break the same way a few of their peers did.

I don’t know if Saxon wanted a piece of the ’80’s rock pie, something they never really got, or if they simply wanted to go in a new direction after five albums of heavy metal. While the ship did get a bit off course in this time period for the band, Crusader is still a pretty enjoyable listen.

Paul Di’Anno – 1958-2024

On October 21, 2024 By bigbadburchIn News6 Comments

A brief and sad post today, as it was announced that Paul Di’Anno died earlier today. Paul was 66 and had been the first recording vocalist with Iron Maiden. He would see through the first two albums, then engage in a variety of solo and band projects after exiting Maiden in 1981.

Di’Anno had been dealing with injuries and illness for a long time, his recent appearances saw him in a wheelchair. Paul never would again rejoin Iron Maiden in any capacity, though he and Steve Harris had been met up awhile back and had been regularly communicating. Paul also met with his replacement Bruce Dickinson for the first time earlier this year, a meet-up that was reported to have been well-received by all parties.

Paul Di’Anno was a pretty rough and tumble guy – his antics would fuel Iron Maiden early on, giving them a bit of a punk edge. His same antics, often involving alcohol, would also see him leave the group. But Paul left quite the legacy in his work, both with Maiden and outside of it.

So it is a sad day in the Iron Maiden world. While other fanbases struggle a lot with members who were fired or quit, Maiden has keep a pretty even keel with its former members, especially in recent times. Paul’s works can be celebrated easily with no concerns over the perception of the other Iron Maiden material – everyone knows the first Bruce era represents the band’s classic works, but the first two albums are classics as well that were massively instrumental in shaping the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Rest easy Paul, and may the world always know your signature sneer.

Iron Maiden – Powerslave 40th Anniversary

On September 3, 2024September 2, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Album of the Week9 Comments

Forty years ago today, Iron Maiden unleashed their fifth album upon the world. Nothing would be the same after this all-consuming affair.

Iron Maiden – Powerslave

Released September 3, 1984 via EMI Records

This is a re-review for me, I did cover this album about two years ago, long before I started doing song and album grades. I’ll leave the old one up as I have no problem with that post but I’ll be referencing this new one as I go forward.

Iron Maiden convened in the Bahamas to record this effort. That must have been tough. The band was the classic line-up of the 1980’s – Steve Harris playing bass, Bruce Dickinson on the mic, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on guitar, and Nicko McBrain on drums. Martin Birch was the producer, in the middle of his immortal run of Maiden albums. The massively iconic cover art was courtesy of Derek Riggs, also in the middle of his legendary run depicting Eddie.

Simple stuff today – eight songs with a total runtime of 51:12. Nothing exists in the way of bonus tracks besides the rare Castle Records reissue, that stuff is B-side material and is available on the singles and elsewhere.

A bit of context before I start – Powerslave came in at number 2 when I did the Iron Maiden album ranking awhile back. And for additional reference, the album cover also came in at number 2 when I ranked album covers a long time ago. So clearly we’re dealing with an album I hold in very high regard.

Aces High

The opener is one of Maiden’s most beloved songs. It is an intense, soaring tune that captures the essence of airplane combat, which is nice since the song is about the legendary Battle of Britain during World War II. While Maiden’s guitar work is often widely celebrated, this song features some of the best-known riffing around. This song is flawless and one of the best songs the band have recorded. Grade: S

2 Minutes To Midnight

Another energetic track, this time about the modern state of warmongering and arms dealing. I’m always a sucker for world-ending type stuff and this reference to the Atomic Clock and impending doom of nuclear destruction is spot on. As I’ve said several times in the past, this is my favorite Iron Maiden song so I think I can wrap this one up. Grade: S

Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)

Up next is an instrumental – it was the fourth Maiden had done to that point and to date it is still the last one they’ve done. It’s a pretty brilliant song and it fits perfectly among the other tunes on the album. This wasn’t some experimental piece, it was Maiden being Maiden from opening note to close. Grade: A+

Flash Of The Blade

We have two songs back-to-back about sword-fighting. This first one features a young kid who plays with a wooden sword but then grows up and has to take up the real thing to avenge his family. And the music on this one is fantastic as well – with climbing riffs and Bruce especially soaring over even himself at points. Grade: A

The Duellists

This next sword-fighting piece was inspired by the movie of the same name, which was Ridley Scott’s first film as a director. It was set during Napoleon’s reign, which is a great backdrop for a story about people who want to kill each other. This song lets the music do most of the talking and is a bit more low-key than other stuff here, but it’s still a wonderful song and very much easily recognizable as Iron Maiden. Grade: A

Back In The Village

This one is a sequel to the song The Prisoner from The Number Of The Beast. It plays again in the land of the old TV show, The Village being the area where the prisoners were kept. This one sounds like the main character of the show is attacking the village or something, I’m not entirely sure. But again it all wraps itself up nicely as another great Maiden tune. Grade: A

Powerslave

The title track makes full use of the Egyptian theme on the cover art to weave the desperate tale of a pharaoh who is dying and cannot accept his mortality. The pharaoh is supposed to be a god and yet is dying just the same as any other person, it is quite the existential struggle for this soon to be corpse.

