Eddie | |
---|---|
First appearance | 8 February 1980 |
Created by | Derek Riggs |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Eddie the Head |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Band mascot |
Nationality | British |
Eddie (also known as Eddie the Head) is the mascot for the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He is a perennial fixture of the group's artwork, appearing in all of their album covers (as well as most of their singles) and in their merchandise, which includes T-shirts, posters and action figures. On top of this, Eddie features in all of the band's concerts, as well as in the first-person shooter video game, Ed Hunter , the mobile game, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast and a pinball game with the same name in 2018. [1]
Originally a papier-mâché mask used in Iron Maiden's stage backdrop, the band transferred the name "Eddie" from the mask to an illustration by Derek Riggs, which was used as the band's debut album cover. Although he is occasionally described as "zombie-like" in the press, [2] [3] [4] [5] Eddie assumes a different guise relating to the themes of individual albums and their corresponding world tours, and has appeared as a cyborg, an Egyptian mummy and a lobotomised mental patient, and a samurai warrior amongst others.
The first version of Eddie was a mask made by an art student who was friends with Dave "Lights" Beazley, [6] [7] then in charge of lighting, pyrotechnics and other effects for Iron Maiden's live show. [8] According to Beazley, the original mask was a papier-mâché mould of his own face, which was then used in the band's backdrop, consisting of lights and the band's logo. [7] At the end of their live set, during the "Iron Maiden" song, a fish tank pump was used to squirt fake blood out of the mask's mouth, which typically covered their then-drummer Doug Sampson. [9] After this initial incarnation, Beazley constructed a larger mask out of fibreglass, equipped with flashing eyes and the ability to release red smoke from its mouth. [7]
The band's bassist and founding member Steve Harris states that the name "Eddie" comes from the original mask being referred to as "The Head," which sounded like "Ead" in the band members' London accent. [10] According to guitarist Dave Murray the name was also inspired by an old joke:
"A wife had a baby, but it was born with only a head and no body. 'Don't worry,' says the doctor. 'Bring him back in five years time, and we'll probably have a body for him.' So five years go by, and there's Eddie the 'Ead, as his parents have called him, sitting on the mantelpiece, when in walks his dad. 'Son,' he says, 'today's a very special day. It's your fifth birthday, and we've got a very special surprise for you.' 'Oh no,' says Eddie. 'Not another fucking hat!'" [7]
Once Iron Maiden had secured a record contract with EMI, the band's manager Rod Smallwood decided that the band needed "that one figure who utterly stamped his presence and image on the band in a way that was obvious enough to make a good album cover." [11] After seeing some of his artwork on a Max Middleton poster, Smallwood set up a meeting with Derek Riggs and asked to see some of his other illustrations, in the midst of which was the band's first album cover. [11] Originally created as an idea for a punk record (which Riggs states in the 12 Wasted Years documentary was based on an alleged Japanese soldier's skull stuck to an American tank), [12] the band had extra hair added to the illustration, making it more suitable to their style of music, [11] and transferred the name from the original masks they used onstage. [13] Surmising that the creature had "great visual continuity," Smallwood decided it would be used for all of the band's artwork. [14]
Smallwood claims that Rupert Perry, EMI's then-managing director, came up with the idea that Eddie could become a more active part of the band's concerts, originally portrayed by Smallwood himself, wearing an Eddie mask and a leather jacket. [13] The classic "walk-on" Eddie was created for The Beast on the Road tour by Dave Beazley after seeing a pantomime version of Jack and the Beanstalk, which used similar giants, consisting of "basically a bloke on stilts but dressed up to look about ten feet (3 m) tall." [15] As the band's stage show expanded, an additional gigantic Eddie was also incorporated at the back of the set during "Iron Maiden," which, like the "walk-on" Eddie, would match the theme of the current tour, such as the 30-foot (9 m), mummified version used during the World Slavery Tour, which shot sparks from its eyes. [16]
Eddie's debut appearance was on the band's first single cover, "Running Free," in which his face was covered by a shadow to protect his identity before the release of the band's first album. [17] Since then, Eddie has assumed a different guise for each cover, such as a "mummified Egyptian god" for Powerslave, [17] a lobotomized mental patient for Piece of Mind, [18] emerging from a grave in Live After Death , [18] a tree monster for Fear of the Dark and a cyborg for Somewhere in Time. [17] In addition to the band's album covers and live shows, the character also appears in merchandise including T-shirts, posters and action figures, [17] as well as the group's two video games: the 1999 first-person shooter, Ed Hunter , [19] and the 2016 role-playing game Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast. [20] On top of this, Eddie is featured as an unlockable character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 [21] and as Legendary skins in Dead by Daylight .
