Iron Maiden "The Number Of The Beast" 1982*****

Now, that can't be a coincidence. A few days after I presented 666, a.k.a. Vangelis' adaptation of the Book of Revelation, my random selection method came up with Iron Maiden's similarly themed The Number Of The Beast. It must be a sign from Heaven - or, at the very least, VALIS. And I take it to mean that I should take a holiday to Patmos island, Greece, next summer. There, one can still visit the cave where St. John The Apostle wrote the Book of Revelation. As well as swim in the clear blue Aegean Sea, bask in the sun, and eat delicious Greek food. Yes, the more I think about it the more I get convinced that this is The Creator's plan for me.

The Number of the Beast was a huge turning point for Iron Maiden. With two successful albums behind them, they decided to replace their lead singer Paul Di'Anno with Bruce Dickinson, formerly of Samson. Risky move, but it was what propelled them to the upper echelon of heavy metal, where they've stayed for four decades and counting. It was Dickinson's operatic vocals that prompted main songwriter Steve Harris to write more challenging and epic material something he obviously aspired to but believed that Di'Anno could not pull off. Somehow, nevertheless, he starts off on the wrong foot: "Invaders" is a fast-paced opener featuring competent playing and singing, but a weak and unoriginal composition. Thankfully it's followed by "Children of the Damned" a true epic reminiscent of Dio-era Sabbath. The story is inspired by a 60's B-movie, while "The Prisoner" refers to a 60's TV show. The latter is another great track and features all of Maiden's trademarks: aggressive riffs, melody, and catchy choruses. This is followed by "22 Acacia Avenue", the sequel of "Charlotte the Harlot" from a previous album. Which brings us to "The Number of the Beast" itself; unlike Vangelis' 666, this wasn't actually inspired by The Book of Revelation, but rather by horror movie Damien: Omen II, a 1978 film utilizing the antichrist bit off the Bible for the purpose of commercial entertainment. It does however feature a short spoken intro lifted straight off St. John's gospel. Musically it's among their best: fast paced, with great solos, killer chorus, and a fantastic vocal performance bringing the menacing lyrics to life. This song, along with the album cover, created a huge backlash, especially in the U.S. where the religious Right organized protests including the public destruction of Iron Maiden records and other relative merchandise - which. of course, had to be bought first, so no harm done to the band. I personally find the cover quite humorous; it shows band mascot Eddie puppeteering a Satan caricature which in turn is puppeteering an Eddie-doll, all set in an "apocalyptic" landscape. I mean, how can anyone think that it's possible for the band to be devoted Satanists and to portray Satan as a puppet? Heavy metal may not be the most sophisticated genre in the world, but it manages to make its opponents look like complete idiots. Last year in Greece, the first page of ultra-right newspaper Eleftheri Ora attributed forest wildfires raging near Athens to an Iron Maiden "concert-slash-demonic ceremony" taking place in the region 3 days earlier. Anyway... here, the title track is followed by lead single "Run to the Hills" an anthem about the conquest of the West from the viewpoint of native Americans. Its galloping rhythm and great playing by all the members render it another classic; with a live play count of 1490 as we speak, it's their 5th most performed song ever. On number 3 of that list, we find "Hallowed Be Thy Name", also from this album and arguably Iron Maiden's finest hour. First of all, it contains some of Harris' deepest (don't laugh!) lyrics; it actually manages to convincingly convey the thoughts of a man before his execution. Fantastic riff and solos, galloping rhythm, and an inspired vocal at turns operatic and theatrical as Dickinson tries to inhabit the role of the condemned man. "Gangland", which preceded "Hallowed..." seems pedestrian in comparison, but I rather like it's thrash-like speed. My own edition of Number... adds one more song called "Total Eclipse". Originally the B-side of the Run to the Hills single, it nevertheless belongs here as it was only left out of the LP because of time restrictions. A mini-epic featuring pace changes and artful solos, yet forgettable compared to the many other highs this album has to offer. Essential listening for anyone even remotely interested in heavy metal.

 ***** for The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Named

**** for Children of the Damned, The Prisoner

*** for Invaders, 22 Acacia Avenue, Gangland, Total Eclipse

Iron Maiden "Live After Death" 1985*****

Iron Maiden's first concert in Greece was at AEK stadium in 1988. I remember not having money to attend and being "a little" jealous hearing my classmates' hyperbolic praise of the event. Maiden subsequently visited my (then) hometown quite a few times, and for one reason or another I always missed them: I was on holiday, or had no money, or chose to go see a different concert -after all festival season is always too busy. Also, by the 90's and 00's my musical tastes had veered away from metal towards more "mature" music styles. The closest I got to see them live was buying a ticket for their 2000 appearance at Antonis Tritsis Park, only for the band to cancel the gig because one (out of three!) guitarists had an arm injury. So that remained a box to tick - or an itch to scratch, choose your metaphor! I finally got to do it last Monday at Gelredome stadium in Arnhem, their only stop in the Netherlands after 4 years of absence. I'm sharing some of my photos from the event here:

