The Beckett Connection

Which to me has always indicated that they never intended on keeping it secret.
 
Keith, one question here: the name Beckett orgins has something to do with the literature of Samuel Beckett and what's the meaning of the debut album's cover? It looks like a drawing from an ancient book with some cryptic meaning in it.

Cheers...
 
Jeffmetal said:
Keith, one question here: the name Beckett orgins has something to do with the literature of Samuel Beckett and what's the meaning of the debut album's cover? It looks like a drawing from an ancient book with some cryptic meaning in it.

Cheers...
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Hi Jeff.  The name was chosen some years before I joined the band; and if they told me who chose it, and why, I have long since forgotten.  As for the historical connection, I’m afraid it didn’t exist.  The record company farmed-out the design of the album cover; what succeeded was all they showed us anyway, so it was a fait accompli.  The Papal blessing in the logo seemed attractive enough to me, and the distressed velum and desktop was apposite I suppose, given the hint of history surrounding the name.  In truth, I don’t think any of us much cared, although I objected vehemently to the photo they selected of me; but then, nobody likes the majority of their own photos and the management brushed aside my protestations.  Nothing analogous or cryptic, I’m afraid.  Bob and I were/are deeply involved in the esoteric, but nobody else saw much past the gig and the post gig party.  Sex and drugs and rock n roll!  None of us were saints, I can assure you!
 
Yeah, Keith. Typical 70's evironment - record company choosing cover art, the photos adorning the inside of it (at least you could choose yours) and even title of the songs; guys envolved with occultism and then sex, drugs (mostly weed, I believe) and of course, the good and old Rock 'N' Roll. I quite like the latter part - a bit of weed and beer/wine and some interesting occult books to read and study, lots of sex and Rock 'N' Roll all the time. B)

Thanx for telling your take on it and I like the logo and the cover a lot, as a whole.
 
This really is an interesting discussion. Thanks for the input Keith.

Whether someone in Beckett did in fact receive a payment that Keith is unaware of remains to be seen.

Regardless of payments and legality, as much as I love Steve and the boys, I think that morally a reference on Maiden's albums in the first place would have been the decent thing to do (especially regarding 'The Nomad').

I recall a similar sentiment put forward by Samsons drummer 'Thundersticks' (or Barry Perkins if I got the name right) who still insists he co wrote 'The Ides of March', but received no writing credits on Maiden's 'Killers' LP. This is despite the fact that (virtually) the same instrumental appears on Samsons 'Head On' album, under the title 'Thunderburst', and is officialy credited to both Thundersticks and Steve.

I suppose we will never really know the absolute truth.
 
Dear Mr. Phantom, it is certainly generating a lot of interest all round, I have to confess: Youtube sites are beginning to get involved; which is not altogether what I desired, although I dare say Bob Barton is grateful for the attention to his cause.  One thing I can absolutely assure you all about is that no-one in the Beckett camp even knew about this situation until I alerted them, let alone made deals behind my back.  No, the strange fact is that this has been quietly slipped under the wire until now.  As I stated in my initial missive, discussions are now taking place with Bob and Kenny and myself as to the proper approach to the issue; the general consensus of opinion out in the world (and I am grateful to this forum for its valuable balanced input) is that a case exists and must be answered by Steve and Rod; we are cogitating.
 
Another aspect of Life's Shadow was 'borrowed' for Hallowed Be Thy Name, but musically, this turn - check out the intro to Life's Shadow (which is the same as the verses of the song) and then listen to Hallowed Be Thy Name from 4:06 to 4:23. It's identical, the accents and the melody.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Another aspect of Life's Shadow was 'borrowed' for Hallowed Be Thy Name, but musically, this turn - check out the intro to Life's Shadow (which is the same as the verses of the song) and then listen to Hallowed Be Thy Name from 4:06 to 4:23. It's identical, the accents and the melody.
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Hi Jeff.  Have you heard the intro and outro on "Theses colours don't run"?  A guy on Youtube told me about it ages ago but I only just listened to it.  Steve really likes Life's Shadow, doesn't he?
 
Those last 2 are pretty crappy links to it.

The 4:05-4:23 sounds nothing like the intro to Lifes Shadow and neither does the intro to These Colours Don't Run.
 
