A great Smith/Dickinson deep cut. Anything by Adrian is worth a look.

Still some people out there who view this song as a filler (well, a certain Maiden based Podcast). You must be joking. No filler on Powerslave, fact!

@DelendirProd

Ай бұрын

Which podcast pls ? I love podcasts !

@cr1s1s0ff41th

Ай бұрын

fact! it's almost perfect front to back

@christschinwon

Ай бұрын

@@DelendirProd I don't remember but listening to a newly discovered one now called Maiden A-Z

@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy

Ай бұрын

This is genuinely my favorite song from Powerslave

@Zam1Fear

Ай бұрын

This is also my favorite song on Powerslave.

this is HANDS DOWN my favourite maiden riff. i say hands down because i never attempted to play it haha! everything about this song is amazing to me

@metalinsights9664

Ай бұрын

Agreed. The guitar work on that song is stunning.

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣🤘🤘🤘

This is one of Iron Maiden greatest songs. Loved it since 1984 when i purchased the record.

My favourite underrated song from Maiden. The riff, the legato interlude, the bridge all pure Powerslave riffing and fun as hell!

One of my favourite Maiden songs. That riff has always fascinated me.

finally, the best Maiden riff :)

Also Steve was on fire recording this song. The bass line is crazy!

This is actually one of my favorite songs.

Brilliant as always! One of my preferred tunes from my preferred album. Saluti.

Great job Nico! Catching those subtleties is the difference between sounding close to the original or sounding like pub rock.

The bass part is a hour to play too! Love the takeaway closing section, really rounds out the presentation and hands it back to your viewers, great addition! 🙌

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

It shows you're a experienced musician with a high EI, cause you always get exactly "why" and pick up on the nuances... 🙂 And yeah that bass part is craziness!

Adrain played this in a video somewhat recently and it was far sloppier than yours lol. Granted its been 40 years but it was nice. seeing him jam that song again. The second riff is what i always wanted to learn and then got it all. Its tricky as hell

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Sloppier or not, his take will out-Adrian mine every time! 😁 To be fair, I'm sure Adrian didn't do multiple takes for that video 🤪 You're right, it can be very tricky to get just right... I didn't want this tutorial to be overwhelming with detail, but there are of course so many little things like muting and hand position to look out for.

@TailgunnerATC

29 күн бұрын

@LicksOfTheBeast I've gotten to the point I use this song as a warm up because it makes me cramp in about 1 minute lol

I always wondered why it never sounded right when you played along to the album. Never thought to check the tuning 😂😂 brilliant Niko

I really love how you work thru these parts and explain how it is played properly. It makes me understand more why what I hear is similar but very different. I like how you said that is how people develop their own style and sound

Not only is this one of my favorite IM riffs, as well, it's also one of my favorite songs of their entire career. The way that bridge comes out of NOWHERE still gives me goosebumps. I also play it the "alternate" way you showed around the 2:00 mark, as that's how I learned it years ago, but I'm really digging the position you showed here.

Thanks for breaking it down. I've always had trouble with the 2nd riff, you explained it well and now it sounds right when I play it.

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

That makes me very happy to hear (read... whatever 😁) cheers!!

🤘licks of the beast 🤘

Excellent choice, Nico. This riff hooked me immediately the first time I heard it. I remember that experience vividly. Your rendition and break down of it gives me and even greater appreciation. Keep up the great work!

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

Same here, man! 😃 And thanks 🙏🏻

You nailed it...

Fantastic! This song deserves as much attention and analysis as it can get. NEXT - please pick apart the harmony break before and after the first solo. It's been killing me for years, trying to decipher EXACTLY what's going on. There are a couple of attempts on KZread but none are perfect - but I trust you, man!