The song is absolutely magnificent and marks an evolution of the band’s running rhythms and approach to storytelling in songs. It would be hailed as a magnum opus epic – if it wasn’t for the very next track. Grade: S

Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

The final song on the album makes its presence felt both musically and time-wise – this one song takes up over 10% of the album’s runtime. At 13:45 it is was a ridiculously long track for 1984 and would stand as Iron Maiden’s longest song until 2015.

The song is obviously inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem and in fact follows the grim story pretty closely. A sailor is cursed for killing a bird, it’s the genesis of the idea of “an albatross around one’s neck.”

Musically, Maiden did not mess around here. The song features several distinct movements that capture the mood of the story as it goes along. It was a feat of arrangement uncommon in heavy metal at that time but a whole generation of younger musicians were paying attention and the power metal subgenre would become a playground for more classical arrangements later on.

In the end this stands as one of the top few songs in the Maiden catalog. It was a masterpiece of arrangement and execution, its lofty ambitions matched by what was presented. Grade: S

Powerslave was an absolute masterpiece from Iron Maiden. The album charted all over the world, reaching a high of number 2 in their native UK. It has been certified platinum in the US and Canada, as well as gold in the UK and several other territories.

Maiden would embark on the World Slavery tour in support of the album – the tour was the band’s longest to date, playing 189 shows in 331 days. While the tour was grueling, it also established Maiden as a prime player in heavy metal all across the world. The tour was also immortalized in the band’s first live album Live After Death a year later.

As for the album grade, well, it’s honestly a little tricky. I’ve only been using grades for a little while now and it does seem as if I’m about to do something I haven’t done yet, and honestly have very little intention to do outside of a select few albums. But this is one of those albums.

Album Grade: S

There is no doubt that Powerslave was what cemented Iron Maiden as metal legends. They’ve only expanded on their legacy since, quite the story in and of itself. But this album and tour reached the world over and developed the kind of die-hard fans that would follow the band anywhere, regardless of what the music industry thought of it. When people ask why Iron Maiden are so beloved, this album is honestly the best possible answer one could give.

For more details about my song and album grading, head here.

Questions, comments or concerns? Use the comment form below or head to my contact page.

For more of my ever-running coverage on Iron Maiden, check out the Band Index.

Iron Maiden – 2 Minutes To Midnight

On July 2, 2024July 1, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Song Of The Week6 Comments

Let’s kick off a short run through songs from “The 4’s” and start with the feature year of my site this year, 1984. In shocking news, it’s a song from my favorite band and also just happens to be my favorite song from them.

1984 would be Iron Maiden’s banner year – with the release of Powerslave and the subsequent world tour that went on forever, Maiden were at the forefront of heavy metal during its boom period. The album would go on to pop platinum and gold awards around the world, and todays’ song hit number 11 on the UK charts as the lead single from the album.

And yes, before I go on, I have discussed this song a bit previously as part of the singles series I did. Oh well, gonna do it again.

2 Minutes To Midnight is a fast, hard hitting song that keeps it basic. It’s meat and potatoes metal, which Maiden execute well despite being known for their more epic fare. We do get a soaring chorus and a nice guitar solo section, but this tune written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson does generally plunge straight ahead.

The theme here is how the powers that be perpetuate a state of war to keep raking in the money from selling instruments of war. It was a common and corrupt practice through the 1980’s and hasn’t really gone away today. The rank and file people suffer while corporations and politicians feed at the trough, it’s a well-worn theme that hasn’t gotten any better over the past 40 years.

The song’s title is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic device issued by a group of scientists to gauge how close civilization is to a global catastrophe. This classicly meant nuclear war but can also refer to other wild disasters and non-nuclear war threats. 2 minutes was the closest the clock had ever been to midnight, this was set in 1953 during the build-up of the Cold War. Iron Maiden used it as a symbol of world destruction to set with their song about warmongering, a fair pairing if there ever was one.

The only issue is that the Doomsday Clock has now moved closer than 2 minutes – in 2023 it was set to 90 seconds to midnight, and remains there as of mid-2024. We are setting records, baby!

2 Minutes To Midnight has been one of Maiden’s more recognizable tracks over the years. It’s not quite at the same level as stuff like The Trooper or Hallowed Be Thy Name but the song does qualify as a “greatest hit.” It has been played nearly 1,400 times live, good for 6th-most in the Maiden live pantheon.

The song’s main riff has been the subject of some funny speculation. The riff is a very generic one that’s easy to play and also can be found all throughout rock history. There’s no telling where it actually first came from – my rough guess is Ritchie Blackmore but I’m honestly not sure about that, it could go back even farther. But some astute listeners picked up on a 1980 song by British group White Spirit, fittingly called Midnight Chaser, with a guitar run that sounds suspiciously familiar to this song. I’ll post the song below so everyone can do their own comparisons if they wish.

In and of itself this isn’t a huge deal – one, this riff is very stock and I would hesitate to think it could even be copyrighted or whatever. Two, Iron Maiden have “borrowed” from more obscure British acts from time to time, usually with proper settlements in place (depending on who you ask).

But there is a hilarious coincidence here, and that revolves around White Spirit’s guitar player. He was none other than Janick Gers. Six years after the release of the Iron Maiden song, Janick would find himself in Iron Maiden, replacing Adrian Smith and remaining with the band even when Smith returned in 1999. So maybe, not really but it’s funny to say anyway, maybe Iron Maiden ripped off their future guitar player’s super generic riff. I don’t know.

