Iron Maiden

Great Album!!!🔥

Well, having saved up my pennies, and pre ordering this highly anticipated release - I finally received it the other week.To look at, yes - visually stunning. The 'vintage' artwork by Rerek DIGGS has always struck me as being so poignant and horrific, and a yellowed / sinister street kind of way.Anyway... I opened the outer packaging, removed the sealed record - and then carefully opened the sealed disc of which upon splitting the cellophane wrap - a puff of sealed air emanated into my noggin reminiscent of a stale fart. it made the hair on my head stand up just like Freddies upon the album sleeve. Yes, Freddie the Fread.I was still pretty excited. I did notice the record was very thick and heavy, so much so, that because I am infact only 3 centimetres tall, I did struggle with pulling this massive slab of vinyl out of the die cut sleeve. So - enlisting the help of others, (The Borrowers), we placed the LP upon the record disc player, and thought - right, let's sit back and soak it all in...I dearly love this album, but found it sounded really muffled on side 1, so I removed the soggy cigarette ends from each lug hole, and to my surprise, it sounded much clearer.There is noticeable noise between tracks - hissing like a snake... its that loud I thought my lodger (Mr Franklin Plopp) was watching Indiana Jones movies at high volume..This debut Maiden album has always been my 17th favourite, with Lick It Up, and Master of Puppets being my favourite Maiden releases.I do hope that KILLERS receives the same treatment next year, as that girls and boys, would look awesome.If you are a collector - go for it. If you are hungry - make yourself a sandwich, if you prefer cats to dogs - well, I respect your choice.Kind regardsP. Diddyano.

I'm 39 and far from a Heavy Metal aficionado, but with an enduring love for a few albums from the genre- this one especially. I listened to Maiden *loads* as a kid, 25+ years ago, after which my tastes shifted. Oddly, I recently felt the urge to dust off the initial run of Maiden albums 80-92 (never bothered with them after that phase of the band)... with mixed results: some albums stood up less well than my memory of them (e.g. Number of the Beast, only half of which I now think's great), but a few, notably Peace of Mind and *especially* this one, sounded even better than I remembered. The lean production of the first album, as well the punk and prog elements that run through it (accentuated by Paul Di'Anno's vocals, which they really suit, and far less evident on the subsequent Bruce albums) really distinguish it from the later stuff, but so too does the sheer quality of the songs: there's not an ounce of fat here. As I understand it, Maiden basically used the cream of the songs that Steve Harris had been writing and refining throughout the late 70s, as Maiden settled on lineup and a sound. The result is a total absence of padding (def unlike the next album, Killers) and surfeit of absolute pearls: Phantom of the Opera and Transylvania are basically as good as it gets and Prowler, Remember Tomorrow, and Iron Maiden aren't too far behind. The rest of the album is merely 'excellent'. I loved it when I was 12 and I love it now at 40. I don't doubt that I'll still be listening to this in another 25 years' time.

This was always my favorite Iron Maiden album and strangely among the earliest. Equally strangely I lost interest in Iron Maiden as they moved from innovation to formula, the formula is not present here and the innovation musically has stood the test of time. Each track is well crafted and distinct, I would say if any album placed Maiden on the radar it is this one. I am also a great fan of the original singer, his obvious Gillan range helps to place the music in a hard rock context and I do not feel all was the same with Maiden after he left. The artwork on the cover was for the time unique and as the music has done it also looks as fresh today as the music sounds. A great album, the vinyl is quiet and click-free.

Love iron maiden best rock group ever

When I read in 2015 that Steve Harris was so disheartened in the sound of his back catalogue via streaming sites that he took it upon himself to arrange another remastering, I was disappointed he wasn't releasing them on CD. Fast forward three years he's done just that.Saying that I was still hesitant in buying these albums again as the previous remasters have always sounded dodgy to me. Plus with the added annoyance of the track listing not being the same as my records from years ago. Luckily Spotify have the 2015 remasters in their catalogue so I was able to get a preview of the sound. Wow! I'm pleased to say these are the best I've heard these classics sound.Track sequencing is the same as the original UK releases. Instead of increasing the overall base to bring the bass guitar forward, which just creates bass spread, the bass track alone as been brought forward and cleaned up so now the bass guitar sounds crisp and punchy. In fact the instrument separation is clearly defined in these new mixes. The vocals are at a nice level and not way out in front. These remasters are not a loudness/compressed mix either. The detail in the recording is spot on. The top end, as in previous remasters is no longer loose but secured at a nice level. And the Phantom Of The Opera 'You torture me back at your lair' reprise is there as in the original release (some previous releases omitted this).If, like me, you try to convince yourself 'how many more times am I gonna buy these albums', then do yourself a favour and make it one more time. You won't need to repeat this process after these purchases.Just spot on! Thanks Steve.UP THE IRONS!