Iron Maiden (1980)

I must have some hankering for self-titled debut albums. Then again, I wouldn't really think of Iron Maiden and Bad Company in the same thought (or even the same minute), although Maiden was an early admirer of Paul Rodgers' work in Free (expressed nicely on their cover of "I'm a Mover" in 1990). While Bad Company to this day enjoys near-universal appeal, Iron Maiden's debut is one that takes a little while to discover, but those who find their way to it are generally approving of it.

Throughout most of the band's recorded history, Iron Maiden has had a reputation of being highly calculated, somewhat progressive, and instantly recognizable. Back in 1980 however, only one third of today's Maiden was in the band. Paul Di'Anno, Clive Burr, and Dennis Stratton certainly sound like another breed of musician, while Steve Harris and Dave Murray play it much scrappier and gritty than their later work. Because of this, the first album attracts certain fans that otherwise wouldn't bother listening to Iron Maiden.

Thanks to a friend and a mix tape, this was actually some of the first Iron Maiden I ever heard, but my introduction was not really typical and the band was already in serious decline around the time I started listening. To those initiated to the band via the "classic albums" (everything from Piece of Mind through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son) this album sounds downright punk. Falsetto vocals ("don't you straaaaaay!") - check. Lyrics about pickup trucks - yep. Even though the tracklisting seems to hold some stock Maiden titles ("Transylvania", "Phantom of the Opera"), the lyrics are really at ground level throughout the album. The band seems more concerned about evading the police, comforting prostitutes, and, well, read the lyrics for "Prowler" and decide for yourself. The band was coming in hot off the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a movement that they grew up in, but were rapidly outgrowing. Most of the stuff had been written well back into the 1970's and was all stage-tested under some of the most brutal conditions, almost like the Beatles in Hamburg.

The album in review here is the non-remastered 1995 2-CD version, so included are early original "Burning Ambition" (the only song featuring Doug Sampson on drums and only one guitarist), and two "live in the trenches" numbers. The version of "Drifter" done live is way different than the studio version that would eventually surface on Killers and features a lot of audience participation that sounds suspiciously like the Police's "Walking on the Moon". The Montrose cover "I Got the Fire" is a real scorcher that lays to rest any doubts that Maiden wasn't a viable live act. Anyone who sprang for the 1998 remaster won't get to hear these songs, plus they tweaked the cover art and moved the song "Sanctuary" up a few spots.

Of course the debut album isn't perfection, so Steve Harris moved quickly to correct the two overt flaws of the album. First off was the production. It's not hideous, but the band was sold a bill of goods by Will Malone, who billed himself as Black Sabbath's producer (true, but it was only the string section of "Spiral Architect") and produced a mix that was a little flat. Martin Birch, who really did work extensively with Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, and scores of others, would take over and continue in that role all the way out to Fear of the Dark (and then went off to his well-deserved retirement). The other issue was guitarist Dennis Stratton. According to band accounts, he joined shortly before the album and never really clicked with the rest of the group. His licks are generally predictable and not all that exciting, especially when matched up with Dave Murray. When he seemed to prefer hanging out with headliners Judas Priest on the subsequent tour instead of his own band, his fate was fairly well sealed. The next album rectified both problems, with Adrian Smith taking over Stratton's role. Killers would also exhaust the band's catalog of songs, so not only was the change in sound due to the arrival of Bruce Dickinson for The Number of the Beast, but the also due to a fresh new crop of songs. From this point onward, the band trajectory would be set for the rest of the decade.