As I said above, this is my favorite Iron Maiden song. Yes, I do mean of all their catalog. People do sometimes look at me weird when I tell them that – this one is usually held in high regard but not on the same degree as other songs. And some fans do feel it’s too basic. But it all struck the right chords with me, and I’ve always been a fan of “brink of nuclear disaster” kind of stuff so this checked that box. It was also featured in my favorite video game of all time, the often-mentioned Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, with how much I’ve played it I’ve easily heard this Maiden song more times than any other.

That’s about all I have to go over today. As part of my 1984 celebration and my perpetual Iron Maiden celebration, I will be giving Powerslave a second look and a proper grading on its 40^th anniversary date of September 3^rd. The day before will be the normal Album of the Week slot and I’ll have a Maiden double feature then – another Maiden album released on September 3^rd will get a reassessment and grading on the 2^nd. But we have two months to worry about all of that.

Saxon – Hell, Fire And Damnation (Album of the Week)

On May 27, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Album of the Week3 Comments

After seeing them live last week, it’s finally time to sit down and go over the 24^th album from the long-running legends of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Saxon – Hell, Fire And Damnation

Released January 19, 2024 via Silver Lining Music

For Saxon it has been business as usual throughout the 2000’s, as they have landed album after album of consistent material. Some might wonder when the group will call it a day, but nothing indicates that day will be anytime soon.

There was one major departure from Saxon’s line-up before recording, but the rest of the band remained as it had for a long time. Biff Byford helms the group from the vocal spot. Doug Scarratt is on guitar, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler is on drums. All have been with the band for a great deal of time, with Byford being an original member, Glockler and Carter on board since the ’80’s, and Scarratt having come on in 1995.

One original member did leave the band – guitarist Paul Quinn retired in 2023 after having been with Saxon since 1975. He did contribute to two songs on this album, keeping a streak of appearances going from the band’s start. Quinn was replaced by Brian Tatler, the long-running bandleader of Diamond Head. Tatler was first brought on to be a touring guitarist but later become a permanent member of Saxon.

This album was produced by Andy Sneap. Sneap has been producing for Saxon since 2011 and has been at the forefront of heavy metal production for quite some time now. It’s been a busy year for Sneap as he’s also a member of Judas Priest, who have lit the metal world on fire with their latest release.

Today’s album has 10 songs at a 42:20 runtime. The first track is an intro so I’ll set it aside and discuss the other 9.

Hell, Fire and Damnation

The title track gets things going after an intro. This is a pretty epic depiction of the eternal struggle between good and evil, Heaven and Hell. The song runs mid-paced and quite heavy to paint the battle in sound. Saxon don’t really pick sides here – rather they illustrate the ongoing war. And there is a bit of something extra in this title track, something Saxon often do. Grade: A

Madame Guillotine

It’s on to a song that pretty well gives away its theme in the title. The topic at hand is the French Revolution and the fate of Marie Antoinette and many others at the hands of the vengeful populace. The song keeps it simple and direct, letting the instrument of beheading take the lead over the instruments in the band. Nicely done song with a sly and funny chorus. Grade: A

Fire And Steel

This one goes quick and hard. It is not just figuratively about “heavy metal,” it is literally about making heavy metal. Well, sort of – steel is not actually classified as a heavy metal in the scientific sense. But steel is heavy so let’s just go with it. Grade: B

There’s Something In Roswell

Over the course of nearly 50 years and 24 albums, Saxon have covered a lot of topics, ranging from the JFK assassination, to an out of service steam train, to an airliner crashing. Now Biff and company take a peek under the blanket of a huge conspiracy, the aliens of Roswell, New Mexico.

We don’t get anything concrete about the truth of Roswell here, but Saxon do believe something is up. It’s set to another nice mid-paced stroll through government secrets. Grade: B+

Kubla Khan And The Merchant Of Venice

This song covers a lot of ground and I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here. Kubla Khan was a poem by Samuel Coleridge set in China’s Yuan Dynasty, which is referenced in the song. The Merchant of Venice was a Shakespeare play with no bearing on the Yuan Dynasty, that I know of. But here are presented the two concepts. It’s a nice, fast song with a bit of an adventure feel to it. Grade: B

Pirates Of The Airwaves

This is a fantastic track that goes back to the history of pirate radio in the 1960’s. That’s all before my time but apparently there were some rogue stations out there that got away from payola and other shady record label practices and simply played the music people wanted to hear. It even mentions a radio station out of St. Louis despite being an England-centric song, or at least I assume the song is referencing that station. Very cool stuff to hear, we’re so far removed from “pirate radio” that many people would have no clue what it was. Grade: A-

1066

Pretty simple concept here – Saxon are returning to the days of their namesake, when the Saxons were defeated by William the Conqueror in 1066. Maybe it makes Saxon the band feel less old to look back on something almost a thousand years ago, I don’t know. Pretty cool song. Grade: B

Witches Of Salem

One more history lesson from this album, the topic is evident in the title. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrific display of inhumanity but has also been fodder for heavy metal and horror stories forever now. Another fine Saxon song that also made the setlist on the current tour. Grade: B+

Super Charger

We wrap the album up with a old-school heavy metal tale of engines, racing and speeding. Pretty standard fare for sure but that’s probably why most people listen to Saxon in the first place, we want the meat and potatoes of metal without all the bells and whistles, and Saxon deliver just that. Grade: B

Hell, Fire And Damnation was another in a long line of Saxon albums that pleased fans and gained notice as the band performs beyond the confines of their age. The album charted at 19 in the UK and landed top 10 positions in Austria, Germany, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Saxon would tour Europe alongside Uriah Heep, opening for Judas Priest. Saxon and Uriah Heep would then bring the tour to the US, a show I saw this past Friday. A recap of that show is coming Wednesday.

