THINGFISHY'S WORLD OF MAIDEN Started March 2006 Still ongoing 1 – >150. All Iron Maiden songs

Once again a result of the so-called "Internet DIY", Thingfishy offers us his renditions of many (almost all!) Maiden songs. The "project" actually started in March 2006 on the MaidenFans Forum where Thingfish started sharing his work with the MaidenFans community. He had so much success that he kept posting more files, even on request, and – at the time of this writing – the project is still ongoing.

The acoustic versions are really nicely done and it's obvious that a lot of dedication was put into them. The "Alvin & The Chipmunks" speeded-up versions are absolutely hilarious too and well worth listening to! Thingfish, humble and honest, has apologised a few times for the "imperfections" of his covers, but it is precisely those that make these sound files special, as a fan's tribute to his favourite band. You can listen to them on Thingfish's website. Enjoy and keep checking for more!

Albie's review:

Of all the Maiden tributes I have heard, this stands out as possibly one of the most original. Instead of merely creating a sound not to dissimilar to the how Maiden laid it down, this is one man, a guitar and a laptop producing extremely enjoyable acoustic versions of Maiden songs.

For me the better songs are the "mainly" acoustic numbers (i.e., "2AM", "No Prayer", "Strange World", etc. all beautifully played and sung) but the renditions of "Fear Is The Key" and "Twilight Zone" both deserves a mention also. "Twilight Zone" especially as it really lends itself so well to been produced acoustically and the vocals created in such a way to give the listener a ghostlike feeling. Listen also to "Still Life" and the reworking of Nicko’s "backward message" which will give you a smile.

My only critic is the laid back working of "Can I Play With Madness". While some may find this to their liking, I feel it lacks the punch it needs. An example is the line "spit back in their face" which really needs to be sung with a bit more passion. But I really can’t take away the massive effort and attention to detail that has been put to these tracks – the little things like the line "Will give me piece of mind" in "Still Life", the "huh" in "Wrathchild", the solos in all the tracks.

Overall, it is an excellent piece of work that deserves any praise it gains. To really appreciate this; turn it on, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Picks: "2AM", "Twilight Zone", "Only The Good Die Young", "Still Life".

If Thingfish was a busker in the London Underground, I’d miss my train.

Albie – 14th May 2006