Hi, Keith. Well, I know These Colours Don't Run pretty well, and it was Adrian who wrote it. TCDR starts soft and menacing, just like Life's Shadow and the beat is the same, but in terms of notes, they're different. This time, it was certainly a subconcious influence and reflection of it in the music he was writing, not a rip off. The one I mentioned on the previous post is explicit. But Life's Shadow certainly has a deep meaning to Maiden.

I dusted off Beckett's great one and only album (mp3's made from vinyl), last night and it is really amazing!!! Rolling Thunder, Rainclouds, Life's Shadow/New Day Chorus, Green Grass Green and My Lady are really mind blowing.
Jonszat said:
Those last 2 are pretty crappy links to it.

The 4:05-4:23 sounds nothing like the intro to Lifes Shadow and neither does the intro to These Colours Don't Run.
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These Colours Don't Run has not much to do with it, but the Hallowed Be Thy Name from 4:05 to 4:23 sounds exactly like the intro to Life's Shadow (obviously with distortion on the guitars).

More or less like the intro to ELP's A Time And A Place is in the same key and tempo of Revelations intro; Jethro Tull's Cross-Eyed Mary verse is just like the G.K. Chesterton hymnal Bruce sings in the beginning of Revelations (only that Revalations is in A mnior); Wishbone Ash's Warrior intro is just like the verses of The Aftermath; Budgie's You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk borrowed to Maiden the idea of the drums with flanger for the intro to Invasion and the bass section of Phantom Of The Opera (only that Steve modulate to other keys); intro to Thin Lizzy's King's Revenge is just like the beginning of Prowler's instrumental section (the one that Dave's plays alone); there's a Trapeze song which Maiden used a riff, too; intro to MSG Armed And Ready is just like the intro to Hooks In You.

This is normal in music, in movies, in arts in general. Influences, one more explicit than others, nothing more nothing less. I even find it beautiful to see how many great bands can be discovered through Maiden' music. After Steve mentioned that he loves Nektar when Maiden went to Japan, in May 1981, Nektar's albums sales went to the heaven's in there. Maiden did something better with their influences own music. They made a better ad job to them than their own A&R people. Cathedral covered Witchfinder General's Rabies on their The Serpent's Gold compilation and it lighted the fire of interest for the band so much that they reunited, and released a live and a studio album. This is the beauty of music!

So, even if Maiden deserves to pay for their influences, these bands should also be eternally grateful to Iron Maiden.
 
fisherenterprises said:
Hi Jeff.  Have you heard the intro and outro on "Theses colours don't run"?  A guy on Youtube told me about it ages ago but I only just listened to it.  Steve really likes Life's Shadow, doesn't he?
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I also saw that youtube comment, and I think that guy is wrong. Those are standard kinds of guitar arpeggios. You can find them in hundreds of songs.

The Paschendale connection he mentioned is more interesting. He might have something there.
 
I listened to the Paschendale track and I didn't hear anything jump out at me; I will give it more attention.  I understand what you mean about the ubiquity of the TCDR passage: I've heard it on a lot of other tracks in the past.  Plus, I've been accused of stealing the drum intro' to Rainbow's Gold in the past, so I can well imagine how easy it is to make connections.  It's quite possible that I was subconsciously influenced by the the Led Zep piece on their first album, just as it segues into the Hunter at the end of the second side.  We can't be far away from having written everything possible soon.  Plus, they are lobbying like mad all the time to reduce the copyright period and if they hadn't made changes recently, then Presley, closely followed by The Beatles, would be passing into public domain in the next few years.  God, it makes me feel old.
 
Which song is connected with Paschendale? Any link, please?

I found the channel where the guy mentions this connection. I found the connection between Paschendale/These Colours Don't Run and Life's Shadow to be of unconsciously influenced similarity. Life's Shadow and similars seems to be a template to the new prog style Steve developed in the past 15 years.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Which song connected with Paschendale? Any link, please?

Life's Shadow and similars seems to be a template to the new prog style Steve developed in the past 15 years.
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That is an interesting statement Jeff; unfortunately, I don't know enough about I.M.'s music to be able to comment.  I still wonder what it is about Life's Shadow that warranted such attention: it does not stand out in the crowd for me, any more or less than any of Beckett's other songs.
 
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