1. Message from the author.
   
2. Intro and general background.
   
3. Past and present IRON MAIDEN lineups.
   
4. Why all the lineup changes?
   
5. The IRON MAIDEN family tree.
   
6. The band and their birthdays.
   
7. IRON MAIDEN influences.
   
8. IRON MAIDEN Fan Club info.
   
9. The new singer and the band's immediate plans.
   
10. What is the backwards message before STILL LIFE?
    
11. Where does the mascot's name, EDDIE, come from?
    
12. Who is Osiris/The Powerslave connection?
    
13. Who is Icarus?
    
14. Where are SANCTUARY and TWILIGHT ZONE in the UK/European albums?
    
15. Why is the CD version of LIVE AFTER DEATH missing tracks?
    
16. IRON MAIDEN songs, where to find them, and song tidbits.
    
17. Song credits and other information.
    
18. Cover Songs found on various singles/live recordings.
    
19. Song chart positions.
    
20. IRON MAIDEN songs played/not played in concert.
    
21. Song and name origins.
    
22. Location of Derek Riggs' insignia.
    
23. SOMEWHERE IN TIME cover references.
    
24. Quotations.
    
25. Real life IRON MAIDEN references.
    
26. Interesting band stories.
    
27. Familiar names with the IRON MAIDEN crew.
    
28. Other IRON MAIDEN tibits.
    
29. IRON MAIDEN discography.
    
30. Bands who have opened for IRON MAIDEN.
    
31. Significant dates in IRON MAIDEN history.
    
32. The concert in Buffalo & the lawsuit.
    
33. Bruce's Final Concert - Raising Hell, 08/28/93 - Promo Ad
    
34. IRON MAIDEN equipment info.
    
35. Getting IRON MAIDEN from music clubs.
    
36. IRON MAIDEN music transcriptions.
    
37. Books related to IRON MAIDEN.
    
38. Quick bootleg info.
    
39. IRON MAIDEN ftp sites
    
40. Credits/Acknowledgements

1. Bruce (Bruce Bruce/Air Raid Siren) Dickinson - August 7, 1958, born in Worksop Notts, England.
2. Michael (Nicko) McBrain - June 5, 1954
3. Janick (Jan) Gers - January 27, 1957
4. Adrian (H) Smith - February 27, 1957
5. David Michael (The Blonde Bomber) Murray - December 23, 1956
6. Steve ('Arry) Harris - March 12, 1956, raised in Leytonstone, England.
7. Blaze Bayley - May 29, 19??

 IRON MAIDEN -----------
 Prowler                         Steve Harris Remember Tommorrow              Harris - Paul Di'Anno Running Free                    Harris - Di'Anno Phantom Of The Opera            Harris Transylvania                    Harris Strange World                   Harris Sanctuary                       Iron Maiden Charlotte The Harlot            Dave Murray Iron Maiden                     Harris  Total Songs:  9 Total Time:  40:49 Produced by Will Malone Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs Recorded at Kingsway Studios, London Mixed at Morgan Studios, London
   KILLERS -------
 The Ides Of March               Harris Wrathchild                      Harris Murders In The Rue Morgue       Harris Another Life                    Harris Genghis Khan                    Harris Innocent Exile                  Harris Killers                         Di'Anno - Harris Twilight Zone                   Harris - Murray Prodigal Son                    Harris Purgatory                       Harris Drifter                         Harris  Total Songs:  11 Total Time:  41:22 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Managed by Rod Smallwood Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST -----------------------
 Invaders                        Harris Children Of The Damned          Harris The Prisoner                    Adrian Smith - Harris 22, Acacia Avenue               Harris - Smith The Number Of The Beast         Harris Run To The Hills                Harris Gangland                        Smith - Clive Burr Hallowed Be Thy Name            Harris  Total Songs:  8 Total Time:  40:22 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded and Mixed @ Battery Studios, London, England Managed by Rod Smallwood Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   PIECE OF MIND -------------
 Where Eagles Dare               Harris Revelations                     Bruce Dickinson Flight Of Icarus                Smith - Dickinson Die With Your Boots On          Smith - Dickinson - Harris The Trooper                     Harris Still Life                      Murray - Harris Quest For Fire                  Harris Sun And Steel                   Dickinson - Smith To Tame A Land                  Harris  Total Songs:  9 Total Time:  46:04 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded @ Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas Mixed @ Electric Lady Sound Studios, NY Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustration by Derek Riggs
   POWERSLAVE ----------
 Aces High                       Harris Two Minutes To Midnight         Smith - Dickinson Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)        Harris Flash Of The Blade              Dickinson The Duellists                   Harris Back To The Village             Smith - Dickinson Powerslave                      Dickinson Rime Of The Ancient Mariner     Harris  Total Songs:  8 Total Time:  51:01 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded @ Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas Mixed @ Electric Lady Sound Studios, NY Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   SOMEWHERE IN TIME -----------------
 Caught Somewhere In Time        Harris Wasted Years                    Smith Sea Of Madness                  Smith Heaven Can Wait                 Harris The Loneliness Of The Long    Distance Runner              Harris Stranger In A Strange Land      Smith Deja-Vu                         Harris - Murray Alexander The Great             Harris  Total Songs:  8 Total Time:  51:26 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded @ Compass Point, Nassau Bahamas and Wisselord Studios, Hilversum,    Holland Mixed @ Electric Lady Sound Studios, NY Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON ----------------------------
 Moonchild                       Smith - Dickinson Infinite Dreams                 Harris Can I Play With Madness         Smith - Dickinson - Harris The Evil That Men Do            Smith - Dickinson - Harris Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son    Harris The Prophecy                    Murray - Harris The Clairvoyant                 Harris Only The Good Die Young         Harris - Dickinson  Total Songs:  8 Total Time:  44:08 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded @ Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany Mixed @ Sterling Sound, NY Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING -----------------------
 Tailgunner                      Harris - Dickinson Holy Smoke                      Harris - Dickinson No Prayer For The Dying         Harris Public Enema #1                 Murray - Dickinson Fates Warning                   Murray - Harris The Assassin                    Harris Run Silent Run Deep             Harris - Dickinson Hooks In You                    Dickinson - Smith Bring Your Daughter...To    The Slaughter                Dickinson Mother Russia                   Harris  Total Songs:  10 Total Time:  44:07 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch Recorded @ Steve's Barn on Rolling Stone Mobile Mixed @ Battery Studios, London Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs
   FEAR OF THE DARK ----------------
 Be Quick Or Be Dead             Dickinson - Janick Gers From Here to Eternity           Harris Afraid To Shoot Strangers       Harris Fear Is The Key                 Dickinson - Gers Childhood's End                 Harris Wasting Love                    Dickinson - Gers The Fugitive                    Harris Chains Of Misery                Dickinson - Murray The Apparition                  Harris - Gers Judas Be My Guide               Dickinson - Murray Weekend Warrior                 Harris - Gers Fear Of The Dark                Harris  Total Songs:  12 Total Time:  58:39 Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch and Steve Harris Recorded @ Barnyard Studios, Essex, England Mixed @ Barnyard Studios, Essex, England Managed by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor Sleeve Illustrations by Melvyn Grant
   THE X-FACTOR ------------
 Sign Of The Cross                Harris Lord Of The Flies                Harris - Gers Man On The Edge                  Bayley - Gers Fortunes Of War                  Harris The Aftermath                    Harris - Bayley - Gers Look For The Truth               Bayley - Gers - Harris Judgement Of Heaven              Harris Blood Of The World's Hands       Harris The Edge Of Darkness             Harris - Bayley - Gers 2 AM                             Bayley - Gers - Harris The Unbeliever                   Harris - Gers  Total Songs: 11 Total Time: 71:08 Produced and Mixed by Steve Harris and Nigel Green Recorded @ Barnyard Studios, Essex, England Engineered by Nigel Green Mastered at Chop 'em Out by Ronald Whelan Sleeve Illustrations by Hugh Syme
   Overall Song/Album Statistics ----------------------------- Total Studio Songs:  94  Steve Harris = 72 Songs ---> 76.6% Bruce Dickinson = 23 Songs ---> 24.5% Adrian Smith = 15 Songs ---> 16.0% Janick Gers = 11 Songs ---> 11.7% Dave Murray = 9 Songs ---> 9.6% Blaze Bayley = 5 Songs ---> 5.3% Paul Di'Anno = 3 Songs ---> 3.2% Clive Burr = 1 Song ---> 1.1% Nicko McBrain = Absolutely None! :)  

1. "I've Got The Fire" - this is an old (Ronnie) MONTROSE song. Sammy Hagar used to sing for them.
   
