R.I.P. Paul di'Anno
Sad news today about the passing of original Iron Maiden frontman Paul di'Anno at 66:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iron-maiden-deeply-saddened-after-death-of-former-singer/ar-AA1sFpgR?ocid=BingNewsSerp
I was lucky enough to see him with Maiden a couple of times and even got to meet him and Steve Harris briefly after one of the gigs by waiting outside the back door with my mate until one of the bouncers let us in for a quick word with the guys, who were good enough to sign autographs for us.
Apparently he had been ill for some time, but had still been performing in a wheelchair. He sings on some of my absolute favourite Maiden tracks - Murders in the Rue Morgue, Phantom of the Opera, Remember Tomorrow and best of all Killers. The guy embodied metal attitude and was pivotal in my early metal fanhood. A sad day for metal.
Top five Dianno releases:
1. Maiden Japan E.P.
2. Iron Maiden
3. Killers
4. Live!! +One E.P.
5. The Soundhouse Tapes E.P.
My top ten Dianno-fronted Iron Maiden songs:
01. Killers (Maiden Japan live version)
02. Phantom of the Opera
03. Prowler
04. Wrathchild
05. Remember Tomorrow
06. Running Free
07. Strange World
08. Another Life
09. Murders in the Rue Morgue
10. Iron Maiden (The Soundhouse Tapes version)
OK, I'm gonna go with:
1. Killers
2. Murders in the Rue Morgue
3. Phantom of the Opera
4. Another Life
5. Remember Tomorrow
6. Twilight Zone
7. Prowler
8. Purgatory
9. Wrathchild
10. Innocent Exile
Admittedly, I was never the biggest fan of Paul's era (particularly the s/t, which is by far my least favorite 80s Maiden record), but he was an absolute legend nonetheless, and gone too soon. R.I.P., I hope Satan pours him the finest brew at the eternal bar.
My Top 10:
01. Killers <- just noticed Paul has the writer's credit!
02. Murders in the Rue Morgue
03. Genghis Khan
04. Wrathchild
05. Innocent Exile
06. Transylvania
07. Phantom of the Opera
08. Prodigal Son
09. The Ides of March
10. Purgatory
I have both di'Anno albums rated highly, both 4/5 from when I did my original Maiden marathon, but I find myself not finding time for them for whatever reason. That'll have to change this week for a few revisits, is a shame how none of the tracks from the first two Maiden albums seemed to stick around in the popular eye.
RIP
I have both di'Anno albums rated highly, both 4/5 from when I did my original Maiden marathon, but I find myself not finding time for them for whatever reason. That'll have to change this week for a few revisits, is a shame how none of the tracks from the first two Maiden albums seemed to stick around in the popular eye.
RIP
Killers has always been a top 3 Maiden album for me. I vacillate between Killers, Powerslave and Piece of Mind. I was gutted when Paul left (or was sacked from) Maiden and, being young and stubborn, at first I refused to acknowledge Bruce as Maiden's singer, especially as he was previously with Samson who I thought absolutely sucked. Still, I did come around when I heard the Number of the Beast LP and obviously Bruce has been great, but I still longed for Paul to return to the band. His vocal delivery provided an aggressiveness that Bruce, for all his technical superiority, just couldn't replicate.
I’m very much the opposite to be honest. I came to Maiden through “Somewhere in Time”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” & “Live After Death” before heading back to their esrlier work & I have to admit that the Dianno albums always seemed to be a step down (a couple of steps down in some cases) from the Dickinson ones for me personally. In fact, the only Dianno record that I regard as being essential is the “Maiden Japan” E.P. & I consider “Killers” to be the least impressive of Maiden’s 80’s full-lengths. I guess the huge variety in opinions on what Maiden’s best & worst records are is the strongest representation of just how consistent & relevant they were during their prime.
I’m very much the opposite to be honest. I came to Maiden through “Somewhere in Time”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” & “Live After Death” before heading back to their esrlier work & I have to admit that the Dianno albums always seemed to be a step down (a couple of steps down in some cases) from the Dickinson ones for me personally. In fact, the only Dianno record that I regard as being essential is the “Maiden Japan” E.P. & I consider “Killers” to be the least impressive of Maiden’s 80’s full-lengths. I guess the huge variety in opinions on what Maiden’s best & worst records are is the strongest representation of just how consistent & relevant they were during their prime.
Yeah, I think with Maiden, more than with any other metal band, it all comes down to what albums meant most to you when you got into them. Sure, I can appreciate that the later albums are technically better and better written, but they don't mean as much as Killers because that album captured a period of time, for me personally, that transcends mere grooves on records. That is one of the things I find endlessly fascinating about music - it's ability to capture a time and place in a listener's mind better than any photograph. I think that if we dismiss that and judge music solely on it's technical merits then we are much poorer as individuals for it.