I have no issues with his bass playing, he's nimble and busy, though hardly varied. But the songwriting!
The NME, always good when it comes to scathing putdowns, wrote about Iron Maiden:
- "
No doubt one of the better and more adventurous albums of 1973." (In a review of a mid-eighties album ...
)
- "
Iron Maiden's set list consists of only two types of songs: Ones that start slow before accelerating into a gallop and others that confusingly start with the gallop only to slow down for mindless instrumental ambling in the middle." Nasty NME!
But they're a people's band, tenacious and resilient - I wish them well, seen them three times (both with "oil rig" Di'Anno and "air raid siren" Dickinson plus assorted guitarist combinations). And who knows, one day they will even write a song as good as UFO's Doctor Doctor with which they like to bring the hall/arena lights down before they start their gigs.
But I do give them credit for pretty much zero Zeppelin influence! Highly commendable.
Plus Steve Harris likes Be-Bop Deluxe
and Bruce Dickinson worships Ian Gillan, especially the Clear Air Turbulence album - exquisite tastes!