IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Maiden Japan (Mini-LP, EMI, 1981)

RATING: ***

As Bon Scott once wisely put it, it's a long (and very demanding) way to the top if you want to rock and roll. And Iron Maiden sure worked hard to get there, you can bet your ass on that. The relentless touring would take its toll on Doug Sampson, for instance, the disillusioned drummer concluding he simply wasn't fit enough to survive the vicissitudes of the never-ending road and quiting in late 1979 (with Clive Burr taking his place at the drumstool, as we all know). Much loved frontman Paul Di'Anno was destined to be the next casualty, but for an entirely different set of reasons. In fact, his substance abuse started to get on the way of the band's stage performance, to the point that some shows had to be cancelled (the singer getting as far as being arrested on at least one occasion) and many others getting done only after some strong effort to get the man onstage. One of the unwritten laws of rock and roll is that you can do whatever the hell you want to do and your money can buy, as long as you don't let your band down - and mainman Steve Harris, one of the most focused and committed-to-the-cause individuals you'll ever find in metal, would never take Di'Anno's antics lightly. The vocalist himself would later admit that the whole situation had a lot to do with self-sabotage, as he was tired of touring, insecure about his abilities and uncertain about the band's increasingly convoluted sound. Wherever the truth may lie, the writing was on the wall for Di'Anno, and both band and management were trying to figure out how to handle the situation by the time "Maiden Japan" mini-LP hit the shops in September 1981.

Curiously, the entire situation had a somewhat tragicomic effect on the album's package. The original front cover depicted mascot Eddie proudly holding Di'Anno's severed head - a tongue-in-cheek, seemingly innofensive joke at first, but that was sure to backfire as soon as people knew what was going on in Iron Maiden's camp. Well aware that making fun of a singer you're about to fire isn't exactly a wise move in the business, manager Rod Smallwood understandably panicked as soon as he had a test print on his hands, and comissioned a replacement cover at very short notice, this being the sword-wielding Eddie we're all used with. It wasn't enough to prevent the original cover to be used in seldom-seen Venezuelan and Brazilian editions, though, and if you happen to have one of such copies in your possession, rest assured that many people would love to buy it from you.

It wasn't the first time Iron Maiden released a live record, mind you: the "Live!! + One" EP came out in late 1980, but it was a Japanese-only release with little impact anywhere else (it would later receive a somewhat bizarre reissue in Greece, with songs from "Maiden Japan" added to the running order for whatever reason). Besides, the band opted to re-use its live cuts as B-sides for subsequent CD reissues, rather than keeping the original package as a product of its own, which is strong evidence that Iron Maiden themselves never deemed it very representative in the first place. Still, it makes sense to mention "Live!! + One" around here, as it shows just how interested in Maiden the Japanese market was from an early stage - even more so when you consider that "Maiden Japan" was a direct request from Toshiba, the label distributing EMI's releases in the country. The executives wanted a live album to sell, and the band finally relented to Toshiba's wishes, even though the timing of the original release can surely be called into question.

Recorded in Nagoya in May 23th, 1981, the five tracks featured on the original 12'' release (well, at least my LP version have five tracks) are a faithful enough depiction of the band's energy upon a stage, and are also of great historic value as we'll hardly ever get a better chance to listen to a high-quality, officially sanctioned release with Paul Di'Anno up front (and I'm afraid all the CD releases with the full set played that night are bootlegs, no matter how legitimate they seem to be, so be warned). I'm not talking about video releases of course, as the very good "Live at the Rainbow" is out there for everyone to enjoy as well, but let's not make things too complicated, right? The track selection seems to have been pretty arbitrary anyway, and shows precisely zero respect for the band's usual setlist ("Wrathchild", for instance, opens the B side, when it was notoriously the opening number during the Killer World Tour), which spoils a bit of the fun if you happen to take such things into consideration. 

The production job is very competent, with a punch not at all dissimilar to the results we can hear on the studio recordings of "Killers" - in fact, the guitar tone is perhaps the heaviest you'll ever hear on a Maiden record, which is something of a feature in itself I guess. Paul Di'Anno's singing is very strong throughout, a force of nature really, and it's a joy to listen to Clive Burr's extraordinary performance on drums: I used to be in awe listening to what he does with the hi-hat during the studio version of "Innocent Exile", for instance, and it was quite a surprise to find out he could perfectly replicate that live, with a smooth flow that is no short of spellbinding once you pay attention to it. There’s nothing to complaint about when it comes to sound and performance really, the only downside being that it’s too damn short: you'll most probably enjoy every second of it, but it's going to be over way before it should if you ask me. Perhaps "Maiden Japan" could have become something of a classic, had it been taken more seriously for all those involved, but it is what is, you know: a nice mini-album to have on your collection if you're a strong Maiden fan (and/or if you love Paul Di'Anno), but not a landmark release by anyone's standards, and hardly a record you'll want to hear on a daily basis.

