HISTORY OF IRON MAIDEN: HEAVY METAL MEGASTAR IV (1982 - 1989)

 1982-1989: Heavy Metal Megastar 

Work on the next album was accompanied by dilemmas regarding the artistic direction the band should take. Bruce Dickinson tried to push through the idea of ​​releasing a double studio album, with the second disc containing strictly acoustic material. This idea was met with the disapproval of his colleagues, which the singer perceived as a personal failure and stopped engaging in the process of creating new material. This time (alongside with Steve Harris), the leading composer was Adrian Smith, who influenced the sound of the group's new album. Published in October 1986, with a futuristic cover illustration of Somewhere in Time, it featured compositions in the same style as before, with one difference - the band used guitar synthesizers for the first time. The album enjoyed enormous popularity, reaching position 2 in the UK and 11 on the Billboard 200 bestseller list in the USA,  selling over two million copies in the United States, and almost 5 million copies worldwide.

 The album was led by two singles, "Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Top 20 in the UK), with a slightly softer sound than before. Somewhere in Time also includes compositions such as the concert anthem "Heaven Can Wait" and the song "Alexander the Great", dedicated to the history of the life and conquests of Alexander the Great. The album was distinguished by its unique, extremely spacious sound and futuristic atmosphere, and also heralded further studio experiments based on a wider use of synthetic colors enhancing spectacular guitar solos and riffs.

 

The band went on a tour that featured, among others, special effects. The audience saw a specially designed stage resembling a fragment of a space city, impressively moving, cascading ramps with lights, traditionally changing backgrounds behind the stage, powerful pyrotechnics, a laser cannon, a several-meter tall Eddie - Cyborg, shooting a gun, but the greatest impression on the audience was made by a gigantic , a pneumatically inflatable Eddie, lifting drums on his head and carrying Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson on his huge paws. In the USA, the audience could see inflatable spaceships flying in the air, a giant astronaut, balloons with album illustrations, and the musicians could be admired on a huge screen mounted above the upper ramp of lights. The band used a sound system with a power of 180,000 watt, at that time the largest ever used in closed facilities. The stage was illuminated by 1,200 light points, several hydraulic lifts and additional power generators were also used. 

 

The formation needed seven or eight special trucks to transport the equipment. In addition to enthusiastic concert reviews, the authors of which appreciated the visual scope of the shows, there were suggestions that the band owed its popularity and recognition more to the visual and graphic aspect than to the compelling music. In London, Hammersmith Odeon was sold out for seven nights in a row (originally for six), they filled the Long Beach Arena several times again (52,000), in Europe they played in halls with several thousand seats, and six concerts in Poland were then remembered as the best tour of a Western band at that time. country. All performances attracted overflowing fans, which translated into the attendance of approximately 90,000 direct concert participants and observers (as before, 5 - 8 thousand each time). In the Eastern Bloc countries, Iron Maiden took advantage of their success from two years ago. They gave 10 concerts for approximately 170,000 people fans, cementing the status of a heavy rock mega-star. Employees of the USSR Embassy sought tickets to the group's concert in Warsaw. 80 concerts in the USA and Canada, usually taking place in sports arenas with a capacity of 20,000 seats and stadiums such as Oakland Alameda Coliseum and Spartan Stadium, attracted crowds of spectators. 159 performances of "Somewhere on Tour 1986/87" were seen by approximately 3 million people. 

 

The tour concluded with a special charity concert at Wembley Arena, the aim of which was to provide financial support for "The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation". Iron Maiden musicians made guest appearances with the Marillion group, as Bruce Dickinson recalled years later - it was then that they met the British Queen Elizabeth II in person. The group summarized its 12th anniversary with the documentary VHS 12 Wasted Years, which, like several previously released films, was very successful (gold and platinum certified in Great Britain, the United States and Canada). At this stage, the band had sold about 20 million records, over a thousand concerts played and one hundred gold and platinum records.