Veteran rockers seem to be going through a rough patch at the minute. Blame death anxiety or the decline in ‘real music’, but recently we’ve witnessed: AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd’s scuffles with the law, U2′s Larry Mullen shadowed by a golf club wielding trespasser and the continuing notion of Status Quo.
Whatever you want to accuse them of- maybe ‘tireless commercialists intent on rinsing fans until they’re forced to live in Eddie The Head branded relief tents’ or perhaps just ‘alternate history enthusiasts’- Iron Maiden are a band that will live on, not only supported by an ardent listenership but as the unavoidable face of stadium rock. I’m not even a fan but I’ve seen them twice, possess a live in Chile bootleg and walked past Adrian Smith (once, in a video shop). Maybe they’re even beyond true scandal; their old vocalist Paul Di’Anno was recently imprisoned for benefits fraud and they survived a 2005 feud with Ozzy Osbourne. They still tour the world, with a setlist comfortably catered towards hits like Run To The Hills, Fear Of The Dark and The Trooper.
After reissuing their previous releases on picture vinyl a short while ago, the band are now repackaging their first eight albums on 180-gram vinyl. You can buy those here. Whilst you’re still lurking the page, enjoy this documentary on the group from 1980, when they still looked somewhat fresh faced, heavy metal was still in its new wave and just anything- within the constraints of recessionary Thatcher’s Britain- seemed possible.
