Iron Maiden News, Links, and Interviews
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Sea_Of_Madness
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Bruce Dickinson Wants to Sing Iron Maiden ‘Rarities’ on Tour
Bruce Dickinson named one of the Iron Maiden songs he most enjoys performing live, even though the band hasn't played it onstage for some time.
The singer also listed two other classic tracks he hopes to sing again, although he made no mention of whether it might happen on a tour associated with their latest album, Senjutsu.
“In lockdown, I was just trying to improve my Iron Maiden pinball score, and, of course, we've got some really cool tracks on the pinball machine, including 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner,' which we haven't done for ages,” Dickinson said in a recent episode of The Eddie Trunk Podcast. “And I just love doing that song. The storytelling element of it is genius, and then the breakdown, the moody bit, then into 'the curse it lives on in their eyes' bit – oh, it gives me goose bumps just listening to it!”
He added that he was "thinking, ‘Wow, we're going to do that again one day; that's just awesome.’ So stuff like that. I'd love to do one or two rarities – I'd love to do 'The Prisoner' again, 'Stranger in a Strange Land,' stuff like that. I like things that have a little bit of groove to them.”
In the same interview, the singer was asked about performing the material originally recorded by his predecessor, Paul Di’Anno, on Maiden’s first two albums. “There's some stuff that I really like on those records,” he replied. “I love 'Prodigal Son' – it's fantastic. If you want to see a Jethro Tull sort of influence on early Maiden, [there’s] that, and in particular 'Killers,' the track, and 'Murders in the Rue Morgue.’”
Bruce Dickinson Wants to Sing Iron Maiden ‘Rarities’ on Tour
Bruce Dicinson picked three classic Iron Maiden tracks he’d love to perform live in September 2021.
ultimateclassicrock.com
jazz from hell
Ancient Mariner
This argument is centuries old, interestingly, whether the music or the words should be the master.
Monteverdi said in 17th century “L'orazione sia padrona e non servo della musica” meaning the words be tha master, and not the servant of the music. His point was to create a more dramatic musical language by being driven by the text; quite a fitting opinion for him, as one of the inventors of opera. — Bruce’s side.
In church music before that, the text is often in latin, less understood by the people, narration of a “story” is less important for the composer, certainly in in direct affective terms; it’s more about an abstract musical work, which is independent from the text. — Steve’s side.
D
Deleted member 7164
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Both approaches are fine for their own merits.
The situation is best described in the AMOLAD making of. Dickinson says that "music is there to fit the infinite drama portrayed by the lyrics", and that he writes in English and if someone doesn't understand it, tough shit. Harris says melody is #1 and most people in the world don't speak English anyway.
Doesn't Lindemann from Rammstein use some weird 'unnatural' accent because it makes the words come out more tight to the industrial music they do? Here's a quick google
The question was if you started talking like he sings live, how would Germans react.
Dickinson's material, as much as I love it, isn't so strong once you throw out the experience of lyrical content. Mystic words of Gates of Urizen or Chemical Wedding aside, the vocal melodies are OK, nothing special. Thel has some excellent phrasing and melodies, but not everything is Thel.
People loved Nirvana because of the vocal melodies, their relation to chords and a charismatic voice. The songs themselves mostly, by Kurt's admission, had 0 substance lyrically.
As for Maiden we know Harris used to use Dickinson more as an instrument (TTAL lyrics) than a vocalist/performer. Sometimes the effect is comedic. A lot of times it just works. Dickinson's affairs also aren't that brilliant if you don't speak English and can't experience the lyrics.
The situation is best described in the AMOLAD making of. Dickinson says that "music is there to fit the infinite drama portrayed by the lyrics", and that he writes in English and if someone doesn't understand it, tough shit. Harris says melody is #1 and most people in the world don't speak English anyway.
Doesn't Lindemann from Rammstein use some weird 'unnatural' accent because it makes the words come out more tight to the industrial music they do? Here's a quick google
The question was if you started talking like he sings live, how would Germans react.
Dickinson's material, as much as I love it, isn't so strong once you throw out the experience of lyrical content. Mystic words of Gates of Urizen or Chemical Wedding aside, the vocal melodies are OK, nothing special. Thel has some excellent phrasing and melodies, but not everything is Thel.
People loved Nirvana because of the vocal melodies, their relation to chords and a charismatic voice. The songs themselves mostly, by Kurt's admission, had 0 substance lyrically.
As for Maiden we know Harris used to use Dickinson more as an instrument (TTAL lyrics) than a vocalist/performer. Sometimes the effect is comedic. A lot of times it just works. Dickinson's affairs also aren't that brilliant if you don't speak English and can't experience the lyrics.
