Now that's what I'm talking about. If you don't love Maiden, I don't really know what else to say. Could they be the ultimate metal band? They fulfill every metal cliche to the point that it goes beyond hilarity to utter,sublime greatness.
I do regret not ever getting the chance to see them, though. I was going to go see them (with Anthrax opening!) at some point in high school, but they had to cancel and never returned. All I have to rely on are old videos, which are as good as anything. It was also fun to freak my parents out by putting up a great Maiden poster in my room in 9th grade (I know, "Oooohhhh, dangerous" - gimmie a break; I grew up a typical suburban white boy. That's about as shocking as I got.)
This song comes from "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", the masterpiece conceptual album about...um...babies, prophicies, wizards...and, er, other random shit. Doesn't matter, it's still great.
I love the beginning with the classic Steve Harris galloping bass, followed by the anthemic guitar riff. Actually, the verse is a little dull, but then they get to the second half of the song. When the band , out of nowhere, churns out the "There's a time to live / and a time to die" chorus at about two minutes in, it's just complete, classic Maiden. I picture thousand of greasy, long haired, denim jacketed burnouts pumping their fists and bobbing their heads in unison. Love it.
Then later at 4:08 or so, that riff from the beginning comes back (and check out the drop in key on the third time though of the chorus at 3:50 . What's up with that?), and Bruce Dickinson finishes off with the "I feel reborn again" lyric, which just brings everything back around very nicely, full circle.
Enjoy...
http://www.mediafire.com/?2nzxdmp4zwu
Here's a great video of a performance of it a Donington - Look for Big! Walking! Eddie
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3 comments:
so fucking beautiful.
i remember as a kid seeing my sisters' friends wearing faded jean jackets and maiden or priest or ozzy or dokken or whoever t-shirts. in a 7-year old's attempt to emulate their awesomeness, i bought a RATT poster at the local record bar. i hung it next to my garfield poster and the giant pair of cardboard sunglasses my dad brought home from work. I only knew of one RATT song, round and round. it was on an mtv compilation tape my sister had. thus began an interest in metal and the black arts.
this musing sends me back to the heavy metal parking lot video. if you haven't seen it, you should. in fact, all three of the people who read this blog would thoroughly emjoy it. here is a link to a preview to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhRCVm-1r2k
vision used to have it on vhs.
I think I was born about two years too late for the Maiden thing, but I'll tell you what I am hearing here:
I miss the days when 'heavy metal' meant operatic musings to the black arts and not cookie monster voices.
I was one of those kids who got dropped off at like 7:30 at my high school, and since they treated us like prisoners we had to wait in the cafeteria until 8:00. The only people there were me and the headbangers.
I remember listening to Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthraxx, Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., and other cool shit with those kids.
Those were cool times. Even though I was kind of a fringe headbanger, the headbanger girls thought I was cute.
This is great info to know.
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