Could the albums Iron Maiden & Killers be considered "ghetto"?

Eddie's Left Nut

Eddie's Left Nut

What is that smell?
1). The artwork of these two albums certainly indicate a rough and run-down feel/environment. The fact that the band were from the East End of London played a factor in this.

2). The autobiographical songs speak for themselves (e.g. that "ho" Charlotte) . Even the songs that are more fantastical and escapist (e.g. that Phantom guy lives in a boiler room), lead in that direction.

3). The band where practically living in a van during that era.

4). I could have sworn that I've seen a picture of Paul D'ianno wearing a dog collar. Would that have been considered to be "Bling" back in the day?


Ya....I know....odd question, but I've been a victim of listening to my neighbour's rap-music all day.


Discuss.
 
Maybe not guetto but low social classed, as they came as you say from East London, which gives those albums a little special extra touch in the mood of the songs.
 
Definitely streetsy. That's the main appeal for me, the reason I like those albums so much. They sound like low-class east end London or something, and it's cool as hell. I used to hate the production, but I kind of love how old-school, low quality it is. I don't know. It just has a nice raw edge.
 
I think of that sound as "Industrial Metal," if there is such a thing. But I agree with Kill Devil Hill, the rawness of the first 2 albums is something I love. To me, they have the same vibe as the first couple Def Leppard albums and early Black Sabbath. In general just typical of the NWOBHM time period, I guess.
 
I'm not sure "ghetto" is the term I would use, but there is definitely a lower class, or "street" sound to them. In some cases, this is true to an extent where it almost seems silly for Maiden to still have been performing them within the last decade (Running Free and Sanctuary are good examples. While they are good songs, Bruce is basically singing about being a wild, lower middle class teenager when really he is a successful middle aged married father). While I'm not saying these should disappear entirely from future setlists, as they are classics, it is an interesting indication of who the band used to be and how far they have come. So yes, certainly the first two albums, especially the debut, have that kind of sound.
 
Thinking out loud, I think that's why I'm not such a huge fan of Piece of Mind's production. That edge was lost completely by POM. TNOTB was the perfect marriage of street edge and production polish. POM is a disappointment in juxtaposition.

Obviously, just my opinion. POM has great production on its own merits, but in context with Maiden's catalog, I'm not a huge fan of it.
 
I like Piece of Mind because its one of their best guitar works, and the production was well made for the album. Buuut the one with the best technical solos I think is (talking of old albums) Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
 
vagabond79 said:
I think of that sound as "Industrial Metal," if there is such a thing. But I agree with Kill Devil Hill, the rawness of the first 2 albums is something I love. To me, they have the same vibe as the first couple Def Leppard albums and early Black Sabbath. In general just typical of the NWOBHM time period, I guess.
Click to expand...

The Term is New Wave Of British Heavy Metal we don't have Ghetto's in Britian, Maiden ain't American !!
 
Their debut is very "ghetto" or "streetsy" or whatever you want to call it.

'Killers' sounds like a bastard child of their debut and what we hear on 'Number of the Beast'.
 
vagabond79 said:
I think of that sound as "Industrial Metal," if there is such a thing.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is such a thing. It is played by bands like Fear Factory and White Zombie. So, it doesn't really have much to do with Maiden at all.

I have a feeling that the word you guys are all looking for is punk. Like with most other NWoBHM bands, the early Maiden sound is a mixture of classic 70's hard rock and the raw energy brought to music by punk. In fact, that is what Paul Di'anno has always seen himself as part of, and that would also explain his dog collar.
 
Perun said:
Yes, there is such a thing. It is played by bands like Fear Factory and White Zombie. So, it doesn't really have much to do with Maiden at all.

I have a feeling that the word you guys are all looking for is punk. Like with most other NWoBHM bands, the early Maiden sound is a mixture of classic 70's hard rock and the raw energy brought to music by punk. In fact, that is what Paul Di'anno has always seen himself as part of, and that would also explain his dog collar.
Click to expand...

Pretty much, punk was the 'in' thing at the time and as much as Maiden were determined not to be associated with it (the famous inability to get a record deal because they wouldn't cut their hair) the albums certainly have the same sound to it production wise which is unsurprising even if just due to the equipment available in the studio's at the time, and that the companies would've been trying to push that sound so that it would be more readily accepted (in my opinion, that is not necessarily the case ofc).

Paul Di'anno was the odd one out in the band, his voice certainly had a punk styling, and he was the only one with the short hair, chains etc that punk often had.. with the newly emerging studs/leather image mixed in.

Harris would definitely disagree with them being labelled punk, I think he'd prefer the term 'raw'.
 
It looks like there is not overly much point in posting this, but I did not say Maiden were punks or were making punk music at the time - only that they, like most other bands of their background, took the idea of music being raw, wild and energetic from punk rock. That is an assessment I have seen most professional music critics make, especially those who were around at the time - in retrospect, mind you. It makes a lot of sense if you look at it historically. If you listen to an old UFO, Blue Öyster Cult or Wishbone Ash album, you will of course hear a lot of things that would later become Maiden and heavy metal trademarks. Guitar harmonies, rhythm changes or even gallops were already there. But they are all very polished and well-produced albums, lacking the rawness that made rock music famous and legendary. Which is why all these bands failed to do well commercially. Once punk rock had come along in the mid-seventies, this music became boring to listen to, because it plodded along while punk just kept ripping you a new one. On the other hand, people quickly noticed that what punk had in energy, it desperately lacked in musical quality. So bands like Iron Maiden, Angel Witch or Saxon took all the elements they liked from traditional heavy metal, which is now known as hard rock, and punk rock, to create their own music.

Not to mention that many people involved with the NWoBHM in fact did come from a punk background. Paul Di'anno has said so many times in interviews. He was a big Ramones fan, and has often described his style of singing and his onstage personality as "punkish". Of course, that does not mean Steve Harris or any other members of the band associated themselves with the punk scene - only that Paul Di'anno did. But seeing how integral his role in Iron Maiden was in the early days, I am pretty sure that some of his attitude did sweep over to Iron Maiden, their image and their sound.

In summary, I am only saying that the 'run-down', 'lower class' and especially 'street' image and attitude you guys have been thinking about in the early posts of this thread have nothing to do with 'ghetto', but indeed more with 'punk', which is not exactly surprising for an 1979 East End environment.
 
Perun said:
So bands like Iron Maiden, Angel Witch or Saxon took all the elements they liked from traditional heavy metal, which is now known as hard rock, and punk rock, to create their own music.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much it. Maiden set themselves apart a bit by adding some prog rock elements as well. As for Di'Anno, I always thought his singing style had far more in common with seventies hard rock than punk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top