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

Check out the link I just added in the description or the end screen. I had made a tutorial for that part a few years back and forgot to mention it in this video. The links are there now...enjoy!! 😃

Nico you're a man after my own heart 😅 I've posted quite a few times about my love for this song on your channel. This intro just grabs your attention immediately. I'm sitting here with my '68 LP Custom Reissue jamming with you 🤘 Up The Irons ⚒️

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Hey that's awesome!! Thanks for the jam 😃 I agree about that intro being an immediate attention-grabber! I freaked out the first time I heard it 😆

Mate, this is an amazing breakdown of a great riff. Thanks!

Wooow another very VERY nice explanation (and perfect cover) - congrats Nico

Excellent work Nico. Please, please, please do a detailed video for the next riff, before the solo starts 🙏🏻

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

Thank you! I did a tutorial for the interlude a few years ago. I forgot to mention it in the video 🤦🏻 but I just added a link to it on the end screen and in the description. It's a really cool part to play so I hope you have fun with that one!

@truegooner2002

Ай бұрын

@@LicksOfTheBeast yes I found it not long after I commented 🙈. Will be studying with that one thanks

Finally I can learn to play it the proper way. Thanks so much.

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

You're very welcome and thank you for watching! 😊

Thank you! I'm looking forward to more Maiden lessons! I'm a beginner-intermediate guitar player and I really find these videos very helpful. I love Maiden and learning their songs is a great foundation for learning more extreme / complex stuff later.

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

I am so very glad to hear this! Thank you and there will definitely be more like this! Maiden and otherwise 😊

Great analysis. Over the years i thought I'd got it nailed. Now i can play it the correct way. Thank you. 🙂

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

That's awesome! Cheers 🤜🤛

How the hell did Nicko get this good? I thought I was decent but I look like a complete beginner😂 Seriously, thank you so much for this breakdown, I struggle with it a lot!

Was waiting for this, thank you!

Absolutely fantastic breakdown Nico! Love this song and after your explanation it actually seems playable to me for the first time...lol. UP THE IRONS 🤘

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

I'm really glad to read this! 😃 I hope you have fun jamming along to it!!

Nico, Awesome Video. Thanks for Sharing.

Chorus is pretty wild too.

Yeah love the tunings on older records. Sometimes the mastering engineer speeds it up to squeeze it on a record or a tape machine in the process ran fast. Sometimes they would slightly run it fast to give it a little energy. Sometimes a piano used to tune was out of tune. Sometimes it's just tuning by ear or the tuner was actually off. Good times! You nailed it: not doing alternate picking on that first riff makes it way harder.

One of Maiden's best riffs indeed.

"... it loses some of it's impact, Zakk .. "

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

😂😂😂 With Zakk, I would say it's more of a stylistic signature...but that was too funny 🤣

Awesooomeeee...

Great video! I love that riff and the song is actually one of my favorites from Powerslave. I really like your version at the beginning of the video, after you talked about guitarists finding their own style. I love the way they use pinch harmonics too. By the way, we have several more anniversaries coming up. Guess you'll get a break in 2027 lol.

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

Hey I'm happy to know you enjoyed this one! 😃 We do have whole boatload of anniversaries, don't we? This year alone is bonkers! Seriously, I don't know what was in the water in 1984 but there was a ridiculous amount of slammin' music that came out that year. 2026 is going to be insane too! Good thing 1987 was a less productive year 😅😅😅

Come sempre, ottimo lavoro Nicko! Quell'armonico mi fa saltare sulla sedia ogni volta 💥 ! Ora, se vuoi renderci davvero felici, aspettiamo la lezione su QUEL riff da 22 Acacia Avenue 😁

Amazing, Will work on It!

Great lessons! Thanks ya! 🤘🤘🤘

Beautiful gold top bro.

