Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Metal's Old-School Classics!, October 9, 2004
While Bruce Dickinson is THE voice of Iron Maiden, I think Paul DiAnno's contribution during the early Maiden years is too often overlooked. "Phantom of the Opera" and "Sanctuary" are the first great tunes that turned me on to Iron Maiden, and alerted me to just what an incredible group they are.
I won't go as far to say that I like DiAnnio over Dickinson... there is nobody in all of heavy metal that could reproduce that melodic war-cry of a voice he lets rip! But DiAnnio was unique, and left enough of an impression on this album that I think he deserves a bit more of a nod than he gets.
If you have only heard the highlight CDs of Iron Maiden like "Number of the Beast" and "Powerslave," believe me, you are missing out. Those albums are excellent, true. This album is one of the finest beginnings of any band in the this genre of music.
"Phantom of the Opera" is such a unique piece in the heavy metal tunes of that era. There are so many terrible metal lyrics from that era, which makes this great song stand out. The combo of common mental torment, silent film references, and the classic Maiden guitar licks make everyday domestic-despair sound like gothic horror.
One of those rare albums that is every bit as good as Iron Maiden's later efforts! Worth the time and dough!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a masterpiece, but still a classic, August 8, 2007
THE BAND: Paul Di'Anno (vocals), Steve Harris (bass), Dave Murray (guitar), Dennis Stratton (guitar), Clive Burr (drums).
THE DISC: (1980) 9 tracks clocking in at approximately 40 minutes. Recorded at Kingsway Studios, London. This is the band's debut album. The disc contains a 22-page booklet with a brief intro, song lyrics, numerous band pictures, and thank you's. All songs written by Harris, Di'Anno and/or Murray. The enhanced CD features a nice multimedia section for your PC - including 2 videos (live performances of "Iron Maiden" and "Phantom Of The Opera"), the band's catalog of albums, band history, family tree, itinerary from the '80 Europe Tour, and more. Digitally remastered in 1998. Cover art by Derek Riggs. Label - Sanctuary.
COMMENTS: Some will claim Iron Maiden's debut as a "masterpiece". While it's a good album; an important album; an essential album in the band's catalog; our introduction to mascot "Eddie"... I simply can't label it as such. It's not as professional, slick, or complex as their 2nd release ("Killers"), or any of Dickinson's 1st three albums with the band - these were masterpieces. The sound on this debut, though digitally remastered, is still pretty raw. Maybe that's the appeal here. Kind of like debuts from Kiss, Rush, Motley Crue, Def Leppard... all good starts, but I can't label them masterpieces. With each, their best albums were still ahead of them - and that applies to Iron Maiden too. For me, the sound of Iron Maiden's debut is caught somewhere between Motorhead and the Sex Pistols. The music fits here - and to my ears, Di'Anno's vocals are somewhere between Lemme Kilmister and Johnny Rotten. For the most part, the songs are quickly paced, straight ahead angry rock, with a side of punk thrown in. Di'Anno was somewhat gruff and unpolished vocally (his lack of desire and drug/alcohol issues later on would eventually make his stay with the band a short one). The album opens in great form. "Prowler" is probably my favorite track here - nice guitar opening, cool lyrics, lightning fast guitar solo, great melody. "Sanctuary" and the album closer "Iron Maiden" are great tracks and can still be heard at their concerts. "Running Free" with it's thundering drums is also a crowd favorite and the only single released back in 1980... the song reached #34 on the UK charts. Other highlights and lost gems include the tender "Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World", the simplistic instrumental "Transylvania", and the 7-minute epic "Phantom Of The Opera". Keep in mind - Iron Maiden would endure several band member changes during their early years... and when singer Bruce Dickinson joined (1982), the band would never sound the same again. Maiden's debut is a nice intro to the band though a tad rough around the edges (4+ stars).
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Iron Maiden wants you for dead!, May 28, 2002
This is the album that started it all. Iron Maiden's fantastic debut. It's not exactly the Maiden we all know and love today, but it's still a solid debut, one of the best ever. Paul DiAnno has a much different vocal delivery than Bruce, more rough and aggressive, but it still works. And, he's also an excellent singer, as you will see on such tracks as "Remember Tomorrow" and the surprisingly soft "Strange World" (one of the few Maiden songs that never gets heavy).The musicianship is excellent here. The music itself sounds like a cross between 80's punk and Deep Purple. However, the technicality is taken up a notch. Even without Adrian Smith, the guitars still blaze like a wildfire. Steve Harris puts on what may be his best performance to date. He is truly one of the best bassists in rock. He even gets a couple of brief solo spots. Nice drumming from Clive Burr. He's not as techinically proficient as Nicko, but he may be a bit faster. The music is generally not as epic (most of the songs are under 4 minutes), but they're still great. Standouts would have to be "Prowler", "Phantom of the Opera", the aforementioned ballads, the awesome instrumental "Transylvania" (check out Iced Earth's album "Horror Show" for their incredible cover of the song), and of course "Iron Maiden". But I don't think there's a bad song here. I don't think this album can stand up to the later work with Bruce, but it's still great stuff, one of the best albums of 1980. I personally think it destroys "British Steel" and "Back in Black", even if those two (great) albums were much more commercially successful. While it would have been alright (or as Paul would say, "olroight") if they had kept Paul and made a bunch of albums like this, I for one am glad they got Bruce. But, it's a shame that Paul never really did much after this. He's very talented. Anyway, this is a great album, and every Maiden fan needs to hear where it all began. UP THE IRONS!!!
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