   
2. "Cross-Eyed Mary" - this is an old JETHRO TULL song (actually written by Ian Anderson) from the album AQUALUNG.
   
   
3. "Women In Uniform" - by an Australian band SKYHOOKS
   
   
4. "Tush" - this is an old ZZ TOP song, played at various places, including the Reading Festival 1992 and a secret concert at the Marquee in London, December 19, 1985. It wasn't a frequent closer but they did it every once in a while.
   
   
5. "Chevrolet" - Another ZZ TOP song from the 1972 album "Rio Grande Mud". Played at The Marquee 12/19/85
   
   
6. "Try" - ??? also from the Marquee 12/19/85
   
   
7. "School Days" - ??? also from the Marquee 12/19/85
   
   
8. "Fighting Man" - This is an Adrian Smith song. It is on the B-side of the 12" single of "Silver And Gold." also from the Marquee 12/19/85
   
   
9. "Lady" - ??? also from the Marquee 12/19/85
   
   
10. "Rosalie" - this is a BOB SEGER song of which THIN LIZZY have also done a cover on "Fighting" (1973). The Thin Lizzy version is probably the most widely known. Also from the Marquee Club gig, 12/19/85.
    
    
11. "Juanita" - ???
    
    
12. "That Girl" - this was originally done by British 'rockers' FM. Apparently, the MAIDEN version is much better, since the FM version is heavily drenched in keyboards, etc.
    
    
13. "See Right Through You" - ??? also from the Marquee 12/19/85
    
    
14. "Reach Out" - this was written by Andy Colwell later for A.S.A.P. But it was written sometime around 1985. (Also performed at the Marquee gig 12/19/85).
    
    
15. "Silver And Gold" - This is an Adrian Smith original, probably used from the times of URCHIN and BROADWAY BRATS. He probably just threw it out this night (also from the Marquee 12/19/85), and it sounds like him singing it actually. I think he also used other versions of this later in A.S.A.P.
    
    
16. "She's Gone" - originally by BLACK SABBATH from "Technical Ecstasy", also from the Marquee 12/19/85
    
    
17. "King Of Twilight" - originally done by NEKTAR.
    
    
18. "Rainbow's Gold" - originally done by BECKETT. Written by Terry Slesser and Kenny Mountain.
    
    
19. "Massacre" - originally done by THIN LIZZY.
    
    
20. "All In Your Mind" - originally done by STRAY.
    
    
21. "Kill Me Ce Soir" - originally done by GOLDEN EARRING.
    
    
22. "I'm A Mover" - originally done by FREE.
    
    
23. "Communication Breakdown" - originally done by LED ZEPPELIN, of course.
    
    
24. "Space Station No. 5" - originally done by MONTROSE.
    
    
25. "Roll Over Vic Vella" - this is a parody of CHUCK BERRY's "Roll Over Beethoven", based on main roadie/driver Vic Vella (who has been with IRON MAIDEN since their beginning).
    
    
26. "She's A Roller" - this was an URCHIN song (Adrian Smith's original band), one of 2 songs released as a single actually - from the 12 Wasted Years video.
    
    
27. "My Generation" - originally done by THE WHO (written by Pete Townshend)
    
    
28. "Doctor, Doctor" - originally by UFO (written by Michael Schenker)??

 All chart positions are in the UK, unless otherwise noted.   Albums
 ------  IRON MAIDEN                     #4  KILLERS                         #2  (#59 on Billboard chart, on for 17 weeks)  THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST         #1  (#33 on Billboard chart, in top 100 for 8                                      months)  PIECE OF MIND                   #3  (#14 on Billboard chart, on for 43 weeks)  POWERSLAVE                      #2  LIVE AFTER DEATH                #2  SOMEWHERE IN TIME               #3  SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON    #1  FEAR OF THE DARK                #5 (#12 in US)
   Singles/E.P.s ------------- 
 Running Free/Burning Ambition                         #34  Sanctuary/Drifter                                     #29  Women In Uniform/Invasion                             #35  Twilight Zone/Wrathchild                              #31  Purgatory/Genghis Khan                                #52  Run To The Hills/Total Eclipse                        #7  The Number Of The Beast/Remember Tomorrow             #18  Flight Of Icarus/I've Got The Fire                    #11  The Trooper/Cross-Eyed Mary                           #12  2 Minutes To Midnight/Rainbow's Gold                  #11  Aces High/King Of Twilight                            #20  Running Free (Live)/Sanctuary (Live)                  #19  Run To The Hills (Live)/Phantom Of The Opera (Live)   #26  Wasted Years/Reach Out                                #18  Stranger In A Strange Land/That Girl                  #22  The Evil That Men Do                                  #4  The Clairvoyant                                       #6  Infinite Dreams                                       #6  Can I Play With Madness                               #3  Holy Smoke                                debuted at  #3   (highest debut ever for a single by any group or singer)  Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter                #1  Hallowed Be Thy Name (Live)                           #9 on Billboard chart  
 

• The name IRON MAIDEN was gotten from the movie "The Man In The Iron Mask."
  
  
• The nickname "Bruce Bruce" (used during Bruce's days in Samson) is originally from Monty Python's "no pooftas" sketch.
  
  
• The nickname "Air Raid Siren" was actually well-earned in Samson when he managed to shatter a huge glass globe at Chelsea College with one particularly well-placed scream).
  
  
• "Where Eagles Dare", underlying theme: Whatever is going on wrong in the world, Clint Eastwood will fix it (quote by Bruce Dickinson, Hannover, Germany, 4/15/93). Also taken from the movie of the same name, with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The book is by Alistair MacLean. There's also a part in here that supposed to sound like a machine gun (an instru- mental section), but it's not very loud in the mix. This song was done in only 2 takes. For the Piece Of Mind tour, this used to be the opening song, putting a good bit of pressure on Nicko, since he was still new to the band.
  
  
• The Charlotte series: "Charlotte The Harlot" (from IRON MAIDEN), "22, Acacia Avenue" (from NUMBER OF THE BEAST). It is argued by some that "Hooks In You" (from NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING), and "From Here To Eternity" (FEAR OF THE DARK) are continuations of the storyline but others disagree.
  
  
• "Run To The Hills" tells the tale of the massacre of the native Americans by the pillaging pale-faces from both points of view. The first part of the song tells the side of the Indians. The second part tells the side of the soldiers. This was the band's first BIG hit single, especially in the states.
  
  
• "The Number Of The Beast" was inspired by the movie "Omen II." It's about a dream/nightmare that Steve Harris supposedly had (not devil worship!). The scream at the end was originally a sort of attempt to get a great blood-curdling scream at the end like on THE WHO's "You Won't Get Fooled Again."
  
  
• "Children Of The Damned" is a song inpsired by the movie of the same name.
  