As the tour name Legacy Of The Beast suggests, the band is trying to honor its legacy by presenting a selection of their best songs. They opened with three tracks from their latest album Senjutsu (2021's album of the year, according to Classic Rock Magazine), but after that it was a torrent of heavy metal classics: 9 songs from their 80's heyday, 3 from the 90's (including 2 originally sung by Dickinson's temporary substitute Blaze Bailey), and one from their 2000 reunion album Brave New World, ignoring the rest of the 21st Century. Visually they presented a grand spectacle with impressive stage sets that changed according to the song themes and, of course, featured group mascot Eddie who appeared as a samurai warrior at the start, a 19th century trooper at the same-named song, and as a giant horned monster later. Singer Bruce Dickinson was also amazing, putting on an energetic and theatrical performance, running up and down the stage in various guises: as priest, grenadier, victorian doctor, pilot etc. He handled the mike, the sword, the flame thrower, and a giant cross like a champ. As for his singing form, it's still good, even if his vocal range isn't as impressive as it used to be. The rest of the band, led by bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris, were also in great form, clearly relishing the chance to be on stage after 3 years of forced absence due to the pandemic. Iron Maiden are clearly not a studio band, they are above all enthusiastic performers who live for the concert stage. Which explains the constant demand by fans for live albums, of which they have so far released about a dozen.

If there's a consensus among Iron Maiden fans about their live albums, is that they all contain fantastic performances and that Live After Death remains the paradigm against which all others will be judged - and inevitably found slightly lacking. Recorded when the band only had 5 albums behind its back (3 of them with Dickinson as their singer), it nevertheless still forms the basis of their live shows: most of what we heard last Monday in Arnhem is also present here. The album, and their concerts at that time, opened with a W.W.II speech by Winston Churchill ("We shall go on to the end...we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air...we shall never surrender") introducing their Air Force anthem "Aces High". Incidentally, this is how they started the 2nd part of the show in Arnhem, with a life-size Spitfire hanging over them. Great energy and fantastic guitar solos set the pace for the whole album. "2 Minutes to Midnight", another fast rocker from Powerslave (1984), is next, followed by a trio of songs from Piece Of Mind (1983): propelled by Steve Harris' lightning-fast basswork, "The Trooper" remains in my all-time Iron Maiden Top-3. "Revelations" and "Flight of Icarus" display the band's gothic and epic sides, respectively. Speaking of epic, here's the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner": a 13-minute progfest based on a 18th century poem, arguably Maiden's most mature composition at the time. This is followed by the title song of their then-latest opus, Powerslave. The slightly oriental melody at times reminds me of Rainbow's "Gates Of Babylon" - surely a coincidence. Now the band goes back in time just a little, to play songs from The Number of the Beast (1982) ("The Number of the Beast", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "Run to the Hills"), and their debut Iron Maiden (1980) (the title track and "Running Free"). All impeccably played with lots of gusto, and in a slightly faster tempo than their studio counterparts. In my version, which is the original 1985 CD, "Running Free" is edited, from 8 minutes down to 3,5. Future reissues include all of it, with Dickinson talking to the audience and leading them into a sing-along.  Here this part is left out, and as consequence it sounds more like the studio version - albeit with Dickinson singing instead of initial vocalist Paul Di Anno. The sound quality is amazing, a testament to the skill of producer Martin Birch (another live triumph, after Deep Purple's Made In Japan) and the capabilities of the Rolling Stone Mobile Studio. Lastly, the booklet includes another classic cover by illustrator Derek Riggs featuring (who else?) Eddie rising from the grave - as well as photos, lyrics, and an onslaught of facts and numbers concerning the gigantic World Slavery Tour during which this album was recorded in Long Beach California on March 1985. Now, if you own another version of this album, you may notice that some songs are missing. This is because initial CD versions, such as this, only contained sides A,B & C of the double LP in order to make it fit into a single disc. For the same reason, they also sacrificed some of the between-song banter and audience participation bit at the end. New reissues from '98 onwards "fixed" that by adding a second disc containing side D of the original vinyl. Titles include "Wrathchild", "22 Acacia Avenue", "Children Of The Damned", "Die With Your Boots On", and "Phantom Of The Opera". Most people will tell you that that is the way to go, instead of the original "truncated" version. I, however, beg to disagree. Disc One perfectly replicates their typical setlist of the time, only omitting set closer "Sanctuary". It seems to me that the band compiled and sequenced their live setlist and CD for maximum effect, but realizing that the vinyl release had space for more music, they added a few tracks as an afterthought. These were recorded the previous year (1984), and at a different venue, which further marks them as an addendum rather than an integral part of the album. Sure, the songs and performances are good, but inessential. Want further proof? 27 years later, half of their set in Arnhem (8 songs) consisted of songs present here, while a 9th title ("2 Minutes To Midnight") is also still part of their current live set, even though they didn't play it last Monday. How many songs from Disc Two are still in the band's setlist? None. Now, if you have a vinyl fixation, you'll probably go for the double LP version. Having to change sides every 20 minutes ruins the illusion of "being there" at the concert, but I can totally get it. But, unless you subscribe to the "more is more" attitude (which is also understandable), you don't really need the bonus disc. The single CD version stands as the perfect document of prime-era Iron Maiden, and as a serious contender for the title of Best Live Metal Album. Ever.