It wasn't meant to be a swansong for Paul Di'Anno's tenure with Maiden, but "Maiden Japan" came out less than a week after the singer's final performance with the band in Copenhagen, Denmark - and probably just a couple days before he was finally informed he was no longer a member of the band. A minority of fans will never accept Iron Maiden without Di'Anno, even to this day, but it's pretty obvious that it was the right move after all: little more than a month later, Bruce Dickinson was making his debut as the new frontman in Italy, and the rest, as they say, is history. And a pretty eventful one, as further reviews will hopefully be enough to demonstrate. Paul Di'Anno would do a little bit of everything in later years, from pop-rock-tinged solo efforts to very heavy albums with Battlezone and Killers (not to mention some embarassing moments like Gogmagog and the whole "The World's First Iron Man" series), as well as a seemingly never ending series of tours and re-recordings of old Maiden classics - but it was all too erratic and unfocused to leave any lasting mark in the business, something not at all helped by all the drama surrounding the man, from benefit fraud to getting involved with gang fights and everything you can imagine in between. By the time of writing, Paul Di'Anno is facing some serious health issues and trying to collect the money needed for a complicated knee surgery, and I wholeheartedly hope he can get through these difficult times and put his career back on full strength, whatever he feels like doing in the future. We all love you, Paul.

Paul Di'Anno (V), Dave Murray (G), Adrian Smith (G), Steve Harris (B), Clive Burr (D).

01. Running Free (Harris/Di'Anno) 2:48
02. Remember Tomorrow (Harris/Di'Anno) 5:27
03. Wrathchild (Harris) 2:52
04. Killers (Harris/Di'Anno) 4:39
05. Innocent Exile (Harris) 3:44

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Killers (LP, EMI, 1981)

RATING: ****

To say that people were paying attention to Iron Maiden by the time "Killers" hit the shops in February 1981 would be quite an understatement. In fact, after the very positive response to the eponymous LP, everyone who had a say in the hard/heavy multiverse seemed convinced that those lads from the East End of London were destined to take on the world, and wanted to make business with them if at all possible. Such was the next-big-thing feeling around Maiden at the time that none other that Gene Simmons (c'mon, we all know who he is) took personal effort to make the opening act feel welcome during a tour they made together in late 1980 - and you know, when Gene fuckin Simmons thinks you're a serious contender to worldwide stardom, you better fasten your seatbelts, because it's going to be one hell of a ride. Similarly, famed producer Martin Birch (a man that, let's say, would never have a problem finding a job at all) pretty much offered himself to produce the band's second album, making room in his very busy schedule to accomodate the hopefuls. There was little question if Iron Maiden were going to make it: the matter of doubt was about when it was going to happen, and no one wanted to look the wrong way and miss the takeoff.

As we all know by now, it didn't happen with "Killers". The album was undeniably successful, and there was no losing ground for the band by any stretch - but it was more of a step in the right direction rather than a giant leap forward, a strong move but nothing to give the household names any sleepless nights just yet. In fact, after their collective dissatisfaction with the sound results of the "Women in Uniform" 7'' (a cover from the Skyhooks, and easily one of the most accessible tunes in Maiden's entire repertoire), the lads decided to pick the next singles all by themselves, and both "Twilight Zone" and "Purgatory" failed to cause a strong impression in the charts, the latter actually being their least successful single ever (it made it to number 52 in the UK Singles Chart, which would be quite a good mark for nearly all metal bands out there, but you know what I mean). No one was disappointed or scratching their heads in doubt, that's for sure, but fact is it didn't match the success of the band's debut, plain and simple. And these slightly unimpressive results somehow reflect in the status it holds today: nearly everybody likes it, many actually love it to death (myself included), but those who consider this to be Maiden's best LP are but a tiny minority - most of all because, well, it isn't. 

