I will be following along as Mike posts these Maiden albums – I am fortunate to have access to them all – maybe not the boots and that, but most of the official stuff. At least, I think so. Knowing Mike, he’s got a ton of things I’ve never heard of… anyway, I’ll join in when I can. I’m stoked! Let’s do this!
One small caveat before I begin: I only know Maiden’s hits (and there are many). I did not grow up listening to these guys (I was the jazz kid). I am not as deep into them as you guys are. So I won’t have the same perspective, but maybe I can add something fresh? We’ll see!
OK, Soundhouse Tapes. Their demo tape. I’ve never heard this before, so here we go:
Iron Maiden is as much metal as it is punk. It has that same raw energy and screamo-vocals. I loved this! Mike says this is an inferior version, but I like it rough like that. Long live this demo version! In fact, you say it made an album – I wonder if it’ll lose some of its beauty when it gets prettied up in a studio. We’ll see when we get there.
Invasion is also awesome! They’re incredibly tuneful and (yes, I’ll use that word again) raw at the same time. I’ve heard, hell I own official releases of 70s punk that don’t sound this good. Mike, a “lesser track?” Ha! Damn, this is a fantastic track!
Prowler… now this sounds more like the Maiden I know. But that guitar doing the snaky melody line… it’s out of tune! At least, to my ear it is. My ear wants to follow the chugging rhythm guitars but it keeps getting pulled back to the one that’s slightly off key. Anyway! When it breaks down in the middle and then takes off like a rocket WOW! This is awesome!
If I owned a record label, and I received this demo, they would be signed immediately! And I say that not knowing what they would one day become and were capable of – I mean based on the strength of these three very primal tracks, they’d be signing up post-haste. Hot damn!
Mike’s Review: http://mikeladano.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/review-iron-maiden-the-soundhouse-tapes/
I may be wrong but I think they were signed immediately afterwards. I know Capitol wanted to release the EP, but Maiden refused. They said it was limited for the die-hards, and just the die-hards, and a wider release would ruin that special aspect of it.
LikeLike