As for this album? It’s another in a very long line of solid and consistent Saxon releases. The band had a run of aiming for commercial airplay through the late ’80’s, then began righting the ship through the ’90’s. Their modern run of consistent ass-kicking might begin with 1999’s Metalhead, or might even go back to an earlier 1990’s album. Whatever the case, Saxon continue to deliver quality music each time they press the record button in the studio.

Album Grade: B+

This was another, uh, solid ball of rock from Saxon that did not disappoint. The band shows zero signs of slowing down, on record or on stage. Nothing is slowing down this beast of Britain as it heads forward into metal immortality.

For an explanation of my grading system, head here.

For questions, comments or concerns, use the comment form below or head to my contact page.

Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark

On May 13, 2024May 12, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Album of the Week10 Comments

I switched gears for this week after finding out this album just had its 32^nd anniversary (or birthday, whichever) over the weekend. It is a mixed bag for sure and the record marked the end of an era for the group as they continued drifting away from the golden years of the 1980’s.

Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark

Released May 11, 1992 via EMI Records

Iron Maiden has entered the 1990’s with a retooled, stripped-down sound. The synth era of the late ’80’s was over and the band explored a meat and potatoes rock approach on No Prayer For The Dying. That album spawned the band’s only UK number one hit but is also widely held as one of the worst albums of the entire catalog. There was more variety on display here but the sounds and vibes weren’t terribly far off of this record’s predecessor.

The band’s line-up was the same as the album prior – Steve Harris as always on bass and band leading, Bruce Dickinson on vocals, Dave Murray and Janick Gers on guitar and Nicko McBrain on drums. Martin Birch helped Steve Harris produce, it marked Birch’s final involvement with Maiden as he would head into retirement. This was also Dickinson’s final album with the group until 2000, Bruce was off to his solo career about a year later.

This also marks the end of the line for Derek Riggs album covers – this one was done by Melyvn Grant, who is now the second-most credited artist for Maiden covers. And this one was a pretty good job, very nice and different depiction of Eddie.

This is one loaded album – it is 12 tracks at 57:58, marking Maiden’s first double album. As I recall from my Iron Maiden album ranking, this one did not place very well at all, landing at number 14 on my list. As I said then, this album has a lot of variety but also a lot of varied results, so let’s jump in and see what’s what.

Be Quick Or Be Dead

The opener also served as the lead single. It is a very fast and aggressive song, something a bit over the bar for Maiden. The intensity helps drive home the song’s message about how screwed up corporations and governments are, something that has only gotten worse 32 years on. This one is really good and certainly among the album’s keepers. Grade: B

From Here To Eternity

Another single and the conclusion of the long-running Charlotte saga. It’s a muscular hard rock affair that is fairly basic but I enjoy what it has on offer. It won’t set the world on fire but I don’t have an issue listening to it. Grade: C+

Afraid To Shoot Strangers

On now to a song that fits the Iron Maiden identity full and true. This haunting track starts quietly then builds into explosive action later and it features the movements and thoughtfulness typically expected from Maiden. The song examines the first Gulf War from the eyes of a young soldier who is sent to kill – it’s a new take on the classic “government starts the war and poor people fight it” trope found in music of all stripes. It could be said this is what Maiden used to sound like before the 1990’s shift, but I think it’s more accurate to say that this is what Maiden would sound like in their second “golden” era in the coming reunion years. An absolute whale of a song, very well done. Grade: A

Fear Is The Key

Up next is a song lyrically inspired by the death of Freddy Mercury to AIDS and the concept how how no one really “gave a shit” about the disease until celebrities started dying to it. The issues around HIV and AIDS were a massive shitshow in the 1980’s and early ’90’s for sure.

This song has some good hooks and riffs though it does feel a bit odd in structure. And the song’s last few minutes really throw a wrench into the works – I don’t know what’s going on but it reminds me of Spinal Tap playing Jazz Odyssey. Hilarious in the movie, not so hot on record. Overall this one doesn’t command my attention much, bit of a roller coaster. Grade: D+

Childhood’s End

Another bit of a fierce pounder here and a song that very much offers the sound of Maiden to come for the rest of the decade. Interesting use of drums here and everything comes off pretty sharp and well done. It’s a look at how the whims of politicians lead to children around the world caught up in war, famine and other shitty situations. While this song is one of the album’s secondary tracks, it does a pretty good job. Grade: B

Wasting Love

If you had “Iron Maiden will release a power ballad in 1992” on your bingo card way back when, well, you probably cashed in. I don’t know why Maiden would do a ballad or why they’d release one in 1992 when the ballad was persona non grata in the alt-music world. But none of that is really important because the song is pretty damn good. It’s a sad look at someone trying to end their loneliness through casual hook-ups and only finding more loneliness at the end of it all. This one was a curveball but curveballs are valid pitches to throw. Grade: B+

