Bruce Dickinson Vs Steve Harris

[Pagan Saviour]

A non-story, though I did chuckle at Steve's little strop

https://blabbermouth.net/news/watch-steve-harris-is-less-than-amused-by-bruce-dickinsons-stage-antics-at-prague-concert


However, I was just after rereading the Run to The Hills Biography when that popped up on Blabbermouth, and reminded me of the early to mid nineties period covered in such detail in the book. It's almost easy to forget these days how much bad blood there was between Iron Maiden (Steve Specifically) and Bruce prior and post split in the early 90's and the media's subsequent contempt for the band. It did make me wonder what the vibe is like in the camp, Harris is a renowned humourless cunt who's main reason for reappointing Dickinson seemed to be business based I kinda recall a quote along the lines of Maiden being a Premier League band and that's where Harris wanted them back. There's been little things like this recently and a couple of obtuse jibes here and there, I would question are they getting sick of one another again?

The other thing that sticks out there is that Bruce on stage at least is a fucking clown. In reality, he's not that much different from Janick who (deservedly) gets awful stick for his stage antics. I've thought that the last few times I've seen Maiden live, Bruce's caper is completely at odds with what the rest of the band are doing. I don't want to see someone acting the dick during an epic track like Alexander The Great. I think Bruce is bored beyond belief doing this stuff.

[Bürggermeister]

They're fire and ice with no-one to act as lukewarm water in the middle. They know neither have as lucrative a career without each other, however, so pretend to get along for the sake of the extensive merch catalogue.

[Pagan Saviour]

They know neither have as lucrative a career without each other

That's it, given all their success I was thinking would either party have a breaking point. Bruce is capable of more musically speaking, some of his solo records have been better than anything Maiden have put out since he returned.

[Don Gately]

I'd say they're at the end of the road as a band. I'm looking forward to seeing them again as my son lives them but Im sure this will be the last time.

[jpm4]

I wonder how Dickinson feels about playing a set so heavily based around an album he has never cared for?

 I guess it's mainly about topping the pension up at this point.

[blessed1]

I would always have imagined that even if they stopped playing music now they would surely still be set for life money wise

[Pagan Saviour]

wonder how Dickinson feels about playing a set so heavily based around an album he has never cared for

I'd forgotten about that, another era that was covered so well in that book. That record was the beginning of the end for him first time round. For me you can see how he feels about it in his stage persona, way overboard like he's trying to convince both himself and the audience he's still into it.

I would always have imagined that even if they stopped playing music now they would surely still be set for life money wise

I would've thought so too. They'd still shift serious amounts of records and merch beyond retirement too I'd imagine. Creatively speaking you'd think a guy like Bruce would need an alternative musical outlet. He covered a lot of ground purely musically speaking outside Maiden.

[Kunt 4 Life]

I remember after sonisphere 10 I got chatting to a guy involved in the festival and was manager to one of the smaller bands there. Knew Bruce and the lads and said that him and Harris still hate each other but they realise they both need each other. Mentioned that Bruce being a public school boy and Steve being a working class lad (with a few million in the bank) probably doesn't help.
He watched one of their full rehearsals once and Bruce was doing all his climbing stuff and he looked over at Harris, who was mouthing "what the fuck he doing now"

[Don Gately]

I wasn't aware he didn't like "Somewhere.." why not?

[Pagan Saviour]

I wasn't aware he didn't like "Somewhere.." why not?

He thought the band should be branching out and delivering a magnum opus akin to Led Zeppelin and such and had submitted a bunch of acoustic songs for consideration.

Dickinson submitted to Iron Maiden a set of acoustic folk songs for what would become the Somewhere In Time album. He felt that Maiden risked stagnation unless they unleashed "a Physical Graffiti or Led Zeppelin IV," a project "audacious, vast, and daring." Harris stated that Dickinson was "so fried that he couldn't write anything. Anything coherent, anyway. He'd lost the plot completely." Producer Martin Birch agreed with his employer: "[Dickinson's songs] had to go. They just weren't right."

It wasn't until the band convened to commence recording that Dickinson was informed of his material's rejection by the band. Says the singer:

"In the Bahamas when we were recording the album, Martin told me that the others didn't like my songs. So I went away and thought, 'Well, what shall I do here? Shall I throw a wobbler, pack my toys, and go home?' But I'd gotten far enough away from the state of mind I was at [upon completion of the Powerslave tour] to go, 'Who knows? They could be right. Maybe I am a basketcase.' And so I convinced myself that I should go with it. Still, I felt like a fly being swatted ... for a long time inside.

[jpm4]

Mainly because none of his songwriting ideas were accepted for it, so the story goes.

[Trev]

Interesting to hear he thought they should have expanded their sound, I didn't think his first few solo albums when he tried to do that were much good. Only really hit his stride going back to a more straightforward metal approach on Accident of Birth

Still be curious to hear what he'd submitted for the SiT sessions though

[Circlepit]

I saw that clip the other day.
I think Bruce comes across as a fool. It's not funny and that bit after where he appears to mock Steve Harris's lack of humour is even worse.
It borders on a Christmas panto type routine.
Also did anyone see the photo of Steve Harris in celebration mode after the West Ham game?
He is starting to look like a granny with bad hair dye.

