1338. Iron Maiden / Killers. 1981. 5/5

The burgeoning phenomenon that had been Iron Maiden’s rise from East End pub band into full blown heavy metal leaders of the pack had reached its crescendo with the release of their self-titled debut album in April 1980, an album you can hear about on this podcast on episode 48 should, you be interested in reliving the past in that way. That album had finally given the fans what they wanted, something they could take home and relive over and over again. It created new fans which in turn created even more fans, and the band’s popularity continued to rise. The album reached number 4 on the UK charts, and it created interest in other fan bases around the world. To support the release of that album, the band embarked on a headline tour of the UK, and then went on to being the opening act for Kiss on their European tour to promote their “Unmasked” album, and also supporting Judas Priest on other dates of their tour. The exposure the band received from this trek also gave them a huge boost in those territories.
Following the Kiss tour, guitarist Dennis Stratton was dismissed for what was said to be creative and personal differences. In an interview with Jon Hinchcliffe in October 1999, Stratton gave his side of the story: “I used to listen to things like George Benson, Average White band, Eagles. Loads of Eagles, just relaxing. Little River Band, you know all interesting melodic stuff. And it got to the point we were in one Hotel and Rod Smallwood came up and started shouting at me saying I am not supposed to be listening to this type of music. And I said to him "If I listen to Motorhead 24 hours a day my brain would be gone. You can't do things like that to people" and he said, "Well you can't be into the band if you are listening to that sort of stuff.". It just got silly. It got out of hand. We weren't mixing well and it got round to Oslo I think at the end of the Kiss tour. I had "Soldier of Fortune" by Deep Purple on Stun volume because I was in the Shower. And he had heard it. And he was saying "If you are going to keep listening to all this slow soft stuff ... " and it just got a bit silly. I said something like "You're just a bully" and we just fell out. And after the Kiss tour he said "Right we're not getting on. You're not into the band." I said what do you mean "I'm not into the band?" He said "I can't fault you're playing and your singing, but you are just not into the band." I went "Oh f**king hell" and just walked out of the office and that was it”.
Stratton’s replacement was an easy choice. In 1979, Adrian Smith had been approached to join the band, but had declined as at the time he felt that his own band, Urchin, was on the verge of making their own ascension in the music business. It was something that he eventually regretted when the band folded in 1980 without have reached the success he had been hoping for. Now though, with Stratton gone, he was asked once again to join the band, and this time he jumped at the opportunity. His first gigs with the band were the conclusion of their UK headlining tour in November and December of 1980, and he appeared in the band’s live video recorded then “Live at the Rainbow”.
As a precursor to the album being release, a single was recorded as the band was unsure about any of the track they had written for the upcoming new album as being single. Their publishers suggested covering the song “Women in Uniform” by Australian band Skyhooks. This they duly did, as well as filming a promotional video for the song.
Having been disappointed with the production of their debut album, the band and manager Rod Smallwood were making no such mistake with their follow up. The call came for legendary producer Martin Birch, whose stellar career had already led to producing albums from bands such as Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath. While his name had come up when it came to discussing producers for the first album, no one thought that he would stoop so low as to agree to produce a band that no one knew. For his part, Birch himself later admitted in interviews, including for the Classic Albums episode for “The Number of the Beast”, that he was bemused as to why they hadn’t asked him to be their producer on that debut album. Birch of course remained with the band until his retirement from the industry in 1992.
Thus it came to pass that less than ten months after the release of their debut album, Iron Maiden returned to the shelves with their follow up album, one that would again showcase the many faces that the band had to offer to the growing genre of heavy metal, the album that was called “Killers”.