The Fugitive

Here’s one inspired by the old TV show, there were since movie remakes and whatever. Not a bad song but not radically interesting either, easy to listen to but also easy to forget. Grade: C

Chains Of Misery

It’s a song about the “devil on your shoulder” concept. It’s an outright sleazy glam track with gang vocals and the whole nine yards. It’s not a terrible song per se but it’s so out of place on an Iron Maiden record. This song is another curveball but the pitch doesn’t really land. It’s musically just good enough to not be a total trash affair. Grade: C-

The Apparition

Whether or not you like this song hinges on what you think of Bruce’s climbing vocals through the verses here. If you like them then you probably think this ghost tale is at least ok. I personally don’t like them much and it’s all the song does so I think it’s awful. One way to make a double album is to not make it and cut certain songs that don’t work – this would be one of them. Grade: D

Judas Be My Guide

This one’s about how everyone is basically “for sale,” in that everyone has a price and will eventually sell out to the high bidder. It’s of course tied to the biblical story of Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. It’s also an absolutely fantastic song. It’s short and a quick rock track but it works on every level. The Iron Maiden “butt rock” era could have been something else if more of the songs were like this. I and many others consider this to be one of the most underrated tracks of the Maiden catalog, this one is a true hidden gem. Grade: A+

Weekend Warrior

The Maiden butt rock era might have worked with more songs like the last one, unfortunately there were also tracks like this. It’s a song about football/soccer hooliganism, something Steve Harris is quite familiar with as a West Ham United fan. Whatever the topic, I don’t know what the hell is going on with this song – it’s so basic that it hurts and it goes nowhere. It’s very close to the worst Maiden song I’ve ever heard. Grade: F

Fear Of The Dark

The title track and album closer offers a very simple premise – it’s about being afraid of the dark, being paranoid about what might lurk in the shadows and corners that light doesn’t penetrate. It’s also the Maiden song from the 1990’s that has endured and earned the title of classic.

This song is a total Iron Maiden track through and through, with running riffs and quiet/loud dynamics and about anything you’d want out of a Maiden song. After slogging through an uneven album that has some massive question marks in creative choices, this song nails everything about Iron Maiden. Grade: A+

Although this era of Iron Maiden is lightly regarded, Fear Of The Dark was a bit of a success as the group pressed on in the wilderness of the 1990’s. The album charted at 12 in the US, 1 in the UK and claimed many other top 10 positions. It has been certified gold in 5 countries and has a platinum cert from Italy. It was, as of 2008, at least in the ballpark of a US gold certification as well, no known updates on that.

So what happens when you have a few really awesome songs, a handful of average tracks, and a few real stinkers? I guess, in the end things kind of average out and I can consider this an average album. It’s not average in that all of the songs are consistent and ok – it’s average because it’s great in a few spots and awful in a few others. But average is average when all is said and done.

Album Grade: C

This would be the end of an era for Iron Maiden – they would spend the balance of the decade with a new singer and song direction before restoring the glory years line-up in 1999 and being at the forefront of the new interest in traditional metal in the 2000’s. It is easy to dismiss these albums as a lost period, but there are songs certainly worth visiting on this one.

For an explanation of the grading scale, head here.

For questions, comments or concerns, either use the comment form below or head to my contact page.

For more of what I’ve posted about Iron Maiden, check out the band index.

Iron Maiden – Aces High

On April 11, 2024April 10, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Song Of The Week8 Comments

Today I’m off back to that wonderful year of 1984 and into my ongoing celebration of the 40^th anniversary.

I do run into one problem when I do this year-long 1984-versary – I’ve already covered a lot of this ground already. And in today’s case I’ve covered it twice – I have long since talked about Powerslave, one of my favorite Iron Maiden albums. And I’ve talked about the song before, when I ran it down as a part of the series where I visited the Maiden singles in my collection. But the occasion to celberate 1984 and also Iron Maiden gives me the opportunity to talk about this song yet again.

Aces High was released on the Powerslave album and was also released as the second single from that record. The song charted decently in the band’s native UK, going number 20 there as well as 29 in Ireland. But the sheer immortality of the song goes far beyond chart positions.

Aces High has a clear subject matter on hand – it depicts a British RAF pilot flying his Spitfire during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The British held out over a long campaign of German bombing that caused devastating damage to England’s cities and military infrastructure. But the inability of Nazi Germany to affect a British surrender would be a major turning point in World War II, and the resolve of the British people during a horrifying time is the stuff of legend.

One main way Britain held off Germany’s assault was through the use of the Spitfire, which was not in vast production at the onset of the battle but did showcase that it could keep up with the Luftwaffe’s well-rendered aircraft. And while the song today doesn’t identify the RAF pilot who flew these sorties, the single’s cover clearly depicts one Eddie as the pilot in question.

The lyrics paint a daring and detailed picture of the bombings and the dogfights that would ensue to defend Great Britain. The first line mentions the air raid siren, which was a constant feature of life in England during this campaign and also, likely coincidental, is the nickname of singer Bruce Dickinson. The rest of the lyrics are filled with the plane fight to shoot down bombers and then engage German fighters. The chorus soars, just as a plane does up in the open sky.

