I didn’t know this was ever a thing until about a month or two ago. There was, indeed, another band in the UK named Iron Maiden, and they recorded an album in 1969 and it sounded like a mix between a few bands of the time, including Black Sabbath and their bluesiness, and flutey, folksy Jethro Tull, and other UK bands from the late ’60’s.
After a few listens, however, I noticed that it might be the case that Steve Harris picked up a few gallop riffs as a young 14-year old, and this band may have been an inspiration before he started Gypsy’s Kiss and, ultimately, Iron Maiden. The bass features prominently, and on about two of their songs the “Maiden” gallop can be heard. At any rate, I think they deserve another listen as they offer a decent understanding of early rock/metal influences.
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2013.
Shouldn’t the title of this article be “The Original Iron Maiden” or “The First Iron Maiden?”
Nonetheless…
This material is fresher and more original than anything I’ve heard from the well known Iron Maiden since their “Powerslave” days.
Does this mean we have to refer to Steve Harris & company as The New Iron Maiden from here on out? I’m sure they would love that! I checked out a couple of the other tunes also and thought they were cool. Thanks for the music history lesson Mr. Werner!