Another crazy friend has weighed in about the new Iron Maiden album! It was probably no big surprise that LCG and I love it, but now there is another trusted opinion to tell you how much Dance Of Death rules. And much to my surprise, that trusted opinion does not belong to CEB. As much as CEB enjoys dishing out commentary, he has not yet given me his take on Dance Of Death.
That's okay though, because that will give me time to prepare for the discussion. CEB's attention to detail is amazing, so I will have to listen to Dance Of Death twelve hours a day just to be ready. Otherwise the following conversation will take place:
CEB: "You know that instrumental break before the guitar solo in Montségur?"
Me: "Um. Sure."
CEB: "That change in tone in the second half of the break is classic."
Me: "Can we just talk about when Bruce says, 'And I danced, and I pranced' instead?"
CEB: "That's in Dance Of Death, not Montségur."
Me: "I KNOW THAT."
CEB: "But..."
Me: "I just want to talk about prancing, okay?"
CEB: "What about it?"
Me: (snickering like Butthead) "Bruce said pranced."
At that point CEB would give up on me and turn to LCG to talk about the football schedule, causing me to scream and run away. Either that or CEB would tell me the greatest anecdote about prancing ever heard. You just never know what to expect from that guy. But this hasn't happened yet, so in the meantime please enjoy the following email that I got from the Cowboy.
I'm listening to the new Maiden disc and I've decided that if there's any metal band out there that actually needed a third guitar player, it's definitely Maiden! This record's way cool, I like it much better than Brave New World already. (Although I should go back and listen to that record again...)
I saw Jackyl once with three guitar players (and a stupid-ass chainsaw); that's simply not necessary.
I realize that he doesn't give many specifics, but the Cowboy is a name I trust when it comes to music. His very favorite Iron Maiden song is Die With Your Boots On, which also happens to be my favorite Iron Maiden song, so you know he is reliable. Don't let the fact that he once saw Jackyl throw you off. It was probably either the style at the time or they were opening for a band he actually wanted to see. He gave Jackyl a bad review, and that is what counts.
In other Dance Of Death related news, it debuted at #18 in the United States, which is excellent for a band that gets no airplay on television or radio.
And, this is so great, I cannot get a copy on LP anywhere. (Not great for me, but great for Iron Maiden!) LCG and I have been haunting all of the record stores that carry new LPs, hassling them for Dance Of Death, and they cannot get it in stock. "It's backordered in the UK," reported LCG after a talk with a record store employee, "so you won't be seeing it here for a while."
Fine with me. Increased demand for LPs means more new releases on LP, which in turn means that if I ever actually need to buy a new release I can buy it on my preferred format. I did see on the Iron Maiden web site that the LP was backordered due to a pressing problem, but there is still enough of a demand that they have to alert the LP buyers to the reason it isn't available. I know I will be able to buy it eventually, and Dance Of Death is definitely worth the wait.