Lineups, Live Songs and Productivity in the 1970s

@lira What do we make of this? Pre-Wrapham. June 1977.

All that info surfaced some time after Dennis Willcock got back to life in 2014. Maiden77 took the front, but me and a very few knew that years before.

I guess most of that info is correct, albeit "The Pit" (or "Endless Pit") was called like this only in Gypsy's Kiss. In Maiden it started as "Innocents in Exile", according to Terry Rance. "The Ides of March" had no name before the Killers album.

"Drifter" was another song that most people don't know came from Gypsy's Kiss as well. Only it was called "Drifting". You check the lyrics it has that same "Burning Ambition" vibe.
 
I think Nicko says it on the Listen With Nicko from the Can I Play With Madness/Evil that Men Do ep from the first ten years.

EDIT: I just listened to that listen with Nicko and he does not mention it. I can't remember where I got that information from but it must have been somewhere else, it may be one of the biographies?

I googled "highway road in time" AND "black bart blues" to see if I could find anymore info, a lot of the results are sites which I reckon are ultimately gaining their information from this thread, but I did find this website from the mists of time

http://www.oocities.org/tobiassandberg/collection1.html
 
Here @lira
The last setlist.

Pre-Di'Anno live material would also be welcome. According to Maiden77, a FB-page run by someone who claims to be in contact with Dennis Wilcock, and other old members:

- - - - - - posted on 2 January 2015 ----
People often ridicule the original members saying they contributed nothing to Iron Maiden success but the list below shows that by the time Dennis and Terry left in 1978 most of the first two albums had been written. The Music and lyrics had been written and contributed to by Paul Day, Dennis Willcock, Dave Sullivan, Terry Rance, Bob Sawyer, Terry Wapram, Ron Mathews, Barry Purkis and Tony Moore.. Did Steve and Dave Murray write the songs alone the answers is no.. as confirmed by several ex members that we have talked to so far hopefully full details of who wrote what will become clear in 2015
The Ides of March (Killers)
Drifter (Killers)
Sanctuary (Metal for Muthas) (US Iron Maiden)
Prowler (Iron Maiden)
Another life (Killers)
Prodigal Son (Killers)
Transylvania (Iron Maiden)
Strange World (Iron Maiden)
Floating (Purgatory)
Wrathchild (Killers)
Phantom of the Opera (Iron Maiden)
Charlotte (Iron Maiden)
The Pit (Became Innocent Exile) (Killers)
Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden)
all played in 1978.......

- - - - - -


Most remarkable is the inclusion of Prodigal Son! This was the only one from the Di'Anno-era albums that was seen as a never played song.
Here setlist information from 2 gigs (new info, to me at least, in red):


- - - - - -
Iron Maiden Set list 4/4/1978 (posted: 2 January 2015)
The Ides of March
Drifter
Sanctuary
Prowler
Another life
Prodigal Son
Transylvania
Strange World
Floating (Purgatory)
Wrathchild
Phantom of the Opera
Charlotte
The Pit (Became Innocent Exile)
Iron Maiden


Some comments underneath:
-Maiden77: Steve Harris owns this recording i'm afraid
-Maiden77: The Ides was from a Tony Moore keyboard part as Dennis remembers but the drums and bass were added by Barry and Steve Maiden just had lawyers and Barry didn't
-someone else called Bladimir Metalclep:
I think this show was on April 8th and not 4th, at The Bridge House in Canning Town. Line up for this show Dennis Willcock, Barry Purkis, Steve Harris & Dave Murray. Those April shows at The Bridge House were profesionally recorded and some tracks were edited on vinyl. I got a double LP with Filthy McNasty, Roll Ups and Remus Down Boulevard.
10428555_10205536312678135_3321940684120339523_n.jpg

- - - - - -


- - - - - -
Line up and set list Saturday 18th June 1977 (posted: 2 January 2015)
Line up Dave Murray, Dennis Willcock, Steve Harris, Bob Sawyer, Ron Mathews
Ive Got The Fire
Drifter
Sanctuary
Prowler
Burning Ambition
Another Life
Transylvania
Strange World
Floating
Charlotte
Wrathchild
Iron Maiden

At the Teviot Festival Highway Road in Time was also played as part of the set.

- - - - - -
 
Damn, sorry. I looked/judged wrong. :facepalm: Then April 1978 is the earliest time mentioned in relation to Prodigal Son. Indeed post-Wrapham era. And still with Purkis and Willcock.
 
Fantastic thread, cheers ! :cheers:

Maaan, imagine a song like Prowler in the 70's - Steve is ahead of his time.
 
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I googled "highway road in time" AND "black bart blues" to see if I could find anymore info, a lot of the results are sites which I reckon are ultimately gaining their information from this thread, but I did find this website from the mists of time


About Highway Road in Time, Bob Sawyer said in an interview on the maiden77 page that it was as close to a standard 12-bar blues as Maiden would ever get. This might explain the similarity to Black Bart Blues, even thought it is not the same song as such. This might also explain why HRIT disappeared from the set list - it might have been more of a generic, run-of-the-mill blues jam than an embryotic Maiden classic.
 
There were a couple more songs who disappeared from the set list... The funky (almost reggae) Floating song, banned in 1978 and returning in 1981 in hm style as Purgatory. Also Burning Ambition in 1979, being replaced by Running Free.
 
Forostar, please include "For the People" in the 1st lineup - confirmed by Scarf Maiden (from Facebook). Another cover from Stray, played in their first gigs and never recorded.
 
Forostar, please include "For the People" in the 1st lineup - confirmed by Scarf Maiden (from Facebook). Another cover from Stray, played in their first gigs and never recorded.
@lira, while you're here, could you throw some light on this please?
There's an old interview (http://metallian.com/weapon.php) where Jeff Summers says that both he and Martin Bushell played with Maiden. Has anyone got more info on this? Was it fill-ins, or maybe just auditions?

@lira, @Forostar, @fekso?
 
@lira, while you're here, could you throw some light on this please?

Magnus, what do you want to know?

There's an old interview (http://metallian.com/weapon.php) where Jeff Summers says that both he and Martin Bushell played with Maiden. Has anyone got more info on this? Was it fill-ins, or maybe just auditions?

@lira, @Forostar, @fekso?

I read this Metallian interview many years ago but never figured it out. Jeff Summers is refering to Maiden's formative years, so my best bet for any truth behind it is that they were there before Steve founded (called it) Iron Maiden. At those times there were rehearsals with different musicians like drummer Vic Scott and Dennis Willcock. As guitarists names were never mentioned maybe Martin Bushel and Jeff Summers are the missing links... for the rehearsals.

It's a good question.
 
Magnus, what do you want to know?



I read this Metallian interview many years ago but never figured it out. Jeff Summers is refering to Maiden's formative years, so my best bet for any truth behind it is that they were there before Steve founded (called it) Iron Maiden. At those times there were rehearsals with different musicians like drummer Vic Scott and Dennis Willcock. As guitarists names were never mentioned maybe Martin Bushel and Jeff Summers are the missing links... for the rehearsals.

It's a good question.
Thank you for your response, @lira ! Martin Bushell wrote here some time ago that his time with the band was 1979:
Hello there. Paul DiAnno invited me down for an audition. I was in a previous band with him. About 1979, I'm guessing. Before they got a deal. Ruskin days. Anyway, I passed the audition but was booted out just over a week later. I have a feeling that Doug was out shortly after that.... No gigs.
Jeff Summers? I wasn't aware of that.
I was wondering if Jeff Summers could be one of the guitarists they might have auditioned before Paul Cairns joined in 1978 - or after he left in 1979.
 
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