The Iron Maiden Discography

Awesome debut. This is an essential release for everyone into heavy metal/hard rock. There is not a single bad song on it. My best friend's brother-in-law had this on vinyl (we both thought it had one of the coolest covers we had ever seen,little did we know that better ones were on the horizon from the band) and he let us listen to it. We were hooked from the get go.

Iron Maiden – Killers
Released February 2, 1981 (UK)
& June 6, 1981 (US)

Track List:
1. The Ides of March
2. Wrathchild
3. Murders in the Rue Morgue
4. Another Life
5. Genghis Khan
6. Innocent Exile
7. Killers
9. Twilight Zone
NOTE: Not on UK release, added to US and re-mastered releases
10. Purgatory
11. Drifter

Iron Maiden’s debut album was a hit among the growing metal community and had cemented the band as an up and coming act. Guitarist Dennis Stratton had been let go, as Steve Harris felt he wasn’t right for the band and he was replaced by Adrian Smith, whom he and Dave Murray had wanted to hire for years.

Steve had been unhappy with the production on the debut album and went searching for a new producer. Martin Birch was hired to produce the band’s sophomore album. Birch had produced many classic albums and was best known for his work at Deep Purple. Since the band had been big fans of Deep Purple, they were very happy to have Birch onboard.

With Adrian Smith in the band and Martin Birch in the producer’s chair, they hit the studio to record the second album. Most of the songs were tracks the band hadn’t selected for the first album. Steve Harris wrote some new tracks so they had an album’s worth of material (he had written the vast majority of the album, only sharing co-writing credits on two tracks.)

The album needed art work and Derek Riggs was once again hired and he nailed it. Eddie looked even more bad a$$ than the debut!

The band first released the album in the UK some 4 months prior to the US release. The first single released was “Twilight Zone” which wasn’t including on the UK release as it was intended to be a B side. The band felt it was a strong track, so it was released as a single more than one month after the album was released. On the other side on the vinyl, was “Wrathchild” which was also listed as Side A. The second single released was “Purgatory”, which would be the album’s only “official” single release as “Twilight Zone” wasn’t originally a track on the album.

The album itself is yet another Iron Maiden classic. It may not be as good as the debut, but they certainly didn’t suffer from the “Sophomore Slump” that many bands have encountered. The production was much better than the debut album – Martin Birch proved that he could get a great sound of the band! The songs are all classics at this point, with Wrathchild consistently showing up in the set list. The one-two punch of “Ides” followed by “Wrathchild” is such a killer (pun intended) start to an album! Those tracks, along with “Murders” and the title track are all the classic “hits” from the album. The deeper tracks such as “Drifter”, “Innocent Exile” are also excellent, with “Another Life” being one of my favorite tracks on this album. Killers is yet another classic Maiden album that deserves a spot in any metal fan’s music collection.

The band ventured into the US for the first time on this tour, opening for Judas Priest – what an amazing show that would have been!!!! The tour wouldn’t be without problems, as Paul Di’Anno would further descend into alcohol and drug abuse and would become increasingly un-reliable. That would have to be address before the recording of the next studio album…….

Man, the songs are so strong on these first albums but Di'Anno's voice isn't my cup of tea. There's no denying how much talent and influence these guys have.

Sure the first 2 albums are great, but I almost think of them as a whole other band during this time. DiAnno's voice is pretty run-of-the-mill, if you ask me, but he gets the job done, and Harris' songwriting is of course, superb.

Strong follow up to the debut. I like it but to me it's not up to the standards set on the debut. The only 2 songs that I can pick out instantly are Wrathchild and Killers. The rest are good but just don't stay with me like what came before.

I need to backtrack slightly. I absolutely love the first Iron Maiden album, and if it's not my favorite Maiden album, then it's a close second. I have to admit it, I didn't really know anything about Maiden prior to the Dickinson years for a very long time. I would say I didn't begin my foray into the Di'Anno years, until I had heard Metallica perform "Prowler" on a 1988 bootleg (Heard this around '92). That piqued my interest so to speak...My favorite tracks in order are: Prowler, Running Free, Phantom of the Opera, s/t, Remember Tomorrow, Charlotte The Harlot, Transylvania, Sanctuary, & Strange World.