  
• "Murders In The Rue Morgue" is based on Edgar Allen Poe's detective short story by the same name. This story is mainly the reason why Edgar Allen Poe is considered the inventor of the detective genre.
  
  
• "Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter" is loosely based on the poem "To Coy His Mistress."
  
  
• "The Sheriff Of Huddersfield" (b-side "Wasted Years" single) is a song about Maiden's manager Rod (Smallwallet) Smallwood. He is notoriously a cheapskate, skimping tips wherever possible, and pinching pennies wherever. Just listen to the song!
  
  
• "Still Life" is about a guy who's drawn like a magnet to a pool of water, sees his face in the lake, has nightmares about it, and in the end jumps in and takes his unfortunate girlfriend with him. I think it is inspired by Ramsey Campbell's "The Inhabitant of The Lake." (This one's from an old posting in alt.rock-n-roll.metal).
  
  
• "Quest For Fire", inspired by the movie of the same name, is a little less convincing than some of the other epics, although the vision it conjures up of dinosaurs and Racquel Welch wobbling about is pretty agreeable.
  
  
• "Sun And Steel" is a song about Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary Japanese Swordsman. The lyrics make many references to Musashi's book "A Book Of Five Rings." Musashi's first fight was at the age of 13, where he (untrained) supposedly beat his opponent, a samurai warrior, to death with a stick. At the age of 16 he had his second fight, and he killed that guy, too. The line "Through Earth and Water, Fire and Wind, you came at last, Nothing was the end" is a reference to "A Book Of Five Rings." Musashi also wrote his book in five sections (books): Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void. "You make your cut by Fire and Stones, take you and your blade, break you both in two". The Fire and Stones cut is a movement that Musashi decribes in the aforementioned book. Also, according to the book "Kenjutsu: The Japanese Art of Swordsmanship" by Charles Daniel, Musashi died of natural causes at the age of 61.
  
  
• "To Tame A Land" is based on the novel "Dune" by Frank Herbert. The song was actually originally titled "Dune," and Steve wanted to use a spoken quotation from the book as the intro. Out of courtesy they applied to Herbert's agent for permission, and back the word came from Herbert: "No. Because Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like IRON MAIDEN." Pretty narrow-minded attitude if you ask me. Even though the band thought it would be a good advertisement for the book "Dune" and everything, Frank Herbert still said no, and that *if* IRON MAIDEN went through with it, then he'd sue them into next week, etc. Bastard! :)
  
  
• "Purgatory" is an old song, and in a slightly different form used to be called "Floating". Then Maiden changed the lyrics and a couple of bits in the middle section.
  
  
• "Gangland", written by Clive Burr and Adrian Smith, is a bit jazz influenced, with the drum intro written by Clive (of course).
  
  
• "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is about someone with only a few hours left to live. He is about to be hanged, and this deals with how he faces his future.
  
  
• "The Trooper" is based on the Crimean War with the British against the Russians. The opening is meant to try and recreate the galloping horses in the charge of the light brigade. Based on Lord Alfred Tennyson's "Charge Of The Light Brigade."
  
  
• "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", as many people know, is an epic (Maiden's longest song by far, clocking in at 13:45), based on the poem of the same name written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (required reading in many high school literature classes that I know of!) The song is much easier to understand than the actual poem, if you ask me! :)
  
  
• "Invaders" (from THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST) is actually an extension of the old standard song "Invasion" (heard on The Soundhouse Tapes, and as a b-side to the Women In Uniform single). It is about the Viking invasion(s) of England.
  
  
• "King of Twilight" - a cover song (the b-side on the Aces High single) originally done by NEKTAR, from the album "A Tab In The Ocean." Other NEKTAR albums are: "Remember The Future", "Down To Earth", "Recycled", and "Magic Is A Child."
  
  
• "Genghis Khan" is an instrumental about what Genghis Khan's advancing army was like.
  
  
• "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" has taken its title from the book by the same title by Robert Heinlein. It is based on the Alan Sillitoe short story. It was also a British movie, 1962. (is this correct?)
  
  
• "The Assassin" is based on a killer's motives and how he goes about his business.
  
  
• "Moonchild" is the name of a book by Aleister Crowley, the most prominent ceremonial magician of this century, with the worst reputation. The lyrics from Maiden's Moonchild are based to some extent on Liber Samekh, by Crowley. It is sometimes referred to the "Preliminary Invocation of the Goetia" or "The Barbarous Names of Evocation." Contrast this excerpt with the Maiden lyrics:
  
  Thee I invoke, the Bornless One.
  Thee, that didst create the Earth and the Heavens.
  Thee, that did create the Night and the Day.
  Thee, that did create the Darkness and the Light.
  Thou art Asar-Un-Nefer (myself made perfect) whom no man has seen at any time.
  Thou art Ia-Besz (the Truth in Matter)
  Thou art Ia-Apophrasz (the Truth in Motion)
  etc....
  
  The Scarlet Whore is a deity in Crowley's pantheon. The Scarlet Whore is, of course, the Scarlet Woman of Liber AL vel Legis, and the Whore of Babylon in Revelations. The Beast was of course, supposed to be Crowley.
  
  
• "The Evil That Men Do" has taken its title from a Shakespeare quote. The quote is "The evil that men do lives on after them, But the good is oft interred with their bones." This is from Mark Antony's soliloquy in "Julius Caesar."
  
  
• "Run Silent Run Deep" is based on the movie.
  
  
• "Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter" was written during Bruce Dickinson's solo project for the Nightmare On Elm Street Part V movie.
  
  
• "Prowler" is supposedly about a guy streaking and flashing women, while masturbating at the same time.
  
  
• "Alexander The Great" tells the life and times of the famous conqueror Alexander The Great (duh!).
  
  
• "Weekend Warrior" is (possibly) about weekend soccer matches with your friends, and especially about the 'hooliganism' that goes on.
  
  
• "Holy Smoke" is about the bullshit televangelists, and some of their weird scams.
  
  
• "The Duellists" is loosely based on the British movie of the same name, directed by Ridley Scott (his debut film). Also, see the book "The Duel" by Joseph Conrad.
  
  
• "Remember Tomorrow" is, according to a Paul Di'Anno interview with Metal Hammer, about his grandfather. This track was very special and personal to him.
  
  
• "The Prisoner" is based on the 1960's British TV series of the same name, starring Patrick McGoohan. This series has become kind of a cult and you can buy the whole set on video. In the series, a British secret agent quits the secret service and is gassed as soon as he gets home. He wakes up in a place called "The Village" where people have their names replaced by numbers. He is number Six and the numbers get smaller as you go up the hierarchy. Number One runs the place. See also the FAQ on alt.tv.prisoner.
  
  
• "Back In The Village" also has something to do with The Prisoner series.
  
  
• "Stranger In A Strange Land" is about an expedition that got lost in the North Pole. Their bodies were found almost perfectly preserved in the snow. Adrian met one of the survivors and this inspired Maiden to write the song. Apparently the man has become a Maiden fan since :-). The title is borrowed from the famous Robert Heinlein book but the song is not related to the book in any other way.
  
  
• "Childhood's End" is an Arthur C. Clarke Sci-Fi book. The song does not have anything to do with the book, apart from the fact that they have the same title, just like "Stranger In A Strange Land."
  
  
• "Man On The Edge" appears to be based on the film "Falling Down" starring Michael Douglas.
  
  
• "The Edge Of Darkness" is based on Joseph Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness," on which the film "Apocalypse Now" is based.
  
  
• "Sign Of The Cross" may be loosely based on the book "The Name Of The Rose" by Umberto Eco. There is also a film by the same name, starring Sean Connery. The "Eleven saintly shrouded men" who "came to wash my sins away" is the holy Inquisition.
  
  
• "Lord Of The Flies" is based on William Golding's novel by the same name.

