Tribute to Clive Burr

I was working from home on Wednesday while I waited for the gas man to come and fix a leak which the man from the National Grid said should have blown our house halfway to the sky. Not sure what that means, but anyway. While working (just as hard as I would do in the office) I was able to follow twitter perhaps a little more closely than would otherwise be the case, so it meant that I found out the sad news about the death of Clive Burr almost as soon as it broke.

It wasn't entirely unexpected, Clive had been ill for some time with MS and recent rumours and stories on the Iron Maiden Fan Club message boards had indicated that this day wouldn't be too far away. None of that takes away from the sadness felt by not only all Iron Maiden fans, myself included.

Clive Burr joined Maiden in 1980 when then drummer Doug Samson quit due to ill health. They had just managed to record their first EP The Soundhouse Tapes and establish themselves as a pretty decent live band in the UK. The band’s debut self-titled album was recorded and released in the same year and the band made their UK festival debut at Reading.

The next two years saw two more albums released two world tours and the arrival of Bruce Dickinson into the band. By the time the band had played the last of the 172 gigs on the Beast on the Road tour in 1982, which included the wonder of Reading festival on Saturday followed by the next show being in California on the Wednesday, Clive was done in. According to documentaries on the time he wasn’t able to cope with living his life and performing, and was asked to leave the band to be replaced by Nicko McBrain.

When the band found out that Clive had been diagnosed with MS, they quickly established the Clive Burr MS Fund to give him support and make life more comfortable. Three charity gigs were played in Brixton in March 2003. It was the first time I got to see Bruce back in Maiden (and the second and third) and the first night remains the single best show I have ever seen. Bruce’s introduction of Bloodbrothers where he said that Clive was still very much part of the Iron Maiden family, as we all are, had big hulks of men in tears, and a few scrawny teenagers too.

Clive at the Brixton show in 2003

At Hammersmith in 2005

Back at Brixton in 2007

When Clive came onto stage each of the three nights at Brixton he got the biggest cheer of the evening. He was able to stand, walk around a little and even throw some drumsticks into the audience. In 2005 the charity gig was at the Hammersmith Odeon and a rather more fragile figure appeared on stage pushed by his daughter, and when they returned to Brixton for the final MS Fund gig in 2007 Clive was again only able to come out in a wheelchair and had visibly deteriorated.

There are few people I know who love and revere Iron Maiden more than me, and Nicko is easily one of the most charismatic and likeable members of the band. Add to that he’s a phenomenal drummer too. 

However, most people (Nicko included) agree that Clive Burr is the best drummer that Iron Maiden ever had. Just listen to the drumming on Running Free and Run to the Hills. Also look at the very first song which Nicko drummed on when he joined Maiden after Clive left. Where Eagles Dare leaves you in no doubt as to the size of the shoes he had to fill.

 

Although he hadn't been seen in public for a few years and hadn't been in the band for over three decades, it’s still sad to lose the first member of the Iron Maiden family.