Coming into their new album, the band already had a lot of material available that had not been used on their debut album, some of those songs having been played live in concert for years prior to the recording of the “Killers” album. Some had been composed and were in the process of being tested in the live environment after the release of the debut album. The new album’s title track “Killers” is a case in point. This song was played often in the latter half of 1980, with different lyrics and slightly different structure to what eventually became recorded on the new album. Many versions exist of the earlier version of the song. Songs that were played on the headlining UK gigs prior to the album being recorded include “The Ides of March”, “Wrathchild”, “Killers’, “Another Life”, “Innocent Exile” and “Drifter”. “Wrathchild” of course had been recorded and appeared on the “Metal for Muthas” compilation album in 1980 and had been bypassed for the debut album as a result, but its popularity and longevity from being one of the band’s earliest songs meant that it had to get its chance on album here. Both “Wrathchild”, “Purgatory”, “Another Life”, “Drifter” and “Innocent Exile” hark back to the very earliest days of the band, appearing on set list when Dennis Wilcock fronted the band. Indeed, it is acknowledged that only two completely new songs were composed for this album as it was being recorded, those being “Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “Prodigal Son”, an interesting comparison of songs that stand on different sides of the band’s defining qualities.
Breaking down this album as a study piece is an interesting project. Why were these songs, which had already been written some time beforehand, not utilised on the first album? If they were deemed surplus to requirement for the band’s first ever album, did that mean that they were second rate, and should not have been used at all? Does their use here indicate that the band had already runout of ideas and had resorted to using tracks they had ignored for their first album? Or was it simply that the band still felt these songs had plenty of strength in them, that they were indeed a part of what made the band who they were, and that they deserved tobe recorded for posterity and to allow all Iron Maiden fans the chance to enjoy them as well? Both sides of this argument have been discussed over the years, especially in discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the band’s first two albums and where they stand in the band’s catalogue as a result.
“The Ides of March” is the instrumental opening introduction to the album, inviting all listeners to get to their seats and ready themselves for the onslaught that follows. While it might be perfunctory in some fan's eyes, it does act as the perfect introduction to the song that follows, and the one everyone would consider the true opening of the album. As was spoken about on Episode 90 of this podcast that speaks about Samson’s album “Head On”, their song “Thunderburst” is basically the exact same track as this one, which is credited to the entire band along with Steve Harris. The Iron Maiden song is simply credited to Harry. Perhaps not the only time in the band’s history where correct credit to songs has not been forthcoming. And perhaps also the reason this version appeared on this album.
The arrival of “Wrathchild” and that marvellous bass and drums opening, along with Paul Di’Anno’s entry of “yeah” is still as iconic and marvellous as the day the album was released. Perhaps that is because this is the only song from the album that is regularly played live. It is also the reason many fans have fatigue over it. And yet, every time you put the album on, and Paul says ‘yeah’, you are away, dragged along back into the song and the album. Musically it's a great simple song driven by Steve’s bass guitar and Di’Anno’s vocals. The basis of the first two albums were these kinds of short sharp tracks that exude high energy and volatile lyrics and lovely guitar solos through the middle. It has been played for a thousand years, and it would certainly be nice to hear other songs from this era played live occasionally, but it doesn’t take away how important this song has been to the Maiden history, and how enjoyable it is every time it comes on.
“Murders in the Rue Morgue” is one of the two new tracks for the album, and it channels everything that made Iron Maiden the band on the rise they were at this time. The opening into the heart of the song is still such a wonderful mood setting platform, the bass harmonic, the clear guitar as the bass run builds to the entry of the drums and dual guitars, and then the burst of Clive Burr to take us hurtling into the heart of the track, with Di’Anno telling the tale based on the tale by Edgar Allen Poe. Harry’s bass guitar drums into your ears throughout this entire song, it just doesn’t rest, taking on almost lead guitar status rather than following the rhythm guitar. The driven high energy of the song explodes through the speakers. Di’Anno is at his finest here, and the combination of Murray and Smith in the middle section is still a joy to hear. Everything weaves together here to explore the best of what Iron Maiden does.
“Another Life” has the early live punchy feel that you can hear when you listen, and almost feel the sweat dripping off the wall of the pubs the band played in during their early years. The opening drum roll from Clive, the twin guitar burst, before the delayed guitar solo introduction into the heart of the song. I can see those long haired heads bobbing along at the front of the stage. The band played this live on their 2005 Eddie Rips Up the World Tour, and with three guitarists in the band, surely they could have made a better effort reproduce that delayed guitar riff solo in that instance. This blends into the instrumental “Genghis Khan”, where Clive Burr is the out and out star. His drum roll to enter the track with bass and guitar is fabulous, and then through the middle of the track the double timing he keeps is surely unplayable. Listen to the bass and guitars, they are almost struggling to keep up with him, and how he keeps that timing he plays is superhuman. Fortunately for all they all crash out of that to a more sedate turn for the second half of the song, allowing the melody of Dave and Adrian’s guitars to claim their spot to complete the song. This is a wonderful musical interlude, with all members showcasing their immense skill and creating another wonderful track.
“Innocent Exile” is a fan favourite, though has rarely been played live since the tour to promote this album. It is another song that harks back to their earliest days, and one as such that retains the kind of structure and format some of their pub days songs keep. It explodes outward in the back half of the song, picking up pace as the solo pieces from Dave and Adrian have their say, and this is where the real essence of the song comes to life, and closes out the first half of the album nicely.
The title track opens up the second side of the album, and it remains one of their signature tracks. Probably not politically correct for our lily hearted people in the modern day, but "Killers" is a great song to sing along to, telling the story of a serial killer in the mode of the Yorkshire Ripper. Once again it is the bass line and drum core that opens up a Maiden track, almost always a sure way to indicate one of the best songs from the band. And then Paul Di’Anno - he just takes charge. His positioned screams during the opening stanza are so perfectly tuned. The whole mood of the opening of the track sets the scene again, just as it does in “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, and like that song, the burst into the heart of the track with the arrival of the guitars is where it all bursts out of the speakers. The galloping bass line keeps the song charging along, and Clive’s perpetual drumming climbing aboard as well. Di’Anno excels throughout this song, his vocal dripping with the lip curling sinister atmosphere he creates, as he unfurls himself to reveal that he is indeed the protagonist of the song, and his exposed insanity comes to the fore. The harmony vocals of the breakdown in the middle of the track is fabulous. And the charge of the solo section with both guitarists given their head to fly along, all the while as Harris and Burr continue to crank the engine underneath. Di’Anno’s ability to channel the mood of the story and adapt his vocals to match it is pure artistry. “Killers” is a true classic, and here offers the very best that all of the band members, but especially Paul Di’Anno, have to offer.
Though on the original UK release of this album we move into the second newly written track, two other versions of the album have a different song inserted before its arrival. The US version contained the song “Twilight Zone”, a song that had been released as a non-album single a month after the release of this album, while the Australian version of the album, the one I first owned, had the pre-album non-album single “Women in Uniform” added in. Both, in my opinion, are excellent songs.
“Prodigal Son”, the other new track written for the album, is another example on these first two albums of a band that was so comfortable with itself that they were willing to step out of what they may conceive as their comfort zone and create a song that steps away from everything else that appears on the album. We heard that with “Remember Tomorrow” and” Strange World” on the debut album, and here we have it with “Prodigal Son”. Lyrically it is in a different world to what is composed musically. The song tells the story of someone who has been dabbling with black magic and now finds that the power he has been messing with is overpowering him and trying to take him away. Steve has written some wonderful lyrics here, and yet the music surrounding them is of a completely almost unrelated style. Gentler than most Maiden songs, the sweet harmonies exuded by the bass and twin guitars, as well as the completely underrated ability of Paul Di’Anno to sing a song in this mood, creates the almost calming and beautifully enamoured song that it is hard to reconcile with the music of the band, and of the lyrics with the music. In many ways, “Prodigal Son” is a conundrum, but a fascinatingly brilliant conundrum. It offers the kind of storytelling and melodic encompassment that allowed the band to further develop down the road without fear of being accused of selling out as a result. It is a wonderful song.
At the other end of the scale, “Purgatory” is almost a very early style of speed metal track, and must surely be the fastest song Iron maiden ever released. From the opening burst, when you listen carefully to what is here, it is hard to believe that the band was actually able to lay this down in the studio. There is simply, surely, no possible way that Steve Harris could have played this song live. It is just over the top fast. His fingers must have bled when he recorded this. On the frets and his right hand trying the hit each string at that velocity. That bassline throughout the entire length of the song is incredible, and still amazes me every time I listen to the song today. Add to that Clive Burr’s drums. I’m sorry, but how the hell is he playing this? Hit the hi-hats or the ride cymbal, cranking that right leg on the bass tom, and then throwing in his rolls as well. Far out. And yes, then Dave and Adrian following all of that up by playing what they do. My goodness I love this song; I love the fact that we have this kind of super fast paced song along with everything else the band has done on this album. They have covered most options and areas of metal on “Killers”, and shown they are capable of playing all of them.
The album is brought to its conclusion with “Drifter”, a song that had acted as a set closer for some time before its appearance on this album. It is a rambling and rumbling track, almost giving the feeling that the band is tumbling down the side of the mountain as it plays such is the increase in momentum it appears to gather along the way. It does sound like it is an end of gig jam, which of course when played live it became, often being extended with crowd chanting and audience participation. And by having this song close out the album, it feels like the perfect way to have that closure.