                                           /--|--\                                 /   |   \                                 \   |    /                                  \--|--/  \                                     |       \                         .--,        |         \--,                         |__|        |         |__|                                    \./ 

• IRON MAIDEN: check the second brick from the left, six rows down
• KILLERS: in the window at the bottom on the right
• THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST: just right of the Devil's ankle
• PIECE OF MIND: On the back cover, as part of a necklace held within a skeletal hand. (The signature is not on the cd version since part of the picture has been cut off)
• POWERSLAVE: at the pyramid's entrance, where Eddie's privates would be
• LIVE AFTER DEATH: Open up the CD case and follow the stone path back through the center of the cemetery. There's a tombstone in the middle back there with his symbol on it. Did you notice that another tombstone behind the cat and the red rose has 'Here Lies Derek Riggs'? This painting also has religious references in it. Just look over all the crosses and tombstones, and of course the shadowy figure in the sky.
• SOMEWHERE IN TIME: Eddie's breastplate
• SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON: in the water (plain as day)
• NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING: out in the grass somewhere OR the "dot" over the 'i' in Dying appears to be the signature
• FEAR OF THE DARK: (This cover done by Melvyn Grant, see note at end)
• A REAL DEAD ONE: On the outside corner of Eddie's right eye
• A REAL LIVE ONE: On the inside of Eddie's right thigh
• Running Free single: on the cardboard box to the right of the uncovered trashcan
• Sanctuary single: on the folded over part of the IRON MAIDEN poster
• Women in Uniform: on the stone wall just right of the trashcan, beneath Margaret Thatcher's right elbow.
• Purgatory single: plain as day left of Satan's throat
• The Trooper single: on the ground beneath Eddie's legs.
• Aces High: on the front of the plane, just below the cockpit, on the left hand side.
• The Judge (First Ten Years) - It appears to be sideways on the righthand corner of the book in front of Eddie.
• The Prophet (inside 7th son): on the right hand corner of the book that Eddie is writing in.
• Maiden Japan: between Eddie's ankle and the 81
• Maiden England video: at the corner of the Union Jack flag closest to Eddie
• A REAL LIVE ONE: On the head of the bass guitar
• A REAL DEAD ONE: On the wrist of the hand that is pulling down on Eddie's mouth.

1. "This is a very boring painting" - backwards message just behind Eddie's right leg
2. Ruskin Arms reference (old pub they started playing at)
3. Clock says 23:58 (2 Minutes To Midnight)
4. West Ham 7 Arsenal 3 - soccer score, showing their favorite team West Ham well in the lead. Incidentally, West Ham are THE IRONS - see section 24
5. Aces High bar, complete with a spitfire flying above.
6. The Rainbow bar (another old club they frequented in the early days)
7. Live After Death, Blade Runner on the movie theater
8. The movie theater is the Philip K. Dick cinema, who is the author of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", on which the movie Blade Runner is based.
9. Marquee Club (another old club they frequented in the old days)
10. Phantom Opera House
11. "Bollocks again and again" under "Phantom Opera House". This might be a reference to the hidden "Bollocks" message on the Powerslave cover.
12. Ancient Mariner Seafood Restaurant
13. Herbert Ails on the overpass (probably a reference to Frank Herbert, author of DUNE, who wouldn't allow Maiden to use it as a song title).
14. "Tonight GYPSY'S KISS", under the 23:58 sign (hard to see) - reference to Steve Harris' very first band
15. Hammerjacks - a reference to one of the band's favorite bars in the US, Hammerjacks Night Club in Baltimore, MD. The Night Club closed on Jan 1 94. The concert hall is still open, however.
16. Long Beach Arena
17. Nicko is dressed in old-time flight goggles (reference to his being a pilot).
18. Nicko is also wearing a shirt saying: "Iron What?"
19. On the back cover there is Icarus falling from the Sun with burning wings in the top right corner, in front of the Bradbury Hotel. This of course refers to "The Flight Of Icarus."
20. The "Bradbury Hotels International" sign - is this possibly a reference to the popular futuristic author Ray Bradbury (author of such classics as "The Martian Chronicles", "Ice Nine", etc.)?
21. If you look closely, you can see the shadow of the reaper on the back cover in front of the pyramids.
22. The pyramids refer to the sleeve of "Powerslave".
23. All the Japanese around the covers could be connected to "Maiden Japan" and IRON MAIDEN's other performances there.
24. "Maggies revenge" on the back cover refers to Margaret Thatcher. She and the British government had a dispute with IRON MAIDEN back in 1980/1981 with the "Sanctuary" and "Women In Uniform" singles, depicting her as dead on the ground (killed by Eddie, of course) and hiding behind a wall observing Eddie picking up chicks, respectively.
25. The street Eddie is standing on is Acacia Avenue, a reference of course to "Charlotte the Harlot" and "22 Acacia Avenue", the Charlotte series. (You can see this above the IRON MAIDEN poster on the extreme right side).
26. In one of the windows on Acacia Avenue, you can see a girl (supposedly Charlotte the Harlot herself) sitting in a chair.
27. Bruce Dickinson is holding a brain, ala PIECE OF MIND.
28. Tehe's bar is where they got the guys to sing backup vocals in the sing- along part in "Heaven Can Wait."
29. Batman standing under Tehe's bar sign
30. Tardis from Dr. Who is above the Rainbow Club sign
31. Asimov Foundation Building in background
32. Tyrell Corp. right above the causeway (replicant manufacturer in Blade Runner)
33. Cat with halo, which seems to pop up all over the place
34. Eye of Horus above Webster sign to left of Eddie's gun
35. One of Eddie's eyes is actually a 'laser'. This probably comes from the "2 Minutes To Midnight single"... Just remember the picture from this single: Eddie has a "pirate's eye", probably because of the nuclear holocaust (the nuclear mushroom-cloud in the background).
36. There is a litter box right under Eddie's left leg attached to the lamppost. This is exactly the same as the litter box attached to the light post on the IRON MAIDEN debut album, to the left of Eddie next to the wall. Pretty obscure! :)
37. Also, there is a metal plate that connects Eddie's nose to the top of his head. If you look at the wall to the right of sign that has the football (excuse me, 'soccer' for y'all in the US!) score on it, you will see that little metal plate with two screws that Eddie always has on his head (since the PIECE OF MIND era at least, when he was lobotimized. The screw is there now to keep his head all together in one piece!).
38. There are also these neon signs, one of which says something in Hebrew, the other one in Russian. The Hebrew bit probably means "God" (?), the Russian bit is pronounced KEPHIR and means "yoghurt". This is (or rather was) a rather common sign on the buildings indicating a milk-store in Russia.