Great riff

Amazing 👏👏👏

Another tremendous offering!! I love this song and it was actually in the running for my top pick from Powerslave, but oh so many great choices on that album. 😉 Thanks for the lesson and for your perspective. I always love the details you explore. I’m a big Michael Shenker fan, so of course there’s going to be some love here from me. Also, I think I’ve really become a fan of some of the underdog tracks over the years. For example, I really dig rocking out to Invaders and Gangland off of Number. I enjoyed the addition of the notes on Billy Gibbons and John Christ. On a totally different note, I saw Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway for the second time last night, so much fun! I saw them a couple years ago and their audience here in my area has really grown since then. The opening act was Allison De Groot (originally from Canada and now living in Nashville) and Tatiana Hargreaves, a banjo and fiddle combo. They were awesome. I love all kinds of music 🤠 that’s probably one of my downfalls as a guitar player is that I go down so many different rabbit holes instead of just staying focused. 😂 but… You like to do what you like to do. Jeff Beck could get away with that but not many can! Well, that was a long enough comment for several videos so maybe just the thumbs up or the metal horns the next time or two 😂

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

I absolutely get where you're coming from about all the rabbit holes. I've only recently come to understand that no matter how many things I may enjoy, I learned to play as a heavy metal guitar player and that's what I'm rooted in. The other elements like classical, blues, folk, punk, and rockabilly help broaden my color palette and they undoubtedly play a role in molding and shaping my personal style, but i no longer dabble. This has helped me improve considerably more in the last 2 years than I had in the 10 years prior! Still, it's a matter of priorities. For some, it's more fun, more stimulating, and more rewarding to dabble a little more. And ultimately, the correct path is whichever one keeps you picking and strumming for the long haul! 😃

@CC-qb9sm

29 күн бұрын

@@LicksOfTheBeast - Sage words as always, Nico. Definitely some food for thought that stat about the last two years versus the 10 years prior. I think I’m going to have to do some soul-searching and decide what my path forward will be. Have a great weekend, my friend! I’ll get one of the new shirts ordered here in the next few days now that I’m at my new place 🤠

I appreciate your channel. I learn a ton when I'm in the mood to play some Maiden. You confirmed I've been playing BITV the "right" way, even if sloppy. Cheers!

I adore that riff 🤘 Adrian was inspired surely by Michael Schenker for this one...😉

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Oh 1000%! 🙂

Nico, thank you for this explanation. I would love if you can do one on the opening section of Revalations. I can't quite get the chord after the G notes and A5 chord.

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

I might do that as a short or something. 🤔 In the mean time, maybe this can help: it's basically an open C chord 😊

@richardmelville1920

27 күн бұрын

@@LicksOfTheBeast Thank you! I would love it.

Real good teacher. Thanks 🤘🤠

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

Thank you!!

Hi Nico, I love your channel and the way you play Maiden. Have you ever thought about opening a paid subscription or similar in which you include lessons like this one? I play guitar at a médium level and I would love to have more Maiden songs in this way

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Thank you so much! Actually, I am in the planning stages of something along those lines. And I also offer private virtual lessons (albeit with a rather limited schedule). You can check www.licksofthebeast.com for details 😊

just the way i play it (notes), but for main riff i use index, ring and pinky... what is really hard for me is keep a steady palm muting for the second part of the riff, the tiniest mistake and it becomes BIG NOISE, and even more with a single coil strato lol... overall amazing riff, written by who? the same guy who wrote sea of madness (another amazing riff) cheers, and thanks for the lesson nico!

This has got to be the hardest maiden riff to play, it sounds so ridiculous 🤣🤣

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

🤣🤣 It can definitely be a bit tricky to play it cleanly and tightly throughout the whole song because of the pace and speed...

During the first gigs of the World Slavery Tour they played it live and Adrian's speed in the intro was quite unplayable fast (kzread.info/dash/bejne/aoaTm6eqh866ppM.html)

This piece is very interesting 👸

I'm wonder how do you manage to get such details from those solos. Do you have any "inside info"? Are you actually close friends of Iron Maiden guitarists and learn directly from them? 😂 Amazing content Sir! Thanks for share! 👍

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Hahahaha yeah I wish! I just spend a lot of time with these details... And I sometimes still get things a little wrong 😅 Thanks so much for the kind words and support!