Those who have followed my journey with heavy metal music and Iron Maiden in particular will probably be familiar with my indoctrination with the band at the end of Year 10 in 1985, and the explosion of what one might call obsession with said band into 1986. Because my first experience with the band came through the albums “Powerslave”, “Piece of Mind” and “The Number of the Beast”, the exposure to “Killers” a couple of months after having devoured those three albums a hundred times over was of course a little confronting, because the singer on this album sounded different to how he had on those other albums. Oh, Iron Maiden had a different singer originally? OK, good to know.
The transition back from those three albums to what is contained on “Killers” is a truly interesting experience. Not only is the singer different, but the songs and their structure are also different. What “Killers” provides is the compilation of the rest of Maiden’s early years, the years where they were scraping together under constantly revised band lineups, but still playing the soundtrack created by Steve Harris, until he could find a line up and a means to get them all onto vinyl. So because these songs all came from that early era of 1975 through to 1980, they differed from what was written beyond this album, with a new singer and a whole different range that the band was able to explore. Whichever era you listened to first, there is an obvious divide between what came with “Killers” and before, and what came after. That for me when I first got the album was something that had to be traversed.
And I did. Quite comfortably as it turned out. Because most of the songs here are still incredible, and must have been even more so for those that heard this album on its release. For me, there are four outstanding songs on this album, and the remainder are only a notch below that. “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “Killers”, “Prodigal Son” and “Purgatory” are those four tracks. Why do they stand out for me? It is the perfect combination that this line up of the band provides. Steve Harris and his bass guitar working overtime. On all four of these songs, he offers what made –and makes – him so different from almost every other bass guitarist. The way he writes the songs on his bass guitar to make that instrument so prominant, so integral to the greatness of the tracks. On all four of these songs he is front and centre, and in different ways. Melodically on Murders and Prodigal Son, belligerently on Killers and Purgatory. Clive Burr’s drumming is the other key. The way he and Harry lock in on those songs in particular, driving the tracks when necessary, and holding the fort when it isn’t. Clive is outstanding on this album particularly because he is able to play at the tempo that is required OF him by Harry, and that could not always be an easy thing to do. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are terrific together, for the first time on a Maiden album. What I discovered listeneing to this album again this week though is that their presence is the least noticeable thing for me on this album. I’m not saying that what they play is not significant, because it is. And they are both excellent here, especially Dave who really shows his clout on the guitar on this album. But these songs for me are dominated by the rhythm of the bass and drums, and the vocals of Paul Di’Anno. And yes, Di’Anno is a star on this album, and these four songs in particular. Each so different from the other, and yet Di’Anno morphs to exactly what is required of each track. The storytelling of each story, each in the tone that the mood has been designated. He soars in Murders, he is sweetly beautiful in Prodigal Son, he is aggressively insane in Killers, and powerfully fast and iconic in Purgatory. The other tracks on the album are all terrific as well, and each member of the band is great on those as well, but for me these are the ones that create the grandeur of this album.
Not a year has passed in the last 40 where I haven’t listened to this album at least a few times. And 2026 is now no different, because I have been hammering it at work, and my vinyl copy still sits on my turntable in the Metal Cavern. And the undying love I have for this album remains undimmed. And why? If for nothing else, the ability to go from a song like “Killers” to a song like “Prodigal Son” and then to a song like “Purgatory”, and not miss a beat, and not lose a listener, and not lose any integrity in the work. And like I have already said, perhaps this IS just an album that draws together the remainder of the band’s song catalogue from the past, to ensure they all got their opportunity to be on an album. But thank goodness for that.
It of course also acts as Paul Di’Anno’s swansong, something that despite the years that passed he was never quite able to get over or get away from. Because when you listen to him sing on this album and its predecessor, you cannot imagine that he would not go on to be a force beyond this time, that his voice and charisma had to be an asset in reviving his music career. What it also probably proves is that in Iron Maiden he had a songwriter who was beyond compare, who gave him material that not only suited his character, but that he could also put a part of himself in to give it an attitude that helped make it what it was. In the years following, it always felt that it was the songwriting that let him down, and not his vocals. Despite this. Di’Anno’s legacy would always remain these two albums, for better or for worse.
As for Iron Maiden, their world was about to expand exponentially, with a success none of them could have imagined. The fact that “Killers” is a part of that springboard should not be forgotten. It should be celebrated.

1321. Iron Maiden / Live After Death. 1985. 5/5

Iron Maiden’s rise through the 1980’s had been built on the opening two albums helmed by former lead singer Paul Di’Anno, but had exploded exponentially on the back on the arrival of Bruce Dickinson as Di’Anno’s replacement and the release of three albums that remain as the shining lights of their back catalogue – the amazing “The Number of the Beast”, the incredible “Piece of Mind” and the untouchable “Powerslave”. Each of these albums not only soared on the back of the air raid siren himself in Bruce Dickinson, it was the guitars and bass of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Steve Harris, and initially the drumming of Clive Burr and then the introduction of the power of Nicko McBrain. The songwriting through the different partners involved brought together a rich tapestry of songs with amazing instrumental pieces coiled around lyrical stories and passions that centred on subjects that created an enormous fanbase with history, and knowledge. Everything about those albums, the first five in the Iron Maiden catalogue, drew together an amazing tale.
To be able to back up this volume of work, the band had to be able to carry it in the live environment. From the early years of relentless touring, the band drew crowds through the doors of the clubs that they played, eventually graduating to larger venues that befitted their status. This could only be achieved by being the best live act around, and there is little doubt that they achieved this. By the time it came around to promoting the “Powerslave” album with a world tour, their popularity had risen to such levels that they had more dates shovelled into their schedule than they had ever had before. From 9 August 1984 to 5 July 1985, over a period of 331 days, the band played 189 shows throughout the world. The stage production was the biggest they had ever assembled, with Egyptian themes and enormous ramps and drum riser, light show and other effects. This had to be assembled, disassembled and carted to all venues, all while the band had to continue to be at the top of their game every night. By its conclusion, the band was exhausted, with Bruce Dickinson in particular feeling the brunt of the workload. It would eventually bleed into his writing contribution to the following album being non-existent.
In 1981, the band had released a live EP from their tour of Japan called “Maiden Japan”, but on the back of the band’s enormous and increasing success and fan base, the band decided to record dates on the World Slavery Tour to release as both a live video and alive album. The chosen destination for the video and the bulk of the live album was Long Beach in California, where four nights were scheduled in March 1985, which enabled the band to record all four nights. They also recorded at four nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in October 1984, shows that Bruce Dickinson said in an interview with Classic Rock magazine in 2011 should have been used for the live video. "The whole thing should have been from Hammersmith. The performances there were better than the ones in Los Angeles. But the lighting engineer, Dave Lights, was at war with the video guys and consequently the whole thing was too dark. So we had great audio footage, but a lot of the concert footage was unusable”.
What remained became “Live After Death”, still arguably the greatest live album ever released, and if you don’t think so... think again...

