Which song was written first... for all of the 16 albums

Kalata said:
My source for Wasted Years being written in 1985 is this comment: click here

So, let's recap: for POM (is Flight of Icarus), for FOTD (are FHTE and JBMG) and for TXF (is The Aftermath (late '93) ). - Thanks for that info, mate.

I'll be happy if you share info about which song was written first for the VXI, DOD, AMOLAD and TFF albums.
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To be honest @Kalata the forum post about Wasted Years being written in the sessions that led to The Entire Population of Hackney is the first time I've seen that, also take into consideration this 2 quotes taken from my book.

"I remember, we were at our headquarters in Jersey and Adrian got me to listen to some stuff he'd written, but there was nothing really fantastic. It was some kind of cheap AC/DC. As I was leaving and the tape was still running, I heard two great riffs. So I went back and asked him, "What's that?" and he tells me, "Just stuff I wrote, but I didn't want to play them to you 'cause it's far remote from what Maiden does." And, well, it was indeed a bit outside of our field of activity, but in the end, these are probably the best tracks." (Steve Harris for Vincent Martin - H Le Mag (France) No. 2 - October 1996)

"I got one of the first Roland guitar synths and was messing about with it when we were rehearsing for that album in Jersey, and it started making this weird noise – it was sort of pulsing in the same time as that song. So I played a riff inspired by this noise and recorded it onto a four-track, worked out the chords and wrote the song." (Adrian Smith for Joel McIver)

If the "song" was written in Jersey, it means it was written in 1986, not 1985
 
It's Jersey for those of you who are confused. Jersey is one of the 2 channel islands between France and Great Britain (The other one being Guernsey). It was there where Maiden used to rehearse before flying to Nassau to record.
 
srfc said:
Thanks,

Have you heard Highway Road in Time and if so does it have an connection to Black Bart Blues?
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Highway Road In Time (Unreleased Maiden track played 1976.11.05 and some more times maybe three times, some sources says that Black Bart Blues is a reworked version of it, I can confirm it is not, it reminds of Charlotte the Harlot, it was bit funky as Floating and Wrathchild according to one source but Bob Angelo wrote on my question: Reminds of Charlotte the Harlot? “no Erik......it was the nearest Maiden ever got to a 12 bar”....)
 
Luisma said:
@geten says:

Iron Maiden with Dennis Wilcock, Terry Wapram, Steve Harris, Thunderstick & Tony Moore: Phantom of the Opera probably written late 1977 / early 1978 (November 1977-February 1978)

Incorrect mate. Maiden started rehearsing POTO in early January 1979 and the song was still in pieces, meaning it was not a full song.

The first time that Maiden managed to play the song as we know it today was April 10, 1979.

In any case, anything related to POTO didn't exist in 1977 neither early 1978 as you state.
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They began to write POTO when Tony Moore was in the band as the intro was written on the keyboard and Tony Moore was in Maiden from November 1977 to February 1978 but as you said the whole track was finished in the end of March 1979. I missed to write that is was not finished in 1978
 
LooseCannon said:
There *was* but it sank, which is why Newfoundlanders all live on a dreary rock.
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Poor management by one Rod who misread the country's name as "Fundland".
To this very day, people like him are called "lantis" in Swedish (cf. "At-lantis"), and dreary rock Newfoundladers use fishing rods in commemoration.
Little known fact.
 
Kalata said:
My source for Wasted Years being written in 1985 is this comment: click here

So, let's recap: for POM (is Flight of Icarus), for FOTD (are FHTE and JBMG) and for TXF (is The Aftermath (late '93) ). - Thanks for that info, mate.

I'll be happy if you share info about which song was written first for the VXI, DOD, AMOLAD and TFF album demo tms.
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So, I have gone thru some of the material I have used for the work and so far this is what I can tell. However, once again I must point out that almost all the songs after 1983 come in parts (music written, then lyrics added or parts of the lyrics completed, music to be written)

Virtual XI - I would say Don't Look To The Eyes Of The Stranger (Steve says he had the idea of the song for quite a while) & When Two Worlds Collide (Dave had the musical ideas for a while). Clansman & The Educated fool could also be considered because some musical parts and or lyrics where already written.

