Well... Since I have my book to sell (
http://subscribepage.com/luisma666) for supporting my old folks in Venezuela, this kind of post will be one of the lasts:
"Steve said, 'I want you to do a big drum fill in the beginning of this song,' McBrain recollects while describing his first writing sessions with Iron Maiden on the Channel Island of Jersey. 'It worked out finally between the two of us, with that blap diddly boogady, blap diddly boogady, blap diddly boogady, boogady blap — which so fits, because (the song is) basically in that triplet format all the way through. After we'd finished the record and we started the British tour, Steve goes, 'Right, we're gonna open with 'Where Eagles Dare.' And I says, 'You're having a laugh! I need to warm up before I play that track!' (laughs)" (
Excerpt from Nicko McBrain: Unleashing The Beast – Taken from Drum Magazine Webpage on May 16, 2014)
Trivia
2014 -
Rhythm Magazine placed 'Where Eagles Dare' at No. 10 in their 101 Greatest Drum intros list.
"Up until that time, EMI were allowed to visit the studio and listen to the album before it came out. And when they listened to
Piece Of Mind, they said, ' You can' t have this drum intro at the beginning of the album.' There was a massive row between Iron Maiden and EMI, and it was absolutely diabolical. From then on, EMI were banned from visiting the studio while Iron Maiden was recording. The agreement was, we give you the album, with the artwork we want; you put it out, you have nothing to say about it. Otherwise we walk, and that was it. With
The Number Of The Beast, they had battles over the artwork and nearly walked, so they had to really give EMI an ultimatum. And it was exactly the same with
Piece Of Mind, but with the drums." (
Blaze Bayley for Martin Popoff – Iron Maiden: Album by Album – 2018)
According to an interview Steve gave to a magazine in 1981, one of his heroes is Clint Eastwood (one of the protagonists of the
Where Eagles Dare movie, which is also, one of his favourite movies).
'Where Eagles Dare' has been covered by bands such as Deliverance, Dream Theater, Fozzy, Mystic Force, Night Conquers Day, Spitfire, Týr & The Quill.