Not only do the words do a great job of communicating the story of the Spitfire, but the music is a muscular beast that also compliments the plane fight theme. The song is all action, kicking off hard from the word go and not letting up for a millisecond throughout. The guitar work from Dave Murray and Adrian Smith is exactly the kind of twin guitar attack you’d want to depict a dogfight, and Steve Harris’ bassline here is one of the best of his career. Accompanied by the bashing of skins from Nicko McBrain, this is a metal song that couldn’t get any more complete.

As presented on Powerslave and on the single, you simply get Aces High the song. But Maiden quickly appended a verbal introduction to the video as well as when playing the song live and it has become just as much a part of the song as the instruments and vocals. The verbiage in question is from Winston Churchill and is a part of his famous June 1940 speech, informally referred to as “On the beaches.” Churchill had been vehemently opposed to Hitler for the Nazi tyrant’s entire career, and Churchill’s dogged adversity would pay off when he became Prime Minister and helped lead Great Britain through the war. His speech was a celebrated rallying cry when delivered in Parliament. Do note that Churchill’s recording of the speech is actually from 1949, the original speech was not recorded.

Aces High instantly became a highlight piece of Iron Maiden’s catalog. It would open the World Slavery tour, as famously represented on Live After Death. While the song ranks at a relatively modest number 19 in terms of how many times Maiden have played it live, it is no doubt one of the band’s most-known and loved tracks. The list of signature Maiden songs can get a bit long but Aces High belongs there no question.

1984 was a banner year for heavy metal, and it was also the year Iron Maiden unleashed one of their best albums and truly took over the world. Aces High is one of the standout metal songs from that year, from Iron Maiden and honestly from heavy metal in general.

Iron Maiden – The Band Index

On March 16, 2024September 2, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Uncategorized2 Comments

This post will offer up a series of links to the various posts and series I’ve written about Iron Maiden. They are my favorite band and I’ve covered them extensively here, with more to come, so I thought it’d be wise to create a central hub for easier navigation between all of the stuff I’ve posted over the years.

This will be updated with new posts as they come. Also I will eventually use this as a hub for any Maiden associated acts, such as Bruce’s solo albums, Blaze’s stuff or the wealth of side projects and other solo albums out there.

Albums

I have covered a handful of Maiden’s studio records and eventually will get to them all. I’ll just post a list of all the albums and link up to the posts for those already done.

Iron Maiden

Killers

The Number Of The Beast

Piece Of Mind

Powerslave

Somewhere In Time

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

No Prayer For The Dying

Fear Of The Dark

The X Factor

Virtual XI

Brave New World

Dance Of Death

A Matter Of Life And Death

The Final Frontier

The Book Of Souls

Senjutsu

The Studio Album Ranking

Here lies the post where I ranked all of the albums. Simple enough.

The Album Cover Ranking

I have also ranked the album covers. That is in two parts – Part One here, Part Two here.

The Singles Series

I’ve ran through my collection of singles and discussed the ones I presently own. I am planning on restarting the series to fill in the gaps at a future point in time when I’ve bought more.

This is the first post in the series, and this is the last post. Links to each entry in the series are contained in each post for your navigational ease.

The Live Album Series

I did a full run-through series in the same vein as the singles series. Here is the first post of that series and the, for now, most recent live album. There is also a live album ranking and a wishlist for stuff I hope gets released officially at some point. This series also has links to each post in the series within it.

Unplayed Songs Live

This two-parter looks at the songs Maiden haven’t played on a live stage. The post was heavily updated to reflect the current Future Past Tour, which knocked the list down a fair bit. Part One is here, Part Two is here.

Songs

I occasionally take a look at a specific Maiden song. I have not done a great deal of these yet but this list will grow over time.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Alexander The Great

Charlotte The Harlot (this is all four songs in the saga)

Aces High

2 Minutes To Midnight

One-off Posts

This section will compile various posts I’ve done regarding Maiden. I am still putting this list together and will update it soon.

Other updates will come as I scan through my old posts to identify anything I missed. I hope this assists readers who want to check out the scope of things I’ve done.

For questions, comments or other concerns, use the comment form below or use my contact page to reach me.

Iron Maiden – My Live Album Wishlist

On December 29, 2023December 27, 2023 By bigbadburchIn Iron Maiden Live Album Series21 Comments

It’s time to wrap up the Iron Maiden live series, as well as wrap up 2023. This final post will look at a series of tours and concerts that are not officially available as live albums that I wish were. While Maiden have cranked out the live records to the tune of 13, there are several periods in history that are missed and today I’ll be looking at some of those that I’d like to see officially released.

And yes, there is a key word here – “officially.” Most anything I’m going to discuss today is available as a bootleg. But I’m concerned with the (usually) top-quality efforts the band and label release themselves. Also, some of these bootlegs are not easy to find outside of digital download form. Try digging up a physical copy of the 1985 Rock In Rio appearance, it’s kind of ridiculous.

Before I get into specific time periods I’ll go over what I’d like to see overall, since it’s very easy to look at another band and see what they’ve done. Kiss have issued an Off The Soundboard series of different concerts through their career. The packaging is no-frills and minimal, but the point is people get a show that otherwise wasn’t released officially. The Kiss issues have been well-received and I have a few of them even though I’m not a die-hard Kiss collector.

