The other day I saw this on Talkbass:
Aces High isolated bass:
Original:
Hallowed Be Thy Name isolated bass:
Original:
It gives the word sloppy a whole new dimension...
He never struck me as Mr Clean & Accurate in his bass playing even on the studio work, he's no bass metronome like Cliff Williams or Ian Hill, who both never miss a 16th note. But that is not his role in Iron Maiden, he's not so much a foundation provider in his band,
three chugging power chording guitars can do that by themselves, thank you very much, it's not like Adrian, Janick and Dave get carried away with Allmanesque or Wishbonesque intricacies of dual or triple lead, they are not even Molly Hatchet, but very much meat & potatoes/fish & chips in their interplay, Adrian is the most gifted one among them, but rather - when discussing Iron Maiden of all bands soccer terms must certainly be allowed - plays the position of a sweeper/Libero. He plays over, under and with the music, is everywhere, but doesn't have a firm role. It's a huge part of Iron Maiden's sound though, but for exaclyt the same reason I never found them to have the mightiest and most grounding rhythm section as heavy rock/heavy metal bands go. But it works for them.
I don't even think that Steve Harris has a nice sound (just a very audible and percussive one), nor that his choice of notes is especially tasty or his rhythm approach intricate. But the man has been playing stadiums for most of his career in a band that has never really had an airplay hit, so who am I to criticize? Iron Maiden is a band I respect though I don't like their music, if that makes sense. I've seen them thrice in concert - three songs into the set (if it takes that long) I get bored, but their British blue collaredness is charming.
