IRON MAIDEN - S/T SELF-TITLED DEBUT 12" Vinyl LP Album

- German Release on FAME Records

Album Info:  IRON MAIDEN, released on April 14, 1980, was the first full-length album by IRON MAIDEN.

  Of all the songs in this album, "Phantom of the Opera," "Running Free," "Sanctuary" and "IRON MAIDEN" remain on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours, with the latter used to introduce a giant representation of the band's mascot Eddie from the back of the stage.

 

IRON MAIDEN - Self-Titled Germany Fame 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

"IRON MAIDEN Self-Titled" Album Description:

Iron Maiden's 1980 self-titled debut album was a seismic event in heavy metal history. This raw and energetic record introduced the world to the band's blistering musicianship, punk-infused attitude, and the iconic, skeletal mascot Eddie. The album's German release on FAME Records played a vital role in spreading Iron Maiden's sound throughout Europe.

Raw Power and Punk Energy

The German FAME release of "Iron Maiden" captures the band at their most primal. Songs like "Running Free," "Prowler," and the title track crackle with a youthful energy that became a hallmark of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). Paul Di'Anno's vocals are rough and snarling, a perfect match for the band's driving riffs and Steve Harris's galloping basslines.

Songwriting Strength

Despite the record's unpolished sound, it demonstrates Iron Maiden's knack for writing memorable songs. Tracks like "Phantom of the Opera" showcase a more progressive side to the band, with its complex arrangement and dramatic shifts in tempo. The album's mix of short, punchy rockers and longer, more expansive epics set a template the band would refine in the years to come.

The Birth of a Legend

More than just a collection of great songs, the German FAME release of "Iron Maiden" marked the arrival of one of heavy metal's most enduring bands. The album's iconic cover art, featuring Eddie in his menacing glory, helped solidify the band's image and create a visual identity that is instantly recognizable worldwide.

Listen to....:

Music Genre:

NWOBHM New Wave of British Heavy Metal 

Album Production Information:

Produced by Will Malone. Recorded at Kingsway Studios, Morgan Studios London.

Engineer: Martin Levan.

Photography: Terry Walker and Yuka Fujii  

Record Label & Catalognr:

EMI 1C 064 07 269

Media Format:

12" Vinyl LP  Gramophone Record
Album weight: 230 gram  

Year & Country:

1980 Made in Germany
Band Members and Musicians on: IRON MAIDEN S/T Self-Titled Debut
    Band-members, Musicians and Performers IRON MAIDEN Band: members/musicians
  • Paul Di'Anno
  • Paul Di'Anno – Vocals

    The OG Iron Maiden throat: street-level grit, punk heat, and zero “polite” in the delivery.

    Paul Di'Anno, (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024) locked himself into metal history by fronting Iron Maiden from 1978–1981, putting that snarling, rough-cut voice on the band’s early landmark releases. After Maiden, the timeline turns into a proper tour-bus saga: Di’Anno (1983–1985, then revived in the 1998–2001 era), the short, star-stacked Gogmagog detour (1985), Battlezone (1985–1989, back again 1997–1998), a notable studio cameo with Praying Mantis around 1990, and Killers (1990–1997, returning 2001–2003, plus a 2013 regroup). Later chapters include the Brazil-based Rockfellas run (2008–2010) and Architects of Chaoz (2014–2016). The common thread never really changed: that unmistakable, no-varnish vocal attitude that made early NWOBHM feel dangerous in the first place.

    Paul Di'Anno Wiki
  • Steve Harris
  • Steve Harris – Bass Guitar, Songwriter

    Iron Maiden’s engine room: galloping bass lines, history-nerd lyrics, and “captain of the ship” energy baked into every riff.

