After hearing their debut, I told my heavy metal co-worker that I was concerned to read that Bruce Dickinson was going to be replacing Paul Di'Anno on vocals. I told him how much I was digging the latter's vocals, to which he assured, "You're going to enjoy Dickinson even more." Is that true? Well, I guess we'll find out today.
Di'Anno was let go in 1981 due to his erratic behavior from drug abuse. Following a September audition, Dickenson would be immediately hired to replace him, and the band embarked on a series of road shows prior to recording and releasing 1982's The Number Of The Beast. It would become their first number one record in the UK, crack the top ten in multiple countries, and reach the twenties in others. It would only be the USA where it would falter a bit, peaking at thirty-three on the Billboard 200.
While the band embarked on yet another successful world tour, The Beast on the Road's US leg proved controversial when political activists claimed the band to be satanic and destroyed their albums in protest. Dickenson would call the whole thing silly, and state that their protest actually made them more popular. The Number of the Beast sold 2.5 million copies in its first year.
I found myself immediately frowning when opening track, Invaders, kicked things off. Specifically, when first hearing Dickenson's vocals. Though my ears didn't want it, I tried to push aside my own prejudices, and act as though this was essentially Iron Maiden's debut. It didn't work.
You can't give someone Cocoa Puffs for two years, and then suddenly switch up to Count Chocula. Sure, this is still a chocolate cereal, but it's not the same chocolate cereal, and this one also has marshmallows. If you like marshmallows, then sure, this could be considered better, but if you don't, then this perhaps isn't the cereal you're looking for. As for me, I like Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula, for two different reasons, but if given the choice, I'd take Puffs over Chocula. Same comparison for Iron Maiden.
I will admit that things did pick up for me with the song, The Prisoner, specifically the guitar solo which kicks in around the three minute forty second mark. Things quickly tapered off though, and I found myself just going through the motions of listening. That is until the title track came on and was followed by Run To The Hills. Now we were talking. Yes, I will take more Bruce Dickinson Iron Maiden like this. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be the case, and I was soon back to subpar tunes until the album closer, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
My biggest problem with Dickinson is his need to continuously screech like he stubbed his toes. Whereas Di'Anno brought a singing voice with character, Dickinson is just a bellowing harpy. It's actually a bit annoying when I think about it. Though he retained a good relationship with his prior bandmates, Di'Anno never rejoined, mainly because Dickinson never stepped down, and sadly he passed away in 2024. In a sadistic way, I keep seeing the father from Dewey Cox popping into my head and saying, "Wrong kid died."
By December of 1982, drummer Clive Burr was fired from the band for a combination of reasons, which included personal issues, intense touring fatigue, and, according to band members, lifestyle choices that affected his performance. He would be replaced by Nicko McBrain. Burr would later claim to have been unfairly ousted.
For their next three albums, the band would find a home at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record them all. The first being 1983's Piece Of Mind, an album which I do actually know a song from because of my Xbox 360 Guitar Hero II days. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I suppose that's a decent stopping point. I'll pick up tomorrow, crossing over the halfway point of my journey through Iron Maiden.
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