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jackhammer · 09-06-2009, 05:47 PM

The only place to start on my musical tastes is Iron Maiden. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up around music. The music itself is not what you could consider cool or edgy but nevertheless my father was and is music mad. Friends families woke up to the TV being on, in my household it was always the radio or an album even at 8 in the morning. However prior to the year 1986 (I was 14) I only had a passing interest in music and no defined tastes or an album collection of note.

The summer of 1986 signaled the decline of my parents marriage and couple that with the usual teenage angst I was subconsciously looking for some sort of outlet for personal identity. Our house at the time was 30 seconds away from a school playing field where I was a pupil in my junior years and I used to spend many summers on the grass field playing football and on this particular day there was just one guy kicking a ball against a portable classroom whom I knew vaguely at school. I went over to him and noticed that he had a walkman on and I asked him what he was listening to. The headphones were given to me and the sound blasting out was Iron Maiden and specifically the double live album 'Live After Death' (1985). Immediately I was hooked on the sound. I had never quite heard something as heavy as this at the time and the sheer energy and noise struck a chord within me. Within a week I had bought the album myself and spent hours endlessly poring over the artwork and band pictures.

That day literally changed my life and gave me a purpose and interest that still survives to this day and THE reason why I am now posting on MB and still have a burning passion for music.

Iron Maiden were not and will never be the coolest band on the planet, yet they are one of the few bands still working hard, still successful and still remaining utterly faithful to the music and the ethos that surrounds it. Many aspects of the band were and are cringeworthy. The ridiculous spandex outfits on stage, the sometimes cringeworthy lyrics yet their music is one of the purest forms of Heavy Metal still being played and along with their individualistic artwork and T Shirts, they are for me a massively important part of my musical identity and I still consider myself a fan and proud to say so.

Coincidentally the guy kicking the ball in that field is still my best friend 23 years later and despite him now living in Germany, we still got to see each other earlier this year and attended a Metal festival over there. We also last year got the classic Iron Maiden logo:

tattooed on the backs of our necks as a nod to our roots and our friendship.

Recommended albums:

Killers (1981)
Number Of The Beast (1982)
Live After Death (1985)

Recommended viewing:
Iron Maiden: The Early Years DVD
Live After Death DVD

One of the tightest and dynamic bands live ever:

09-06-2009, 05:47 PM	#7 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	The only place to start on my musical tastes is Iron Maiden. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up around music. The music itself is not what you could consider cool or edgy but nevertheless my father was and is music mad. Friends families woke up to the TV being on, in my household it was always the radio or an album even at 8 in the morning. However prior to the year 1986 (I was 14) I only had a passing interest in music and no defined tastes or an album collection of note. The summer of 1986 signaled the decline of my parents marriage and couple that with the usual teenage angst I was subconsciously looking for some sort of outlet for personal identity. Our house at the time was 30 seconds away from a school playing field where I was a pupil in my junior years and I used to spend many summers on the grass field playing football and on this particular day there was just one guy kicking a ball against a portable classroom whom I knew vaguely at school. I went over to him and noticed that he had a walkman on and I asked him what he was listening to. The headphones were given to me and the sound blasting out was Iron Maiden and specifically the double live album 'Live After Death' (1985). Immediately I was hooked on the sound. I had never quite heard something as heavy as this at the time and the sheer energy and noise struck a chord within me. Within a week I had bought the album myself and spent hours endlessly poring over the artwork and band pictures. That day literally changed my life and gave me a purpose and interest that still survives to this day and THE reason why I am now posting on MB and still have a burning passion for music. Iron Maiden were not and will never be the coolest band on the planet, yet they are one of the few bands still working hard, still successful and still remaining utterly faithful to the music and the ethos that surrounds it. Many aspects of the band were and are cringeworthy. The ridiculous spandex outfits on stage, the sometimes cringeworthy lyrics yet their music is one of the purest forms of Heavy Metal still being played and along with their individualistic artwork and T Shirts, they are for me a massively important part of my musical identity and I still consider myself a fan and proud to say so. Coincidentally the guy kicking the ball in that field is still my best friend 23 years later and despite him now living in Germany, we still got to see each other earlier this year and attended a Metal festival over there. We also last year got the classic Iron Maiden logo: tattooed on the backs of our necks as a nod to our roots and our friendship. Recommended albums: Killers (1981) Number Of The Beast (1982) Live After Death (1985) Recommended viewing: Iron Maiden: The Early Years DVD Live After Death DVD One of the tightest and dynamic bands live ever: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”