Run to the hills - The Biography

nuno_c

nuno_c

A hollow universe in space
I'm thinking about buying the book... To anyone who has read it, what are your opinions on the book?
 
It provides a very interesting and extensive insight into the early days of Iron Maiden.... that's one big positive.
Also, the personal background detailed for each member is thorough and noteworthy.

The downside is that the bulk of the bands career is simply not given the same amount of attention.
The bands blockbuster era of the mid/late 80s is rushed over, and the 'reunion' of 99 is also not too extensive (magazine interviews at the time offer better insight!)

Worse still, is the extremely positive coverage of the Blaze era (the first edition was written in 1998)
E.g, the book claims that Blaze rejuvenated the bands career in America!
Difficult to believe given how FOTD reached number 12 and just 3 years later the X-Factor reached number 147 on the American charts!
This in itself is not a major issue, but does leave you wondering how accurate everything else in the book is.

All in all, I don't think it's a great book, but for a fan, it's not a total write off either.
 
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nibblet said:
It provides a very interesting and extensive insight into the early days of Iron Maiden.... that's one big positive.
Also, the personal background detailed for each member is thorough and noteworthy.

The downside is that the bulk of the bands career is simply not given the same amount of attention.
The bands blockbuster era of the mid/late 80s is rushed over, and the 'reunion' of 99 is also too extensive (magazine interviews at the time offer better insight!)

Worse still, is the extremely positive coverage of the Blaze era (the first edition was written in 1998)
E.g, the book claims that Blaze rejuvenated the bands career in America!
Difficult to believe given how FOTD reached number 12 and just 3 years later the X-Factor reached number 147!

This in itself is not a major issue, but does leave you wondering how accurate everything else in the book is.

All in all, I don't think it's a great book, but for a fan, it's not a total write off either.
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I guess i'll pass on the book... And thank you, you just made me save some money! Btw, do you know any book, official or not, about Maiden that is cool?
 
To put it in one sentence, I think it's essential reading for a Maiden fan, but just don't expect it to be any more than a book by a music journalist about a metal band.
 
nibblet said:
It provides a very interesting and extensive insight into the early days of Iron Maiden.... that's one big positive.
Also, the personal background detailed for each member is thorough and noteworthy.

The downside is that the bulk of the bands career is simply not given the same amount of attention.
The bands blockbuster era of the mid/late 80s is rushed over, and the 'reunion' of 99 is also not too extensive (magazine interviews at the time offer better insight!)

Worse still, is the extremely positive coverage of the Blaze era (the first edition was written in 1998)
E.g, the book claims that Blaze rejuvenated the bands career in America!
Difficult to believe given how FOTD reached number 12 and just 3 years later the X-Factor reached number 147 on the American charts!
This in itself is not a major issue, but does leave you wondering how accurate everything else in the book is.

All in all, I don't think it's a great book, but for a fan, it's not a total write off either.
Click to expand...
Can't argue with any of that. Extensive, I'd even say exhaustive coverage of the early days, and then it's a whirlwind through the rest of their career. Those above mentioned notes about "Blaze rejuvenating their career in America" is one big reason it needs a MAJOR rewrite in that area, basically to put the Blaze years in the proper perspective, rather than what was probably an imperative to Mick Wall to shine a positive light on the current situation at the time of its First Edition.
 
This thread made me think. I've been going through the Maiden bibliography, and I am wondering which books are essential reading. I have Running Free, Run to the Hills, At the End of the Day and Paul Di'Anno's masterpiece. I would like to add to my library, but only have a limited budget. So I would like to know which of these I really, absolutely must buy from people who have read them.

Iron Maiden: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of the Beast by Neil Daniels
According to reviews, this is just about the best book out there, but what does it add to the two official biographies, the documentaries and all the other tidbits we get in the various Maiden releases? It looks very neat from the previews, but I'll be harsh: I don't care for rare photos.

2 Minutes to Midnight: An Iron Maiden Day-By-Day by Martin Popoff
This seems just to be a collection of all the information available to me already in a glossy setting. I can imagine it's a neat addition to a collection if you can afford it, but it seems to be ultimately unnecessary.