***** for Aces High, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name

**** for 2 Minutes to Midnight, Flight of Icarus, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Powerslave, Run to the Hills

*** for  Revelations, Iron Maiden, Running Free (edited version)

Iron Maiden "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" 1988****

With the exception of a phase of constantly listening to Powerslave around '85, I wasn't a huge Maiden fan as a teenager in the 80's. You might say I liked the artwork on their LP's more than the music inside. Strange to find me bingeing on Iron Maiden during the last week, now that I'm in my middle years - owing to my finding some of their classic era CD's on sale for €1 or €2. Stranger still for this to coincide with the death of Martin Birch, producer of all these albums as well as many other classics by Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake etc Of all the bands he had worked with, Birch valued Maiden the most because of their down-to-earthness, energy and team spirit. He produced every one of their albums from 1981's Killers until 1992's Fear Of The Dark - his last work before retiring from music at the age of 43.

I may only have bought Seventh Son of a Seventh Son lately, but at the time (some 30 years ago) I listened to it a lot: a cassette copy would play often at Babis' cafeteria opposite the Medical School where we'd go between lessons. A bunch of us (the "rockers" of the Dental School which was housed in the same buildings) would tape music for Babis, and he'd play our cassettes often enough - at least when we were there. In my memory this album was dominated by its ultra-commercial singles "Can I Play with Madness" and "The Evil That Men Do" whose clever use of synths and rousing choruses place them somewhere between New Wave and NWOBHM. But it seems that music critics consider this to be one of the band's "serious" works, assigning it to the Prog Metal subcategory. Apparently, it's a concept album born from the desire to celebrate the fact that this was the band's 7th album. Taking a cue from Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker novels, bassist/main songwriter Harris made the connection to folk tales about seventh sons having certain supernatural powers such as prophecy and built the whole album around that idea, with the rest of the band joining in the composition to make it one of Maiden's most collaborative efforts. The album opens and closes with an acoustic snippet, Bruce Dickinson in earnest "toss-a-coin-to-your-witcher" medieval troubadour mode, which segues into "Moonchild" featuring -after a short synth intro- the trademark Iron Maiden sound: sinister lyrics, fast tempo, operatic vocals and screaming guitars. It's followed by the more epic/atmospheric "Infinite Dreams" while side A closes with the aforementioned singles which rank among Maiden's best and catchiest. Side B opens with the obligatory 10-minute epic, in this case the title song. With its atmospheric keys, operatic vocals and time shifts it justifies those who labeled 7th Son... prog metal. After an epic first part, the tempo lowers around the 4-minute mark for a slower part with narration, followed by a fast and technical 3-minute instrumental part. "The Prophecy" is another proggy piece featuring theatrical vocals and metallic guitars playing medieval-sounding melodies, closing with an acoustic coda. It's followed by the third commercial single "The Clairvoyant", a metal dynamite and live favorite. The album closes with another catchy tune called "Only the Good Die Young". The illustration -which, as I already said, always fascinated me- is by their (up to that point) exclusive designer Derek Riggs, and shows his creation (and Maiden mascot) Eddie mutilated and transported to some unknown time and icy landscape. It contains a lot of surreal details, making it one of the band's weirdest album covers. Although some fans found 7th Son... too "proggy" for their taste, it did very well commercially, propelled by the catchy singles and well-made videos. Creatively it's often considered their last great album. Guitarist Adrian Smith left before the completion of 1990's No Prayer for the Dying, and singer Bruce Dickinson left after 1992's Fear Of The Dark - the last ever Martin Birch production, and coincidentally (or not) their last album I bothered listening to, before giving up on them. Dickinson and Smith are now back into the fold, but I couldn't tell you if Maiden can still cut it as a band. I did read an enthusiastic review for their latest opus Book Of Souls on Classic Rock Magazine, so that might be worth checking out - once you've finished with their essential 80's albums, that is.

***** for Can I Play with Madness, The Evil That Men Do

**** for Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Clairvoyant, Only the Good Die Young

*** for Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, The Prophecy