Samson - Telephone/Mr. Rock'n'Roll

Clive Burr, the drummer on the first three Iron Maiden albums, has passed away today after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. In every picture, interview or live video I saw of him he had the most infectious smile in all of metal (yes, more than even Barney Greenaway's!); I've obviously never met him but he seemed like such a nice guy that I can't help feeling sadness for his sad and premature ending. He was also probably the most rockin' drummer Maiden ever had, not to take anything away from Nicko of course. Here are the first two singles by his first band, Samson (the same Samson Bruce Dickinson later also deserted for Maiden), which are his first published recordings. This is before Bruce's era in Samson, so the vocals are handled by guitarist Paul Samson himself, and the general vibe of the recordings is somewhere between (very) early NWOBHM and regular 70's rock, with maybe even a little pub rock thrown in (the first track, "Telephone", reminds me of Dr. Feelgood in a few places). Rest in peace mate, and thanks for the smiles.

 

 

Track listing:

1. Telephone (3:02)
2. Leavin' You (3:15)
3. Mr. Rock'n'Roll (3:51)
4. Driving Music (3:39)

Download

Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan Fan Club Edition

All Iron Maiden fans know about the brilliant 1981 live EP "Maiden Japan", recorded on a Japanese tour and featuring the last Maiden recordings ever to feature the wonderful Paul DiAnno on vocals; however, many of them do not know that the whole show from which these recordings originate was released some years ago, in the form of a very limited-edition fan-club-only CD. The disc features seventeen excellent-sounding tracks and the original, quickly rejected cover art with DiAnno's severed head; I've also added a second disc of early EP's, demos and compilation appearances to complete the picture. You can find all this stuff elsewhere online, but here it's all in one package, with some additional tweaking (i.e. the "bonus" 8+ minutes version of "Drifter" is most easily available from a slowed-down rip; here it's restored to its original speed), and a recent photo of Paul DiAnno to haunt you in your dreams:

Track listing:

Disc 1:

1. Wrathchild (2:58)
2. Purgatory (3:14)
3. Sanctuary (3:58)
4. Remember Tomorrow (5:21)
5. Another Life (6:51)
6. Ghenghis Khan (2:54)
7. Killers (4:41)
8. Innocent Exile (4:04)
9. Twilight Zone (2:31)
10. Strange World (6:13)
11. Murders in the Rue Morgue (3:02)
12. Phantom of the Opera (6:53)
13. Iron Maiden (4:02)
14. Running Free (3:02)
15. Transylvania (5:44)
16. Drifter (8:06)
17. I've Got the Fire (2:53)

Download

Disc 2:

1. Iron Maiden (Soundhouse Tapes) (4:04)
2. Invasion (Soundhouse Tapes) (3:12)
3. Prowler (Soundhouse Tapes) (4:22)
4. Running Free (Axe Attack Demo) (3:02)
5. Sanctuary (Metal for Muthas) (3:32)
6. Wrathchild (Metal for Muthas) (3:10)
7. Women in Uniform (Live!! + One) (3:10)
8. Drifter (Live!! + One) (3:40)
9. Phantom of the Opera (Live!! + One) (7:34)
10. Innocent Exile (Live!! + One) (4:21)
11. Sanctuary (Live!! + One) (4:27)
12. Running Free (Live!! + One) (2:58)
13. Remember Tomorrow (Live!! + One) (5:46)
14. I've Got the Fire (Live!! + One) (3:19)
15. Prowler (1st Japanese Tour) (4:13)
16. Remember Tomorrow (1st Japanese Tour) (5:51)
17. Killers (1st Japanese Tour) (4:40)
18. Running Free (1st Japanese Tour) (4:01)
19. Transylvania (1st Japanese Tour) (4:36)
20. Drifter (Live!! + One bonus) (8:15)

Download