So that’s what I’d like to see from Maiden, is an occasional live release series. Things don’t have to be packaged to the gills or anything, though for Maiden there would need to be some sort of Eddie artwork. But I don’t think it’d be too difficult to pull off an annual or semi-annual release series of shows that aren’t represented already by a live album.

Now, will this happen? I kind of doubt it. I think it makes sense to do, we as Maiden fans are gleefully willing to part with our money for random shit, so getting more live stuff out there wouldn’t be a bad choice. But as many know, Steve Harris is a total control freak and often won’t let a release out without him going over every detail with a fine-tooth comb. He would have to relent some on his micromanaging vision to let a fair bit of archive live material out, as no one has time to go over everything in microscopic detail. Will he do that? Again, I kind of doubt it.

But for the sake of argument let’s say the Captain is agreeable to this archive live idea. What stuff do I want to see? Let’s get into it.

The Somewhere In Time tour

This tour cycle came and went for Maiden, then they jumped straight into Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and left a lot of SiT sitting on the shelf. They have given the album more live time in ’23 as part of their current Future Past Tour, and rest assured we’ll get a live set from that probably in ’25. But that still leaves the original tour for the album in the dust.

There are well-regarded bootlegs out there for this tour, in fact it’s a pretty hot commodity on the unofficial market as the album was glossed over in years after. There is a Paris performance that I’ve heard previously that is quality, and I’m sure there are several other worthwhile sources for a decent live record. This would be towards the top of the list of tours I want an official representation of.

The Rock In Rio series

Maiden first played this festival in 1985. They released their 2001 performance in the Rock In Rio album and video set. They’ve also played in 2013, ’19 and ’22. And it’s possible I missed a performance in there, all of this shit is listed on one huge Wikipedia page and it’s easy to miss.

But there are four other shots at live stuff there, if only to complete a bit of a vanity series. No need for a video portion or an all-out blitz, these could simply be released as no-frills packages. I do have a bootleg of the 2019 show and it’s overall very good, just with a bit of wonky guitar frequency by way of Nigel Tufnel at the Air Force base in one spot. But for the kind of release I’m envisioning that would be fine, I’m not out for everything to be the out-and-out best stuff ever.

More early stuff

We do have several live EP’s and other collections of Paul Di’Anno-fronted live stuff, but what’s the harm in more? There are some very good sounding radio broadcast bootlegs in circulation and there’s no reason a few of those couldn’t be selected for official release. I wouldn’t mind more archive-style stuff from the early days, it wasn’t a long time period but there’s a fair bit of material out there. There is also an opportunity to release the full version of the Maiden Japan EP, as expanded bootlegs do exist. Why not fill out the performance?

The Blaze years

There is no official live material from the time Blaze Bayley fronted the group. This is understandable as the period is not the band’s most celebrated. But I think it’d be nice to have an official live document from this time.

There is a caveat – Blaze couldn’t sing the Bruce stuff like Bruce could, which on the surface is fair since no one would accuse Blaze of being Bruce. But the band flat refused to step down in scale to accommodate Blaze, which I consider a mistake. I do have some bootleg Blaze stuff and I think it works fine so I don’t have a problem with it, but there are a lot of fans who would be vocally against it. They aren’t writing my wishlist though so screw ’em.

A Matter Of Life And Death

The 2005 album was hailed as one of the band’s best and Maiden took the extra step of performing the whole thing live. After the tour, Maiden transitioned to a retro setlist which came to life in the Flight 666 album and film. This had the side effect of shelving a live release for AMOLAD.

There has also been a lot of chatter that the tour wasn’t as well-received as Maiden hoped for. While the die-hard fanbase was totally up for it, often concerts are filled with more casual fans who aren’t as up on current material, and playing all of the album threw off some attendees. I don’t know any of this for sure, but there’s enough speculation out there to give credence to this line of thought.

With all that said, I want nothing more than an official release of this tour. It would probably be the most unique Maiden live set, with only their current tour rivaling it for interesting cuts. The tour is heavily bootlegged, but I see no reason to shelve an official release of this. And this one could come with all the bells and whistles of a typical Maiden live package, it doesn’t have to be minimal like I’d accept for the other stuff listed here. This one does rank at the top of my wishlist.

I think that about covers it. Sure, I’d love a live release from the Piece Of Mind tour and even No Prayer For The Dying, we might as well have something official for each album cycle and honestly we’re not too far off. Neither of those feel essential, though PoM would probably be well liked.

That covers what I’d like to see for future live Maiden releases. I’m sure we’ll get one for the current tour Future Past, and at some point in time we’re going to have that sad farewell tour and I have no doubt Maiden will release that as well. I’d also speculate that maybe there’s room for one more studio album and a live set focusing on it, I have no clue what the band’s plans are as time goes on. But I hope there’s a will for Harris to let someone go through the archives and release all this and other stuff. I suppose we will see. This does wrap up the Maiden live album series – for now, there is no doubt that it will expand in the future.

The Iron Maiden Live Album Series

Live After Death

A Real Live One

A Real Dead One

Live At Donington

Rock In Rio

BBC Archives

Beast Over Hammersmith

Death On The Road

Flight 666

En Vivo!