Some of the band's artworks have proved controversial, such as the cover of "Sanctuary," in which Eddie can be seen standing over the corpse of Margaret Thatcher. [22] It was claimed that Iron Maiden were banned from releasing the single without censoring the cover, blacking out Thatcher's face, although Riggs has since claimed that this was fabricated by the band's management to gain publicity in the British tabloids. [22]
The artwork for the band's third album, The Number of the Beast , depicted Eddie controlling Satan like a marionette. [18] Originally created by Riggs for the "Purgatory" single cover, but deemed too good by Smallwood and withheld for the next studio release, [23] the image, along with the record's title track, led to the Moral Majority labelling Iron Maiden as Satanists and organizing public burnings of their back-catalogue in the United States, which in turn gave them a large amount of publicity. [18]
During the course of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Eddie, specifically as he appeared on the sleeve of "The Trooper", became an unofficial mascot of the Ulster Freedom Fighters loyalist paramilitary group and was the main figure on a number of the group's murals. [24] [25] During The Final Frontier World Tour in 2011, after Iron Maiden did not perform "The Trooper" in Belfast, Blabbermouth.net reported that there had been speculation amongst fans that this was due to the artwork's use in murals. [26]
One last uproar that Eddie caused was when a picture representing him biting off Ozzy Osbourne's head (in response to Osbourne's biting the head off a live bat on stage) went unappreciated by those in Osbourne's camp; therefore, Maiden withdrew the drawing. [27]
Gibson.com described Eddie in 2008 as "the most recognizable metal icon in the world and one of the most versatile too," [28] while in 2009, Gigwise called him "perhaps the most enduring band mascot of all time." [29] Many artists who have been influenced by Iron Maiden hold their artwork in high regard, with Joey Jordison, former member of Slipknot commenting that he bought his first album "on the strength of the cover alone" [30] and Corey Taylor, also of Slipknot, stating that "there wasn't a dude that I hung out with that wasn't trying to draw Eddie on their schoolbooks." [31] Steve-O, from Jackass, says that they have "the coolest album covers in the music industry" and Lars Ulrich, of Metallica, comments that "they had the best packaging, the coolest T-shirts — everything." [30] Mick Wall describes Eddie as "the immortal soul of Iron Maiden, the defining symbol of the eternally youthful, blissfully uncompromising spirit of the band's music." [17]
In 2008, Eddie won the "Icon Award" at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. [32]
In 2023, Eddie was featured on a series of commemorative stamps issued by the Royal Mail. [33]
From 1980 onwards, the band's Eddie artwork was provided exclusively by Derek Riggs until 1992, when the band decided to accept contributions from other artists, with Smallwood explaining that they "wanted to upgrade Eddie for the '90s. We wanted to take him from this sort of comic-book horror creature and turn him into something a bit more straightforward so that he became even more threatening." [34] Since then, Riggs has contributed much less to the band's artwork, creating part of one studio album, one single and two compilation covers, while the band have employed a number of different artists:
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The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 22 March 1982 in the US by Harvest and Capitol Records, and on 29 March 1982 in the UK by EMI Records. The album was their first to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and their last with drummer Clive Burr.
Iron Maiden is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 14 April 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and Harvest and Capitol Records in the US. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. In 1998, along with the rest of the band's pre-1995 releases, Iron Maiden was remastered with "Sanctuary" added in all territories. However, 2014 vinyl reissues, 2015 digital releases and 2018 CD reissues use the original track listing across the globe. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton.
Somewhere in Time is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 29 September 1986 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. It was the band's first album to feature guitar synthesisers.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 11 April 1988 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast (1982) and later Fear of the Dark (1992), The Final Frontier (2010), and The Book of Souls (2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Can I Play with Madness" was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Maiden Japan, released as Heavy Metal Army in Japan, is a live EP by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The title is a pun of Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan.
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No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is their first album to feature Janick Gers on guitar, who replaced Adrian Smith. Smith left the band during the pre-production phase, unhappy with the musical direction it was taking, and only having contributed to one song, "Hooks in You". This was the third song in the "Charlotte the Harlot" saga. Gers previously worked with singer Bruce Dickinson on his first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Ian Gillan, former Marillion singer Fish, and new wave of British heavy metal band, White Spirit.
Live After Death is a live album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, originally released in October 1985 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US. It was recorded at Long Beach Arena, California and Hammersmith Odeon, London during the band's World Slavery Tour.
Derek Riggs is a contemporary British artist best known for creating the band Iron Maiden's mascot, "Eddie".
A Real Dead One is a live album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 25 October 1993. It was recorded at various concerts across Europe, during the Fear of the Dark Tour in 1992 and the Real Live Tour in 1993. It features songs from the very beginning of the band's career (1975) to the Powerslave era (1984), while counterpart A Real Live One contains songs from only the post-Powerslave albums.
"Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson as vocalist. Credited solely to the band's bassist, Steve Harris, Dickinson contributed to the song but could not be credited due to a contractual agreement with his former band Samson. "Run to the Hills" remains one of the band's most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 10 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs
"Sanctuary" is the second single released by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The single was released on 23 May 1980. Although originally issued as a non-album single, the song was added to the later US release of their debut studio record, Iron Maiden (1980). When the album was re-released in 1998, the song was added in all territories. In 1990, it was reissued on CD and 12" vinyl in The First Ten Years box set, in which it was combined with their first single, "Running Free".
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