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jazz from hell
Ancient Mariner
Yeah, it was during the AMOLAD doc I thought of Monteverdi. It’s quite striking, really...
A related question is, if music belongs more to the sciences — like it did, quadrivium in the middle ages — or if it it’s rather the art of the “speech of sound” (klangrede), as in baroque.
Also related, programme music vs absolute music — easy example in Beethoven’s fifth: the beginning, those four harsh notes, do they mean “fate knocking at your door”, as the story goes and people still hold value to it? Or is that idea ridiculous, because beethoven was about an exciting musical architecture, with no non-musical meaning whatsoever?
People still discuss these topics today, or perhaps especially today.
A related question is, if music belongs more to the sciences — like it did, quadrivium in the middle ages — or if it it’s rather the art of the “speech of sound” (klangrede), as in baroque.
Also related, programme music vs absolute music — easy example in Beethoven’s fifth: the beginning, those four harsh notes, do they mean “fate knocking at your door”, as the story goes and people still hold value to it? Or is that idea ridiculous, because beethoven was about an exciting musical architecture, with no non-musical meaning whatsoever?
People still discuss these topics today, or perhaps especially today.
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giratina
Educated Fool
In recent albumsI think Steve lyrics are better (more apealing to me) than Bruce lyrics. Is there thread about the Iron Maiden songs lyrics ranked ? I am curious to see the results.
The problem I find with Steve Lyrics is that sometimes they are unsingable for my non English tongue, I can't even rap them. Bruce lyrics are always singable, but he sometimes uses too many metaphores to the point where I don't even understand what he is talking about (BTATS & EOTC for example).
The problem I find with Steve Lyrics is that sometimes they are unsingable for my non English tongue, I can't even rap them. Bruce lyrics are always singable, but he sometimes uses too many metaphores to the point where I don't even understand what he is talking about (BTATS & EOTC for example).
____no5
Free Man
Both approaches are fine: Bruce is talking art and Steve is talking business.
Song consists of 2 parts one being the words and the other being music. No-one is more important than the other and obviously music must serve the lyrics. When it does, you have timeless masterpieces like Rime or Hallowed. When it doesn't you have good songs that appeal to fans and bring a few more in but not major breakthrough. Nothing wrong with that, it’s ok to be respectable in your ecosystem.
Now Steve tells us melody is no.1 but I have't seen any instrumentals for almost 40 years. He says most people don't speak English but yet wherever Maiden goes to play the audience is familiar with English language.
And yes, I can understand the church approach with Latin. This did make sense business wise. The people really didn't understand Latin. Not the case with maiden /English. Not even remotely.
In 2021 English is a universal language more than any other language has ever been, so there is no parallel here. Steve is blessed to be native to the most universal language ever and he comes up with that? No I don't buy it.
The lyricist being artist should create the best out of what he has, no matter if his language is a few million speakers or a billion. When the lyricist doesn't do that is a lesser artist, which business -wise can be ok, but his art may not stand the test of time.
So what? The song is inseparable lyrics -music are tied together and work together and I'm sure once you throw out the notes, most of Steve's compositions aren't that strong either.
Again. The lyricist being an artist should do the best with what the lyricist has: his language. And a song being lyrics + music, you must give the highest importance to both in order to create fine art, not the one or the other. And yes the music must serve the lyrics in some way.
Now I’m not too familiar with Nirvana’s lyrics (they seem great as far as I can tell) and Nirvana didn’t have to release 17 albums. Their few songs sound ok lyrics + music together meaning sonically are ok, the signing flows; you don’t have Lightning Strike Twice type choruses impossible to pronounce.
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harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
I did listen to it, and I am a fan of AoB and tCW. Some of his interpretations on both albums are fantastic: I think that Omega is one of his best vocal performances ever. But I really and genuinely think Steve Harris is a best melodist than him. The man has written the vocal melodies of most of the reunion songs, and, while there are some failures to my ears (Coming Home for instance), some are are trully great. And nothing on the last album would make me change my mind. The first part of Senjutsu, The Parchment, Hell on Earth... I don't think Writings on the Wall as more to offer, not to speak of The Darkest Hour (I can't even listen to this one: I don't understand how the hell Steve could accept such a thing on a Maiden album).
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harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
As for Beethoven's, who happens to be my favorite composer, we now know which influence had his very early biographers on the interpretation of his music. Those are mostly personal interpretations, with very little, or even nothing to support them. What counts is what he wrote on the manuscript partitions, in his letters, and the dedications he sometimes made (and sometimes later retired).