I like "Killers", but I don't love this album. It tends to be a more fun album to go back to, since I don't revisit the album all that often. In many ways, I think it tends to be the forgotten Maiden album. I don't want to say it lacks musically, but I suppose the writing was on the wall, in regards to Di'Anno and his moving forward with the band. He didn't collaborate much at all with Harris. One writing credit, I believe? My favorite songs in order are: Killers, The Ides of March & Wrathchild, Another Life, Purgatory, Prodigal Son, Genghis Khan, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Innocent Exile, Drifters, & Twilight Zone.

When I first got into Maiden in the early 80s, Bruce was already in the lineup so he's always been "my" Maiden singer, if that makes any sense. Therefore it took me a number of years before I even gave the early material a listen. I dig a lot of the stuff on the first two albums with DiAnno, but vocally he's never done much for me.

For whatever it's worth, I prefer Killers over the S/T.

I loved 'Killers' and felt it was a strong album. Personally I think D'ianno is a hell of vocalist, and like the raspiness, almost punk attitude he brought to the table. The man sang with such convinction, that one believed every word he sang.

The album has some killer cuts and while I am glad they hired Dickinson because IMO Maiden would not have reached international success at the levels it did, if D'ianno had stayed in the band, I do wish they had at least done one or two albums more together.

Better of the two Di' Ianno studio discs (IMHDO)

Two reasons....the guitar tandem finally clicked well and Clive settles in and plays.

I saw this tour in Vegas (opening for Priest) and two months later in my hometown of San Berdoo, Calif. (opening for UFO)

My favorite tune is a toss up between 'Murders In The Rue Morgue" or "Innocent Exile"

Iron Maiden quickly followed up their hailed debut with more spearheading heavy metal. Dennis Stratton was replaced with Adrian Smith.

Personally I never liked 'Killers' as much as the debut. Granted it holds some of the bands most classic songs, it also delivers some songs that are all but forgotten. The band had internal problems, and that might be a contributing factor in the inconsistency of the material. Paul sounds really uninspired here and there, and musically I find 'Killers' to be uneven. Most of the '70's prog influences were this time abandoned for a more straight ahead heavy metal approach. And 'Killers' might be the heaviest album Iron Maiden ever did. Now, I can't deny the iconic status of this release. It's just not a personal favorite.

Killer tracks: The Ides Of March, Wratchild, Murders In The Rue Morgue, Killers

Personally I think Killers is a classic album. You can hear how quickly their sound was maturing, now the instrumental performances had the same kind of bravado the songwriting had. The new team of Murray & Smith gelled immediately and as good as the rhythm section was on the debut...Harris & Burr definitely cranked it up a notch on the follow-up.

The addition of Martin Birch should not be undervalued either.

I actually had Maiden Japan prior to owning Killers, so I was already familiar with the live versions of Innocent Exile, Killers and Wrathchild. Hearing those tunes inspired me to pick up the studio album.

The songwriting is again top notch and really...nobody else quite sounded like Iron Maiden at the time. Ides Of March/Wrathchild is a classic album opener, Murders In The Rue Morgue and Another Life are both classic early Maiden tracks. Check out Clive Burr on Genghis Khan! Another killer Maiden instrumental that doesn't get enough credit.

The remainder of the tunes almost function as kind of a "concept" in a way, lots of wayward/shady characters doing vile deeds. Killers, Innocent Exile and Drifter for example.

I think Paul gets a bad rap alot of the time, his vocals on Killers accurately portray the venom in their lyrics, it makes for a potent combination. Of course the change to Dickinson was necessary and completely justified, but I don't think Paul's contribution to their development should be downplayed.

Killers is another winner. My favorite track on it is the title track.

Iron Maiden – Maiden Japan
Released September 14, 1981

Track List:
1. Running Free
2. Remember Tomorrow
3. Wrathchild
4. Killers
5. Innocent Exile
NOTE: Wrathchild in on the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil pressings. All other pressing contain just four songs.

After the release of Killers, Iron Maiden started their first world tour. After the European leg, they headed to Japan. The May 23, 1981 concert at the Kosei Nenkin Hall in Tokyo, was recorded, at the request of the band’s Japanese label, for a live release. The show was recorded by long time Iron Maiden front of house sound man Doug Hall (the current Maiden England tour is the first tour that he hasn’t been mixing Iron Maiden live shows since they signed a record contract.) The show was mixed (with some overdubs) in Toronto about a month later (during Maiden’s Canada portion of the tour). Production is credited to Doug Hall and Iron Maiden.