The opening to the album and the concert is perfectly formulated, utilising the same opening as for the video for “Aces High”, with Chruchill’s Speech backed by the sound of the spitfires offering that spine tingling intro which is the recorded opening section, before the band bursts onto stage and takes hold of the occasion. The opening passage of “Aces High” that then blasts straight into its sister song of “2 Minutes to Midnight” is a cracking way to start the live album, back to back on the “Powerslave” album and also here, they set the stage for what is to comes with the intensity and power that they do on the album itself. And then for good measure, let’s just back into “The Trooper”. While some fans in the modern day feel some tiredness and overdrawn takes on “The Trooper” in particular, and these three songs overall, often allowing that to offset their enjoyment of the opening of this album – it does wonders to take yourself back to how you felt when you first listened to this album in 1985 and 1986, when these songs were still brand new or close enough to that effect, and how amazing it must have been to have seen them open this concert, and also how brilliant it was to hear them open this album. Honestly, it was next level stuff.
Side A of the first LP then drew on two more songs from the “Piece of Mind” album, “Revelations” and “Flight of Icarus”. Both songs again draw differing opinions, but it is more exacting to say that both of the live versions on this album are the better versions of the songs overall. The live setting brings out the best characteristics of each track, both played faster than the studio versions which gives them both more impetus than those original versions portray. All the way through we also have Bruce’s introductions to the songs, ones that everyone still quote when they listen to this album or even the studio albums.
Side B of the first LP has the three outstanding epic tracks of the band to itself, and it makes it even more incredible to listen to. Opening with “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the band’s longest song to that time was not one that was expected to be brought to the live stage, and yet it becomes the centrepiece of this experience. The opening stanza into the middle section of the track still sounds superb. But it is the return of the heavier section that is transformed once again. The tumbling down the wave with Bruce’s maddening laughter, the descent into the crash of guitars on the back of Nicko’s drums is still absolutely amazing. There are few better moments in music history than this few minutes of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and live it is just as joyous. It is emotionally strong enough to send shivers down the spine, bursting forth with joy from the heart and the brimming of tears such is the intensity of the brilliance of this passage. And then for good measure the band breaks into the title track from that album “Powerslave”, and again produces their mastery, especially in the instrumental solo section between chorus and final verse. The atmosphere the guitars produce here again matches how magnificent it sounds on the studio version, the majesty of both these tracks truly superb. And then just to bring a tighter edge to the game, “The Number of the Beast” follows, and the rollicking of the middle section of the song again transforms into an energy of guitar solos and drumtainment that captures the mood of the song in a way that is energising and blasting.
So now, go and grab the second LP, because the goodness doesn’t end here. Indeed, it may only increase, with the beginning of “Hallowed Be Thy Name” where Bruce takes control, and the holding of the note of the end of ‘running low’, and then the second time… and then the burst into the opening burst of ‘When the priest comes to read me the last rites…’ … the power of the music and vocals here is outstanding, the harmony melodic guitars of the first solo break leading into Bruce exclaiming ‘As the guards march me out to the courtyard’… and into ‘scream for me Long Beach!’… and we are off on the most magnificent ride as Dave and Adrian career down the slope of the back side of the track. The original version might be brilliant. The live version completely outranks it. Just amazing.
“Iron Maiden” – the song by the band – as always does its job, before the encore arrives, with a fitting hard core relating of the song that blew the world wide open for the band in “Run to the Hills”, and then into the extended audience participation of “Running Free”, which closes out the Long Beach recording in style.
But wait! There is just a little bit more, and this is what helps to make this double live album as massively brilliant and important as it is. Because here we have five songs recorded at Hammersmith Odeon some six months earlier, ones that only appeared in a shortlived timeframe for the sets lists at the beginning of the tour, but each of them brilliant in their own right. The short sharp burst of “Wrathchild”, excellently performed by Bruce. The wonderful “22 Acacia Avenue” with Bruce’s opening short proclamation and then that cracking guitar riff to open the track. Just a terrific version of this song, followed by an equally brilliant version of “Children of the Damned” which Bruce sings so poignantly it is impossible to ignore, and followed again by a rollicking version of “Die With Your Boots On”. Finally, the album concludes with “Phantom of the Opera”, stunningly performed here by the band and brutally sung by Bruce and his backing vocalist companions. Harry’s bass guitar on this version is undeniably the start attraction, and the solo section in the middle of the song has never ever sounded better. It may well be the final song on this double live album, but it continues to still be arguably the best on an album that is full of the unobtainably brilliant.

