I'm trying to widen my scope by reviewing a music band this time. Anyways, I'm going to switch up my style by using a review of each band member, then of the band as a whole, past and present. So without further ado...
Steve Harris (played from 1975-)is the bassist of Iron Maiden, and the founding member as well. He is widely considered to be one of the best bassists in the world, and invented a new method of playing bass called "galloping", which is play and eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, or eighth note triplets with his fingers. He also uses power chords and doesn't use a pick or warm up.
His reputation as an incredible bassist is more than deserved. I have not heard anyone who can play a bass as fast as him and still make it sound good. The fact that he does this all with his fingers is just incredible. Overall, with the exception of Flea, Geddy Lee, and Les Claypool, Steve Harris is possibly the best bassist around.
Dave Murray (1975-)is the second longest lasting member, playing the guitar. He uses a legato based solo style, and frequently uses neck pickups. He is also an incredible guitarist, managing to shred and still make it sound good. He can also play fast without ruining the sound, something several guitarists struggle with. He has been with the band for a long time, and I hope he stays. He is one of the best guitarists I've heard, and I've heard a lot.
Paul Di'Anno (1978-1981) was the original singer for Iron Maiden. He sang on their debut album, named "Iron Maiden", and the follow-up "Killers". He had a very unique voice that served him well on the songs he sang. In fact, 2 of my top 10 Iron Maiden songs, "Wrathchild" and "Killers" had him as the vocalist. Considering he was only in the band for 3 years, that's not too shabby. However, he was overshadowed by his follow-up...
Adrian Smith (1980-89, 1999-) is the rhythm guitarist, and works well enough with Dave Murray to cause people to refer to them as "Murray-Smith", since their guitar lines mesh so well that they sound as one. His premiere album was "Killers", and the change in sound is immediately noticeable. While he is a great guitarist, he honestly doesn't seem to have quite as much of an impact to me as Dave Murray.
Bruce Dickinson (yes, THE Bruce Dickinson) (1981-1993, 1999-) is the vocalist for Iron Maiden. He has pretty much defined the sound of Iron Maiden, obscuring the vocals of Paul Di'Anno from all but true fans. He is definitely one of the best singers in the business today, having a wide vocal range and, in "Number of the Beast", letting out what is quite possibly the best scream recorded in music, extremely high pitched and lasting at least 10 seconds. He has proven to be versatile as well, singing slower songs such as "Sign of the Cross", to heavier songs like "Aces High". He has even gone from one extreme to the other within the same song, such as in "Fear of the Dark". His range, and skill, makes him one of the best singers I've heard, next to Brad Delp and Geddy Lee.
The final current member to join Iron Maiden was Nicko McBrain (1982-), the drummer. Besides having a last name that must have gotten him pantsed at school almost daily, he is one hell of a drummer, in my opinion the third best I've heard, next to Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy. He is fast, clean, and has an awesome last name. What more could you ask for in a drummer? While possibly the least visible of the band members, he is still far better than most in his field.
The band overall has had some ups and downs, including, amusingly enough, "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" which was their only No. 1 hit on England's Singles charts...and here in the United States, got the 1989 Golden Raspberry award for "Worst Original Song", being written for Nightmare on Elm Street 5. However, this is, in my opinion, the best band ever made. They just mesh with each other so well, and have such a wide range of songs, it is impossible to dislike them all, unless you don't like metal. They have a great sound, but more than that, most of their songs have a meaning behind them. They aren't just written to sound good. And that, from a metal band, is more than most people expect. So, up the Irons. They are here to stay.
Steve Harris (played from 1975-)is the bassist of Iron Maiden, and the founding member as well. He is widely considered to be one of the best bassists in the world, and invented a new method of playing bass called "galloping", which is play and eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, or eighth note triplets with his fingers. He also uses power chords and doesn't use a pick or warm up.
His reputation as an incredible bassist is more than deserved. I have not heard anyone who can play a bass as fast as him and still make it sound good. The fact that he does this all with his fingers is just incredible. Overall, with the exception of Flea, Geddy Lee, and Les Claypool, Steve Harris is possibly the best bassist around.
Dave Murray (1975-)is the second longest lasting member, playing the guitar. He uses a legato based solo style, and frequently uses neck pickups. He is also an incredible guitarist, managing to shred and still make it sound good. He can also play fast without ruining the sound, something several guitarists struggle with. He has been with the band for a long time, and I hope he stays. He is one of the best guitarists I've heard, and I've heard a lot.
Paul Di'Anno (1978-1981) was the original singer for Iron Maiden. He sang on their debut album, named "Iron Maiden", and the follow-up "Killers". He had a very unique voice that served him well on the songs he sang. In fact, 2 of my top 10 Iron Maiden songs, "Wrathchild" and "Killers" had him as the vocalist. Considering he was only in the band for 3 years, that's not too shabby. However, he was overshadowed by his follow-up...
Adrian Smith (1980-89, 1999-) is the rhythm guitarist, and works well enough with Dave Murray to cause people to refer to them as "Murray-Smith", since their guitar lines mesh so well that they sound as one. His premiere album was "Killers", and the change in sound is immediately noticeable. While he is a great guitarist, he honestly doesn't seem to have quite as much of an impact to me as Dave Murray.
Bruce Dickinson (yes, THE Bruce Dickinson) (1981-1993, 1999-) is the vocalist for Iron Maiden. He has pretty much defined the sound of Iron Maiden, obscuring the vocals of Paul Di'Anno from all but true fans. He is definitely one of the best singers in the business today, having a wide vocal range and, in "Number of the Beast", letting out what is quite possibly the best scream recorded in music, extremely high pitched and lasting at least 10 seconds. He has proven to be versatile as well, singing slower songs such as "Sign of the Cross", to heavier songs like "Aces High". He has even gone from one extreme to the other within the same song, such as in "Fear of the Dark". His range, and skill, makes him one of the best singers I've heard, next to Brad Delp and Geddy Lee.
The final current member to join Iron Maiden was Nicko McBrain (1982-), the drummer. Besides having a last name that must have gotten him pantsed at school almost daily, he is one hell of a drummer, in my opinion the third best I've heard, next to Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy. He is fast, clean, and has an awesome last name. What more could you ask for in a drummer? While possibly the least visible of the band members, he is still far better than most in his field.
The band overall has had some ups and downs, including, amusingly enough, "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" which was their only No. 1 hit on England's Singles charts...and here in the United States, got the 1989 Golden Raspberry award for "Worst Original Song", being written for Nightmare on Elm Street 5. However, this is, in my opinion, the best band ever made. They just mesh with each other so well, and have such a wide range of songs, it is impossible to dislike them all, unless you don't like metal. They have a great sound, but more than that, most of their songs have a meaning behind them. They aren't just written to sound good. And that, from a metal band, is more than most people expect. So, up the Irons. They are here to stay.
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