Iron Maiden
The history of Iron Maiden really begins before the band creates, when Steve
Harris in the beginning of 1970 gave up he’s soccer dreams and became a bass
player.He and he’s friends started a band called Influence that later on changed
name to Gypsy’s Kiss. After that he got in a band called Smiler where the Drum
player Doug Sampson played. But he didn’t like it in Smiler and he got an idea,
to start he’s own band. And that’s how Iron Maiden started, this was in the end
of 1975. He got the singer from Smiler with him, Dennis Wilcock, and two guitar
players, Terry Rance and Paul Sillivan. But he heard of Dave Murray and recruted
him to the band. But when Dave came along Terry and Paul left the band.

Bob Sawyer (Bob D'Angelo) came in as the second guitar player and Ron Rebel on
the drums. Six months later Bob left the band because he wanted to be the first
guitar player instead of Dave. Later on Dave also left the band for hes old
guitar friend Adrian Smith's band Urchin. Ron got tierd of the fact that
everyone left and he left the band to. He got replaced by Barry Purkins. Terry
Wapram got in on guitar and Tony Moore on keyboard. but Iron Maiden didn't sound
good with keyboard so Tony had to quit, then Terry also left because he coldn't
play without keyboard.

Then Steve took contakt with Dave Murray again and got him to come back to Iron
Maiden. But then Barry (the drum player) left the band, and they had to take in
Smilers old drum player Doug Sampson. Now they just needed a singer, Steve heard
of a singer called Paul Di'Anno. But the time for a comeback wasn’t ideal, the
Punk music had almost taken over everything, there was no place for the Hard
Rock any more. But they continued playing and they got a chance to record a demo
tape (for their own money), they recorded Prowler, Invasion, Strange World and
Iron Maiden.

The recording cost so much that they had no money left to mix the tape. But they
gave it to Neal Kay a DJ who loved Heavy metal and he had Rock concerts every
now and then at ”The Soundhouse”. It got easier for Iron Maiden to get plays
now. The demo tape had now also come to Rod Smallwoods knowing who after had
listen to it now wanted to be their manager and he got them plays all over the
country. They now had made up their minds, they were going to do an LP (The
Soundhouse tape) that was only sold at their plays and post order. The 6000
copies were out sold almost immediately and became a collector object. So the
band decided to do something special for their fans, so between the plays they
recorded in “Sanctuary” and “Wrathchild” in EMI:s Manchester studio for a record
called “Metal for Muthas”. Later on Tony Parson came in and filled out the empty
spot as the second guitar player. Later on he was replaced of Denis Stratton.
And Clive Burr beginned in the band as the drum player.

Now Rod Smallwood was convinced that Iron Maiden was going to be something big,
so he got them a record contract. A week later they beginned to record in their
first album “Iron Maiden”, the record sold good and went up on the 4:th place in
the English most sold record list. Their first big tour was as a preband for
Kiss, Kiss were the biggest Hard Rock band in those days. They didn’t get much
notice until they came to Stockholm. When they were done playing all there songs
and were ready to go off the stage there was so much people that protested that
they had to go out on stage again and play even more songs and some covers they
had to leave the stage, and the crowd where crazy, when Kiss came out on stage
everyone protested because they wanted more Maiden. I guess it came as a chock
for Kiss that the crowd liked the preband more then Kiss themselves.

After the tour Iron Maiden went back in to the studio, now with Dave Murrays old
friend Adrian Smith behind one of the guitars. They named there new album
“Killers” and it was weary discussed because of the “the terrible look”, it was
a picture of the mascot “Eddie” holding a bloody axe. But the record was
released and it didn’t become that big of a success, but Maiden still got out on
a tour and that really became a success. It was sold out from the beginning to
the end.

After that tour Paul Di’Anno stopped playing with maiden because of alcohol
problems (1982). Now there new singer became the best of them all Bruce
Dickinson (there present singer). Bruce came from the band Samson, where Steve
had heard him sing, Bruce had a completely different voice than Paul and the
record “The number of the beast” with a Maiden that had changed radically since
the “Killers” album became a complete success, it went straight up as number one
on the England list and as number four on the billboard list.

Maiden were back then almost completely ignored buy media, this didn’t help
their successes really, but it didn’t stop them anyway. They started their
biggest tour (so far) with 180 plays. They released “Run to the hills” on single
and it sold 800000 ex.

Until the next record "Piece of Mind", that got released 1983, the drum player
Clive Burr got tired of it. He got replaced by Nicko McBrain, who earlier played
in the punk band Trust. He took over the rytmsektion with glance. With a
wonderful teknik and feeling he was accepted by the fans. The record went up on
the Billboard list and stayed there for 44 weeks. The toure that came after the
realeasing of the new record was as usuall bigger then the latest tour. And it
was sold out everywhere.

The next record got the name "Powerslave". It bacame a huge succes, and got on
top of the lists all over the world. Now was the time when Iron Maiden got known
as the worlds biggest and best Heavy metal band. They were bigger then Led
Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The tour there after lasted over a year and it were
biggest in Rio were they played for a crowd of 250 000 people.

1985 they released a live record that was taped in on Long Beach Arena in Los
Angeles. It sold in a great speed. The fans just coldn't get enogh of Iron
Maiden.

In to the studio again. This time the name of the record became "Somewhere in
Time".

 
On this record Maiden changed their image a bit. They got synths to play in the
band. Many fans got angry because of this, but when Bruce got the question "why
did you take in synths" he answered "because it sounds good". The record solg
good even thoug they had synths in it. And the tour was as usual bigger then the
last one.

1988 the record "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" was released, this record was
sold in over three miljon copies in six months. Finaly the media noticed them,
and they were asked if they wanted to be the leading band on "Monsters of Rock"
witch they coldn't turn down. 107 000 people came to see them on Donnington
Castle.

After that it was quiet about Iron Maiden. Some people even thought that they
had stoped playing, but no way. 1990 the record "No Prayers for the Dying" was
released, but sadly enough without Adrian Smith who jumped of in 1989. On this
record Maiden went back to a rawer stile without synths and other elektronics.
The record was taped in under simple sorcomestances in England. Instead of
having the tour on big stages they chosed to have in on smaller stages. Instead
of Adrian Smith on guitar they had Bruce Dickinsons old friend Janic Gers.

 
After that it was quiet about Maiden until 1992 when they released "Fear Of The
Dark", it sold 1½ miljon in one day. They played on "Monsters Of Rock" once
more. But after some fight in the band Bruce Dickinson left the band.

Instead of Bruce Dickinson Iron Maiden took in Blaze Bayley as the new singer,
he never goy accepted buy the fans. 1996 the record "The X-Faktor" was released.
This record never bacame a hit.

1998 another record with Blaze Bayley was released "Virtual XI".This record sold
pretty good and the tour was also pretty good, but not as big as the once oin
the 1980:s.

1999 it happend!! Bruce Dickinson had returned to the band and he had taken
Adrian Smith with him. The fans got to wote on the best Iron Maiden songs ever
and a record was released with the music and a game. Then they went out on tour
again. Nu they are bigger then ever, and with three guitar players and Bruce
Dickinson as the singer it can't be anything else then best.


THE END