• The quotation at the beginning of the song "The Number Of The Beast" is from Revelations (ch. xiii v.18): "Woe to you, oh Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, beacause he knows the time is short...Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number, its number is Six hundred and sixty six." The person speaking this intro is NOT Vincent Price...it's actually a spaker found by an ad agent friend of Rod Smallwood's). [Actually, the proper quote from the Book of Revelations is "... its number is six hundred and three score six."]
• "The Prisoner" was a song inspired by the sixties acid-tab TV series of the same name and open with a phrase from the series. The phrase "I'm not a number, I'm a free man!" sums up the spirit of the central rebel character portrayed by the series writer, maverick Danger Man Patrick McGoohan. British heavy DJ Tommy Vance had the tapes so Steve Harris could find the quote he wanted; all that remained was to get permission to lift it from the man himself. Rod Smallwood was quite nervous in doing it, but called up McGoohan and told the actor the details. "What was the band's name again?" he asked. "IRON MAIDEN", replied a terrified Rod. "A rock band you say?" McGoohan mused and then snapped the command "DO IT!" The full dialog at the beginning of "The Prisoner" is as follows:
  "We want information...information...information..."
  "Who are you?"
  "The new number two."
  "Who is number one?"
  "You are number six."
  "I am not a number!...I am a free man!"
  "<laughter>"
  
• The quote on the back of the Piece Of Mind LP sleeve: again from Revela- tions (ch. xxi, v.1): "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death. Neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more Brain." (where 'pain' was replaced by 'Brain', obviously). This refers to Eddie's brain being removed in Piece Of Mind.
• The first and last verses of the song Revelations are taken from an old English hymnal by G. K. Chesterton.
• At the end of Still Life, if you crank up the volume right after the last note you can hear someone (Nicko I think) say "that was fuckin' great!" But it's almost silent...you gotta listen hard.
• During the bridge of "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", the following is actually a quotation from the original poem of the same name, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: "Day after day, day after day, we stuck nor breath nor motion, As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean; Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink, Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798 - 1834).
• During the middle slow part of "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", the following is also a quotation from the poem of the same name, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: "One after one by the star dogged moon, too quick for groan or sigh; each turned his face with a ghastly pang, and cursed me with his eye; four times fifty living men, (and I heard nor sigh nor groan), with a heavy thump, a lifeless lump, they dropped down one by one." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798 - 1834).
• On the LIVE AFTER DEATH cover: "That is not dead/which can eternal lie/ yet with strange aeons/even death may die." This is from H. P. Lovecraft's "Nameless City." The proper quote is "AND with strange aeons" instead of "yet." In the story, this is written in the Necronomicon by Abdul Alhazred. The complete works of H. P. Lovecraft consist of only three volumes and I think it's worth buying and reading them.
• At the beginning of the LIVE AFTER DEATH album and video, right before the beginning of the song "Aces High", there is a Winston Churchill speech, from back at the beginning of World War II (the exact date is June 4th, 1940.) I think it's the speech he gave as the official "Declaration Of War" speech. It goes like this: "We Shall go on till the end. We shall fight in France, We shall fight in the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cause may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight on the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"
• From the sleeve of the "Stranger In A Strange Land" single: "The android with no name walked into the crowded spaceport bar, eight foot tall, with death in his cold android eyes, he strode across the room. Small green aliens scuttled out of his path, fearsome martian warriors would not meet his gaze and the air froze when he croaked in his dark gravelly voice, "A pint of bitter please, mate".
• At the beginning of the song "Alexander The Great": "My son...ask for thyself another Kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee." by King Philip of Macedonia - 339 B.C. (Alexander the Great's father, obviously). King Philip had a wild horse that none of his men could break (i.e. stay on!) Then Alexander who waas around 13 then, jumped on the horse and broke it. The king laughed and said "My kingdom's not gonna be big enough for you!" Twisting the English around a little you get a more sophisticated version which is what appears on the album.
• "Hello, let me to introduce myself, my name's Rodney, I'm immensely strong... The reason I never took up martial arts is because I'm immensely fearsome. And I'd probably kill everybody that I came into contact with. I was phenomenally strong....fly with eagle my lad, fly with the eagle, 'cos it's what makes the world rotate. And everybody knows that the center of the universe is Huddersfield, that's why I don't live there anymore... I live in Los Angeles - it's great... I think. I don't know why you make such a fuss about it... I'm not in it for the money! I like it here, the sun shines all night..." "Also I used to be able to lift 95 navvies on a shivel...you're not bloody listening to me are you?" - courtesy of Rodney Smallwood, Bloody Yorkshireman
• On A REAL DEAD ONE, the first track, "The Number Of The Beast" has something weird going on before the song starts. During the Revelations quote, at approximately 0:10, 0:18, 0:20 and 0:25, if you turn up the volume a good bit, you can hear some sort of gibberish in the background, After it says "For it is a human number", Bruce says "What is it please?". Anybody know anything else about this?!
• On A REAL LIVE ONE, Bruce Dickinson takes out about a minute of time speaking French to the audience, right before going into the song "Wasting Love." Below is a pretty accurate transcription of what he says in French, and its equivalent English translation, more or less... :)
  
  Original version (in French)
  
  Eh bonsoir, bienvenue C'est la premiere fois que je parle le francais pour une annee et demie, tres dangereux. Nous avons un nouveau album, oui c'est ca, Fear Of The Dark, oui. Cette chanson, c'est un peu different pour nous de faire ce type de chanson, mais pour nous c'est important, parce qu'il est un chanson qui est pour le coeur. L'amour ce n'est pas seulement un homme fuck(*) un ami, ce n'est pas. L'amour c'est, c'est plus en bas, dans la tete, dans le coeur, dans toute la forme.
  
  In English
  
  Eh Goodnight, welcome It's the first time I've been speaking French for one year and an half, very dangerous. We have a new album, yes that's correct, Fear Of The Dark, yes. This song, it's somehow different for us to write this type of song, but for us it's important because this is a song which is for the heart. Love, this is not only a man fuck a friend, no this is not Love is, it's more deep, in the mind, in the heart, in the whole of the being (is that correct?)
  
  

• The movie "Phenomena" (UK title) or "Creepers" (US title) by Dario Argente, 1984 has "Flash Of The Blade" in a chase scene.
• The movie "Morons From Outer Space" shows "The Number Of The Beast" LP cover in a scene. A person is going crazy, and a person holds up the album, points to Eddie, and points back to the person, as if "you're nuts."
• The Beavis and Butt-Head episode "SCARED STRAIGHT" has Beavis and Butt-Head visiting a prison, supposedly to deter them from a future life of crime. They meet two guys in a cell, one of which has an IRON MAIDEN tatoo on his left arm. Beavis thinks it's cool, the guys says "Yeah...Maiden rules." And they start jamming...playing air guitar and singing a piece of "The Prisoner": "Not a prisoner!!! I'm a free man!!! And my blood is my own now!!!" in a painfully awful Beavis & Butt-Head-like voice! This is quite cool, I think. :)
• The alt.tv.prisoner FAQ where the name Iron Maiden and the songs THE PRISONER and BACK IN THE VILLAGE are mentioned
• The Stephen King wannabe author Shaun Hutson seems to be a big Maiden fan because several of his books feature quotes preceding chapters, and characters wearing Maiden shirts or listening to their music. I think his novel "Slugs" has several such examples.
• Bruce Dickinson and Eddie did a Public Service Announcement for television with "The Seat Belt Dummies" circa 1991. The seat belt dummies were in the audience jamming to Maiden and then Eddie came out later and they made some remark that, "if you don't wear your seatbelt, you may end up looking like this (points to Eddie)". At the end, Bruce says something like "Don't forget, buckle your safety belt, mate".
• It seems that a computer virus author who goes by the name of Dark Avenger is an Iron Maiden fan. Many of his viruses contain references to Eddie. Quoting from the book "Inside the Norton Anti-virus": 'Eddie is the "dead dude," a character throughout the albums of heavy metal group Iron Maiden. The "The Somewhere in Time" album cover shows Eddie as a sci-fi Cyborg warrior.' 'Other Dark Avenger viruses also contain references to Iron Maiden, such as "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son." The Seventh Son virus is the title of an album by Iron Maiden. The idea is based on the fantasy novel series by Orson Scott Card. In this fictitious history of colonial America, magic and folklore are more powerful than science. The seventh son has magical power, and Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son, and a messiah figure, has the power to fight the Unbuilder.' 'The Evil Men virus, a variant of the Dark Avenger virus, contains the title of a song from the Iron Maiden album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, "The Evil That Men Do." The Evil Men virus and the V800 virus, both from Bulgaria, also contain an encrypted reference to the Iron Maiden album Live After Death.'
• The Beavis and Butt-Head episode "TAKE A NUMBER" has Beavis and Butt-Head watching (most of) the video of "From Here To Eternity" in it.
• In the movie BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, Bill and Ted travel back in time, and are in medieval England, when they are caught talking with the King's daughters. The King orders "put them in the Iron Maiden." And they look at each other and say, "Iron Maiden?! EXCELLENT!". And then find out they are to be executed. "Bogus!".