Dance Of Death - Wildest Dreams & Montsegur (The music was finished, lyrics were added in album sessions). Close contenders according to the info I have Rainmaker (They had the chords & riffs) & Dance Of Death (The music was almost ready)

AMOLAD - Different World & it could be either The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg or The Legacy.

TFF - Satellite 15 (Adrian had the demo that was used and the lyrics came fast), El Dorado (they had the music already) & The Alchemist
 
geten said:
They began to write POTO when Tony Moore was in the band as the intro was written on the keyboard and Tony Moore was in Maiden from November 1977 to February 1978 but as you said the whole track was finished in the end of March 1979. I missed to write that is was not finished in 1978
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Well, at least one part of the song that would end up being POTO was written with Tony in 1978. Here's what he has said:

We worked solidly through the summer, polishing up the older songs whilst working on newer material. I remember Terry and I going over to Steve's Grandmother's house to work on a new tune. It was a piece called 'Phantom Of The Opera.' Steve's vivid imagination could see how titles of books and films created inspiration and were half way into the public psyche giving them a head start to get into people's consciousness."

Once again it all comes to determine what is considered to be the first song written for an album. Is it the whole music? A part of the music? The lyrics? Lyrics and music as a complete song? According to each answer the song would vary
 
Luisma said:
St


Suggestion from a fellow researcher and author... Don't unless you want to get in trouble
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I think I will leave some sensitive bits out from the book but my book will focus on all singles as 7", 10", 12", CD-S and so on but the introduction to the book will have a very "correct" timeline when all members started and quit together with which early songs that was played first by every line-up and also which cover songs that they played
 
Luisma said:
He doesn't mention that it was in 1982 and doesn't mention it was in a toilet backstage. Here's what he says:

"'Flight Of Icarus' began life in a toilet. Adrian was fond of playing guitar in bathrooms – he liked the ambience from the tiles – and, while he was noodling away, I heard a sequence of chords and started singing along to them. The chorus of 'Flight Of Icarus' just started flying like an eagle as a result."

Also, it must be noted that this comment is in the chapter "New Battery" and in the part where he comments about the days in Jersey '83 while writing Piece Of Mind.
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Apologies, I was mixing the bit you have quoted with another interview in which Bruce mentioned that the song began life in a toilet backstage in North America, when Adrian was warming up before the show. Bruce joined in and started singing the chorus over the chords that Adrian was playing.
 
chaosapiant said:
I've been wondering for years why the fuck Iron Maiden flew to New Jersey to write albums sometimes. I've never been there personally, but I've never heard anything nice about it. Then I just Googled their earlier stuff, apparently there is also a Jersey in England, on the Island of Mankind? I'm thinking they probably went to that one.
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They went to the channel island to write, not to New Jersey. :)

You are not the first American to confuse the two, as this anecdote shows...

 
Luisma said:
TFF - Satellite 15 (Adrian had the demo that was used and the lyrics came fast), El Dorado (they had the music already) & The Alchemist
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Wasn't The Alchemist written one of the last songs they wrote for The Final Frontier? I seem to remember seeing mentioned that it was one of the tracks they finished writing at Compass Point Studios.
 
Re: Jersey

For those who don't know, Jersey is technically not part of the UK and has no tax, which probably played a part in Maiden rehearsing there as they were tax exiles in those days.
 
Re: Jersey and off-topic

And the webstore, online retailer play.com shipped their orders from Jersey. I bought plenty of cheap cd:s (among other things) back in the day when it was running. It was probably one of the most popular stores.
 
geten said:
I think I will leave some sensitive bits out from the book but my book will focus on all singles as 7", 10", 12", CD-S and so on but the introduction to the book will have a very "correct" timeline when all members started and quit together with which early songs that was played first by every line-up and also which cover songs that they played
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Do you have any info on the version of Drifter that appeared on the original uk 7 inch? See this thread

Why is there a different version on the later 12 inches than what was on the original 7 inch? Paul says wankers in the original version but that doesn't explain the edit as the same section is on both tracks they just dubbed over wankers on the 12 inch. The 7 inch is missing a verse and the 12 inch is missing the slow bluesy solo so neither of them are the full version of the track either.
 
srfc said:
Re: Jersey

For those who don't know, Jersey is technically not part of the UK and has no tax, which probably played a part in Maiden rehearsing there as they were tax exiles in those days.
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Some band members - the Tax Exile Lion comes to mind - still are these days!
 
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