Toppa Iron Maiden

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 regards P. Diddyano.

Phenomenal debut album, highly recommended - and an absolute steal at £17!! Only thing was the huge box it came in - a little unnecessary for the size of the item ordered but it all goes into the recycling bin anyway.

Still a brilliant album. Love it!

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.

Fabulous

Was a gift husband loves it

Great debut album, I have a few maiden but never owned this one on vinyl This is up there with the best. Bought on a deal also, would recommend.

Spot on