When: Released March 22, 1982
Why? This album is consistently ranked among the top heavy-metal albums of all time. To my knowledge, I’ve never heard an Iron Maiden song.
What? Eight songs, 40 minutes. This is the first Iron Maiden album to feature new lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
First Impressions: OMG: The melodies! The guitar and (occasionally) vocal harmonies! Add them to the thrashing drums and wide-ranging lyrics—written by bassist Steve Harris and inspired by everything from the Viking raids on Saxon England to suspense movies/TV shows, biblical prophecy, the plight of Native Americans, gangsters, and prostitutes—and you get a wholly enjoyable album that is consistently entertaining.
A quick aside: Iron Maiden was one of the early inspirations for Metallica. (Metallica released their first album, “Kill ’em All,” in 1983.) I consider myself a Metallica fan. But one major drawback (for me) of much of Metallica’s output is their penchant for repetition to the point of boredom/exhaustion, evident on most albums up through 2003’s “St. Anger”—a notable exception being 1991’s “Metallica,” AKA “The Black Album”: If a riff is good enough to be played once, it’s good enough to be repeated, unchanged, a dozen times. Refreshingly, Iron Maiden never falls into that trap here. Their songs are economical. They deliver the goods but always leave you wanting more.
Of the eight songs here, six of them are straight-up winners to me, blending tight guitar harmonies, propulsive drumming, sometimes thrilling vocals from Dickinson, and lyrics that, while not always poetic, avoid clichés while developing evocative imagery. Highlights for me include the title track (easily my favorite here), “Run to the Hills” (with vocal harmonies that would fit perfectly on a late-1970s Styx track), and “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” which follows a criminal’s thoughts as he makes his way to the gallows.
“22 Acacia Avenue,” about a real-life prostitute the band knew and about whom they have written several songs, is less successful. The narrator begins by suggesting his friends visit his acquaintance, Charlotte, at the address of the title if they’re “feeling down, depressed, and lonely.” But then he tells Charlotte herself: “Can’t you get out from all this madness? / Can’t you see it only brings you sadness?” So, he’s sending her business even as he pleads with her to abandon this lifestyle. That seems problematic. After more of this back and forth, the song ends with: “All the men that are constantly drooling / It’s no life for you, stop all that screwing / You’re packing your bags, you’re coming with me.” Given the tone of the song, it’s unclear whether Charlotte is being truly rescued and liberated by the narrator at this point…or just going from serving multiple clients to being the servant of one. Ultimately, the song seems less about Charlotte and more about the will of the narrator. I get the sense that when he and his friends are in Charlotte’s company, her occupation isn’t an issue.
The least successful song, though, is “Gangland,” which, while energetic, just doesn’t seem to hold together as well as the other material. Lyrically and musically, it feels unfocused. (Apparently, songwriter Harris felt so too, saying later that they should have chosen another track, “Total Eclipse,” for the album and relegated “Gangland” to a B-side. Having now listened to “Total Eclipse,” I agree. It’s a much stronger song than “Gangland.”)
So? I really liked this album and will listen again.