Most who have followed either or both versions of this podcast over the past four and a bit years will already know my Iron Maiden story, whether it be through album reviews here or through the excellent podcast called Uncle Steve’s Mega Maiden Zone (available on most streaming platforms), where Steve interviewed myself along with many others and discusses their Iron Maiden story. If you are not already a listener then it will be more than worth your while to tune in and listen to Steve, Matt and Kirsty talk about all things music and especially Iron Maiden themselves each week. Informative and fun, and you can’t ask for any more than that from a modern day podcast.
This album was released about a month before I first discovered the band themselves, at an end of year school camp where my music world changed forever. Within a couple of weeks I had been offered cassette version of the then-three albums of the Dickinson era from my soon-to-be monikered heavy metal music dealer, who would offer me so much joy with chosen music and albums over the next 40 years. By January of 1986 I was hooked, an obsession that continues to this very day. So much so that very early on my return to school I forced my dealer to start earning his money (there was none) by recording me the “Live After Death” album, which he had procured several weeks earlier. So I didn’t have this on its release, but I had it about four months after. And he recorded it for me such that it would fit nicely on a C90 cassette, but also have the end of the ‘concert’ as the end of the cassette. That meant Side A having the first album recorded on it, minus the middle part of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” so that it fit snugly there, while Side B of my cassette began with the fourth side that was recorded at Hammersmith (except for “Wrathchild”, which was jettisoned to again allow all of the second LP to fit snugly) and THEN Side 3, meaning the end of concert encore with the extended version of “Running Free” was the final thing on the cassette. This all worked marvellously, up until I bought my own vinyl copy of the album a few months later. I played this cassette to death, and I played the album to death as well. It rarely left my tape player and turntable for a very very long time.
I often use the following analogy when it comes to live albums of any band – a live album should generally be a 5/5 album, because it will in general contain the band’s best songs performed in the best environment. That could hardly be more true of “Live After Death”. At the time of its release, Iron Maiden had had just their first five albums out. And while it can always be argued about the songs that don’t appear here, it would be a very difficult task to suggest that this album does not contain the very best the band had released to this point of time. The big singles in “Run to the Hills”, “The Number of the Beast”, “Flight of Icarus”, “The Trooper”, “Aces High” and “2 Minutes to Midnight”. The epics in “Phantom of the Opera”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “Powerslave”. The monster in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. And all the other classics compiled here on this album. 5/5? Can you give an album more? Because this one deserves it.
For the last two weeks I have listened to this whole album again a dozen times, spaced around other albums that I have episodes to compose. And not once has it gotten old. In fact it acts as a security blanket. That familiar way Bruce sings all of the tracks live on this album is so wonderful. And those live versions, some of which are iconically... iconic. “Children of the Damned” and “22 Acacia Avenue” and “Phantom of the Opera” ... they are amazing. It is Iron Maiden at a point of their theoretical peak. On the back of those first five albums, and each amazing track. It is a masterpiece. Other live albums stand alongside this – Slayer's “Decade of Aggression”, UFO’s “Strangers in the Night”, Judas Priest’s “Unleashed in the East”, Deep Purple’s “Made in Japan”, just to name a few. None better this. Iron maiden is captured here as the beast that was still on the rise, but with the fire and fury of youth on their side. It is still an incredible release. The finest of its kind.

1315. Iron Maiden / The X Factor. 1995. 4/5

Exactly one episode ago on this podcast, episode number 133 compared to this number 134, I discussed Iron Maiden’s eighth studio album “No Prayer for the Dying”, and the change and turmoil that occurred in the lead up to that album’s release – the changing of a long time band member, a change in musical direction, and the difficulty that must have come with all of that swirling around the band and in putting together an album that was worthy of being under the banner of the name Iron Maiden. That particular album was the subject of mixed responses at the time of its release and which stretches through to the modern day. So if you get a little bit of deja-vu when you listen to this album review, I hope you will excuse the similarity that exists, because the story does tend to travel down a familiar path.
There had been a turbulent path in Maiden prior to the writing and recording of their 1992 album “Fear of the Dark”, in particular between Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson. Once the tour to support the album started, the growing tension them rose to unmanageable levels. Dickinson had grown weary of the constant touring and collaborative parts of being in a band, and following the initial success of his first solo album a few years before, “Tattooed Millionaire”, he had decided that that was the direction he wanted to head. He had already begun writing for a new solo album while still being in the band. Now, under normal circumstances, his resignation would have been announced by the band’s management, they would have gone their separate ways, and that would have been that. However, Maiden already had further dates booked throughout Europe to play, and Bruce agreed to stay on tour long enough to complete those shows so as not to cause any disruption. The problem now being was that Bruce’s resignation from the band had been announced, so everyone who went to those shows knew they were to be his last with the band. What would under normal circumstances have been a happy time... was not. The bad blood between Dickinson and Harris seeped out of this arrangement, with Harry later suggesting that Bruce only tried to sing well when there were corporate people watching who could help further his career, something that Bruce denied furiously. This finally came to its end on August 28, 1993, when they played their final gig on the tour supporting the album “Fear of the Dark”. Following this final gig, they parted ways, and went off in their own directions to discover what their next step would be.
Replacing the lead singer of Iron Maiden, one whose voice and contribution was so significant and so iconic, was never going to be an easy task. One would say almost impossible. Interviews and books and articles over the years have suggested that hundreds of auditions were held to find the right person to replace Dickinson. And no doubt a lot of that had to include personality and fitting in with the band alongside the other important aspects such as vocal ability and songwriting ability. At the time, recently departed Helloween lead vocalist Michael Kiske was spoken of as by fans and critics as the perfect replacement. In Steve Harris’s mind however, there appeared only one person that he was interested in to fill the vacancy, and that man was Blaze Bayley. Bayley was the lead singer of fellow British band Wolfsbane, who had supported Iron Maiden on their tour to support the “No Prayer for the Dying” album a few years earlier, and he had impressed Harris with his stage presence and affability with the fans. His vocal style was certainly different from Dickinson’s, which perhaps was something that Harris was looking for, a voice that was a point of difference rather than an imitation. Bayley was eventually convinced to audition, and was soon offered the gig.
There were still problematic incidents occurring around the band. Martin Birch, the band’s long time producer, had retired following the release of “Fear of the Dark”, meaning the band had to work with a new man behind the desk for the first time in over a decade. Bayley had been in a motorcycle accident that delayed the recording of the album, while Harris himself was in the process of going through a divorce. All of this contributed to a darker period for the band. Having recently been through the period of wondering what Iron Maiden would sound like after the departure of Adrian Smith, the fans were now left wondering just what could the band produce now that Bruce Dickinson had departed as well. The answer to that came at the end of the longest period between albums that the band had had since their inception, almost 3.5 years, with the release of the band’s tenth studio album, “The X Factor”.

