Was Steve Harris the lead vocalist of Maiden in early 1978?

sortkasenko

Prowler
http://www.ironmaidencommentary.com/?url=tour00_mfm/dates00_mfm&lang=eng&link=tours
http://hem.passagen.se/davemurray/tour_maiden.htm

According to the above sources, Iron Maiden played a few gig's in the first half of 1978. What makes this intressting is the fact that the band did not have a proper lead vocalist in the band. Dennis Wilcock left the band late 77 after the only gig with Tony Moore. Paul Di'Anno joined the band in november 1978. I n the official biography Doug Sampson says:

"To begin with, it was just the three of us - Steve, Davey and me," explains Doug. "We started rehearsing, but we had a bit of trouble getting a proper singer for a while. Singers are always the hardest part of any band to find. They've got to sound right, they've got to look right and they've got to be good onstage. There's lots of things you have to take into account, when it comes to choosing a singer. Most people reckon they can sing, but the truth is that very few people can get in front of a rock band and sing and make it look convincing. There's always one bloke who can really sing but is useless onstage, or one who jumps around and is brilliant, really looks the part, but can't sing for shit. And it held us up for a good while, because we were determined to find the right person. We didn't just want to go out with anyone just for the sake of it. We'd all already done that, so this was our attempt to get it right this time and do things properly." Iron Maiden continued to rehearse as a three-piece outfit throughout the summer and autumn of 1978, turning up three times a week at Star Studios, in Bow. "One or two blokes had been suggested to us," says Steve, "but no one we thought was particularly special."

I know Steve has handled lead vocals on a few early gigs, the one where Dennis left the band in the last minute and when Paul Di'Anno got arrested. Anyone got the slightest ideá who sang during the 78' gig's?
 
Dennis Wilcock left around April 1978.

They played the Bridgehouse on 17/02/1978 with borrowed gear as theirs was stolen just before that.
They then played The Green Man on 06/04/1978 - This may have been the gig that Dennis never turned up for and it is possible that Steve sang songs on this night.
The next listed gig is Cart and Horses on 07/04/1978 - not known if Dennis played at this gig
and Dennis last gig at the Bridgehouse 08/04/1978

There were a few times Steve sang during Pauls period.
Paul got arrested before a gig a the Swan which was probably 12/07/1979 and missed most of the show. This was also a gig when Rod went to see the band.
The other known time was at Wakefield on 07/02/1980 where Paul had problems with his voice and Steve sang Prowler, Running Free, Iron maiden and I've Got the Fire. The bootleg exists for this one.
 
Dennis Wilcock left around April 1978.

They played the Bridgehouse on 17/02/1978 with borrowed gear as theirs was stolen just before that.
They then played The Green Man on 06/04/1978 - This may have been the gig that Dennis never turned up for and it is possible that Steve sang songs on this night.
The next listed gig is Cart and Horses on 07/04/1978 - not known if Dennis played at this gig
and Dennis last gig at the Bridgehouse 08/04/1978

There were a few times Steve sang during Pauls period.
Paul got arrested before a gig a the Swan which was probably 12/07/1979 and missed most of the show. This was also a gig when Rod went to see the band.
The other known time was at Wakefield on 07/02/1980 where Paul had problems with his voice and Steve sang Prowler, Running Free, Iron maiden and I've Got the Fire. The bootleg exists for this one.

Thanks for that. I've gone trough 30 Years of the Beast and Run To The Hills. I both books it appears that Dennis left the band just before a gig at The Bridgehouse, witch led to Iron Maiden preforming with the line up of Steve, Terry Wapram and Barry Purkins. The quote from Doug Sampson in the book says: 'So,when he asked me if I fancied auditioning for the band, I said yes straight away. I mean, I really fancied it.' But before Steve could give Dennis the news, the agitated vocalist had some news of his own to tell Steve that threw the whole situation into disarray once more: Dennis had decided that he, too, would be leaving the band. He had been happy with the additions to the new line-up. They might not have been great players, but all three of the new boys were as heavily influenced by Kiss and Alice Cooper as Wilcock was himself, and the singer was determined to keep what he thought of as a "theatrical dimension" to the band's performances. What's more, he was sick of Steve's domineering attitude. "Den let us down in the end," reflects Steve. "He just didn't turn up one night. So we dashed 'round to his house to see if he was all right, and he was fine but he just said, 'I ain't coming down. I'm leaving the band.' I said, 'Well, can't you do the gig tonight first and then leave the band?' I mean, he really left us in the shit. But he was, like, 'No. I've made up my mind.' So I said, 'Fuck it. We'll do the gig without him.' And we did!"
 
Run to the Hills doesn't mention Dennis leaving before a Bridgehouse gig. Doug says "I can't remember exactly, but I think they did another gig and he didn't turn up or something" This would be the April Green Man gig (I think this was mentioned in 12 Wasted Years but I will have to double check that).

Dennis and Thunderstick both played their last gig at the Bridghouse on 08/04/1978. This was the gig that Thunderstick made a mess up.

Interview excerpt from Thunderstick
"Right, I'll tell you the story behind that. I was married for eight years and I was having an affair at the time with this beautiful woman who had just told her husband that I was having an affair with her. My wife had just found out. All three were at the gig. I had just bought a brand new drum kit, a Gretsch, and I'd never played it before, not even to rehearse on it. I literally took delivery of it that afternoon of the gig with Iron Maiden. So it took me a little while in the sound check to kind of set it up and try it out. And, yes, I did drop something. It wasn't acid or anything like that, it was a barbiturate, it was a downer, a Valium or something like that. I was so on edge that whole gig, because of the circumstances of my wife standing there, right next to her is my girlfriend that I'm screwing at the time and her husband and my new drum kit... I was used to the other kit and every time I'd go around it there wouldn't be a tom tom there, I would be a gap so hence the reason that that happened. "

Thunderstick played at least 5 gigs with Maiden and was even reconsidered in December 1979 to take over from Doug.
 