A shortened version of the show was released as an EP and called Maiden Japan, a pun on Deep Purple’s live album Made In Japan. The cover that was eventually released wasn’t the original cover. The artwork submitted had Eddie holding a decapitated Paul Di’Anno’s head:



By this time, Paul had grown increasing dependent on drugs and alcohol and as a result had become much less dependable. Being a touring band, an unreliable singer would have been the end of the band sooner or later so Steve Harris decided to give Paul his walking papers. At the time, Paul didn’t know he was about to lose his job but only the band and management knew. It wasn’t in the bands best interest to release that particular cover, so the cover we all know was quickly pulled together. On a side note, the EP was released in Venezuela in 1987 with the original art work making it a rare collectable. The EP has yet to be released on CD.

The EP itself is a cool memento of Iron Maiden’s first world tour. Even though it has never been officially released on CD, you can still find bootleg copies as well as electronic versions online. I would personally love to for Iron Maiden to re-release Maiden Japan on CD, but release the full show and not just the four tracks. And that is my only complaint about Maiden Japan – it’s too short! I was able to track down a vinyl copy earlier this year (US Version). After Maiden Japan, Iron Maiden was about to make the biggest change of their young career…….


Maiden England Side One:


Maiden England Wrathchild:


Maiden England Side Two:

I still have a vinyl copy of this EP, and its beat up to hell, I played it so damn much I am surprised the vinyl itself is not transparent.

Excellent show, the entire band sounds incredible, especially Paul D'ianno. Like the Jokerman said waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too short.

One of my favorite live albums from the 80s, the quality of the performances more than make up for the shortened running time.

After purchasing The Number Of The Beast in 1982 I was quickly looking to investigate their earlier albums, this EP was the ticket. I have always been a fan of live recordings and back in that era I would often buy a live album as my first initial purchase, more songs for the money...

Needless to say this EP completely blew me away and I picked up the studio albums shortly afterward. I still prefer the versions of Remember Tomorrow, Innocent Exile and Wrathchild performed here over the studio releases.

gotta dig the live version of "remember tomorrow"

Killers is a landmark heavy metal album. I think of it as the intersection point where Maiden's ferocity and songwriting chops collide with Martin Birch's perfect production. The result is the signature sound of the greatest heavy metal band of all time.

The title track, Drifter, Wrathchild, and Another Life are my personal favorites from this ironclad follow-up.

Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
Released March 22, 1982

Track List:
1. Invaders
2. Children of the Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name
NOTE: Total Eclipse added to the 1998 remastered release as track # 8

During the Killers World Tour, singer Paul Di’Anno had become increasing erratic and a heavy cocaine user. It was decided that it was best for the future of the band to let him go. Iron Maiden still had a tour to finish, but they needed to have a new singer lined up and ready to go. Steve and Rod went to check out NWOBHM band Samson and their singer Bruce Bruce. He was invited to audition for the band and was hired. Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood told Bruce to use his real name, as Bruce Bruce didn’t fit the band’s image. The hiring was kept quiet until the end of the Killers World Tour, then Paul was fired and Bruce was now officially a member.

The band set out to record their first album with their new singer. This was also the last album in their three record contract and it would be their make or break album. Unlike the previous two albums, they didn’t have material sitting around waiting to be record and they had to write a whole new album in two to three weeks. Because of legal issues surrounding Bruce’s exit from Sampson, he was unable to take any writing credits on the album. Of course, many years later in interviews Bruce would call his efforts “moral contributions” – which in reality meant that the Bruce songs/co-writes were “Children Of The Damned”, “The Prisoner” and “Run To The Hills.”

Once again, Martin Birch was hired to produce and the band hit Battery Studios in London to record The Number of the Beast. Because of the album title and subject matter of the title track, stories of the sessions surfaced to add to the album’s lore, such as mysterious power outages, lights flickering and equipment failures. Martin Birch was also involved in a car accident with a group of Catholic nuns and the repair bill totaled 666 (British Pounds that is.) These stories led to Iron Maiden being labeled as a satanic band and brought protest to their shows. The real story is that the title track is a song about a dream that Steve Harris had one night and has nothing to do with worshiping satan, as it plays like a horror story.

