Your First Iron Maiden Album/Experience?

Dentura

Dentura

Invader
So I have been an Iron Maiden fan for a little while now. I first heard the song "Number of the Beast" on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 video game for the PS2, and then the same song later on Guitar Hero 3, but it wasn't until I received a copy of Iron Maiden's 4th album "Piece of Mind" (along with AC/DC's "Highway to Hell", which I misplaced somewhere) for my 15th birthday back in 2008 that I became a full-fledged Maiden-head. I still have the album of course and it remains one of my favorite Maiden albums to this day. Does anyone here have any interesting stories or experiences involving the first time they got into Maiden?
 
I'll never get tired of this old chestnut.

I was around 15, and we were discussing Satanism in Religion class in school. The material my teacher had been using was rather questionable. We read a book that, as I discovered later, contained the fantasies of a schizophrenic youth who had watched too many horror films. Anyway, my teacher got out a tape player that was antique even by the standards of 1999, and decided to play us some Satanist music, and after a snippet of a black metal song, he passed out a sheet with some poorly translated lyrics of a song called "The Number of the Beast" by a band that went by the name of "Iron Maiden". My teacher wanted to draw comparisons between the lyrics and the book we'd read, but truth be told, that song was the key to another world for me. The rest, they say, is history.
 
Perun said:
I'll never get tired of this old chestnut.

I was around 15, and we were discussing Satanism in Religion class in school. The material my teacher had been using was rather questionable. We read a book that, as I discovered later, contained the fantasies of a schizophrenic youth who had watched too many horror films. Anyway, my teacher got out a tape player that was antique even by the standards of 1999, and decided to play us some Satanist music, and after a snippet of a black metal song, he passed out a sheet with some poorly translated lyrics of a song called "The Number of the Beast" by a band that went by the name of "Iron Maiden". My teacher wanted to draw comparisons between the lyrics and the book we'd read, but truth be told, that song was the key to another world for me. The rest, they say, is history.
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That is a really cool story! Talk about going against the establishment! :D
 
I had always been aware of Iron Maiden since the early 80s a kid. My uncle wore a Piece of Mind t-shirt pretty much every day and Eddie frightened me as a small child . Of course when I got older I remember seeing them in magazines and ads for their up coming albums or what not. Then I remember it being a big deal that Bruce was leaving in 93 and I had heard a few of their songs like "Aces High" or "Flight of Icarus" here and there. I didn't really think much of it other than thinking Dickinson was a really good singer. Around 94 Bruce was promoting Balls to Picasso on the Headbanger's Ball and they played the video for "Tears of the Dragon" and at that point I was blown away by the song and I was hooked, I wanted to hear more. The local music store didn't have the album but they did have "Live After Death" for a really good price. I liked it a lot and over the next year or so gradually accumulated all of their catalog along with what ever I could get my hands on from Bruce's solo work. I've been a huge Maiden fan since, buying up whatever I could get my hands on. I've seen them about 7 times, the first time being with Blaze, I also saw Bruce and Adrian on the Accident of Birth tour which was a real treat.
 
I had always heard Iron Maiden growing up, as my dad frequently played them. But I didn't think too much of it for the time. It wasn't until 2007, when I was playing Guitar Hero 2 and "The Trooper" was one of the final songs of the game. I remember playing the song (and listening to it) and I was like "Ohh man...! This song is amazing!" I laugh at the situation now because I found out soon after that it wasn't even the original song in the game, but a shitty cover.

So, after I heard that song in the game, I went to my dad and started asking him about Iron Maiden. He gave me one CD at the time... Live After Death (because I had specifically mentioned The Trooper, and he had told me Iron Maiden was a band that was better heard live). So I listened to Live After Death- I don't know how many times over the next few months- and then I started asking for other albums as well. The first actual studio album I listened to in full was Seventh Son of a Seventh Son... and I was absolutely in awe.

'The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills", appearing in Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band, respectfully, got me even more interested, and that is when I started spanning out across their entire discography; starting first with all of the 80's albums (which my dad all had). And then I had to start purchasing and collecting the albums from Brave New World on, because my dad had never gotten into the newer material...

Bruce Dickinson also became a huge idol to me, and I also checked out his solo albums, further cementing my love for him (and Iron Maiden as a whole).

