Iron Maiden is one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal bands in all of history. Despite that, there are different opinions among fans regarding the role of their different singers. While some believe that Paul Di’Anno was the band’s best vocalist, others believe that honor belongs to Bruce Dickinson. In reality, it all comes down to a matter of taste.
The band’s self-titled debut album, which was released in April 1980, clearly demonstrates the differences between the two vocalists. Di’Anno had a much more limited vocal range, but a rawer, more abrasive style that makes songs like “Running Free”, “Charlotte the Harlot” and especially the title track hard-hitting and punk-tinged.
«I come from a more punk than rock background. I didn’t even know who Iron Maiden was back then. Then a friend told me about them. At first I didn’t know what to think, but his music grew on me,” Di’Anno said.
Iron Maiden was different from other bands of the nascent New Wave of the British Heavy Metal scene. Although Saxon, Def Leppard and Diamond Head were also shaking things up at London’s The Soundhouse, Maiden had a level of musicality that was a cut above the other bands, with a combination of galloping riffs, striking guitar harmonies and complex arrangements that made to Iron Maiden instantly amazing.
«The only ones who did something slightly different were us and Motorhead. But Motorhead had been around for years and everyone knows what they were like, they just didn’t know what to call them: punk, metal, whatever. People realized we were a new type of metal and came to see us. And a lot of them say, ‘Wow, this is fantastic,'” Di’Anno adds.
There was no shortage of material for the album, which was filled with a variety of punk-tinged anthems and complex, rhythmic labyrinths of sound. There was even a classic instrumental, “Transylvania.” From the start, the aggression and attitude of “Prowler” – which begins with a killer jagged riff, a memorable wah-wah-saturated lick and a fiery lead job even before the vocal star – proved that Iron Maiden would be a showcase of fiery guitars to rival anything from Judas Priest.
And that was even before Adrian Smith joined the band (guitar duties in Iron Maiden were shared between Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, who quit to join Lionheart in October 1980).
Still, then, as now, the driving force behind Iron Maiden’s sound was bassist Steve Harris, who wrote or co-wrote all the songs and lyrics; Di’Anno only contributed to the lyrics of “Remember Tomorrow” and “Running Free”.
Over the next year, the unbalanced division of lyrical labor would become a point of friction between Di’Anno and Harris, but when Iron Maiden recorded their debut album, everyone was excited to be in the studio and had a positive attitude about everything. creative process.
Maiden knew most of the songs before signing a contract with Harvest/Capitol Records, and recorded the album at Kingsway Studios in West London in just 13 days in January 1980. The tracks were mixed at Morgan Studios in north-west London. in February.
After firing the other two producers, the album was produced by Will Malone, who reportedly had no interest in the band and allowed Iron Maiden to establish their own labels and record much of the album on their own. Some have praised the album’s raw, punk sound, but even Di’Anno feels that Iron Maiden suffered from lackluster production.
«If Iron Maiden really had better production, I don’t think there would be another album to play on in a thousand years. The guy who produced it mixed the triangle on Mike Oldfield’s fucking album and that’s all he did. But we were so naive that we didn’t know what we were doing,” says Malone.
For audiences, Iron Maiden was a tremendous first look at a band that would continue to evolve over time, but at its core would remain a band in the NWOBHM tradition. The album also offered a first look at the artwork of Derek Riggs and the band’s mascot, Eddie.
Iron Maiden’s management discovered Riggs, who brought his portfolio to their studio in hopes of commissioning some of his work. Eddie’s original painting was called “Electric Matthew Says Hello” and featured a hairless Eddie designed for a punk album. The band liked it, but wanted it to look more tactile, so Riggs added wild, untamed long hair to the painting, and the immortal Eddie was born.