Prior to the album being released, “Run to the Hills” was released and became a hit song in the UK and other parts of Europe. The B-side of single was an Adrian Smith tracked called “Total Eclipse.” The band had to make a quick decision on which song to include as the b-side – it would either be “Total Eclipse” or “Gangland.” The band later felt that they made the wrong decision, they made up for it by playing “Total Eclipse” live and including it in the “official” track listing with the release of the remasters.

The album was released and because the band’s first big album. The old fans had accepted Bruce and Iron Maiden’s popularity had exploded. The album took hold in the US as well, especially when the new all music video channel MTV added the videos for the title track and “Run to the Hills’ to its rotation. Those videos were also my first exposure to Iron Maiden and they were quickly added to my want list.

The album itself is a classic – every track is awesome. The album’s closer, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” has been played on every tour since the album’s release, with the exception of the current Maiden England tour (which was a very hard decision for the band to leave it off the set list, but they felt it didn’t work with the flow of the show.) The album opens with what the band considers a filler track – Steve Harris has stated they wish he could have recorded a different song in its place but they didn’t have the time. The track has never been played live. But, fans across the globe love the track. The concert tour was originally record and filmed for release, but the band wasn’t happy with how the footage turned out. It was eventually release on CD in 2002 as “Beast Over Hammersmith” and the video was finally released on “The Early Days” DVD. The concert was recorded/filmed on March 20, 1982 which was two days prior to the release of the album.

As with the first two albums, The Number of the Beast is a must have album for any fan of hard rock and heavy metal. The album would kick Iron Maiden’s rise to super stardom. There would be another personnel issue to deal with following the “Beast on the Road” world tour that would lead to the “classic” line up….


Bruce Dickinson Audition Tapes:

Killers:


Wrathchild:


Twilight Zone:

Quote :

The EP itself is a cool memento of Iron Maiden’s first world tour. Even though it has never been officially released on CD

Maybe it's never been released as a stand-alone disc, but the MAIDEN JAPAN tracks were included on the "bonus disc" that came with the '95 Castle Records 2-CD pressing of KILLERS. Just sayin'.

As for Number of the Beast... nothin' to say but bow down, Bruce Bruce is in the motherf*ckin' house y'all!

Epic, epic, epic. If this was their only album it would still cement their place as one of the best. Bruce was the piece that took them to the top of the pack and his voice is in such great form on this album. Love it.

The arrival of Dick Brucington and a total paradigm shift in what this band did came into place. For the better (IMHDO) Not a bad tune on the album, "Invaders" being the weakest if that even applies. Why it opens the album is beyond my grasp of understanding. Favorite tunes are "Children of The Damned", "The Prisoner", and "Hallowed Be My Name". The drummer steps up to the plate here and really, realy accents the vocal delivery. Something missing from the previous two studio albums.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Quote :

The EP itself is a cool memento of Iron Maiden’s first world tour. Even though it has never been officially released on CD

Maybe it's never been released as a stand-alone disc, but the MAIDEN JAPAN tracks were included on the "bonus disc" that came with the '95 Castle Records 2-CD pressing of KILLERS. Just sayin'.

As for Number of the Beast... nothin' to say but bow down, Bruce Bruce is in the motherf*ckin' house y'all!

Well, technically, yes you can find it on CD........ I still wish they would release the whole show on CD!!!!!!!

Bruce's previous band was called "SAMSON" not "Sampson". FYI.

Great album, must have played this album 10000000 times, other then 'Invaders' I love every song on this disc. BTW the first time I heard 'Total Eclipse' was a short performance clip on that VHS tape 'Wasted Years'

This album is beyond brillant. Since I've been into heavy metal it has been one of my favourites and I love the somewhat punkish influence that remained on this record.

thejokeriv wrote:

The album itself is a classic – every track is awesome. The album’s closer, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” has been played on every tour since the album’s release, with the exception of the current Maiden England tour (which was a very hard decision for the band to leave it off the set list, but they felt it didn’t work with the flow of the show.)

This was such a disappointment for me. It was my first (and only time so far) time seeing the band and Hallowed Be Thy Name is probably the greatest song ever (either that or Angel of Death). I understand why they didn't play the song, but they could have picked literally any other song to drop and I would have preferred it. I guess this just means that I have to see them next time they come around