    Steve Harris (born 12 March 1956, Leytonstone, England) is the rare bassist who doesn’t just hold the floor—he draws the whole blueprint. In my book, he’s the founder and primary songwriter who’s kept Iron Maiden on its rails from 1975–present, with that instantly recognizable “gallop” driving huge chunks of the catalogue. The pre-Maiden grind matters too: first band days in Influence/Gypsy’s Kiss (1973–1974, including a documented gig run in 1974), then the older, blues-leaning Smiler period (1974–1975) where his more ambitious writing basically forced the next step: forming Maiden. Outside the mothership, he’s fronted his own hard-rock outlet British Lion (2012–present), a project that grew out of connections going back to the early 1990s and finally hit the world as his solo debut in 2012.

    Steve Harris Wiki
  • Dennis Stratton
  • Dennis Stratton – Guitar

    Maiden’s short-lived “melody guy” in the earliest days: twin-guitar shine, tighter harmony instincts, and a very un-satanic love of proper hooks.

    Dennis Stratton (born 9 October 1952, Canning Town, London) is a classic example of “brief stint, permanent fingerprints.” He joined Iron Maiden in December 1979 and was out by October 1980, but in that tight window he played on the debut album Iron Maiden (released April 1980) and the non-album single "Women in Uniform", right as the band went from club-level chaos to real-deal momentum. He even helped shape the lineup by recommending drummer Clive Burr, which is the kind of butterfly-effect detail collectors love to remember. Before Maiden, he’d cut his teeth in local bands like Harvest/Wedgewood (early 1970s) and Remus Down Boulevard (mid-1970s). After leaving, he kept moving through the UK hard rock ecosystem, notably with Lionheart (1980s onward) and as lead guitarist (and occasional lead vocalist) for Praying Mantis from 1990–2006, plus a mid-1990s collaboration run with former Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno under The Original Iron Men. Dennis Stratton Wiki

  • Dave Murray
  • Dave Murray – Guitar

    Maiden’s calm killer: smooth leads, twin-guitar harmony for days, and that melodic bite that makes the “gallop” feel cinematic instead of chaotic.

    Dave Murray (born 23 December 1956, Edmonton, Middlesex, England) is one of the defining lead guitar voices of heavy metal, and in my book he’s the melodic “second spine” of Iron Maiden. His timeline with the band starts early: joining in 1976, getting briefly pushed out in 1977, then returning in 1978 and staying locked in ever since—making him one of the longest-serving members in the whole Maiden saga. During that 1977 gap he spent around six months with Urchin (Adrian Smith’s band), which is a fun little historical glitch in the matrix if you like your Maiden lore messy and human. Beyond the main band, his most notable “outside the mothership” credit is the all-star charity metal project Hear ’n Aid (1985), because apparently even guitar lifers sometimes leave the bunker to do side quests. Dave Murray Wiki

  • Clive Burr
  • Clive Burr – Drums

    The early Maiden groove machine: big feel, sharp fills, and that “Beast-era” punch that still rattles the walls.

    Clive Burr (8 March 1957 – 12 March 2013) is one of those drummers who didn’t just keep time—he gave a band its early backbone. I mainly hear him as Iron Maiden’s rocket fuel from 1979–1982, laying down that urgent, swinging drive on their first run of classic records and helping make the whole NWOBHM thing feel dangerous instead of polite. Before that, he did the London grind with Samson (1977–1978). After Maiden, the timeline gets gloriously nomadic: Trust (1983–1984), a blink-and-you-miss-it week with Alcatrazz (1983), his own Clive Burr’s Escape (1983–1984) evolving into Stratus (1984–1985), the supergroup cameo in Gogmagog (1985), Desperado (1988–1990), and later work with Praying Mantis (1995–1996). His later years were brutally shaped by multiple sclerosis, but the playing legacy stays loud, human, and unmistakably his own—Clive Burr Wiki
Complete Track Listing of: IRON MAIDEN S/T Self-Titled Debut

The Song/tracks on "IRON MAIDEN S/T Self-Titled Debut" are

    Side One:
  1. Prowler
  2. Remember Tomorrow
  3. Running Free
  4. Phantom of the Opera
    Side Two:
  1. Transylvania
  2. Strange World
  3. Charlotte the Harlot
  4. IRON MAIDEN

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