Interesting stuff guys!

There were a few times Steve sang during Pauls period.
Paul got arrested before a gig a the Swan which was probably 12/07/1979 and missed most of the show. This was also a gig when Rod went to see the band.
The other known time was at Wakefield on 07/02/1980 where Paul had problems with his voice and Steve sang Prowler, Running Free, Iron maiden and I've Got the Fire. The bootleg exists for this one.
Wow, I have this bootleg (om mp3). Never knew this. Will play it now and pay special attention.
EDIT:
Indeed. Cool. Paul does some backing vocals, e.g. on Prowler and Running Free.

Baztac, or anyone else, can you hear what Steve says in the introduction of I've Got the Fire?

From the 10th second.
 
Just checked the Green Man info which came from Gary Bushell's Running Free (p11 of the 1987 reprint) "they'd Hardly got going again before Dennis Wilcock decided he'd "had enough" and dropped out, right on the verge of a gig at the Green Man Plumstead"
 
Dennis and Thunderstick both played their last gig at the Bridghouse on 08/04/1978. This was the gig that Thunderstick made a mess up.

So the band never existed with the line-up of Steve, Wapram and Purkins? That would contradict the statement Steve makes in Run To The Hills:

"Den let us down in the end," reflects Steve. "He just didn't turn up one night. So we dashed 'round to his house to see if he was all right, and he was fine but he just said, 'I ain't coming down. I'm leaving the band.' I said, 'Well, can't you do the gig tonight first and then leave the band?' I mean, he really left us in the shit. But he was, like, 'No. I've made up my mind.' So I said, 'Fuck it. We'll do the gig without him.' And we did!"

So the gig Steve talks about must have featured Doug, Steve and Terry Wapram. Right? Somewhere in may, right before Dave was drafted back into the band.
 
I am not exactly sure when Terry Wapram quit. It may have been after the Feb 1978 gig as Terry wanted a keyboard player. Hence why there was no further gigs till April

Urchin were playing the Brecknock up till 23/03/1978 with Dave Murray. It was around this time that Steve saw them and asked Dave to come back to Maiden.
So the line up at the Green Man would probably have been Steve H, Dave M and Barry Purkins(Thunderstick). Dennis was probably upset that Dave had come back and that might be why he took the hump and didn't turn up.
 
So the line up at the Green Man would probably have been Steve H, Dave M and Barry Purkins(Thunderstick). Dennis was probably upset that Dave had come back and that might be why he took the hump and didn't turn up.

Interesting info! I always had the impression that Purkins was only there for one or two gigs and some rehearsals.
 
I think Doug Sampson's first gig was the Bridgehouse on 15/02/1979. This was also Paul Dianno's first gig and Paul Cairns first gig.

As far as I have been led to believe the band did not play at the Ruskin Arms on New Years Eve 1978. The manager of the Bridghouse helped get them their first Ruskin Arms gig on 17/02/1979
 
I think Doug Sampson's first gig was the Bridgehouse on 15/02/1979. This was also Paul Dianno's first gig and Paul Cairns first gig. As far as I have been led to believe the band did not play at the Ruskin Arms on New Years Eve 1978. The manager of the Bridghouse helped get them their first Ruskin Arms gig on 17/02/1979

Run To The Hills p.34 quote:

"With the new Harris/Murray/Sampson/Di'Anno line-up in place, Steve confidently began to book gigs for the new band. Paul actually made his live debut with Maiden at the Ruskin Arms, on High Street North, Manor Park, east London, a venue that - along with the Bridgehouse and the Cart and Horses - would prove to be a stronghold for Maiden over the next two years. As Dave Murray says, "From the moment we walked onstage that first time at the Ruskin Arms, I think we all knew we'd got it right this time. It couldn't have gone better, really. The place was packed, the songs sounded great and we went down a storm. It was amazing!"


I've been in contact with Cairns regarding where his first show took place. Not sure tough if Cairns played any full sets. Like Tony Parsons, he might have appeared on stage during the final songs that required two guitars. Not sure about it. Also, it is stated by former Iron Maiden drum tech Steve Loopy that Paul Cairns probably played on The Soundhouse Tapes.
 
There are quite a few contradictions in Run To the Hills.

However Doug qoutes
"First, we gave it a go with this guitarist we tried called Paul Cairns, who we used to call Mad Mac," says Doug Sampson. "but it was like... I don't know. It just wasn't meant to be. We thought he'd work out OK, 'cause he could play all right; but the minute we got onstage, we knew it wasn't happening. Our first gig was at the Bridgehouse again. It was in the middle of winter and there was about five inches of snow on the ground that night. It really was a bad night, and I couldn't blame anyone for staying home, but I got there and Paul hadn't turned up yet. He was off buying a leather belt or something, and he eventually turned up really late, which didn't exactly do him any favours, turning up late for your first gig."

Also there are no gig adverts for the Ruskin before that gig of the Bridgehouse.

The group photo of Paul was taken at the Bridgehouse
 
If Paul Cairns was only playing part of the set like Tony Parsons later that year. Then maybe that is part of the reason he turned up late.
 
The group photo of Paul was taken at the Bridgehouse

This one?
Paul+Cairns+Mad+Mac+Iron+Maiden.jpg
 
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