In search of my Rock Time 1-- Iron Maiden
鐵娘子 Iron Maiden 應該是我最初入門接觸搖滾樂所認識的第一個樂團吧！
在那還是卡帶 (tape) 流通、中華商場尚存的年代，存錢買下一張又一張封面設計氣氛詭譎且總是出現一隻張牙舞爪的怪物 (後來我才知道他是鐵娘子的吉祥物，叫做艾迪 Eddie) 的專輯，從他們最初的年發行的同名專輯(1980)開始、然後接續著 Killers (1981) 、The Number of the Beast (1982) 、Piece of Mind (1983) 、以及 Powerslave (1984) …沉醉在先後兩位 VOCAL：Paul Di'Anno 以及 Bruce Dickinson 高亢嘶吼的歌聲以及吉他手和靈魂人物貝斯手 Steve Harris 快速彈奏的旋律當中
儘管 Heavy Metal 的流派眾多，包含了 death metal、thrash metal、 speed metal、symphonic metal、classic metal、progressive metal、gothic metal...(另詳見 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_subgenres)，但 Iron Maiden 身為 80年重金屬搖滾樂的代表人物，其無法撼動、獨特的地位卻是無庸置疑，Charles T. Brown 在其《搖滾樂的藝術》一書中特別讚賞 Iron Maiden 是「重金屬風格中最具音樂性、最足以為代表的樂者」、「其火力旺盛的技巧性演奏，有厚重的貝斯聲部，交織著吉他獨奏與密實的形式，以及強勁有力的演唱」
立足在 Iron Maiden 的重金屬音樂之上，很快地我的視野及聽覺不斷地擴大及混亂著…時至今日，或許我還能迂迴找出那些曾經令人感動的音樂，但那穿梭在唱片行身穿 Iron Maiden T-shirts 的少年的身影，早已隨著中華商場的拆除而消逝無蹤了吧！
參考資料：
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in East London, formed in 1975. The band is directed by founder, bassist and songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the group has released a collective total of thirty albums: fourteen studio albums, seven live albums, four EPs and five compilations.
Pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with such an original sound they achieved success during the early 1980s and after several lineup changes, went on to release a series of platinum and gold albums. These include the US platinum-selling landmarks The Number of the Beast in 1982, Piece of Mind in 1983, Powerslave in 1984, the acclaimed live album Live After Death in 1985, Somewhere In Time in 1986, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son in 1988. Their second most recent studio effort, A Matter of Life and Death, was released in 2006 and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and at number 4 in the UK. The album was certified gold in the UK. It is also one of the few rock albums to be certified platinum in India. Their newest album, The Final Frontier, will be released later this summer.
As one of the most successful heavy metal bands to date, Iron Maiden has sold over 100 million records worldwide. The band won the Ivor Novello Awards for international achievement in 2002, and were also inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California during their tour in the United States in 2005. As of October 2009, the band has played just over 2000 live shows during their career, and are often cited as one of the most influential bands in rock history.
官方網站
http://www.ironmaiden.com/
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