Steve Harris - The Clairvoyant
I gave this one a pass when it was available because I couldn't for the life of me afford it. It seems to be available as an ebook now. But from what I heard so far, it's just a collection of anecdotes from people around Steve in the 1970s, and we really have myriads of those on the internet nowadays. I also have a fair amount of interviews on the NWoBHM, and there is an entire book about it which I am planning to get some day. So is there anything in it that actually sheds light on Iron Maiden's history in particular that warrants tracking this book down and paying possibly even more than its original price for it?

Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden, 1975-1983 by Neil Daniels
Anything in this one that isn't covered by the Early Days DVD, the official biographies, Loopy's blog, Maiden77 Facebook Group etc etc etc?

Bruce Dickinson: Flashing Metal with Iron Maiden and Flying Solo by Joe Shooman
I read really terrible reviews of this one. Not only that it is supposed to be atrociously written, but also that it has zero new insight because it is all based on previously published interviews and no endorsement or involvement from Bruce himself.

Also, did I miss any?
 
I am interested in people around Maiden in 1970s, so I like every story of such kind more than anything by anyone else (outside the band) who came later.
So I liked such stories by oldies in The Clairvoyant. Also reading all this new info on the Soundhouse Tapes was quite revealing. More:
Finished the book a few weeks ago. I'll try to do this as honest as possible.

The good
I am fan of stories from the old days, from people who were there. So, I enjoyed the chapters with Keith Wilfort (fanclub) and other crew members, such as Loonhouse. Also, I thought Dennis Stratton's chapter was very insightful. From his perspective, we get a more complete view of how he experienced the band and why he was fired. The Paul Cairns bit was very interesting I thought. Some people did some awesome research.

Neal Kay has a huge chapter. I especially liked him talking about what happened, how he came into the scene, what he did, and what he experienced when touring with Maiden. The first half of this chapter is mostly about this. I was very impressed by the dedication of some fans. Unbelievable stories of people traveling without money and ending up backstage talking with the band. Sometimes by controversial methods, fans did a lot to get near their idols.


The "less good"
The book didn't only have "old story"-chapters. We also got as least as many (or even more) chapters by "new" fans. To be honest, I thought some of these stories were less enthralling than the "informative" chapters, although I was several times impressed by the impact Steve Harris has on people all over the world. He clearly inspires people. But I confess, while reading some of them, my mind was often with the next chapter. I was not a big fan of the second half of Neal Kay's contributions. In the first half he gave insightful information, and in the second half he was ranting. Giving his opinions on matters in a bit of an annoying way. Like there's some anger left in this guy, or something.

The writing style:
The author is a bit slimy towards Harris and people like Neal Kay. A bit of over-idolization?
I could have done with less repetitive stressing of certain achievements or why people are so important.

Many chapters have not one introduction to a person. They have two or three introductions. Lots of repeating and overemphasizing a role of the person. It's not cool to read something two or three times, within the space of two or three pages.


Overall
I want to end positive again: The good has more impact than the less good. I am very interested in having a more complete, more subtle image of this beloved band. This book certainly contributed to that.

I also like the oldie stories in the Stenning book. I liked the story by Tony Moore (keyboards) the most but it ended so abruptly that it feels as a miss print.
Other people: Loopy, Kay, Wilfort, Maurice Coyne (Urchin), Chris Aylmer (Samson), Bill Leisegang (Shots/Xero), and the other three guys from Wolfsbane.
 
I read your post earlier, and you're not really answering my question.
 
I can't imagine that any of the books -apart from the official biography- are must reads. Therefore I have not read:
Perun said:
Iron Maiden: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of the Beast by Neil Daniels
2 Minutes to Midnight: An Iron Maiden Day-By-Day by Martin Popoff
Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden, 1975-1983 by Neil Daniels
Bruce Dickinson: Flashing Metal with Iron Maiden and Flying Solo by Joe Shooman
Click to expand...
If I'd see one in a bookstore, I'd take a better look and change my mind.
 
Forostar said:
I also like the oldie stories in the Stenning book. I liked the story by Tony Moore (keyboards) the most but it ended so abruptly that it feels as a miss print.
Other people: Loopy, Kay, Wilfort, Maurice Coyne (Urchin), Chris Aylmer (Samson), Bill Leisegang (Shots/Xero), and the other three guys from Wolfsbane.
Click to expand...
:)

edit:
Perun said:
Is it a must-have?
Click to expand...
Ariana said:
Not very different from Mick Wall's. There are a couple of interviews there with various people outside Maiden, talking about the band but if you've read Run to the Hills, you don't really need this one.
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:)

I don't really agree because the stories are different and by different people, but it's not a must read indeed.
 
