I think blaze is right. Steve Harris started a certain songwriting style around the x facto that he has been recreating ever sinceI would argue that the prog influences have been there since Remember Tomorrow.
Sure, they did went much proggier on SSOASS and subsequently from TXF onwards, but to say that "this all started with TXF" shows (to me) that Blaze lives in a parallel reality.
What type of Blaze-era Iron Maiden fan were you?
- Thread starter Jer
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Magnus
Pica Serdica
You are right, but I was thinking on the running order of the debut album.
Gk1
Here I sit in a serenade of glory!
I thought VXI was much better than TXF. However it too had some very obvious problems. If TXF showed me that Steve is not always right then VXI was the final verification. And to be honest with you I never thought the albums were bad bacause of Blaze. Sure his voice was not good but the main problem for me was the poor songwriting.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Sorry, you made a typo. Fixed that for you!
ChrisDeBurgh
Educated Fool
I liked some material, due to merit. I disliked more material, due to dismerit. I attended the shows and enjoyed them when they were good. I disenjoyed them when The Aftermath was playing, or when Blaze was off key.
Gk1
Here I sit in a serenade of glory!
So more or less you did not enjoy any of the live shows with Blaze,haha
Magnus
Pica Serdica
My first ever Maiden live experience was with Blaze in 1995 but fortunately, and somewhat predictably, the crowd was so loud I didn't really hear him for most of the time. Until bloody Bulgarian TV went and broadcast the whole gig a few days later, couldn't believe it was the same gig
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
If I am not mistaken, it is an interview with Blaze.
EDIT: It is an interview with Blaze. He repeats the usual things (how much he learnt from Steve, how everything was written from scratch for The X Factor, how all bands experienced a drop in record sales and that led to his demise, how Steve let him use his barn studio for free to finish one of his soli albums...). He also mentions having signed a non disclosure agreement with Maiden after being fired in January 1999 but also not wishing to dish any dirt in any case.
When faced with a quote from 1999 from Nicko about Blaze being overburnt by the old material live, his reply is that he had no problems with any of the old songs they did live. Blaze might be really nice, but he is also completely delusional.
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GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
By the way, the journalist Steve wanted to punch following a sarcastic remark about The X Factor (in one of the most pathetic episodes of the history of our beloved band) is named by Malcolm Dome (the journalist who interviewed Blaze) as Chris Watts.
Number 6
Ancient Mariner
Never heard about that. What happened?
matic22
Ancient Mariner
Virus the song happened because of that incident.
C. Watts apparently slammed TXF and Steve was pissed, so he wanted to punch him and that's basically it.
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
According to Malcolm Dome, Chris Watts listed The X Factor on his "what are you listening to" section, under the label EMI Comedy Productions if I am not mistaken. Steve went to the offices of the magazine to punch him, did not find the journalist there, and was escorted away by other members of staff once he had calmed down. The Maiden PR machine tried to spin the story as "us against the world". In my humble opinion it was a very sad (and pathetic at the same time) moment in the history of the band when someone resorts to football hooliganism because he cannot cope with criticism.
fekso
Ancient Mariner
Tbf journalists are the scum of the earth.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
When you make an album about personal tragedies and someone calls it a comedy, I call resorting to football hooliganism a valid tactic.
phantomoftheicarus
Bleeding Freak
My view on the Blaze era is that there are some gems, but the period is quite weak. The reason for that isn't Blaze's singing, but Steve's stubbornness and songwriting. Take the X Factor for example. If they gave it proper production instead of that muddy mess it was, put songs like Justice Of The Peace on there (if you never knew about those, 3 songs were cut from the album, and it's generally considered that they're far better than most of the other stuff on it) and then sorted out the composition of songs, such as making Sign Of the Cross shorter with less repetitive sections, then I guarantee you the Blaze era would have been met with far more success and may have actually led somewhere. Detuning live would have helped as well.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I don’t think it’s generally considered that. I love them a lot but I don’t think most prefer them to the album songs.
phantomoftheicarus
Bleeding Freak
Well, idk what the real general consensus is but I based my view on the fact all the views and comments I've seen praised their better construct and the fact people always listed songs they wished it replaced on the album, but who knows.