On this day in 1981, the members of Iron Maiden quietly excused lead vocalist Paul DiAnno and replaced him with with none other than Bruce Dickinson. Dickinson had been the vocalist of Samson before agreeing to front a band that featured a huge, walking mummy as a mascot.
And the world was good.
The decision not only worked, it produced the band's finest moment right out of the gate: The Number Of The Beast. But what became of Paul DiAnno? He went on to front a bunch of band's you never heard of (Lone Wolf, Battlezone, and the aptly named Killers) but left a pretty good (albeit brief) track record with Iron Maiden. In fact, the first Maiden album I ever got was a cassette copy of Maiden Japan, the live release just prior to Number. I stole it from K-Mart and played it until the little pressure pad fell out.
So while this may be the day in which Maiden gained additional notoriety for sacking their original lead singer, I'm giving a nod of respect to DiAnno.
Now take a look at DiAnno today. Looks like someone needs some extra royalty points and a good dental plan.
2 comments:
That first video was, in the words of Jim Rome...Phenomenal, Epic, Great. The second was kinda sad. I have been guilty of ignoring DiAnno-era Maiden discs. Meaning I'm really a Dickinson fan and dig his versions of the older stuff but that video has made me think that maybe I am ready to give them another chance. "Phantom of the Opera"...what an awesome song!
I would check out the debut and Killers. You'll like 'em. Samson too. I remember we got a copy of the Samson re-issues at a radio station I worked for and thought they sounded good...but I was too cool for metal at the time. DiAnno is pretty sad lately. There's a recent song that he did a video for. The production was pretty good, a creepy kind of "The Ring" vibe, but the song was lame and DiAnno's performance in it...basically him lip-synching...was awful. He looked like he was just going through the motions and uncomfortable with having to emote on his own lyrics (I'm assuming they were his). He also takes his gig on the road, but he doesn't have a regular band. Instead, he has bands in the countries he plays in. Now I know this was regular practice with some of the founding fathers of rock and roll, but when you're expected to lay down some intricate stuff like early Maiden, I don't see how a temporary band with little practice time together can effectively gel. Meanwhile, DiAnno just puts his ass on coach, flies to the gig and revisits the same material he's done for thirty years in a fairly half-assed fashion. Hell, he was even late for the stage on that accoustic set!
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