[Pagan Saviour]

The first two Solo albums were pretty poor I thought. But everything after I thought was excellent even Skunkworks, but my pick of the bunch would be Chemical Wedding. Even though there's more of a tried and tested approach on the later albums they're more diverse than a Maiden album. And Chemical is great, there's more action there, more uptempo stuff and you don't have to put up with insufferable unnecessarily lengthy intros

https://youtu.be/7uG3h8vzH94?t=23

[KingHostile]

Iron Maiden kinda lost it after 7th Son. So I think. Smith left. Janic Gers came over from Bruce's solo stuff (Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter). Interestingly IM stripped it back, kinda similar to how Guns n Roses members (Slash / McK) wanted to strip it back. The band was bigger however. Just don't think the strip back worked. It must have been difficult to manage the egos, the fame and the money in a changing world. Harris is very serious, fair enough its his baby. Bruce, is he threading water? or is that just me? has his range dropped? I'm still happy I'll get to see them next week however. I know it will be a fantastic show.

I recall a story (record store in the UK): "This lad came in day after day, the lads were big Iron Maiden fans, this older rocker hated them. He would come in going through older releases, if the conversation turned to Iron Maiden, this older lad slated them. Iron maiden would sell a lot of albums. This lad would comment on all the bad playing and crap guitars sounds and notes...the shock when we seen the new Iron Maiden replacement!!! Janic Gers...... 8 years of slating Maiden and now playing in them!!!"

Does anyone remember the lack lustre Bruce Performances of the early 90s? Hair down not moving and just standing on stage? whatever was going on there, he had to go. I do think he thought he was the band. I love some of his stuff, lyrics and arrangements (I assume) but I doubt he wrote the guitar parts.

"Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter" was a massive song.... as was "Fear of the Dark".... not bad songs...."No Prayer" is a better album than "Fear of the Dark" no doubt "Fear of the Dark" had a lot of filler on it. I never got "Afraid to shoot strangers". Later I never got the football thing. I was into the music and really don't care for football and still don't. Maybe they should have concentrated on their playing.

The 1992 Donnington Performance is terrible, songs like the Clairvoyant are really not played great. Yet its held as a brilliant performance.

Remember Bruce and the BBC special? the Guillotine etc? Bruce gets killed.... it was pretty huge. Maiden were still huge. Bruce's ego at its zenith? but a cringe performance..... a chamber spin click boom that nobody wanted, another nail in the coffin of hard rock popularity in the early 90's. (Nevermore, Hammerfall, Pantera, Paradise Lost rocking the show and Maiden crumbling wtf) Imagine Warrell Dame and Jeff Loomis had joined Maiden   

The "X Factor" has some great songs on it. Bailey's singing kinda works at times. The band's music rallied and pushed them forward. But there is no denying Baileys finest hour had limitations. Darker, missing the Smith creative genius and the vocal range but still above the water. Smaller venues and out of vogue.....back under ground.....

Virtual XL is IM off a cliff. The recording doesn't even make the grade. The rigours of performing at that level took their toll on Bailey. He really struggled. Virus is a great song. Their artwork may have become a bit comicy.... Riggs was out but they still had their moments. However the artwork on this XL album says a lot about the content! Yet today with Bruce singing some of these songs for example "Futureal" really work. "Man on the edge (X Factor)" being another.


(When Blaze Bailey was revealed as the new IM singer)
I recall Harris saying of Blaze Bailey "He is an incredible singer and we knew he would fit in Maiden and it would be fantastic." Craziest comment, really. When "Wolfsbane" toured with IM....."Wolfsbane" really were not that great..."End of the century" ya de ya.... not in the same league, apologies. Yet Harris maintained at the time, that Bailey was a singer of note! I do recall thinking at the time, jaysus Steve's radar is a bit off on that one.

"Brave New World" is great, but there quite a bit of filler, "Wicker Man" what a song..... they really upped their game live as well. "A Matter of Life and Death" great album. "The Final Frontier" is a bit off, I must listen again, but it fell through the cracks for me. Just never clicked. "The Book of Souls" great album, quite long however, they could do with a trim. An 18 minute song about Air Ships is just a bit too much for me. Give me a "2 mins to midnight", "Aces High", "Wasted Years", Hell I'll take a "back in the village" or "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" but lads you've lost the ability to self regulate.

The IM live shows are fantastic better than anything back in the day (we'd all love to be in Long Beach for "Live After Death" wouldn't we). Kiss are better live however!

Senjutsu? will there be another album? do we have to listen to over long songs for that long again? only one song near the 4 mins....one 5 mins....  come on lads one last hurrah? maybe?

Fair play to modern management for keeping these lads on the road. But we are closer to the end of the IM road than the start. While their still out there lets enjoy!