Though many of those both in the band and around the band have decried the production on this album, and suggested that it eventually harms the way that they view (metaphorically) this release, in many ways it is the production that allows it to retain its charm and greatness. Certainly the album is tied to the era because of its sound, but that just makes the actual songs and music even more powerful, because it is so easy to hear how far ahead of their contemporaries they actually were by the riffs and rolls that they played. Sure, better production may have increased that, but the reality is that everything here still holds up against everything in the past thirty years, and that this album is still unique as it is.
“Prowler” was a hit in London pubs for a year before this album actually came out, having been a part of the original demo that had been pushed by people like Neal Kay, and had also appeared on the bands self-published The Soundhouse Tapes. It immediately puts forward Maiden’s main strengths – the twin guitars, one playing the rhythm and the other putting out a lead track, the solid drum beat that holds them together, the bass line that was just a little out of the ordinary for a typical rock band, and the vocals that were not classical, not punk, but a very complementary fusing of the two. In particular, Steve Harris’ bass line and Dave Murray’s lead guitaring are immediately at the forefront.
The band’s versatility then becomes obvious with “Remember Tomorrow”, a slow and gentle bass line with Di’anno’s vocals over the top, which then explodes into the heavy guitar riff of the first ‘chorus’ break. Then duplicate, into the dual lead break, before finishing on a high. Try and convince me Metallica didn’t have this song in mind when they wrote “Fade to Black”. This kind of change in song orientation was to become one of the hallmarks of Iron Maiden.
“Running Free” is the pub anthem that became the stadium anthem. Another head banging-type of bass line from Harris, followed by the ‘boy on the town’ lyrics and catchy sing-along chorus makes it a natural for the pub environment.
Then came the song that no one was doing, because it was just so far in advance of what heavy metal was that Iron Maiden were still inventing it. “Phantom of the Opera” is a quintessential classic, a song that had no right to have been written or recorded at that time. Steve Harris wrote a bass line that began matching twin guitar riffs, played it like a guitar, but with his fingers on a bass guitar. One of his most extraordinary efforts. Along with Clive Burr’s superb drumming that almost began matching the guitars in the same way, and with lyrics that began a tradition in the band, written about movies and books, this song is one of the most complete heavy metal songs ever written, and it was one of this band’s first released. Most would consider this to be one of the top ten Maiden songs. I certainly do.
This is followed up by the pacey instrumental “Transylvania”, which again showcases the wonderful way this band plays together. It flows almost unnoticed into the very underrated “Strange World”. In the same way that “Remember Tomorrow” does, “Strange World” shows that a heavy metal band can write and perform a song which may be slower and/or less heavy, but that does not compromise their principles. This is a triumph, highlighted again by Steve Harris’ bass line that wanders up and down throughout.
Speed returns with the first of the “Charlotte the Harlot” episodes, surprisingly entitled “Charlotte the Harlot”. Some people have said to me that they consider this song ‘childish’. Well, boo-hoo to you. All I can say is that every time it comes on, I can’t help but sing it out loud, arm raised in a Di’anno fist pump each time “Charlotte the Harlot” is sung during the chorus, and raising the Di’anno middle finger to the line “Let me see love!” It’s still catchy, and still great to sing along to.
The album concludes with the self-titled track, one the band must have now played a billion times, and is another that any Maiden fan can’t help singing along to. But maybe (just maybe) they could give it a rest live and play something else.
Thirty years is an amazing length of time, not only to find that an album can still stand up, and to realise what the band has done since then, but to then realise what you as an individual has done in that time, and how long this album has been a part of your life.
Thirty years later, and this album is still awesome, and one you can still draw inspiration from.
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