• When the group went down to Nassau, Bahamas in early 1983, they earned some nicknames. H was Melvin (the name for his alter-ego, basically whenever he was *drunk*!), Dave was Nobby, Nicko was Boomer (because of his really foul farts), Bruce was Conan The Librarian.
• Also in Nassau, the boys almost ran out of money. Credit cards were full, and no cash on hand, and taking forever to cable money over from England. So they put their faith in manager Rod Smallwood, and he walked down to the casino with $50, and came back with $300, 6 nights in a row. :)
• The drum intro to Where Eagles Dare is another interesting story. This was done right after Nicko entered the band in Dec '82/Jan '83, and when they had begun recording Piece Of Mind. Steve Harris mentioned to Nicko that they needed some kind of drum intro. Nicko was still kind of nervous, etc., but he stayed in working almost all day on a drum intro for Where Eagles Dare. At the end of the day, he had a little 6-7 second thing, that entailed hitting basically every piece of his drum kit, going from small tom to big tom, like a kind of ending to a song - and then jumped into the chorus. The next day, Nicko played it for Steve and Steve said "no...no...no...nothing like that...just something simple like rat-tat- tat-tat....rat-tat-tat-tat (you get the idea)". (Steve apparently tried to play something on Nicko's kit, but he's about as good as that as his grandmother would be...) Nicko said "oh...you mean like this?" and played it. "That's it!" replied Steve. What you hear on the LP is what it was in the end.
• After a concert on October 13, 1979 at the Umist in Manchester, England, Dave Murray apparently hit on (or did something to!) enough girls, and pissed off enough boyfriends/guys, etc., that the next week there was actually an article in SOUNDS magazine threatening to kick his ass! The article read:
  
  "I would just like to warn Dave Murray the lead guitarist of Iron Maiden that if he steps foot inside Manchester again I will personally pummell his brains in, cos he's ruined what I thought was an ace relationship with my girlfriend. And may I point out that no matter how much she rubs his name in my face I still think Deb Brown of Wythenshawe is the best yet. --- Jealous Dave"
  
  What a loser! :-)

• Rob Loonhouse - His picture is on the sleeve of "The Soundhouse Tapes" with a Flying V carboard cutout, which many people think is real. He was actually a wedding photographer in the early days, and used to go to the Maiden gigs acting real weird, and used to hop up on stage and jam out with the cardboard cut out.
  
  
• Ross (Mr. Manners/I don't want to spend my birthday in Poland/King Pervert) Halfin - Famous band photographer, initially made famous (I think) through his connections with IRON MAIDEN.
  
  
• Dave (I'm already working on the next tour) Beasley (aka Dave Lights) - Lighting Engineer
  
  
• Rod (Smallwallet/The Raiders/I can tak' it-I'm a Yorkshireman/Sherriff Of Huddersfield/Bloody 'ell Fire/Rufus The Red) Smallwood - Co-manager of IRON MAIDEN, along with Andy Taylor, since December 1979.
  
  
• Andy (L.B.C./Aye, a large Bacardi and Coke) Taylor - Co-manager of IRON MAIDEN, along with Rod Smallwood.
  
  
• Martin (The Headmaster/The Farmer/Live Animal/Pool Bully/The Bishop/Bunter/ Disappearing Armchair/The Juggler) Birch - Producer of all albums from KILLERS through FEAR OF THE DARK. Formerly worked with DEEP PURPLE and other such famous bands.
  
  
• Tony (Computer Man) Wigens - Tour Manager
  
  
• Derek (R.I.P./The Master/Blood N' Guts Everywhere) Riggs - Illustrator
  
  
• Neal Kay - DJ at The Heavy Metal Soundhouse who used to have a heavy metal chart, and publish the music magazine SOUNDS, which Maiden first started out getting press back in the early days.
  
  
• Garry Bushell - Author of the IRON MAIDEN biography, and has been hanging around with the band (doing what, I'm not sure!) for quite some time. He's also a big rock-band writer guy (hence, the author of the Maiden biography "Running Free.").
  
  
• Vic (Crazy Innit) Vella - Maiden's first and present-day head of road crews.
  
  
• Dick (Dicky/Course I'm pissed-it's a day off) Bell - Production Manager, Tour Director
  
  
• Doug (Megawatt) Hall - Sound Engineer
  
  
• Warren (I've gotta get going real fast) Poppe - Personal Road Manager
  
  
• Will Malone - Producer of the debut album IRON MAIDEN, which the band was apparently very disappointed with.
  
  
• Keith Wilfort - Head/Secretary of the official IRON MAIDEN fan club.
  
  
  
  
• Management: Sanctuary Music (Overseas) Ltd. and Sanctuary Music Ltd.
  
  
• Publishers: Zomba Music Publishers Limited.

