What or who got you into Iron Maiden?

Amazes to see so many Maiden fans who only got into them post reunion!

I've been actively listening only post-reunion, but I'd been immersed in their music since the time I'd been born, actually, because my father would have played FOTD around me when I was little. Or at least it seems that way.
 
I started playing guitar back in the late 70's while in high school. Loved EVH, Rhoads, Malmsteen, and did my best to emulate them. I got to be a fairly decent player and always dreamt of being a rock star, but never quite made it, LOL!

Fast forward about 25 years or so. My then 10-yr-old son expressed an interest in playing guitar, so I bought him his own and showed him the basics for the next year or two. After few more years went by, he soon surpassed my playing skill level, so I pondered the idea of picking up a cheap bass to lay down some tracks for him to solo over. One Saturday morning I'm flipping through channels and landed on Metal Mania, that VH1 wankfest where they play the same seven metal videos every week. But thankfully, one of those oft-repeated vids was 'Run To The Hills'. Although I was never into Maiden before, watching 'Arry's fingers during that bass 'solo' made me sit up and take note. THAT was the moment I got up off the couch, went straight to Sam Ash, and came back with my first bass guitar (and amp).

Since I already knew the fretboard through and through, knew my scales, etc, I was able to start jamming right away on my new instrument. Still having those images from the RTTH video in my head, soon bought Somewhere Back In Time, the compilation of their biggest hits from the 80's. I was able to pick up the basslines rather quickly, and soon could play along with the entire CD.

By that time I was hooked on Iron Maiden, and knew I had nearly 30 years to catch up on! Bought other CDs and learned the more popular songs, then some of the more obscure ones, too. Even auditioned for a Maiden tribute band, but although my playing was fine, the fact that I do not resemble Steve Harris in any way shape or form, I didn't get the gig, LOL.

Bottom line, I was just trying to do something for my son when I bought that bass, and that lead to me becoming a fan of the greatest metal band in the world. Up the Irons!
 
SIT cassette tape I picked up in the late 90s because of the cover not knowing what I was buying... the guy at the record store smiled when he saw what I had. I was in elementary school. Popped the tape into Sony Walkman and loved side A. Flipped over to side B and loved it too.. Mother loves Maiden but my father wasn't pleased...
 
i had heard a couple of their songs through the years (which i always enjoyed) but back in 2012, i was sitting at home flipping through the channels and i caught the Flight 666 film on Palladia. Completely sucked me in. Afterwards, I thought "man, Maiden is fucking awesome. i need to get into these guys" and the rest is history. just got an eddie tattoo on my calf this past saturday and am going to see them live as much as i can afford to these days. side note: i'm going to see the iron maidens on saturday, pretty excited for that.
 
I got into Maiden thanks to a class mate from secondary school, back in 1991 when I was 15 years old. He gave me a tape of No Prayer for the Dying and I immediately liked what I heard. However, the second tape he gave me, The Number of the Beast, is the one that really changed my life, together with listening to Live After Death shortly after that. I then started buying the albums with my pocket money, an exciting journey of musical exploration.

I remember my mother's shock in 1992 when I asked her to buy me a copy of Live After Death when she asked what I wanted after getting good grades. :lol: She later used some of Bruce's lyrics (songs off The Chemical Wedding and Brave New World from the reunion album) when teaching English to secondary school pupils, so I guess she kind of understood why I was hooked. :lol:

The controlled aggression of the music, loads of melody, intelligent lyrics (for the most part and certainly way above what one tends to get in rock music) and awesome vocals made me a fan back then. 26 years later I am still here, proud to be a fan. :)
 
I was maybe 15/16 and one of my friends at school left their headphones on the desk. By chance I picked their headphones and they were playing NOTB (song), and I thought it was pretty cool.

I had only really been into bands like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit before this as it was the early 2000's.

After hearing NOTB my friend burned me a copy of Edward the Great, I then bought BNW, RiR and Visions of the Beast, from then on my life was changed forever. Both BNW and RIR are to this day my favourite studio and live album. I have seen them around 9 times the first being the DoD tour at earls court, london right against the barrier and the most recent at the 02 London was the best of the bunch.

They have been a constant in my life for around 15 years now whether it's through listening, shaping the way I write music or that I have a 7th son tattoo. My wife to be got into them massively since TBOS (either because she likes the music or she now has Stockholm syndrome from living with me...). One thing I have noticed now that I have just entered my thirties is that I take a lot more notice of the deeper side to Maiden culminating in TXF. The album definitely speaks to me on a much more personal level the older i get.
 
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The Angel and the Gambler video. I suspect eight year olds like me was the target group for videos from that era (Eiffel 65's Blue is one example!)
 
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