Rocktrospectiva: The Seminal "Iron Maiden" Turns 45

 

Released on 11 April 1980, "Iron Maiden" was the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. Although Iron Maiden have since criticised the quality of the album's production, the release was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and helping the band achieve prominence in mainland Europe.The album spawned two singles "Running Free" & "Sanctuary".

 

It was the band's only album produced by Wil Malone, whom Iron Maiden have since claimed lacked interest in the project and effectively left them to produce most of the album themselves, which, according to bassist Steve Harris, was completed in just 13 days. Recording took place at Kingsway Studios, west London in January 1980, with the band taking time out from the 1980 Metal for Muthas Tour to complete the final mixes at Morgan Studios, northwest London in February. Before the sessions with Malone, the band made two attempts in December 1979 with two different producers while still a four-piece. Guy Edwards, the first, was dismissed as the band were unhappy with the "muddy" quality in his production, while Andy Scott was also dismissed after insisting Harris play his bass with a pick rather than his fingers. The band criticised the quality of the production, although many fans still preferred the raw quality of the sound recording. Certain medias stated that the style had certain elementos from punk rock, ironically, Harris stated that the band despised everything about punk rock.

 

This was also the only studio album with guitarist Dennis Stratton, who, having been brought in as a last-minute placement, was dismissed due to "musical differences" after the band's European tour in support of Kiss. Although Stratton stated that he was not "trying to push the band in a new direction", Harris commented that it "really pointed up the difference between Den and us", after which he began to notice that "Dennis was so much more into playing stuff like "Strange World" than he was "Iron Maiden" or "Prowler", because it was more slow, melodic ... when he was soloing on one of the heavier songs, it wasn't with quite the same passion".

 

About the tracks "Running Free" was released as a single on 8 February 1980, reaching No. 34 in the UK Singles Chart. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who wrote the song's lyrics, describes it as "a very autobiographical song, though of course I've never spent the night in an LA jail. It's about being 16 and, like it says, just running wild and running free. It comes from my days as a skinhead. "Sanctuary" was originally penned by guitarist Rob Angelo (Bob Sawyer), a member of Iron Maiden in 1977, who was paid £300 for the song's rights. The "Sanctuary" single was released on 7 June 1980 and charted at No. 29. Although "Strange World" is credited solely to Harris, Paul Mario Day, the band's original vocalist from 1975 to 1976, asserted that he also contributed to the song.

 

"Charlotte the Harlot", their only song to have been credited to Dave Murray alone, is the first of four Iron Maiden tracks about the fictional prostitute "Charlotte", although Murray states it was "based on a true story". The 7-minute "Phantom of the Opera" is one of Harris's favourites and is still performed live relatively frequently. With many mood and time-changes. "Transylvania" is an instrumental piece composed by Harris. Of all the album's songs, "Phantom of the Opera", "Running Free", "Sanctuary" and "Iron Maiden" are the most frequently played in the band's concert tours, with the last being played at every show since the band's inception and signalling the arrival of Eddie onstage.

 

The album received immediate critical acclaim. hailed it as Heavy metal for the '80s, its blinding speed and rampant ferocity making most plastic heavy rock tracks from the '60s and '70s sound sloth-like and funeral-dirgey by comparison, and keeps regularly described it as "one of the top debut albums in the world of heavy metal", containing "the raw, aggressive power that defines the early years of the band".

 

Iron Maiden Track List: 

 

1. Prowler

2. Remember Tomorrow

3. Running Free

4. Phantom Of The Opera

5. Transylvania (Instrumental)

6. Strange World 

7. Charlotte The Harlot

8. Iron Maiden