• Steve's first bass was a copy Fender Telecaster. It cost him 40 pounds.
• Steve actually studied to be an architectural draftsman for about 5 years or so, and actually received a license.
• Steve Harris is the band's main songwriter, having written or co-written approximately 75% of all songs. I first discovered this fact when I used to watch the LIVE AFTER DEATH video and see Steve Harris mouth along to all the lyrics while playing bass! Now I understand why! :)
• Steve believed the best song he had written was "Phantom Of The Opera", then changed to "To Tame A Land", then changed to "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" (as of 1985). Anybody know if that's changed again since?
• Steve Harris also thinks the best Maiden song that Adrian Smith wrote was "2 Minutes To Midnight."
• Dave Murray writes a song about once every 3 years, a process that Bruce Dickinson has described as being something like "trying to give birth to an elephant!" Some songs are "Charlotte The Harlot". Also, "The Prophecy", "Still Life", "Deja-Vu", "Public Enema Number One", "Fates Warning", "Chains Of Misery", "Judas Be My Guide", and "Twilight Zone" (the main riffs but not the lyrics, which were written mainly of course by Steve Harris).
• The MAIDEN JAPAN E.P. happened because the Japanese wanted a live product. It was produced by IRON MAIDEN and Doug Hall, and released in November of 1981.
• IRON MAIDEN is apparently included in the Guiness Book Of World Records Museum in Las Vegas, NV. The Guiness book of Records (1990 ed. p. 155) says: "Largest PA system: On Aug 20th 1988 at the Castle Donington 'Monsters of Rock' Festival a total of 360 Turbosound cabinets offering a potential 523kW of programme power, formed the largest front-of-house PA. The average Sound Pressure Level at the mixing tower was 118dB, peaking at a maximum of 124dB during Iron Maiden's set. It took five days to set up the system."
• Nicko McBrain used to play with Pat Travers, but doesn't think too highly of him or the experience. When asked about it in 1988, Nicko replied "I wouldn't stop to PISS on him!"
• Nicko McBrain has (at least) 1 kid, Nicko Junior I believe. He was born sometime around 1982 or so. Nicko also married an American woman sometime in 1988 I think. I'm not sure what number marriage this was, and if he's still married or not...
• The video for The Trooper contains a vicious cavalry charge which the BBC wouldn't play un-edited (even though the film it was lifted from, "Die With Your Boots On" (do I see trend here?!) was ironically screened at 7pm one evening when the band had been told their video was 'too bloodthirsty for young people').
• Most concerts during the Piece Of Mind tour clocked it at a little over 2 hours (for the first time now at this point)!
• Bruce is an avid fencer, and carries a full set of epees on the road with him.
• Bruce is also a 'train addict' - fascinated by trains, etc.
• Adrian is an avid fly fisherman.
• It's hard for Nicko to even take a break from playing (even after months and months and months on the road) - he likes playing so much! Even so, he is also an avid fisherman, and has pursued and obtained a private pilot's license. During the last part of the World Slavery Tour, he preferred flying his private plane to most gigs, as opposed to the guy's tour bus.
• The whole band are huge soccer fans. West Ham (England) is their favorite team, but they used to play often on the road, especially gruelling matches with Rainbow and Def Leppard guys. You can also see references to West Ham on the SOMEWHERE IN TIME album cover, and even a reference or two in a few different songs.
• POWERSLAVE was mixed at famed Electric Ladyland Studios in New York, NY.
• Rehearsals for the World Slavery Tour were done in Fort Lauderdale, FL, beginning 06/20/84. This was followed in early August by 5 days of pre- production in Hannover, Germany, where the whole stage set, P.A., lights, etc. were put together complete for the first time.
• The World Slavery Tour entailed over 300 gigs in 13 months, enslaving 28 countries en route. On this tour they took 120,000 watts of PA, and over 800 lamps. For the US, it took 6 45-foot trailers and 5 buses to carry all the equipment and crew and personnel (the permanent crew of 12 people expanding to 42 on the road).
• Maiden has always tried to avoid playing big prestige arenas, like Wembley and the NEC (both in England) in favor of taking the music to the people for as many nights as the people want them there. Well, at least most of the time. :)
• Steve Harris lives on a farm in Romford, just outside of Essex, England.
• Another popular hangout: Harrow, London (bowling alley, favorite of Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers)
• Derek Riggs lives in Ashwell, Hertforshire - and supposedly owns a very good pub there.
• As of 1984, Maiden had never played "Invaders" live (even though it was thought of as a good 'rock n' roll opener'), or "Gangland".
• The song "Wrathchild" is misspelled on the IRON MAIDEN CD release (it is incorrectly spelled "Wratchild"). This is not limited to the U.S., it's also appeared in Canada.
• The CD releases of the first 2 albums, IRON MAIDEN and KILLERS, were not originally available when CDs first came to be. They were released later on, and subsequently don't have a full inner sleeve, like all current CDs. They contain only a front and back cover - the inside is blank, so beware! Kinda cheesy!
• Martin Birch has produced all of Maiden's albums, except IRON MAIDEN (produced by Will Malone), and A REAL LIVE ONE and A REAL DEAD ONE (produced by Steve Harris).
• The show for the Monsters Of Rock Festival, August 22, 1992, was about a 2 hour Maiden gig. On the very last song of the show, "Running Free", Adrian Smith comes out there to play on it! Bruce said later on that he "didn't miss a note" and they saw tears in his eyes.
• The auditions for guitarists in Maiden's history has differed greatly. When Adrian Smith tried out, all he had to do was apparently play the song "Wrathchild", down a pint of beer in like 5 seconds, and play soccer halfway decent with the guys. Janick Gers' audition was more difficult: he had to learn "Iron Maiden", "Children Of The Damned", and "The Trooper" in one night! You gotta think though...both of these guys were good friends with the band and had some kind of connections to IRON MAIDEN even before they joined.
• Bruce Dickinson was required to learn 5 songs for his audition. He apparently also went above and beyond the call of duty and learned like 10 or something.
• Paul Sears (ex-GYPSY'S KISS drummer, an old band with Steve Harris) took over IRON MAIDEN's management temporarily for a short time in 1977.
• One of IRON MAIDEN's earliest fans was Keith Wilfort, now the head of the official IRON MAIDEN Fan Club. He caught Maiden's first ever performance at the Cart & Horses tavern by accident - he was giving a barmaid's boy- friend the slip at the time after getting caught taking her out, and came in. He was completely blown away by "Transylvania" and was converted on the spot. One night Keith walked into the Bridge House (another popular early gigging spot) with a home-made t-shirt proudly proclaiming "Charlotte Rules OK", and soon followed it with a more elaborate "Invasion" t-shirt. So, he is pretty much the inventor of the first IRON MAIDEN t-shirt. He later 'graduated' to pushing the band's merchandise, turning his home into a pit with thousands of copies of THE SOUNDHOUSE TAPES E.P., and has since progressed onto the Fan Club.
• All the b-sides for the SOMEWHERE IN TIME album were played pretty much totally by Adrian Smith. Nicko did drums, Bruce did some vocals, but everything else was done by Adrian...some vocals ("Reach Out", for instance), all guitar and bass (that's why you don't hear the Steve Harris- esque dink-dink-dink all the way through on the bass line). In fact, it was supposedly only these 3 guys in the studio the whole time for these singles: "Reach Out", "That Girl", and "Juanita." "Sheriff Of Huddersfield" was done by the whole band, by the way.
• Think about this: the first 6 studio albums were in alphabetical order by chance: IRON MAIDEN, KILLERS, (THE) NUMBER OF THE BEAST, PIECE OF MIND, POWERSLAVE, and SOMEWHERE IN TIME. Then the go in reverse order after that: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON, NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING, and FEAR OF THE DARK.
• Here's something else interesting: with the exception of the FROM THERE TO ETERNITY video (which was released sometime in 1992), IRON MAIDEN has released a video about every 2 years since their first, LIVE AT THE RAINBOW, in 1981.
• All proceeds from the sale of the official IRON MAIDEN biography "Running Free" are donated to the Anti-Heroin campaign (as well as sales from the 1985 "Running Free" 7" poster bag single).
• The song "Moonchild" from SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON was recorded in only 1 take!
• "Nosferatu" movie, 1922 - German film, FR Murnau. Another influence for the band.
• Iron Maiden is one of only 3 bands to have made multiple appearances at Donington as the headlining act. The others are Whitesnake (twice) and AC/DC (3 times).
• The Irons is a nickname for West Ham United, a soccer club from London. This is Maiden's 'fave' club. If you have any doubts about it, check out Steve's bass - it's got West Ham logo on it. The club uses 'Up the Irons' as its 'motto' and that is why Maiden uses it as well. Besides they are Irons, too... :-)
• Iron Maiden visited Russia for the first time during Fear of the Dark Tour (date indicated in Real Dead One). And connected with that (or may be not) they issued a full collection of Iron Maiden albums on vinyl to be sold in the stores around Russia - finally a legitimized distribution of their albums (before this they used to copy the albums from friends or from by-western-laws-illegal so called recording studios.)

1. Blitz Fish (jazz rock group) - (11/18/76)
2. Praying Mantis - several dates early on, 1979 - 1980.
3. Urchin - (08/10/79)
4. Trust (w/ Nicko McBrain on drums) - (03/15/80)
5. Humble Pie - (Jun '81)
6. Whitesnake - (Jul '81)
7. Blackfoot - (Mar-Apr '82)
8. Girlschool - (Jul '82)
9. Vandale - (06/09/83)
10. Rock Goddess - June '84, Helsinki Ice Hall
11. Fastway - (Jun-Jul '83)
12. Saxon - (Jun-Jul '83)
13. Coney Hatch - (Jul-Aug '83)
14. Quiet Riot - (Sep-Oct '83)
15. Michael Schenker - (Nov '83)
16. Waysted - (09/11/84)
17. Twisted Sister - (01/28/85)
18. W.A.S.P. - (World Slavery Tour)
19. Accept - (World Slavery Tour)
20. Motley Crue - (World Slavery Tour)
21. Queensryche - (World Slavery Tour)
22. Warrior - (World Slavery Tour)
23. Ratt - (World Slavery Tour)
24. Mamas Boys - (World Slavery Tour)
25. Yngwie Malmsteen - (01/08/87)
26. Vinnie Vincent Invasion - (02/27/87)
27. Waysted - (04/07/87)
28. Killer Dwarfs - (8/7/88)
29. Ace Frehley's Comet - (7/8/88) Meadowlands, Rutherford, NJ
30. Wolfsbane - Intercity ExXMPss Tour 1990 (a series of about 30 UK night shows at venues of around 3-5 thousand and was billed as a thankyou tour.
31. Helloween - 7th Tour Of A 7th Tour
32. Guns 'n' Roses - 7th Tour Of A 7th Tour
33. Megadeth - 7th Tour (for at least 1 gig at Alpine Valley, WI, replacing GnR 'cause Axl Rose was sick)
34. L.A. Guns - 7th Tour Of A 7th Tour, Los Angeles
35. King's X, Anthrax - (12/21/90)
36. Anthrax - (Feb-Mar '91)
37. Dream Theater - (May/June '92) - RITZ, New York City
38. Testament - (08/27/92)
39. Warrant - (09/02/92)
40. The Almighty - (04/09/93, 05/17/93)
41. Corrosion of Conformity - (07/11/92, Lakewood Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA)
42. Dirty Deeds - (European Leg Of The X-Factour) 1995