To me, wanting to submit the music to the words can have sense in a litugical context (praising god, for those who believe), or for a great poet who wants to deliver some kind of message. But do Bruce's lyrics belong to the same elevated category? He is a Metal singer and what shall remain (or not) is the song, as a whole, not some lyrics about mystic or I don't know what. I'm glad Maiden don't sing about screwing girls on the backseat of their limousines, but I think Bruce sometimes takes himself too seriously. As he is clever, he adds a little self-mockery note, but he can't foul us.
Most of all, I think he is a rather un-melodic vocal melodist: If Eternity's verses are un-melodic (as Forostar once answered me, it works with the lyrics, which I admit), Book of Thel is un-melodic, and there are plenty of examples where he just rushes words on a very indistinct and generic melody.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
You're being a bit unfair there, everyone in every band interviewed says the same old shit in interviews that they've already said in all the other interviews they've done. That's just the nature of interviews, people prepare a few answers to the questions they know they will be asked.
Being cynical I think Bruce always kind of gives wink wink answers when talking about Steve's stuff. Almost like saying "if you don't like this don't blame me, Steve did it!"
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
Or almost saying: "my stuff (and Adrian's, as I can barely write a song on my own, although I wrote the longest and greatest song ever alone on a little piano, so imagine what I could do with my genius mind if I could really play an instrument) is the main point of interest in the new album".
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
I’d say both Bruce and Steve’s approaches to writing lyrics have their good and not so good moments and the tension between those approaches is probably one of the reasons why Maiden are as great as they still are.
Regarding The Darkest Hour, whilst I much prefer other songs in the similar vein (Coming Home in particular), I think it is significantly better than much of the material the band produced during the 90s. Perhaps Steve’s loves it (he could be a Churchill fan), but unless he starts giving interviews all we can do is speculate.
Regarding The Darkest Hour, whilst I much prefer other songs in the similar vein (Coming Home in particular), I think it is significantly better than much of the material the band produced during the 90s. Perhaps Steve’s loves it (he could be a Churchill fan), but unless he starts giving interviews all we can do is speculate.
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Bruce Dickinson Wants to Sing Iron Maiden ‘Rarities’ on Tour
Bruce Dickinson named one of the Iron Maiden songs he most enjoys performing live, even though the band hasn't played it onstage for some time.
The singer also listed two other classic tracks he hopes to sing again, although he made no mention of whether it might happen on a tour associated with their latest album, Senjutsu.
“In lockdown, I was just trying to improve my Iron Maiden pinball score, and, of course, we've got some really cool tracks on the pinball machine, including 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner,' which we haven't done for ages,” Dickinson said in a recent episode of The Eddie Trunk Podcast. “And I just love doing that song. The storytelling element of it is genius, and then the breakdown, the moody bit, then into 'the curse it lives on in their eyes' bit – oh, it gives me goose bumps just listening to it!”
He added that he was "thinking, ‘Wow, we're going to do that again one day; that's just awesome.’ So stuff like that. I'd love to do one or two rarities – I'd love to do 'The Prisoner' again, 'Stranger in a Strange Land,' stuff like that. I like things that have a little bit of groove to them.”
In the same interview, the singer was asked about performing the material originally recorded by his predecessor, Paul Di’Anno, on Maiden’s first two albums. “There's some stuff that I really like on those records,” he replied. “I love 'Prodigal Son' – it's fantastic. If you want to see a Jethro Tull sort of influence on early Maiden, [there’s] that, and in particular 'Killers,' the track, and 'Murders in the Rue Morgue.’”
Bruce Dickinson Wants to Sing Iron Maiden ‘Rarities’ on Tour
Bruce Dicinson picked three classic Iron Maiden tracks he’d love to perform live in September 2021.
I bet they’ll play Fear of the Dark instead…
Gk1
Here I sit in a serenade of glory!
You would be amazed with the amount of people that want to see this one live. At times I think that they consider the most listened to songs on spotify and youtube when deciding which ones to play live.
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Poto
Ancient Mariner
Can barely write a song on his own, altough he has written more songs by himself than anyone in the band except Steve.
harrisdevot
Priest of the Holy Wristband
Do you really think he did write those 6 songs on his own ? I don't (except for Slaughter and EofC).
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
What about Wrathchild? 
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
He did. There was a recent interview with Adrian in which he mentioned that about the Dickinson songs when discussing the Powerslave material. Bruce can play the guitar competently enough to write songs like those.