Come 2008, I was hooked. Saw them for the first time live on June 11, 2008, at the Allstate Arena in Chicago (had to drive around 400 miles to get there... my parents almost didn't let me go... since I was just 17 at the time, but I convinced them THANKFULLY). I had already been into them just from listening to the albums and live albums, but seeing them live, and watching that magic on stage: that is when I could officially state that Iron Maiden is my religion. And has been ever since.
 
I'm jealous of Perun. He's got pretty much the ultimate getting into Maiden story.

Mine isn't very exciting; I saw the video for "Out of the Silent Planet" on television and was hooked. I got a copy of Brave New World and never looked back.
 
Wow. My first Maiden experience was AWEEEESOME! I was about 10 years old when I first heard of them. I really, really liked them. I stopped listening to them for a little bit because, well, I was 10 and I didn't really care, but when I was 13, I heard the song "Different World" off their "A Matter of life and Death" album, and I immediately fell in love again. My dad and Google were the one's who taught me what I know about Maiden now, and not to mention their Flight 666 DVD. As I listened more, and learned more they became my favorite band, and they still are to this very day. My dad totally surprised me one day though... He bought me a ticket to go see Iron Maiden's Final Frontier tour. I was STOKED! I still remember that day, being that it will never be forgotten.. They opened with "Wicker Man" and I cried my eyes out because I was in the same place as my hero's. I sang my heart out, I head banged, I did every thing. I was BEAT TO SHIT by the time the concert was over, but shiiiiit, it was so worth it. When I was 15, I got another opportunity to see them again! I went with my boyfriend and my best friend, and we had a hell of a good time. I knew every song, I head banded, I did every thing, yet again, and I was BEAT TO SHIT yet again, but damn, that was one hell of a show. Iron Maiden will FOREVER be my favorite band. Up the Irons.
 
Perun said:
I'll never get tired of this old chestnut.

I was around 15, and we were discussing Satanism in Religion class in school. The material my teacher had been using was rather questionable. We read a book that, as I discovered later, contained the fantasies of a schizophrenic youth who had watched too many horror films. Anyway, my teacher got out a tape player that was antique even by the standards of 1999, and decided to play us some Satanist music, and after a snippet of a black metal song, he passed out a sheet with some poorly translated lyrics of a song called "The Number of the Beast" by a band that went by the name of "Iron Maiden". My teacher wanted to draw comparisons between the lyrics and the book we'd read, but truth be told, that song was the key to another world for me. The rest, they say, is history.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Someone asked me recently if I thought listening to Iron Maiden was in conflict with my Christian beliefs. I showed them the lyrics to NOTB and explained that it was about a nightmare. I pointed out that the person having the nightmare's reaction was to "inform the Lord". Ok, not exactly a sound theological bit of lyric but the spirit behind it is to go to God for help. I then pointed out the last part where the devil is making empty threats while obviously on the retreat. Apparently the person telling the story did turn to God, hence the devil's retreat. I then asked what was "Satanic" about it? No response. I'm noticing more and more that Iron Maiden seem to write lyrics in a way that can be easily misunderstood with only a casual listen but when you look closer the song often times is saying something quite the opposite.
 
I used watch a tv show on vh1 called metal mania. There were alot of good songs I discovered, among those songs were The Trooper, Number of the Beast, and Run to the Hills. I'm not sure what I heard first, but I think it was Number of the Beast. One day I was cooking dinner and I had turned the TV on to HDNet. Soon at the turn of the hour, a shortened Death on the Road came on. I actually didn't know it was Iron Maiden till I heard the Trooper. Since it was a partial cut, I didn't get to hear the whole album. Here's what I did hear
- Wildest Dreams
- The Trooper
- Dance of Death
- Pashcendale
- Iron Maiden
- Journeyman
- Run to the Hills
I immediantly fell in love with those songs, which inspired me to watch Flight 666, then it really kicked off...
 
I occasionally watch Metal Mania too (in fact, I am right now, actually); am always surprised at some of the gems they play on there. It's the perfect thing to put on late at night when I'm just mainly browsing the internet.

I've definitely heard The Trooper, Wasted Years, Run to the Hills, and the Flight 666 live version of Aces High (random?) on Metal Mania before.

