Iron Maiden at the O2

joneve

So many DVDs I still need to buy - the re-issue of Live After Death, En Vivo and Maiden England 88..I love the live performances, but also love the fact that cram the DVDs with loads of useful extras like documentaries.

Grumpyrocker

I love lots of Janick's solos - spent ages as a teenager trying to work out how he'd made some odd noises on the Fear of the Dark album. But yes I don't see why he shouldn't play the original versions of solos live.

More importantly he brought live energy and songwriting to the band when it was lacking from others. With the loss of Smith they lacked another songwriter and although Janick is less accomplished than Smith in this regard you can see from the credits he's been hugely important in co-writing with other members.

Five co-writes on Fear of the Dark, seven co-writes on X-Factor, only one on Virtual XI (the weakest post 7th Son album), four on Brave New World, three on Dance of Death, two on A Matter of Life and Death, two on Final Frontier. The last few albums have seen much more from Smith and Dickinson, but Gers clearly is an important member of the band in creative terms.

And if you listen to Final Frontier where Janick is in he right hand channel he does loads of great subtle atmospheric work in the songs, loads of great fills and little licks. I know he can seem a bit bonkers live - but he really is a damn good musician.

not_the_dj

joneve said:

So many DVDs I still need to buy - the re-issue of Live After Death, En Vivo and Maiden England 88..I love the live performances, but also love the fact that cram the DVDs with loads of useful extras like documentaries.

@joneve En Vivo is excellent. The crowd look crazy. I picked the DVD up for just £5 in the HMV going bust sale a couple of months ago.

joneve

Perhaps I was a bit harsh with my previous post. I actually like what he does on the albums (and I didn't know all the weird sounds on FF were mostly Janick's doing, so he's gone up in my estimation again), but I was watching the highlights from Download this year the other week, and I'd sit there thinking "ooh...love this Ade Smith solo coming up!"....Only for Janick to start playing the solo with his signature "WEEEOWEOJASJSOSDOSDOASDAOSOAKOASO" noises instead of the actual solo and ruining the whole thing! I'm not saying play them note for note; after all, live performances are all about spontaneity and feeling and shit - but at least stay somewhat true to the original FEEL of the solo.

 

Grumpyrocker

The funny thing he can play them note for note if he wants to. Often now if they play The Clairvoyant Smith and Gers play the solo in unison - which sounds great.

digitalscream

joneve said:

But as noted, I don't think he was ever given a real shot at the gig.

To hear Blaze's description of what happened...he turned up for a session one day, and they were all there looking uncomfortable and nobody said anything. He just said, "He's back, isn't he?", and they nodded. He shook their hands, thanked them for the opportunity and left.

Even though I didn't really like his influence on the music, that gave me a big

Although...any emotion over that was quickly overshadowed when his drummer started cracking on to our bassist's wife

joneve

digitalscream said:

joneve said:

But as noted, I don't think he was ever given a real shot at the gig.

To hear Blaze's description of what happened...he turned up for a session one day, and they were all there looking uncomfortable and nobody said anything. He just said, "He's back, isn't he?", and they nodded. He shook their hands, thanked them for the opportunity and left.

Even though I didn't really like his influence on the music, that gave me a big

Although...any emotion over that was quickly overshadowed when his drummer started cracking on to our bassist's wife

Sad story indeed.

mike_l

Personally, I love AMOLAD, I didn't at first, but then every Maiden album's been like that with me.

Video wise, As much as I love Maiden, and (in my eyes) they can do no wrong, Maiden England '88 everything is played a little too fast, the later, and earlier DVD's/live albums where they're playing the songs at a closer-to-original tempo are much less fussy and are better to listen too.

@RocknRollDave, have a listen to the Somewhere in Time album, Adrian Smith plays some cracking solo's on the tracks Wasted years, and Stranger in a strange land, simpleish, but fantastically (IMVHO) thought through and played.

@Digitalscream & @RocknRollDave, I also love the Wicker man. When I have it on in the car, suddenly the volume goes up to max.......

Again, a lovely, not to complex solo, but well thought through and played by Mr Smith.

@Not_The_DJ, X-factor, when I first heard it I was disappointed, but it grew on me a little, it's (IMO) not in the same class as Number of the beast, Powerslave, Piece of mind or Somewhere in time, or the later Seventh son & Fear of the Dark.

@Digitalscream, if you havn't seen Maiden, you really should, I only didn't go (Well try to get tickets) for the O2 gigs, due to my recent ill health, otherwise I'd have been there like a shot. Only way to describe a Maiden Live experience is "Fucking Awesomes"

 

not_the_dj

In the long run I think the band is better having had Bruce leave and then return. It's given them a whole new energy, and I don't think they would have had that had they not had the kick-up the arse that the decline in popularity and the poor reception they had for a few years. It's made then stronger, and I'm sure they're bigger now than they've ever been.

mike_l

@not_the_dj, I agree, not that Blaze is a bad singer/frontman, in Wolfsbane, he was awesomes, just not-quite-right for Maiden. I did feel sorry for him, when Bruce left Maiden, there was a hell of a lot of mud-slinging from Steve (in particular) and Bruce, Blaze stepped into one of the hardest gigs in metal, and really worked hard to prove himself. It seems that Bruce wanted to come back as his solo career seemed to be going downhill.

joneve

not_the_dj said:

In the long run I think the band is better having had Bruce leave and then return. It's given them a whole new energy, and I don't think they would have had that had they not had the kick-up the arse that the decline in popularity and the poor reception they had for a few years. It's made then stronger, and I'm sure they're bigger now than they've ever been.

I'd agree with this. It's like the put EVERYTHING into Seventh Son...then went "ok, can't be arsed now" and started producing wanky albums.

They have an undeniable fire now and the two live shows I've seen have been nothing short of awesome. I'm still gutted I didn't go to the O2 gigs at the weekend.

I hope they keep going for a few more years at least. I'd love to make it to one of their "throwback" live tours before they hang up their boots.

Grumpyrocker

@not_the_dj

I agree. Bruce's time away did both him and the band a lot of good in the long term. I doubt they'd be making records as good as AMOLAD and Final Frontier today if they'd all stuck together through the 90s. When I heard the news that Bruce was back I remember saying to myself there's no point without Adrian Smith returning too, and was then very glad to hear he'd returned. I think Smith's song-writing is very important to the band. 

Fans of Adrian should check out the Primal Rock Rebellion album he did a couple of years ago, it's great.

@mike_l I think Bruce's return came at a point where his solo material sounded more and more like Maiden. I've seen it with other singers - they leave and change their sound to move away from what they are known for. But ultimately return to the sound that defined them and they were most comfortable with. The return of Bruce was all part of a big plan by Rod and Steve for long term financial security for the whole gang and that's why you've got all three guitarists in there too. 

mike_l

@Grumpyrocker, I didn't really follow what Bruce was upto outside of Maiden, although I have a couple of his solo albums....

 

And for Adrian Smith fans, you should also check out Psycho Motel from a few years ago, brilliant.

Grumpyrocker

Yes Psycho Motel is a good album, especially the title track.

Adrian Smith played on the last couple of Bruce solo albums, so you could see it all coming back together really.