• "Iron Maiden" (includes IRON MAIDEN, KILLERS, THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, and PIECE OF MIND) - transcribed by Ray Donato. Has a picture of "The Trooper" on the front. Includes a biography for the band to that date. The transcriptions are ok. There is both standard notation and tab, but no solos. You might have to do some interpolating in spots. Hal Leonard # HL00693095, original ISBN # 0-89524-190-0 (originally published by Cherry Lane Music Company, Inc.), retail $19.95. (About $30 canadian in Canada.)
• "Powerslave/Somewhere In Time" - Guitar Recorded version. Transcribed by Wolf Marshall. Has a picture of "Stranger In A Strange Land" on the cover. Very good and very accurate and also include solos. Couple of cool photos of the band too. Hal Leonard # HL00693096, ISBN 0-88188-777-3, retail $17.95 (or $19.95 I think). (Around $30 canadian in Canada.)
• "Powerslave/Somewhere In Time" - Bass recorded version. Transcribed by Mike Duclos. This also has the bass parts during the guitar solos. Hal Leonard # HL00660130, ISBN 0-7935-3081-4, retail $17.95. (Around $30 canadian.)
• "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" - Guitar recorded version, transcribed by Larry Giannechini. Hal Leonard # HL00693097, retail $16.95.
• "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" - Melody Line, Lyrics, Chords. Hal Leonard # HL00356985, retail $9.95.
• "No Prayer For The Dying" - transcribed by Jim Quinn. Hal Leonard # 00694761, ISBN #0-7935-0394-9, retail $18.95.
• "Fear Of The Dark" - transcribed by Barnes Music Engraving. Hal Leonard # HL00694850, ISBN #0-7935-1845-8, retail $19.95.
• "Powerslave" - includes cassette or CD pack. Hal Leonard # HL00674100 (Cassette pack), # HL00699340 (CD pack), retail $17.95 (Cassette pack), $19.95 (CD pack).
• "Rock Score" - includes 5 songs: "Innocent Exile", "Killers", "Phantom Of The Opera", "Remember Tomorrow", and "Running Free". Hal Leonard # HL00660053, retail $16.95 (or is it $18.95?). This book does NOT have TAB notation (like it advertisements *say* it do!), and it is also kinda cheesy for lyrics...but supposedly the solos are XMPtty decently transcribed (if you can read the music, that is). But it includes both guitar parts, vocals, bass, and drums as well. XMPtty detailed.
• "A Real Live One" - transcribed by Danny Begelman, guitar editor Aaron Stang. includes all songs off of the album A REAL LIVE ONE. Published by CPP/Belwin Inc., 15800 N.W. 48th Avenue, Miami, FL 33014 (# P0994GTX - no ISBN). Retail $21.95 (#19.95 in the UK)
• "The best of IRON MAIDEN" - really it's the singles. ISBN #0-7119-2577-1, cost around #12 (that's UK pounds). The song list is as follows:
  
  + Without solos (and with a XMPtty dodgy or just plain wrong transcription): Running Free, Sanctuary, Women in Uniform, Twilight Zone, Wrathchild, Run to the Hills, Purgatory, The Number of the Beast, Flight of Icarus, The Trooper.
  
  + With solos (but some are incomplete, e.g. the verse riffs for Infinite Dreams are left `as an exercise'): 2 Minutes to Midnight, Aces High, Wasted Years, Stranger in a Strange Land, Can I Play With Madness, The Evil that Men Do, The Clairvoyant, Infinite Dreams, Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter, Holy Smoke.
  
  Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation's address is 7777 West Bluemound Road, P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213, USA.
  
  All books are in TAB form, with notes, except for the "Rock Score" book, which is notes only (no TAB)! This specific book also has some XMPtty incorrect lyrics unfortunately...Really screwed up! All other books are for the most part VERY accurate and complete, with the exception of the very first book, which includes the first 4 albums (damn!): this book only gives a moderately-okay transcription of main rhythms, but starts to get worse for bridges and complex riffs, and contains virtually nothing on solos. The "Powerslave/Somewhere In Time" book is probably the best (IMHO) - very accurate and readable, and done by Wolf Marshall. "The best of IRON MAIDEN" is good value for money as long as you're XMPpared to work quite hard correcting some of the transcriptions.
  
  These books are usually available at your local music store. For the USA and Canada, Cherry Lane Music/Music Dispatch has a XMPtty decent mail-order thing going on for these TAB books, along with all kinds of other stuff (other TAB books, videos, study books, etc.). The information for getting in contact with Music Dispatch is:
  
  Mail Box Music/Music Dispatch
  960 East Eleventh Street
  P.O. Box 227
  Winona, MN 55987
  1-(800)-637-2852
  
  NOTE: In their latest catalog, Music Dispatch also lists that they DO have the IRON MAIDEN biography ("Running Free") in stock, for only $9.95. As mentioned later in this FAQ, this is a GREAT book and a GREAT source of information (especially for this FAQ), and I HIGHLY recommend it (espec- ially at only $9.95, plus shipping)! The order number for this book is: 02578013. This is the 1st edition of the book, not the 2nd edition (it is out of print). This is still very good... The 2nd edition just contains about 15 extra pages, photos and such from the World Slavery Tour, and the cover of the book is the same as the cover of the SOMEWHERE IN TIME album.

• "The Adventures Of Lord Iffy Boatrace", by Bruce Dickinson. Published by Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, 18-21 Cavaye Place, LONDON SW10 9PG, UK. Price is #6.99. It is about a rich transvestite and his strange adventures. It is very British style humour.
  
  
• "The Missionary Position, The Further Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace" by Bruce Dickinson. Published by Sidgwick & Jackson, 18-21 Cavaye Place, LONDON SW10 9PG, UK. Price is #8.99. This is the sequel.
  
  
• "Iron Maiden - Running Free: The Official Story Of IRON MAIDEN." by Garry Bushell and Ross Halfin, 1984, 1985. Published by Zomba Books. Zomba House, 165 - 167 Willesden High Road, London, NW10 2SG, UK. (This is a GREAT book...and a great source of information for this FAQ!) (See Section 27 on Music Transcriptions for info on how to get this book (in North America only I assume) from "Music Dispatch". There is also a second edition but it's currently out of print).
  
  
• "Iron Maiden: A Photographic History ("WHAT Are We Doing This For?") by Ross Halfin. Zomba Books, 1988. Zomba House, 165 - 167 High Road, London, England, NW10 2SG. 128 pages all full color pictures from the beginning of IRON MAIDEN to the SOMEWHERE IN TIME era, and a little bit of history.