From the outset, many of the things that tended to turn off many long time Iron Maiden fans from this album and new line-up are remarkably obvious. The decline in tempo on almost every song on the album from what would have been considered the norm up until this point in time. The relegation of Steve Harris’s galloping bass lines to almost non-existence, the obvious progression from the pulling back of the tempo of the album. And the change in the music world that had come leading up to 1995, from grunge to the onset of groove and alternative directions of the heavy metal genre. Each of these occurrences can in some way pinpoint how Iron Maiden came to writing “The X Factor”.
The dark tones of the album cover are reflected in the atmosphere of the songs on the album. It has been well documented in the years since that Steve Harris was in a dark mindset during the writing and recording of this album, as he was going through a divorce at the time which seemed to have him in a difficult place when it came to his own writing contributions. And with the departure of Dickinson as writing contributor, it meant a whole new dynamic again from the previous two albums, which had noticeably changed from the albums previous to that with the departure of Adrian Smith. Harris has his writing fingers in every track on the album apart from “Man on the Edge” which is credited solely to Jannick and Blaze, and which of course was the first single on the album. The writing partnerships had changed over each of the previous two albums and did again here, once again creating a different style of album further away from what Maiden had created their legend upon. For some, that was a hard sell.
The opening track is an immediate start to this evolving change. The first 2.45 of the album is of a Gregorian chant style, a quiet subtle interlude leading up to the opening burst with Blaze quietly offering the opening lines before the band enters the fray. For a band that had made its name with blazing opening tracks that are supercharged with energy from the outset to fire up the listener, “Sign of the Cross” is a different beast. It draws you in subtly, it sets it solid rhythm base early on, infused with the keyboards as a part of that, and puts in its time to create what it is looking for. It is not until the guitar solos kick in at the eight minute mark that the songs truly begins to show its promise, that what has come before this is setting up this high energy break that truly brings the song to life. This is a statement song. Opening the album with that long, quiet interlude of almost three minutes before breaking the barrier, and in the end stretching to over 11 minutes in length, is a bold move, especially in the mid-slow tempo that the band has offered here. Fans expected fast and energetic, and they don’t get that here. What they didn’t know on first listen was that it sets the template for what is to come over the remainder of the album, and is something that is still debated today.
The mid-tempo remains with the second track on the album, “Lord of the Flies”, which also acted as the second single released from the album. Written about the book by William Golding, it settles into its repeatable rhythm as its basis and draws the picture of the story over the top. “Man on the Edge” follows and is the fastest song on the album, an interesting point because it was the only song not crediting Steve Harris as a writer or co-writer. Composed by Jannick and Blaze, it is based around the Michael Douglas film “Falling Down” that focuses on the breakdown of a man within the socio-economic climate he works in. The song, unlike the film, is upbeat and fast, great guitar solos from Jannick and Dave, fun to sing along to and gives Blaze his first opportunity to really showcase his vocals in that environment. This was also the first single released from the album, perhaps not surprising given its upbeat tempo is the most reminiscent of previous Iron Maiden albums. These three songs as the front end of the album act as the purveyor of a change in style but still with enough old Maiden to be familiar with the fans. But just around the corner, the real changes begin as we walk down a dark and winding alleyway.
“Fortunes of War” pulls back to a morbidly slow tempo, plodding along like an old man on a walking frame. Here is where we begin to have the acoustic or clear guitar strummed entries into Iron Maiden songs, the pieces that sometimes seem to lengthen the songs for no discernible reason apart from creating an atmosphere around the track itself. On “Fortunes of War” though it does creep through the whole length of the song until we reach the guitar solo break again, where the gallop returns for a short stretch and the song shows some real energy. It is also the first of four war-themed songs on the album, touching on the theme of the ravages that soldiers face when they return home from war, and have to deal with the mental anguish they carry from that. “Look for the Truth” opens again with the quiet introspective clear guitar intro along with Blaze almost inaudibly expressing the opening verse of the song, as both rise into the heart of the song as Nicko counts in the band and leads them on their way. This song has Blaze once again showcasing the best of his vocal abilities, the passion running through his voice especially as he cries “I pray my sleep will break, maybe this time I won't wake, weakness I hide so well, this dagger in my mind will tell, it's my final stand, I make a fist out of each hand, to shadows of the past, take a breath and I scream, "Attack"”. Musically, it sticks to the theme that has come before it, nothing that stands out from what precedes it, and the rhythm steadily stuck in its groove. “The Aftermath” covers similar ground lyrically in the war theme, the soldier who is questioning the futility that these actions are causing. The molasses-slow tempo, along with the stop-start guitar and drum pattern creates the effect that the song is looking for, which isn’t for everyone.
“Judgement of Heaven” again opens with the first minute of Blaze and his quieter vocals accompanied only by the guitar, but the breaking into the song proper does allow the song to build nicely through to the first chorus. Another of Harry’s solo pieces, the verses tell the story of a man questioning his religious beliefs, before breaking into the chorus as Blaze sings beautifully “All of my life, I have believed, judgement of heaven is waiting for me”. One wonders, with Steve and his own headspace at this time, how much of that was channelled into this track, though perhaps not questioning religious belief but his own belief in something else. Blaze offers a beautifully emotional performance on vocals here, bringing more substance to the track as a result. Then we have the opening minute of “Blood on the World’s Hands” with the slow quiet opening focusing on Harry’s clear bass guitar and then the now traditional open into the song proper, and Blaze’s vocals out front and powerful from the beginning, expressing Steve Harris’s contempt on the Bosnian War that was occurring at the time, proclaiming “Sometimes it makes me wonder, sometimes it makes me question, sometimes it makes me saddened, always it makes me angry, but when you can see it happening, madness it's all around you, nobody seems to worry, world seems so powerless to act”. Harris dives deep into the well for the lyrics to this song, truly hard hitting on a level that he had rarely gone down before this album. It’s a dark and depressing song lyrically, but also one that is so important in the Iron Maiden legacy BECAUSE it was written about current world events. If you are wondering about where he was in his head at this time, this song explains it pretty well.
I know this will surprise you, but “The Edge of Darkness” opens once again with over two minutes of the quiet clear and acoustic guitar, with Blaze again almost inaudibly crooning the opening verses of the song into his microphone. This song references the events of the movie “Apocalypse Now” and indeed takes lines straight from the movie and inserts them in the song. Once the song breaks into the main body, it hits hard musically and lyrically. Blaze gives another sterling performance here on vocals, accentuating all of his best qualities and is front and centre of the track from that point on. It is his most powerful performance on the album and makes this song one of the best as a result. “2 A.M.” starts... yes... again... with the quiet introspective first minute. It is the recurring feature of the album, one that is as obvious as the darker themes that also come with it. Harry’s mindset again is laid out for us all to see lyrically on this song, pessimistically discussing living alone with nothing in life worth living for. It lays bare his headspace during the album. We then reach the conclusion of the album, drawn out by each song’s individual length, which overall does tend to hinder the listening experience. Only one song is under five minutes in length, and at the tempo the majority of the tracks are played out, 70 minutes in total can certainly feel like a lot longer when taking in the entire album in one hit. That closing track is “The Unbeliever”, another where the lyrics question a man’s moral and religious beliefs and the will to carry on. It carries the major themes of the album to its conclusion, and as a result rounds out “The X Factor” having served its purpose.