I see Flight 666 play on channel Palladia very often... but unfortunately the channel isn't included in my package so it is always blacked out. Not really sure what the channel is, but it must be music related, since I see Iron Maiden and other band's concerts on there regularly.
 
Wally Swift said:
I'm noticing more and more that Iron Maiden seem to write lyrics in a way that can be easily misunderstood with only a casual listen but when you look closer the song often times is saying something quite the opposite.
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Don't try that one with Starblind. ;)
 
LooseCannon said:
Don't try that one with Starblind. ;)
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Haven't heard that one yet. Just Googled the lyrics though. Well, it is true that "christian" preachers are by and large worthless across the board. My 16 years of scripture study in Hebrew and Greek have, oddly enough made it impossible for me to find a local church that I can stay in for any length of time. I inevitably get disgusted with the distortions and lies and am kindly asked to leave when I challenge them. It is unfortunate that the result of derelict preaching is so often this;

"We're one with the goddess of the sun tonight"

rather than folks being like the Bereans and holding the preacher's words up to the scrutiny of the Word.

Hence why "Holy Smoke" is a favorite of mine.
 
I was eight years old and The Angel and The Gambler video came up. I was in awe, probably the coolest thing a eight year old could see back in the nighties... Then I was invited to a concert along with a friend to the A Matter of Life and Death tour in Stockholm, Sweden 2006. Amazing gig! After that I was hooked.
 
Mine isn't very interesting either. I simply wrote "Iron Maiden" to YouTube search bar back in 2009 (I wasn't much of a music fan back on those days, only thing I listened to was Kanye West :p) , listened to Rock in Rio versions of Fear of the Dark, The Trooper and Hallowed Be Thy Name in a row and I was hooked.
 
Back in 1989, when I was about 10 I got an old cassette tape without a cover of 'The Number of the Beast' from somewhere (found it in a box of other tapes my dad bought at a garage sale, I think), and I played it just to hear what kind of music it was. It was rewound so it started on Side B, so I heard the title track (which was forgettable at the time), but the next song was 'Run to the Hills', and it hooked me. I listened to that song about 10 times in a row. When I was about 13 or 14 I started buying their other albums. Good times. Then Bruce left and I was crushed.
 
It was 1981. I was on vacation at the Jersey Shore and I saw the Killers album in a record store on the boardwalk. I thought it was the coolest thing I have ever seen; I was 15 about to turn 16 in a week or so. I wanted to buy the album but I had to wait. After I got back from the family vacation I discovered that Maiden was going to open for Priest and Whitesnake in my hometown....on my birthday no less.

My sister would sometimes work concessions at the venue where the concert was being held; she was friends with the concession manager there. She was going to work that night and she arranged to have me tag along.

So I got to go in well before the public and all I had to do was haul some ice around to the different concession stands. Afterwards I saw they were setting up the merchandise booth so I went over to check it out. I saw a Killers baseball jersey and I just had to have it, so I bought it...at this point I still had not heard any of Maiden's music. Finally the show began and Ides of March started playing over the PA. Some guy walks out on stage in an Eddie mask to fire up the crowd...I was immediately hooked! I was totally blown away by Maiden that night and they quickly became my favorite band. I thought Priest was pretty awesome too, but I don't recall much about Whitesnake that night.

Anyway, that is how I became a life long Maiden fan.

Edit: So, the next day I went out and got Killers and the first album for my birthday.
 
I love telling this story!

When I was 10 or so, I heard a song on the radio and it had the most amazing singer ever! And I just love the lyrics too! They went something like "Fly on your wings like an eagle" ;) I never knew who it was though. Well, a couple of years later, an uncle of mine gave me a copy of Somewhere In Time. 1 listen and I was hooked for life! And then a few years later, I found Piece Of Mind in my dad's CD collection. I completely freaked when Flight Of Icarus came on! ;)
 
Somewhere in Time was my first Maiden album and is still my favorite to this day. A friend was a Maiden nut and gave it to me. I was more of a Def Leppard/White Snake kinda person for the longest and he gave me SIT and I went nuts over the riffs and the sinister lyrics or CSIT, SOM, WY, and the beauty of TLOTLDR. The epic ATG was mind blowing good and DV was a great rhythm track
 
First Maiden's song which I heard was 'Can I Play With Madness'. And the first record I bought was Seventh Son, of course. I still say that Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the best album in the history of music.
 
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