Why Iron Maiden is my favorite band

[JudasMyGuide]

Nice post @JudasMyGuide but when it comes to the actual music I believe Maiden is given free reign to decide what makes it live or not. I don't think the management gets too many says in that. That's one of the few things that is left entirely up to the band - the music itself. The management can say when they want an album or when the band goes on tour...but the music is still controlled by the band.

I rephrase that - by "in the background" I didn't mean necessarily Rod or the label or whomever... I meant 'Arry as well. I mean, whether it's the band or the management, the business decisions must be logical and practical. They cannot do a 90's tour, for example. I believe they never will.

Since you modified your post

The management can say when they want an album or when the band goes on tour...but the music is still controlled by the band. Smallwood would never get involved in how Steve plays or how Bruce sings his lyrics....that's their part.

I agree with this. In the studio it's up to them.

 

[SixesAlltheway]

I agree about this. In the studio it's up to them.

Or live...I don't think Smallwood or anyone would interfere with anything on the music side of things. If Maiden picks Number of The Beast again for the 10000th time it's because they know how well that song works in a live setting with the intro tape and the pyro and everything..

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I believe 'Arry picks it because a lot of people come to hear it. Maybe the people like it because of Eddie and the intro tape and the pyro etc. Doesn't "work live" mean it gets a cheer or a good response from the audience?

But, unless we get in his head, we'll never know.

 

[SixesAlltheway]

Well, you got a song that you've got everything worked out for....pyro, backdrop the whole lot....and it gets a massive roar every evening...and you love to play it...why replace it? it's a mainstay in the set.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I get that, just considering the songs 'Arry's been interested in composing in the last two decades or more I somehow doubt he actually really loves to play it, that's all. But I might be wrong, of course.

 

[SixesAlltheway]

I think as far as feeding off the crowd I think NOTB is one of the songs they love to play the most. Judging on it's inclusion the last 30 years.

 

[Forostar]

I agree with this. In the studio it's up to them.

But when they go to the studio, that's up to Rod.

 

[Brigantium]

I don't know, I imagine it being a bit of both. They're all professionals and I get the impression Steve is fairly shrewd in his own right about making and keeping Maiden successful. They probably all know roughly when it's time to do something new.

 

[soundwave]

What initially struck me about Maiden was the lyrical content and the musical twists and turns. Whilst everyone else (at least the mainstream acts) were writing 3.5 minute songs about their sexual prowess and penchant for liquor consumption, Maiden was writing 8+ minute songs about time travel, ancient gods, and mini-history & literature lessons. For me, it was escapist, nerdy, swashbuckling fun that took me on a mini journey every time I listened to a record. That's still the reason I listen to them to this day. It's refreshing to listen to a literate band with (at times) unpredictable song structures with an overall positive vibe. I guess that's why my friends often refer to Maiden as the "Star Wars" of metal - it's imaginative art that appeals to wide array of people.

 

[Black Bart]

But when they go to the studio, that's up to Rod.

"You're bloody going back to the studio!"

 

[bearfan]

The history tours are cool. They are cool for me, because I get to hear some songs live that have not been played live in a while (hearing Seventh Son again was awesome, same with Prisoner and ATSS). They are cool for fans like my son who were not alive when those original tours happened. But, I agree with @Forostar that 3 years was 1 year too many for the ME tour.

They have the good problems of having so much really good material to pick from and the advantage of no hit songs (big radio hits) that they "have" to play, though I guess FoTD is kind of a "live hit" at this point.

That said, they history tour/new stuff tour is not a bad way to mix up the set list given that they are not the kind of band that changes set lists from show to show. For a band with such a great catalog, I really cannot think of a much better way to do what they do to mix it up

 

[bearfan]

To address the original post, yes, I think Maiden have an image of integrity, regardless of how accurate that is. Individual members are considered down to earth, that's part of their appeal. People look at Nicko and Steve in particular as people you'd bump into down the pub. In fact, if you hang around Yarm for long enough, by all accounts, you probably will end up bumping into Janick in the local.

Agree 100%, another factor is their management and that they are down to earth. They seem to have spent their money wisely/kept costs down .. so unlike a lot of bands that were big in the 80s and spent it as fast as it came in, Maiden has the luxury of not "needing" the money, which helps remove the temptation to treat their fans like ATM machines, having to constantly tour and tour for the biggest possible draw .. which usually means playing the most popular songs and not much new stuff. They have showed restraint at not putting Eddie on everything under the sun and having some degree in quality for the stuff they do put out. Trust is hard to gain, easy to loose, and damn near impossibly to win back. Maiden seems to get this and treats their fans accordingly.