Forostar said:
I don't really agree because the stories are different and by different people, but it's not a must read indeed.
Click to expand...

Oops, I missed the 'Stenning' part. :oops: Sorry.

Sorry, here comes a rant:

My problem is, I'm oversaturated with 70s stories. I read all the interviews, all the Loopy blogs, all the Maiden77 Facebook posts, and all the official bio releases put heavy emphasis on this period. At some point, it gets tedious to keep hearing people reminisce about the 'good old days' that I wasn't part of. Not to mention that I can't know how accurate their memories are... and even if, where's the point? Yeah, I get it, 70's London was awesome, you guys had a fantastic time, I'm happy for you. But hearing somebody talk about someone they knew who was in Maiden for a few weeks in 1977 really isn't my idea of getting to know the band's history. Not to mention the attitude of some people (like Maiden77), that I don't know shit because I wasn't there. Yeah, I wasn't. I can't do anything about it. If you guys gave me concrete information on who wrote which song, fine, I want to hear that. Or what kind of stage acts they experimented with, yes, please, tell me. But not with the "that was the real shit" attitude. I respect what those guys did back then, but the way they come forth claiming their fame 40 years on is pathetic and just goes to display they haven't gotten over the fact that they were sacked before Maiden got big. Not to mention that there's just so much that happened at Soundhouse for so long... at some point, Maiden were hitting bigger stages and I want to know about that too. By 1985, more than just a few East End kids had heard of Maiden, and the band was a worldwide phenomenon, but so far no biography I read seriously tried to investigate why... they just mentioned that they were. I find that a lot more interesting, to be honest.

Rant over. -_-
 
Perun said:
This thread made me think. I've been going through the Maiden bibliography, and I am wondering which books are essential reading. I have Running Free, Run to the Hills, At the End of the Day and Paul Di'Anno's masterpiece. I would like to add to my library, but only have a limited budget. So I would like to know which of these I really, absolutely must buy from people who have read them.

Iron Maiden: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of the Beast by Neil Daniels
According to reviews, this is just about the best book out there, but what does it add to the two official biographies, the documentaries and all the other tidbits we get in the various Maiden releases? It looks very neat from the previews, but I'll be harsh: I don't care for rare photos.

2 Minutes to Midnight: An Iron Maiden Day-By-Day by Martin Popoff
This seems just to be a collection of all the information available to me already in a glossy setting. I can imagine it's a neat addition to a collection if you can afford it, but it seems to be ultimately unnecessary.

Steve Harris - The Clairvoyant
I gave this one a pass when it was available because I couldn't for the life of me afford it. It seems to be available as an ebook now. But from what I heard so far, it's just a collection of anecdotes from people around Steve in the 1970s, and we really have myriads of those on the internet nowadays. I also have a fair amount of interviews on the NWoBHM, and there is an entire book about it which I am planning to get some day. So is there anything in it that actually sheds light on Iron Maiden's history in particular that warrants tracking this book down and paying possibly even more than its original price for it?

Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden, 1975-1983 by Neil Daniels
Anything in this one that isn't covered by the Early Days DVD, the official biographies, Loopy's blog, Maiden77 Facebook Group etc etc etc?

Bruce Dickinson: Flashing Metal with Iron Maiden and Flying Solo by Joe Shooman
I read really terrible reviews of this one. Not only that it is supposed to be atrociously written, but also that it has zero new insight because it is all based on previously published interviews and no endorsement or involvement from Bruce himself.

Also, did I miss any?
Click to expand...

I have the 'Infinite Dreams' book and, although not particularly well written, I enjoyed it due to the fact that interviews were included which are kept out of any official biographies. For example Bruce slagging Maiden after his departure. Well worth the price if you are after a less than sycophantic read ;)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Maiden-Infinite-Dave-Bowler/dp/1886894418




As for the official biog, it is a good read, although it skips quickly past the really interesting stuff (attitude to Blaze etc)
 
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