First, we get Flash in the Blade, and now we get Back in the village! Nico, you are the best! Back in the village is one of my favorite songs off the album. I never really understood why it was considered one of the minor songs on the album. To me, it's a classic Adrian Smith song, with the peddle notes going through the opening and bridge sections. I also just noticed that it finishes exactly on 5 min, with the final three "Back in the village" repeats exactly timed to the 4:57, 4:58, and 4:59 second counts. Here's a link to Nico's tutorial for the interlude section (from 2 years ago): kzread.info/dash/bejne/YoSarJZ_fNu1cs4.html And here he is playing through the whole song (again (from 2 years ago): kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZXtmk7hqYdTbdJM.htmlsi=K1tnGorHo8vultIC

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Much much appreciated and that is pretty cool about the timing at the end! I hadn't ever noticed 😃

@EddyHabits

29 күн бұрын

@@LicksOfTheBeast Just added a link to your play through of the whole song. Have you thought about putting the links in the Description? People will probably not see my comment, but I'm sure they'd see your links and visit the related tutorial and play through. Here, joining a tribute Maiden band has been so great for my playing. The twin guitars are so much fun.

Amazing job as usual!!! This is my favourite Maiden’s riff, although the song isn’t that good too… my 2 cents…

Your explanation on how a player plays a song based on how they hear it is spot on💯💯💯💯

I always thought this riff was unrepeatable or unplayable.

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Nothing is unplayable... Except maybe some of that Polyphia stuff 😅

Recently, I found a VERY short snippet of this amazing song played live in 84. Now this! What a time to be alive!

@Gary-vv5bg

Ай бұрын

Pretty sure Iron Maiden themselves only played thisone once!

@emirepresa9500

Ай бұрын

@@Gary-vv5bg there’s proof that it was played in Warsaw, and rumor has it it was also played in Łódź, both in 84.

@Gary-vv5bg

Ай бұрын

@@emirepresa9500 I wish there was a recording, it's definitely a tougher song to do live, and I don't know how into it the crowd would be tbh as it's always been a sleeper hit. Adrian also played it in the 90s with one of his solo bands, again no recording 🤣🤣

back in the village and moonchild are hands down my fav maiden songs by a landslide

who plays the intro ?? dave or adrian ????

@Gary-vv5bg

Ай бұрын

I'm pretty sure it's Adrian Smith

@TailgunnerATC

Ай бұрын

Adrian plays it.

Do we think they purposely tuned up a tiny bit or did they just speed up the tape a tiny bit?

@benburnett8109

Ай бұрын

The band would've tuned to A=440 for sure. Then they would have sped up the instruments to match Bruce's voice.

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

My guess is the tape was sped up a bit, and there could be different reasons for that. Not being an engineer and not having ever spoken to anyone who was present during the recording, I can't offer any insight as to why other than deliberately mastering it that way to make the songs feel faster/more high energy, or perhaps something more to do with tape speed variation during the recording... 🤷🏻

Thanks from France. The tabs are bads sometimes. 😊

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

Merci à toi! Et oui, disons que les tabs sont souvent pas tout-à-fait fiables 😅

Impossible riff for me.

@ezp721

Ай бұрын

Start slow 0.25 speed. A few weeks later there you have it.

@ghastlynavigator

Ай бұрын

I felt the same way but this video really makes me feel differently. You can do it my friend...just keep playing and never say never! 🤘

@LicksOfTheBeast

29 күн бұрын

It can certainly be challenging, but unless there is a physical impediment, it's definitely not impossible! Just work out the details slowly, don't be in a rush, and you'll see that accuracy and speed will come gradually. It's a process for all of us... Some people might have more dexterity and coordination so they just progress faster than the rest of us, but I'm not one of those people so if I can become a halfway decent guitarist just from persistence, most people can too! 😃 Cheers!

Megadeth definitely borrowed that riff for the song back in the day from system has failed. Coincidentally both titles start with back in.

6:14 - you gonna hurt Zakk Wylde's feelings.

@LicksOfTheBeast

Ай бұрын

😂 😂 I think with Zakk it's just part of his playing style. A personal signature, kinda like Adrian's vibrato...