I think all that helps keep their image of integrity.

 

[NotePad]

They're my favorite band because they have three guitarists who are all awesome and you can clearly hear each, they're not right upfront and hard to hear what's what. And they're all given their time to shine. My other favorite band, Helloween, has two very talented guitarists at present but they don't have a clear identity/sound like the Maiden guys. Plus I find the new guy, Sasha Gerstner takes all the solo's and Weiki is left playing very few, most of them happening during a guitar duel solo. Iron Maiden doesn't have this issue.

 

[Black Bart]

They're my favorite band because they have three guitarists who are all awesome and you can clearly hear each, they're not right upfront and hard to hear what's what. And they're all given their time to shine. My other favorite band, Helloween, has two very talented guitarists at present but they don't have a clear identity/sound like the Maiden guys. Plus I find the new guy, Sasha Gerstner takes all the solo's and Weiki is left playing very few, most of them happening during a guitar duel solo. Iron Maiden doesn't have this issue.

Good comparison. The other things that have made it so that Helloween haven't reached the success of Iron Maiden is that

1) they have allowed the bad blood between the members to get to the press and the fans (early 90s with Hansen, mid-90s with Kiske and early 00s with Grapow and Kusch), and that
2) as a spawn from Helloween, Gamma Ray has made as well (at least) as Helloween in terms in critical and commercial success, while Bruce Dickinson could never have dreamed of upstaging Iron Maiden when he was either in or out of the band, not to mention Di'anno's absence of personal identity of course. I think Masterplan could have been big, but having Jorn Lande and the two ex-Helloween in the same band proved to be too many egos to manage.

Helloween had -I think- two windows of opportunity to rise to Maiden's level: 1988 (before Kai left) and 1998 (when they released Better than Raw which was overall much better than Virtual XI , and they even got the opportunity to prove it onstage as they opened for Maiden in Europe).

It all boils down to management and handling personalities I guess: Rod Smallwood would never have let Michael Weikath have his way the way he has (and often being extinct on stage).

The industry being what it is, Helloween is not to pity nowadays, but in my opinion they have not released anything really exciting since The Dark Ride (though Gambling With the Devil was close).

 

[Lempface]

Iron Maiden inspired me to play guitar so they've always been my favorite, but lately I listen to a lot more Helloween.

I don't think I had even heard a Helloween song until a year or two ago.

I really missed out on a bunch of great metal and found Helloween, Gamma Ray, Freedom Call, Iron Savior, Edguy/Avantasia, Primal Fear, Angra, Unisonic, and I'm probably leaving a few out, within that time frame as well. I really like the amazing melodies many of these bands come up with.

I really only listened to Megadeth, Metallica and Maiden... Whew

I feel almost a traitor but I really really like Helloween. I think Kiske is great but I really love Andi Deris. I think his song writing has really cemented him and his quirky voice as one of my favorite singers.

I think their tendency to be a bit heavier at times but still retain great melody, remain upbeat, and never become truly dark has a great appeal to me.

King for a 1000 Years is a good representation of why I like them so much.

 

[Forostar]

Interesting discussion on Helloween and Gamma Ray guys. I don't think their (lack of) success was ever discussed, and it's interesting to compare that factor with Iron Maiden. Hope to see you in the Helloween/GR topic as well.

 

[NotePad]

Good comparison. The other things that have made it so that Helloween haven't reached the success of Iron Maiden is that

1) they have allowed the bad blood between the members to get to the press and the fans (early 90s with Hansen, mid-90s with Kiske and early 00s with Grapow and Kusch), and that
2) as a spawn from Helloween, Gamma Ray has made as well (at least) as Helloween in terms in critical and commercial success, while Bruce Dickinson could never have dreamed of upstaging Iron Maiden when he was either in or out of the band, not to mention Di'anno's absence of personal identity of course. I think Masterplan could have been big, but having Jorn Lande and the two ex-Helloween in the same band proved to be too many egos to manage.

Helloween had -I think- two windows of opportunity to rise to Maiden's level: 1988 (before Kai left) and 1998 (when they released Better than Raw which was overall much better than Virtual XI , and they even got the opportunity to prove it onstage as they opened for Maiden in Europe).

It all boils down to management and handling personalities I guess: Rod Smallwood would never have let Michael Weikath have his way the way he has (and often being extinct on stage).

The industry being what it is, Helloween is not to pity nowadays, but in my opinion they have not released anything really exciting since The Dark Ride (though Gambling With the Devil was close).

I love Gambling With The Devil. It's full of really classic Helloween style songs.