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 beams, enhancing spectacular guitar solos and riffs. Somewhere in Time confirmed the band's status as musical superstars.

 

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, in which the authors appreciated the visual scope of the shows, there were suggestions that the band owed its popularity and recognition more to the visual and graphic aspects 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. 
All  band's performances attracted overflowing crowds, resulting in approximately 90,000 direct concert participants and observers (as before, 5-8 thousand each time). 
In Eastern Bloc countries, Iron Maiden capitalized on their success from two years ago, and became one of the three most popular Western rock bands in among fans in the region. They've played 10 concerts for approximately 170,000 fans, cementing their status as heavy rock megastars. Some trivia: Employees of the USSR Embassy sought tickets to the group's concert in Warsaw, and the giant PA used on tour eventually caused damage to the venue's roof in Łódź. Local Sport Palace was excluded from use for two consecutive years! 

A veritable convoy of vehicles arrived in Poland. Seven trucks with catering, three exclusive Volvo nightliners – at the time the height of luxury on international routes. Until the "Monsters of Rock 1991" concert in Chorzów, it was the largest event organized by a Western music star. 80 concerts in the USA and Canada, usually held in sports arenas with 20,000-seat capacity and stadiums such as the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum and Spartan Stadium, attracted large crowds of devoted fans. 159 performances of "Somewhere on Tour 1986/87" were seen by approximately 3 million people. On January 13, 1987, in Philadelphia, the band members and manager Rod Smallwood were each presented with 35 gold and platinum sales certificates by Capital Records, Iron Maiden's record company in the US and Canada. The event marked the pinnacle of the band's success in North America.

 

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 celebrated their 12th anniversary with the documentary VHS 12 Wasted Years, which, like several previously released films, was a great success (gold and platinum certified in Great Britain, the United States, and  even more in Canada). At this stage of their international career, the band had sold about 20 million records, over a thousand concerts played, and one-hundred gold and platinum records.