Samson

[Wicked Child]

.....Y'know, Bruce Dickinson's(i'm sorry, Bruce Bruce!) band before joining some band that eventually flopped that no one's ever heard of called Iron Maiden.

What do you think of them? I just picked up "Head On" and "Shock Tactics" today and i must say, not what i was expecting. Don't know what i was expecting to be quite honest with you, but it somehow suprised me. It's like a more raw, grittier Deep Purple! And it rocks! I'd describe it sort of as a lighter version of Maiden's first two albums, maybe a bit bluesier, more emphasis on the Deep Purple influence and bit more rock-ish, but still damn cool NWOBHM! So, give me your thoughts on Bruce Bruce's first band!

 

[Spiff]

I have the same two albums - good stuff.

 

[phlogiston]

I have those two, plus the the very first Samson album that didn't have Bruce singing (Survivors), but the bonus tracks are the whole album with him. (They were going to rerelease it, but they didn't, opting instead to release a whole new album). Also Live at Reading '81

I like Samson. I like them a lot. Listened to "Thunderburst" yet?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Yes I have Brucey's two albums with Samson, and they are very interesting to listen to. Solid bluesy rock if you are in the mood for it.

 

[Wicked Child]

I have those two, plus the the very first Samson album that didn't have Bruce singing (Survivors), but the bonus tracks are the whole album with him. (They were going to rerelease it, but they didn't, opting instead to release a whole new album). Also Live at Reading '81

I like Samson. I like them a lot. Listened to "Thunderburst" yet?

Hmmm...how is Survivors? I saw it at the same record store that i picked the other two up from.

And yes, i have listened to "Thunderburst", and hmmm...can you say "early version of 'The Ides Of March'"? And it makes sense since according to the credits, Steve Harris did help write that song. I like 'em both, but i have to go with "Ides Of March" on this one.

 

[Goreripper]

And yes, i have listened to "Thunderburst", and hmmm...can you say "early version of 'The Ides Of March'"? And it makes sense since according to the credits, Steve Harris did help write that song. I like 'em both, but i have to go with "Ides Of March" on this one.

I think it's reasonably well documented that Steve 'borrowed' songs that his bandmates used in previous bands and adapted them to Maiden. I think I recall reading that a couple of Dickinson-era Samson songs eventually turned up as Maiden songs, and Adrian Smith is on record as saying that '22 Acacia Avenue' was originally an Urchin song with different lyrics.

 

[Spiff]

Did Bruce ever say that 22 Acacia Ave was one of the songs he co-wrote? The lyrics just seem too cynical for Steve and Adrian...

Which ones HAS Bruce taken credit for on NOTB? Children of the Damned, The Prisoner, Run to the Hills... any others?

 

[Goreripper]

I can't remember. If it were any of them, I'd say '22'. Technically he wasn't allowed to contribute any songs because he was still under contract to RCA I think.

 

[Spiff]

Yeah, something like that. After he left he came out and said in interviews which songs he had made a "moral contribution" (I think that was his term) towards.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Yes, '22' is an ex-Urchin song that Adrian brought to the table. 'The Ides of March' is a different version of Samson's 'Thunderburst', but it isn't as if Steve just ripped it off, as he is credited as a writer to the song in the book for Samson's 'Head On' album, long before 'Killers' came out, so he must have helped write it originally, and then decided to use it himself again later, or something.

Some great songs on those albums, 'Take It Like A Man' comes to mind first. Great catchy song that one.

 

[Goreripper]

If Samson credited Steve with writing 'Thunderburst', why didn't Steve credit Paul Samson with contributing to 'Ides of March'?

 

[phlogiston]

I think the story goes that Steve wrote it in a pre-Maiden band which contained one of the guys who ended up in Samson. Probably Paul I guess. Neither band knew the other was going to put in on an album, so both were suprised when they heard the other one.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Yeah that probably sounds the most likely.

 

[Goreripper]

She-yoooore.

 

[Wicked Child]

I have to say my favorites so far for Head On are "Vice Versa", "Hammerhead", "Manwatcher" and "Hunted". And as for Shock Tactics, it's "Runnin' With The Angels", "Earth Mother", "Bright Lights" and "Once Bitten". All really cool songs.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

I had them both on vinyl... Head On didn't do all that much for me but Shock Tactics is pretty good!