A very important change in the line-up happened in the final months of 1980, when Adrian Smith (who was out in the cold after his beloved Urchin had bitten the dust a few weeks previously) assumed his now legendary place alongside Dave Murray; it seems that Dennis Stratton's inclination towards a overtly melodic sound (summarized by his role in a scrapped, reportedly too-radio-friendly-for-Maiden mix of "Women in Uniform") turned out to be the kiss of death for the unlucky guitarist, a notion that is not at odds with the sound he would later pursue with Lionheart and in his tenure with Praying Mantis. Highly influenced by the more bluesy end of the heavy rock spectrum, the new axeman was still perfectly capable to rock as hard and fast as required, offering Iron Maiden a dynamic edge while keeping a much needed ear for melody - an approach that perfectly complements Murray's instinctive, force-of-nature style. It was a great choice, and his contribution to the group's sound and songwriting can never be overstated.

The production values sure do wonders to enhance the album's merits, with a beefed up, punchy sound that gives the five-piece a more confident, even menacing sonic presence in comparison with their rough-edged debut. The musicianship is sharp and powerful, with the twin-guitar attack we would soon learn to love and a busy, very driving rhythm section - but perhaps Paul Di'Anno manages to shine even brighter than the rest, with a vocal delivery that is no less than superb. There's little doubt in my mind that this one is the performance of his live: every bit as intense as in the debut, but with remarkable levels of confidence and control, not to mention an impressive sense of interpretation. Just listen to his singing on "Murders in the Rue Morgue", the acoustically-driven ballad "Prodigal Son" or the aggressive title-track to know what I mean - and if you still don't get it, well, I'm afraid this whole metal thing is really not for you. Improbable a metal frontman as he arguably was, Di'Anno was at the top of his game here, and I can only wonder what the metal world would look like today if he had kept himself together for a while longer. No wonder Bruce Dickinson always had a hard time making these songs justice.

That said, we need to face the truth: this particular batch of songs is not as impressive as the previous LP, or at least the five studio records that would come out next. Most of the tunes here featured were in Maiden's repertoire for years, repeatedly tried and tested in the live environment - some, such as "Drifter" and "Another Life", being fan favorites even before the outfit had recorded their first demo. While undeniably strong, these tunes have the disadvantage of having been written in a time when the lads were still learning their trade, being slightly unrepresentative when compared to their more contemporary cuts; when you listen to the recently-penned "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and compare it to "Innocent Exile" (a song Steve Harris wrote even before Iron Maiden was born in late 1975), the different levels in songwriting are too clear to be ignored. And I don't mean to say "Innocent Exile" is a bad track, mind you (it's one of my personal favorites around here): it's just that Iron Maiden was evolving real fast at the time, and many songs on "Killers", although very good, were already a thing of the past for them.

But let's not blow this minor criticism out of proportion: "Killers" is still a bombastic album, with a sheer sense of purpose to put nearly all competition to shame. The opening salvo of "The Ides of March" and "Wrathchild" easily rank among the strongest ever recorded by the band, "Genghis Khan" is an instrumental piece that is as mind-blowing as it is powerful, and "Purgatory" is one of the fastest cuts ever recorded by Maiden, with exhilarating guitar work and a singalong chorus to die for. Despite the fluctuations in songwriting prowess, there's surely not a stinker in sight, and even old songs like "Innocent Exile" have a lot to say to any self-respecting headbanger. Subsequent reissues include "Twilight Zone" as an extra track, and it's a bloody good song that pretty much epitomises the NWOBHM urgency and spirit, making the album even better as a result. If you still don't own a copy (you probably do, but who knows?), it's a mistake you should fix ASAP, and your life will be all the better because of it, believe me on that.

For some, the departure of Paul Di'Anno in the later months of 1981 was no less than a tragedy, and some still consider this to be the definitive incarnation of the band - a notion that is not as absurd as it may seem at first, once you consider that the rawness and the punk-infused elements of the whole venture would disappear almost completely from this point onwards. Still, I personally think that it just had to be: Di'Anno was (and still is) a tough guy from the streets, for good and bad, and Iron Maiden would probably never reach their sold-out-arena destiny with such an unruly frontman. Besides, the singer's unprofessional behavior had become something of a cross to bear for the rest of the group, getting as far as the band cancelling gigs due to Di'Anno's being arrested or simply too inebriated to perform. But still there was a final release with his voice to come out, and that is the "Maiden Japan" mini-LP, so let's swiftly move on to the next instalment...

Paul Di'Anno (V), Dave Murray (G), Adrian Smith (G), Steve Harris (B), Clive Burr (D). All songs written by Harris, except 07 by Harris/Di'Anno.

01. The Ides of March 1:48
02. Wrathchild 2:54
03. Murders in the Rue Morgue 4:14
04. Another Life 3:22
05. Genghis Khan 3:02
06. Innocent Exile 3:50
07. Killers 4:58
08. Prodigal Son 6:05
09. Purgatory 3:18
10. Drifter 4:47

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!