| The Soundhouse Tapes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP by Iron Maiden | ||||
| Released | 9 November 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 30 December 1978 – 31 December 1978 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 11:28 | |||
| Label | Rock Hard | |||
| Iron Maiden EPs chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
The Soundhouse Tapes is the debut EP by Iron Maiden, and features the very first recordings by the band. Released on 9 November 1979, it features three songs taken from the demo tape Spaceward. The songs were recorded by the band on New Year's Eve 1978/79. The three tracks - "Prowler", "Invasion" and "Iron Maiden" - appear in rougher form than they would later be heard on the first Iron Maiden album and subsequent singles. The tracks are played a bit slower and therefore more groovy as they appeared later on their debut. "Invasion" was not used until 1980, when it was released as a b-side to the "Women In Uniform" single.
The fourth song from the demo - "Strange World" - would also be rerecorded for Iron Maiden. The song was not included in The Soundhouse Tapes because the band was not happy with the recording quality. A demo of Transylvania, presumably from the same recording sessions (or at least the same era), has been floating around the bootleg circuit for many years as well.
The EP was extremely successful, selling all 5,000 copies of its initial pressing by mail order in less than a week.
The Soundhouse Tapes has been bootlegged several times, as well as being re-released by the band in full on the 4 LP vinyl version of the Best of the Beast box set, and spread over singles and the two CD version released around the same time.
The Soundhouse Tapes' title was taken from The Soundhouse club. This was a heavy metal disco run primarily out of the Prince of Wales pub in Kingsbury, North West London by NWOBHM pioneer Neal Kay. Iron Maiden would play regular gigs at The Soundhouse and the venue was instrumental in gaining the band a wider following.
It is the only Iron Maiden record to feature the band as a four piece (with Dave Murray as its only guitarist). In 2002, when the band reissued its catalogue, they held a special promotion in which a fan could collect proofs of purchase from the remasters and send them in along with shipping and handling to receive a CD of these recordings (this is, to date, the only time the Soundhouse Tapes recordings have (officially) been released on CD.)
Swedish prog metal band Opeth released a live album in 2007 called The Roundhouse Tapes in homage to this title.
All songs written and composed by Steve Harris.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Iron Maiden" | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Invasion" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Prowler" | 4:20 |