Maiden England ’88

The Book Of Souls – Live Chapter

Nights Of The Dead – Legacy Of The Beast Live In Mexico City

The Iron Maiden Live Album Ranking

The Maiden Live Album “Wishlist” (you are here, and you made it to the end!)

Iron Maiden – The Live Album Ranking

On December 23, 2023February 11, 2024 By bigbadburchIn Iron Maiden Live Album Series18 Comments

I’ve spent the past 13 weeks going over each Iron Maiden live album, and now at the end of it all it’s time to give them a proper ranking.

I will only be including the full-length, official live albums in this. The EP stuff like Maiden England is out, as is any kind of bootleg. The list on the bottom of this page has a link to the post where I discussed the album in detail.

This ranking is pretty fast and loose, this is not a series of conclusions reached after careful, strained analysis. It’s just a big vibe check more than anything, ranking live albums is kind of ridiculous and I’m only doing it because these guys released 13, and counting.

13 – A Real Live One (1993)

This is easy to rank, pretty much because it sounds like shit. It’s an awful sound capture or mix or whatever. It is potentially interesting given that this does represent well the band’s early ’90’s era which didn’t get hardly any live airing after these tours, but it really hurts this album that the exact same songs from the same tour can be found on another live album. This one is totally skippable.

12 – A Real Dead One (1993)

This companion to the spot below it offered up the band’s classic era and early hits. It sounds way better than the other one. But the performances are a bit lacking in dynamics, the setlist isn’t really inspiring since it’s all stuff you can hear in any number of other places, and almost all of these songs from this tour are found on another live album. This one isn’t a total wash but it doesn’t serve much of a purpose, either.

11 – Nights Of The Dead (2020)

This is the most recent one to date. It’s got a cool theme with the tie in to Day of the Dead. The sound is fine, if not just a hair off. Bruce doesn’t sound his best on here due to illness and it does affect the performance. The setlist is mostly obvious stuff but that’s to be expected from a career-spanning set. A few gems on here and overall it’s a pretty cool album but it has it faults.

10 – Flight 666 (2009)

This is another “hits” set with all but one song from the ’80’s. It all sounds really good and showcases the band in very fine form. It sits a little lower on my rankings because I’m drawn more to the live sets that highlight specific albums. Ranking this one here isn’t meant to be a knock on this album at all, it’s just that others serve my purposes more.

9 – The Book Of Souls – Live Chapter (2017)

A nice package that sums up the tour for this album very well. It does focus on the 2017 version of the tour and I would have preferred the 2016 setlist, but that’s a minor complaint. It’s a good effort and does a good job showcasing the album that this tour was supporting.

8 – The BBC Archives (2002)

This is very cool series of small sets that give us a bit of official material with Paul Di’Anno live. It’s a great look at the early years and even has a few songs with guys that weren’t in the band very long. This is more of a treat for die-hards but it’s executed in splendid fashion, this die-hard is very happy with it.

7 – Live At Donington (1993)

3 live albums in one year and this one renders the others obsolete. This is a complete show from the hallowed festival grounds and has almost all of the songs featured on the other two releases. Stuff here sounds good and it’s the best way to experience ’90’s Maiden, even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

6 – Maiden England (1988, 1994, 2013, etc)

Released in different forms several times, the 2013 complete issue is the one to seek out. This captures the band in a prime era for them, on the Seventh Son tour and with a lot of those songs making their way here. The sound is a few steps down from other recordings but it’s still a worthwhile listen. Hard to beat this setlist, even if they forgot to play The Trooper for whatever reason.

5 – Death On The Road (2005)

The live set in support of Dance Of Death is here and it’s a really good offering of the stronger tracks from that album alongside a collection of the band’s usual classic offerings. Paschendale alone is worth the price of admission.

4 – En Vivo! (2012)

This set is pulled from the tour for The Final Frontier album. Beyond just being a showcase for that stuff, this actually breathes new life into those songs and gives a looked-over album some great representation. Great sound, great crowd and everything here clicks.

3 – Rock In Rio (2002)

This offering was the conclusion of the Brave New World tour and the first live release since the band’s reunion in 1999. The album they were touring on was fantastic and it’s featured heavily here, paired with two special songs where Bruce performs Blaze-era material. This was a very exciting album and tour for the band and began a new chapter of their legacy that is the band’s longest and runs to this day.

2 – Beast Over Hammersmith (2002)

This gig from 1982 sat for a decade before an official release in a box set, then 20 years after that it got cut on vinyl for the first (official) time. This set is a total home run, showing off the band on the Beast on the Road tour and letting the world know just how great their new singer Bruce Dickinson is. Killer performances from front to back and it obviously features a lot of early material as they only had 3 albums to work off of back then.

1 – Live After Death (1985)

It’s hard to top the granddaddy of them all and for Iron Maiden live albums, this is it. Their first one is also still their best, capturing the group at their peak in the Powerslave era. It’s a magnificent set and features the band at full energy and performing many of their best tracks.

And that will do it for the live album rankings. I’ll surely be revisiting this one at least once more and maybe many more times. Christmas will be over in a few days but I’ll still put a bow on this series next week with a look at some tours I wish we had live albums for. ‘Till then.