Unlike a majority of my long term music friend group, I was still looking forward to the release of a new Iron Maiden album with a new lead singer. By the time it was released, I had come to terms with the “Fear of the Dark” album, which although I had fanboyed about a bit when it was first released I had eventually come to view as a disappointment, and had also heard Bruce’s second solo album “Balls to Picasso”, which had overall also left me a little nonplussed with its output. And I had begun to wonder if maybe a change in lead singer was what Iron Maiden had needed, a change of focus, a fresh start. So when “The X Factor” finally reached the shelves, and I had popped up to Carlingford Court to get my copy, I was suitably excited. And I still remember putting it on my stereo back where I was living at the time... and waiting for that burst of energy into the opening track that all Iron Maiden albums have. And waiting... and waiting... I actually got up and checked if the volume was up, and then even fast forwarded the track to determine what the hell was happening. And finally... it kicked in! So I started the track again, and waited patiently this time for the opening track to commence in time. Little was I to know that this style of starting a song was to crop up again as I moved through the album – and, as it turned out, the rest of Iron Maiden’s career from this point on.
There is no doubt that this album took a lot of getting used to early on. It is so different from what they had produced before that it had to. Those things that I have already spoken about – Harry's divorce and mindset, new lead vocalist and writing partnerships, the changing landscape of heavy metal music in the 1990’s - were heavy influences on the way the album came together. And listening to Iron Maiden shift focus from a progressive power metal vibe in the late 1980’s to a darker progressive sound in 1995 was a challenging process. It took me quite a while to find the key to getting into the album. The lack of the explosive opener, substituted with the epic building track most often found towards the end of an album was a part of that. The two obvious singles also didn’t have quite the same high paced energy you would expect. Eventually, I grew to take on “Sign of the Cross” for what it was designed for, but the middle section of “Judgement of Heaven”, and the quoted lines from “Apocalypse Now” that make up “The Edge of Darkness” were what truly dragged me in to the album. And those songs then morphed into the songs that led into them and into the following track, and from here I was able to build my understanding of the album, and my love of the album. It was a slow burn, it didn’t happen overnight. But I persisted with it because I knew there was something here that I enjoyed, and I found it.
The album channelled my mood of 1995. Shit year, awful mentally, similar vibes as to what Steve Harris had been going through, and so in many ways it is what drew me closer to this album than most. There was (not that I knew it at the time) a similarity to what both Steve and I were feeling and going through at the time, and without knowing it this probably helped me to appreciate the album more than I normally would have. It's a morbid mindset to why I was attracted to an album, but 1995 was that one year for me, and soon enough we’ll be past it, and we will never have to speak of it again.
Blaze Bayley often gets short shrift when it comes to the two albums he performed on, being the major kicking post as to why those fans believe those two albums are the worst in the Iron Maiden discography. And if you don’t like his vocals compared to the band’s other two lead vocalists, that’s fine, an opinion that can be discussed in a fair setting. But blaming Blaze for the songs themselves, that’s drawing a very short bow. Because the General is still in charge of writing the songs for the album, and his trusty lieutenant from the previous album is also still there. If the songs are different – in mood, in tempo, in greatness from the past – then that sits with Steve Harris in the main, not Blaze Bayley. He has five co-writing credits on the album, but the drive comes from Harris and to a slightly lesser extent Jannick. The same is true of this album’s follow up, “Virtual XI”. If you have a problem with Blaze’s vocals then that can be discussed, but blaming him solely for the style and direction of this album is nonsense. Like every other Iron Maiden album, that is directed by the conductor himself. I for one truly enjoy Blaze Bayley’s performance on this album. When he sits in his own range without trying to imitate his predecessor, the emotion he gets to emphasise the track is amazing. “Blood on the World’s Hands”, “Judgement of Heaven” and “The Edge of Darkness” are perfect examples of this.
This album is extremely different from the music that I concentrated on listening to in the back half of the 1990’s decade. I went on more of a power metal trip from Europe, music that was fast and upbeat and that double kick tempo. And while I enjoyed this album at the time, when its time had passed on my listening cycle it stayed off until 2000 when the reformed Maiden brought out their new album and Blaze released his own. And it was during that time that I came back to this album to judge both of those albums on this one. And despite its somewhat plodding nature, I still enjoyed the album. And over the years I think that enjoyment has only grown with each listening cycle it gets.
And so, to this episode, and the album comes out again and I begin to listen to it again. On this particular listening cycle however, I am listening with a purpose, because this is such a disputed album in the band’s fandom. It is generally looked down upon, ignored or abused for all of those qualities I have mentioned today. And I wanted to listen to it in a non-judgemental way. And that has brought about everything I have spoken about here today. There is good and there is bad, though I tend not to think of the lesser things being ‘bad’, I prefer to suggest that those things might be ‘boring’ rather than ‘bad’. Not everything on this album works for me. Those constant quiet openings to songs do get monotonous. The ponderous pace of some tracks does hold things back. And the lengths of the tracks are sometimes overlong and outstays their welcome. Those are the things that, if I judge each song and make a list, are things that crop up. But taking the album as a whole, as it is written as a whole and just putting it on and playing it from start to finish – I still love this album. Is it a top shelf Iron Maiden album? No, but even the opinions of the masses disagree on what actually is. As I mentioned earlier, I have an affinity with this album because its mood and my mood in 1995 were compatible. But when I listen to it today, it doesn’t make me maudlin over that time. It just makes me feel great about listening to an enjoyable Iron Maiden album.
With all of that said, Iron Maiden’s troubles did not evaporate with the release of this album. The following few years were problematic for the band, and a solution to that was not immediately forthcoming. It would take an album even more reviled than “The X Factor” is in many places to perhaps suggest that further changes in the band’s makeup were required. But that is a story for another day.

