Four-Fifths Of Original IRON MAIDEN Lineup Reunites For Photo For First Time In 42 Years

Four-fifths of the original IRON MAIDEN lineup reunited for the first time in 42 years this past weekend.

Bassist Steve Harris, who formed IRON MAIDEN on Christmas day in 1975, was photographed with the band's very first singer, Paul Mario Day, and guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance. Missing from the photo op was drummer Ron "Rebel" Matthews.

Paul wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday (December 29): "The gang almost all together since 1976, or thereabouts. I cannot begin to tell you how good it feels. Tonight will burned in my memory for life. I may say more later after I process this evening."

Day's latest face-to-face meeting with Harris comes four years after the singer suggested in an online post that he had co-written the MAIDEN song "Strange World" but was never credited for his contributions.

Day wrote at the time: "This is my opinion. When I sang in IRON MAIDEN, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodys all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.

"In 1976, photos/recording were next to impossible to have if you were poor boys from East London, so I cannot prove I wrote the words and melody for 'Strange World'.

"As for before the time of albums and recording deals, I would say it was creative theft, not deliberate, as probably I would have done the same thing myself to keep it clean and simple. I think, however, if it made me a mega amount of money in the future, I would have done the right thing and [made] amends. As back then we were all pulling for the same side and it still hurts to think the first-ever song I ever composed was on a big-selling album and nobody knows it was me. Not to mention how I scrape to earn a living while Mr. Harris is living like a god!"

Due to his lack of stage presence, Day was replaced in MAIDEN by Dennis Wilcock. Day went on to front SWEET and MORE while Terry Rance still plays with AIRFORCE, which features former IRON MAIDEN drummer Doug Sampson.

Day will make take part in a question-and-answer session at the Cart & Horses in London's Stratford, the pub billed as "the birthplace of IRON MAIDEN," on January 20 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

MAIDEN's first demo recording, "Soundhouse Tapes", featured Harris, singer Paul Di'Anno, guitarist Dave Murray and Sampson. It eventually landed MAIDEN a record deal with EMI in 1980. The band's self-titled debut album brought about a new lineup with the addition of Clive Burr to replace Sampson and Dennis Stratton on guitar.