Yesterday, it was announced that former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno – the man who fronted their two earliest albums – had passed away at the age of 66.
The albums he made with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal pioneers – 1980’s Iron Maiden and 1981’s Killers – are considered landmarks for a new wave of heavier guitar music, paving the way for the thrash movement that followed only a handful of years later. “It’s just so sad he’s gone,” commented founding bassist Steve Harris.
“I was in touch with him only recently as we texted each other about West Ham and their ups and downs. At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace, mate.”
Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith also made his own personal tribute by sharing a photo of the band stood together in February 1981, at that moment in time celebrating the launch of their second album. “RIP Paul,” he wrote, “I remember this moment well, launching the Killers album with a party aboard the HMS Belfast on the Thames in London. He certainly put his stamp on the first two albums. Condolences to his family.”
Other memories were shared by the likes of ex-Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley who recalled how “Paul and I did quite a few tours and concerts together over the years”, reminiscing over how the original frontman had “a great sense of humour”, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, who rightly pointed out that Di'Anno and Iron Maiden “revived British metal in the late 70s and early 80s”.
Similar words were used by Firewind and ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G who “had the honour to play a few shows with Paul in Greece just a couple of years ago” and remembered “every time we hung out, we laughed our asses off”.
The Greek guitar virtuoso went on to describe Di'Anno as “a true rock n roller, with an uncompromising attitude”, noting how it seemed unlikely that the singer “knew how important he was in the Heavy Metal universe” while also revealing there was talk of further collaboration together in the future.
The man born Paul Andrews in 1958 certainly left his mark on hard rock and heavy metal. Here are six of his most important contributions to the band he changed the world with…
1. Prowler
Introducing themselves to the world with an abundance of spirit and attitude, the opening track on the very first Iron Maiden album is the song that, for all intents and purposes, launched their career towards metal stardom. It begins with early guitarist Dennis Stratton’s rhythmic E power chord which provides the perfect bedrock for Dave Murray’s minor key wah-wah guitars.
25 seconds later, the band come in as Di'Anno starts to tell the story of a sexual deviant “walking through the city, looking oh so pretty” and eventually “crawling through the bushes”. His voice is raspy and alive – in a way that’s brilliantly captivating and infectious – giving a punk rock snarl to the group’s otherwise metallic assault. The world was never the same again.
2. Remember Tomorrow
For the second track on their debut album, Iron Maiden chose to completely flip the script with a sombre ballad to showcase Di'Anno’s less raucous side, instead championing his cleaner voice and impressive range, with the singer hitting a high B at the end of the second verse.
In interviews later on in his career, Di'Anno revealed the title had been inspired by his grandfather who passed away in 1980 while the band were on tour. “The lyrics don’t relate to it, to be honest with you,” he said. “Just the words ‘remember tomorrow’. Because that is what he always used to say, that was his little catch phrase. ‘You never know what is going to happen, remember tomorrow, it might be a better day.’ So I just kept it in, and that was it.”
The song would go on to become a fan-favourite from these formative years, later covered by metal royalty such as Metallica, Opeth, Crowbar and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats.
3. Running Free
The third track from Iron Maiden’s first full-length could very well be the greatest performance from Di'Anno’s career. Following the pounding drum work from Clive Burr and Steve Harris’ E-minor bass hook, he regales the story of a young rebel with the immortal opening line “Just sixteen, a pickup truck, out of money, out of luck”. By the time he gets to the chorus line “I’m running free, yeah, I’m running free!” and the second verse about spending the night in an LA jail listening to the sirens wail, you almost get the sense that the song is semi-autobiographical.
“I’ve always been a rebel,” once laughed Di'Anno. “I don’t know why, I just don’t like conforming to the norm if I can help it. I don’t respect authority, which is a bit unfortunate, as it’s a bad thing for me sometimes!”
4. Phantom Of The Opera
To be including the entire first side of Maiden’s debut record in a list of our favourite Paul Di'Anno moments speaks volumes about the quality of the music they started their musical journey with. This is a band that arrived fully-formed, with an ability to bring the grand designs in their collective minds to reality.
No song demonstrates this better than Phantom Of The Opera – a seven-minute pièce de résistance that shares more in common with the elaborate realms of prog rock than the bitesize, three-chorded world of punk. It’s a song that twists and turns in the most unexpected ways, leaning heavily on the dual guitar assault of Murray and Stratton to create a sense of larger-than-life grandeur, just as you’d expect from a song inspired by Gaston Leroux’s early 20th century gothic novel.
“Keep your distance, walk away, don’t take his bait, don’t you stray, don’t fade away!” sings Di'Anno just before the start of a long instrumental section that dominates the majority of the song’s seven and a half minutes. Electric stuff.
5. Wrathchild
By the time Iron Maiden got to album number two, things had started to refine. Guitarist Dennis Stratton had been replaced by Adrian Smith, who was instrumental in creating more harmonised ideas alongside remaining axeman Dave Murray. The group were upping the ante in terms of heaviness and producer Martin Birch had started to find ways to help them cut through that little bit sharper – demonstrated by the thicker-sounding aggression of tracks like Wrathchild.
“I was born into a scene of angriness and greed, and dominance and persecution,” snarls Di'Anno at the beginning of its opening verse, delivered with an intention you wouldn’t doubt for a second. Then there are his more minimal vocal contributions that are almost just as important as the big hooks, such as the “Oooh” before the rolling Thin Lizzy-esque riffing one minute and 22 seconds in and the final “Yeah!” that closes the track.
6. Killers
This five-minute-long title track is another example of how brilliantly creative Iron Maiden could be so early on in their career. Listen closely and you’ll be able to hear how the atmospheric and chaotic elements of post-punk collide against more sophisticated-sounding harmonised guitars, the five members marrying seemingly opposing influences in ways no-one else could.
“Oh God help me what have I done, ooh yeah, I’ve done it again!” screams Di'Anno during one of the song’s more rousing moments, just before the guitarists reintroduce a riff that utilises moving natural harmonics to create a sense of tension and unease.
The classic Iron Maiden sound would be realised over the next few albums to come, but for many fans, it’s the wild ambition and reckless demeanor of these early Di'Anno-fronted masterpieces that gives them a wild charm of their own.
Rest in peace, Paul, and thank you for the music.
“Elvis sorted through them, picking out several by title alone, then listening to them on the studio speaker… when he heard the second one, he instantly brightened. ‘Let me hear that again,’ he said. ‘Something I like about that one’..."
“We ask his fans to raise a glass in his memory”: Ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno dead at 66
