Maiden and upcoming departures

Number 6 said:
I think Maiden could easily keep going if Nicko, Janick, or even Adrian quit. If they'd want to, though... that's another story.
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I don't think Steve would want to continue without Nicko. It's a comfort thing. The most important relationship in a band is bassist-drummer. And Steve, when it comes to Maiden, is quite stubborn. He plays the same bass since the beginning, he has been using the same bass gear for 20+ years now, he is still on the wedges. I just think that the phase of replacing band members is over. This is the final lineup of Iron Maiden. Maybe they'll need to cut down tournig in the future, but I just don't see them getting another drummer or guitarist.

Also, now with 5 post-reunion albums, there are quite a few songs that need 3 guitars (not harmony-wise, where Maiden has massively underachieved since 1999, but simply part splitting wise), so I think even 2 guitar lineup is a no at this point.
 
Selfishly I would like the band to continue minus 1 member. I think a lot would depend on the circumstances . If they had just written and released or were planning to release a new disc, and tour dates were announced, I think they could carry on. Now, there would have to be a degree of suddenness to said departure: ie accute ailment, injury or... you know :facepalm:...

Also, there would need to be unanimous agreement of the remaining members to finish what was already started. In addition to honoring the wishes of the departed member .. aaaaaand it couldn't be Steve or Bruce. If it were Dave Adrian or Nicko, the "honoring " angle could possibly suffice with the right replacement. A bit easier for Janick.
Man I hate this topic!! But it is possible, with all the right circumstances, that the band could carry on briefly......minus one. In my opinion.
 
I think Maiden could never keep going without Steve (duh), Bruce or Dave, but I could see them moving on without one of the other 3.
 
I do want Maiden to continue on 'til Armageddon et al. If I'm honest, however, I'd be fine if they did quit so long as Bruce continued his solo career. Let's all just hope for the best; no use worrying about tomorrow when there's enough to think about today, lol.
 
I shall restate my theory from many other threads.

- Nicko can be replaced.
- Adrian, Janick, or Dave can leave and the band can revert back to 2 guitars.
- However, Maiden could/would only sustain the loss of Nicko + 1 guitarist at this point. Any more and they'd be done.

Bruce and Steve are irreplaceable.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
I shall restate my theory from many other threads.

- Nicko can be replaced.
- Adrian, Janick, or Dave can leave and the band can revert back to 2 guitars.
- However, Maiden could/would only sustain the loss of Nicko + 1 guitarist at this point. Any more and they'd be done.

Bruce and Steve are irreplaceable.
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I believe this point is not possible anymore, now with 5 reunion albums. Songs like BNW and Blood Brothers are impossible to play with 2 guitars only (not impossible, but you lose a key part).
 
matic22 said:
I believe this point is not possible anymore, now with 5 reunion albums. Songs like BNW and Blood Brothers are impossible to play with 2 guitars only (not impossible, but you lose a key part).
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Some, but not all of those songs require 3 guitars. They’d play the ones that don’t (Wicker Man, etc) and then just focus on classics for a couple tours before finally retiring.
 
From a purely musical perspective, sure, Maiden could sustain a change of drummer or guitarist - they have done in the past after all.

From an artistic point of view however, I highly doubt they would even consider it at this point. This has been the lineup for the best part of 20 years now, the band have repeatedly stated that they don't want to become cabaret and that they enjoy putting out new music and performing it live. The manner in which they operate during the writing and recording process simply wouldn't be the same if you swap out one of the guys for a newcomer.

Nicko leaving the band I think would definitely spell the end, I don't think Steve would have any desire to forge a relationship with a brand new drummer after over 35 years with Nicko, they themselves have commented upon their chemistry, the way that Nicko is able to work out just what Steve wants in a song etc. This relationship is probably the core of Steve's process of formulating his song compositions.
 
Looking at the Priest situation, it’s hard to imagine anyone apart from Steve who couldn’t be replaced.

That said I couldn’t imagine how they would sound minus Dave Murray. It just wouldn’t be the same, he’s such a vital ingredient to the Maiden sound.
 
Ziggyplayedguitar said:
He’s the best Maiden frontman no doubt- but then again they DID achieve success & recognition before him.
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That doestn't matter. Steve said that when Bruce got ill, if his voice didn't make it, that would be it for Maiden. They are too old to change the singer. (Steve's words)

Steve achieved his goal with The Final Frontier. He released 15 albums with IM, the goal he set for himself decades ago. I think he is thinking about everything Maiden does since then as a bonus. I think good indicators of that are that he formed a side project and he is a lot less "bossy" in the IM. Yes, he is still the boss, but I think other members have a much greater say in various things than they did before.
 
I don't know if there's any drummer in the house to kill me after I'm about to say, but I think Nicko's position is perfectly replaceable. If Steve would be prone to do it is another point though.

Must agree with it:

UpTheIrons said:
From an artistic point of view however, I highly doubt they would even consider it at this point. This has been the lineup for the best part of 20 years now, the band have repeatedly stated that they don't want to become cabaret and that they enjoy putting out new music and performing it live. The manner in which they operate during the writing and recording process simply wouldn't be the same if you swap out one of the guys for a newcomer.
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:(:(:(
matic22 said:
That doestn't matter. Steve said that when Bruce got ill, if his voice didn't make it, that would be it for Maiden. They are too old to change the singer. (Steve's words)

Steve achieved his goal with The Final Frontier. He released 15 albums with IM, the goal he set for himself decades ago. I think he is thinking about everything Maiden does since then as a bonus. I think good indicators of that are that he formed a side project and he is a lot less "bossy" in the IM. Yes, he is still the boss, but I think other members have a much greater say in various things than they did before.
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He can always change his mind
 
Lucas Lourenco said:
I don't know if there's any drummer in the house to kill me after I'm about to say, but I think Nicko's position is perfectly replaceable. If Steve would be prone to do it is another point though.

Must agree with it:
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Absolutely not. Nicko is utterly integral to the Maiden sound. To quote myself from four years ago:

Lego said:
Right, your favorite parts of their sound. But speaking objectively, there is no way having a different drummer in the band wouldn't change their sound overall, unless he were a clone of Mr. McBrain.

In the same way a different guitar player, singer, producer, or even studio does, a different drummer will give the band a different vibe. Mr. McBrain is one of the most unique heavy metal drummers in history. His contribution to Maiden's songwriting and sound through his technique has been stressed time and time again by the other Maiden members.

"Nicko is a fantastically athletic drummer. He always had the chops and the technique, but in Maiden he really exploded, to the point where a lot of stuff we did after he joined was then founded on his playing, all those busy patterns he does, displaying tremendous technique. It sounds daft now, but when he first joined I thought he might be a bit funky for us, because Nick can play anything. And he's tight. He's really at the front of everything, and Steve loves playing with him. Steve and Nicko used to work for hours, going over these bass and drum patterns. I mean, normal rules do not apply to either Nicko McBrain or Iron Maiden, which is why they've both always stood out." -Adrian Smith, Run To The Hills, the authorised biography p.147
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