An essential addition to the library of any Iron Maiden fan, this unique look back at the heavy metal giants examines the band’s legacy through the lens of 50 key milestones.
It’s tough to believe Iron Maiden’s been around for a half-century, but author Dan Bukszpan has the receipts. In Iron Maiden at 50, Bukszpan pays tribute to the British metal legends on the occasion of their 50th anniversary by examining 50 of the most significant moments, performances, albums, singles, and personnel decisions from throughout their career. The resulting volume features:
Sturdy hardcover format
Stunning concert and candid offstage photography
Images of memorabilia, including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, concert T-shirts, backstage passes, and more
An Iron Maiden timeline
Complete discography
Bukszpan covers everything down through the decades:
Bassist Steve Harris founding the band in East London
Their first independent EP
Early success in Japan
Numerous personnel changes that resulted in the current stable lineup
Groundbreaking tours
The band’s private Boeing 757, piloted by vocalist Bruce Dickinson
Dickinson’s solo efforts
All the studio albums
…and much more!
In addition, thorough sidebars examine unique aspects of the band’s career, such as the post-Maiden careers of former vocalists Paul Di’Anno and Blaze Bayley, and the 1984 Polish concerts that helped spur the band’s global popularity.
The result is an epic tribute to one of the most influential and admired bands in rock history—in a milestone year.
One: An Age-Old Dream
01 MERRY CHRISTMAS: Steve Harris forms Maiden
02 THE SOUNDHOUSE TAPES: Limited mail-order EP sells out
03 THE SHERRIFF OF HUDDERSFIELD: Rod Smallwood and the deal with EMI
04 ALL SYSTEMS GO: First lineup with Stratton and Burr
05 BURNING AMBITION: The first single, “Running Free”
06 THE IDES OF APRIL: Debut LP Iron Maiden released
07 HERE COMES THE WATER BAILLIFF: Adrian Smith joins up
08 LIVE!! +ONE: EP released in Japan, first live video released
09 KILLERS: Second album is first with producer Martin Birch
10 MAIDEN JAPAN: Live release, last recording with Di'Anno
DI’ANNO AFTER MAIDEN: The solo work and medical issues
Two: The Devil Sends the Beast with Wrath
11 THE AIR RAID SIREN: Dickinson joins
12 THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST: First UK No. 1, first sleeve by Derek Riggs
13 NO MORE LINEUP CHANGES, VOL. I: McBrain marks beginning of stable lineup
14 PIECE OF MIND: Fourth album released
15 POWERSLAVE: Eddie goes to war with the Luftwaffe
16 LIVE AFTER DEATH: First live LP released
17 SOMEWHERE IN TIME: Evolved sound, synthesized bass and guitars
18 SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON: 1988 release considered a masterpiece
19 THE WANDERING EYE: Dickinson releases solo album
20 NO MORE LINEUP CHANGES, VOLUME II: Smith leaves, end of classic lineup
SCREAM FOR ME, POZNAŃ: Iron Maiden goes behind the Iron Curtain
Three: Men on the Edge
21 NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING: Janick Gers replaces Smith
22 BRING YOUR SONGWRITING TO THE SLAUGHTER: Maiden’s only No. 1 UK single
23 FEAR OF THE DARK: Martin Birch’s last production job with Maiden
24 CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS: A Real Live One & A Real Dead One
25 BEAST OVER DONINGTON: Live at Donington
26 BYE BYE BRUCE: Dickinson leaves to pursue solo career
27 THE COMPANY OF WOLFSBANE: Blaze Bayley takes over
28 THE X FACTOR: New album, new label, new singer
29 PUT YOUR MASK ON: Best of the Beast compilation
30 VIRTUAL XI: Second—and last—Blaze album
BLAZE BAYLEY BEFORE AND AFTER MAIDEN: Wolfsbane, solo career, near-fatal heart attack
Four: The Three Amigos
31 MAIDEN 1999: Dickinson returns to a three-guitar lineup
32 BRAVE NEW WORLD: Popular LP hailed as return to form
33 ROCK IN RIO: Live album recorded before 250,000 fans
34 HALLOWED BE HIS NAME: Maiden plays benefit shows for Clive Burr
35 EDDIE'S ARCHIVE: Box set details BBC recordings and live and B-sides
36 DANCE OF DEATH: The 2003 live album
37 A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH: Released and unmastered
38 HELLO AGAIN: Somewhere Back in Time tour
39 FLIGHT 666: The 2009 documentary
40 WHY NOT ANTARCTICA? Band plays India, Australia, Japan, other underserved places
CLIVE BURR (1957–2013): Looking back on life of former Maiden drummer
Five: “We’ll All Probably Drop Dead on Stage.”
41 THE FINAL FRONTIER: Maiden in Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea
42 EN VIVO! World Tour performance in Chile
43 LAGER OF THE BEAST: Maiden makes own beer called “Trooper”
44 THE GREAT UNKNOWN: Dickinson treated for tumor
45 THE BOOK OF SOULS: Live dates from dates all over
46 LEGACY OF THE BEAST: Tour postponed during COVID-19
47 BLOOD BROTHERS: Dickinson made honorary citizen of Sarajevo
48 SMOKE ’EM IF YOU GOT ’EM: Live release tides fans over during lockdown
49. SURPRISE! Senjutsu, album secretly recorded during lockdown
50 THE ROAD GOES EVER ON: Dickinson returns for 2024 tour
DENNIS STRATTON: Guitarist’s career before, during, and after Maiden
Discography
Sources
Image Credits
Acknowledgments
Index
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