1275. Iron Maiden / The Soundhouse Tapes [EP]. 1979. 4/5

Arguably the most famous demo tape ever released to the wider public is Iron Maiden’s “The Soundhouse Tapes”, recorded at the end of 1978 and distributed by the band through bass guitarist and band founder Steve Harris to various outlets through 1979, before finally being self-released by the band in November 1979.
Having been formed in 1975, it took over three years and numerous band member changes for Iron Maiden to get to a position that they decided to record their first demo. Four guitarists, three lead vocalists, two drummers and a keyboardist had all walked through the band before they got to December 1978. Steve Harris had of course remained the mainstay, alongside guitarist Dave Murray, who had also had his own short vacation from the band before a change of mind brought him back into the fray. All of these changes are discussed at length in the excellent band documentary “The History of Iron Maiden, Part 1” released in 2005. By the time the band reached the winter of 1978, Harris and Murray were joined as members in Iron Maiden by lead vocalist Paul Di’Anno, drummer Doug Sampson and guitarist Paul Cairns, also known as Mad Mac. According to Sampson, Cairns did not fit in the band properly and left after three months. Cairns himself stated that the band dismissed him as they did not like his stage performance. It is interesting that Cairns is generally uncredited as having appeared on the recording of “The Soundhouse Tapes”, with interviews on the History DVD cutting out any reference to him. Despite this, it is acknowledged that Cairns did indeed play on the demo, though given he had left the band some time before it was released as “The Soundhouse Tapes” there is some understanding as to why his name does not appear on a release promoting the band as they approached their first record contract.
Harris had decided the band needed a demo tape in order to distribute to venues in order to gain gigs, but given that most of the band members also worked day jobs, and that they little money in order to fund the project, they would have to find a way to do it, but without sacrificing quality for cheapness. The band decided to record at Spaceward Studios, Cambridge after hearing a demo tape recorded there by former vocalist Dennis Wilcock's band, V1. In the History doco, Harris says “The only way we could afford it at the time was to go on New Year’s Eve, because no one else wanted to then. We were gonna kip in the back of the van [but], because it was snowing, it was so bloody cold. We were in this pub and Paul pulled this young nurse. She invited us all back to kip on her floor. She only had a bedsit, but we were very grateful.”
The two day session cost the band £200, but when they asked for the master tape, they were told they would have to part with another £50 to do so, which they didn’t have. They instead took the tape that had been recorded for them, but when Steve came back the following week with the £50 required, they found that the master had been wiped. Thus, as they were unable to create the editing and embellishing they had been hoping to do, they instead had to settle for what they had done on those two days.

The band recorded four songs during those sessions - "Prowler", "Invasion", "Strange World" and "Iron Maiden". In Mick Wall’s excellent and contemporaneous biography of the band “Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills”, Harris is quoted, "We didn't know what to expect, going into the studio for the first time. We just hoped the engineer was gonna be good enough to record us, and that was it, really. We just went in there with a naïve attitude and, as it happens, it was pretty good. The songs were very together already. We didn't have to arrange much. They were very tight, 'cause we were doing them live all the time. We knew exactly what we needed to do. It was just a question of whether we could record it all in time. But we went in and the tracks went down really quick. I think we did most of them in the first take."
The most famous story of this demo tape is when it came to Neal Kay who was the main man at the Bandwagon Soundhouse in Kingsbury who, after almost blowing it with Steve Harris (a great story retold on the History doco) began playing the tape heavily, which led to the song “Prowler” topping his Soundhouse charts, which then was being published in Sounds magazine. This helped lead to the band being found by manager Rod Smallwood, and through him their first record deal with EMI in December 1979, a year after those recording sessions.
Between this time however, while waiting to sign their EMI contract, the band decided to self-release their demo, for a not unobvious reason. As Harris said, “because everywhere we'd go we'd do really well at the gigs, and then afterwards there'd be, like, all these fans asking where they could buy one of our records and when we told 'em there wasn't any yet they couldn't believe it. They'd seen the charts in Sounds and a lot of 'em just assumed we must already have a record deal of some kind, but we didn't. Not then. So then, they'd be, like, 'Well, where can we get a copy of the tape?' And I think that's when we really got the idea of putting the Spaceward demo out as an actual record."
Though the demo tape contained four songs, the band decided to only release three, with “Iron Maiden” being the Side A of the EP, and “Invasion” and “Prowler” on the B Side. “Strange World”, which along with the eponymous track and “Prowler” would eventually end up the debut album, was considered ‘not up to quality’ in its current recorded version, and was left off as a result.
When you listen to these three tracks compared to the versions that came later on, there are some noticeable differences. Which of course in the long run makes this EP worthy of owning or at least listening to. They are rawer in both music and vocals, with a different timing throughout. Doug Sampson’s drumming gives them that slightly different feel from the versions that would appear later, but are no less impressive or enjoyable. Di’Anno’s vocals, even though they had been performing all of these songs for some time at their live gigs, are still developing into what they would become. And, when you listen to it, for a demo tape, you have to say that it is amazingly impressive. Think about the demo tapes you have made with your first band. You couldn’t possibly have released it in this format. Iron Maiden, or course, were a different breed even then.
The band decided to press 5000 copies of “The Soundhouse Tapes”, and had them for sales through mail order and their fan club. The demand was outrageous, and retail chains tried to order quantities of up to 20,000 each. However, the band and management refused to budge. As Smallwood said "we could have really cashed in at that point. It was our record, not EMI's, and we could have made enough to clear our debts, if we'd wanted to, maybe got it in the charts, even. But there was just no way. It really was something special for the true die-hard Maiden fans, and we'd already made that quite clear. If we'd changed our minds, just to get our hands on a bit of cash, it would have been selling out the kids who'd gone to all the trouble to send in for one of the original 5,000 copies. We thought, 'No, we'll wait until we can do it properly with EMI.'

I suppose what I would like to say now is that, yes, I own a copy of the original “The Soundhouse Tapes” EP on vinyl. As I’m sure you are aware, I do not. I have a copy of it digitally, which I have burned to a CD and keep in my collection that way. I have often trawled through Discogs, and found copies for sale for about £1900, which is about A$3300... and that’s when I stop dreaming.
If you are a Maiden fan, you have heard this EP at least once. You may not be as obsessive about it as others, and that’s okay. Because being a fan isn’t about owning the most stuff from that band, or listening to the most stuff released by that band, or collecting the most memorabilia or bootlegs of that band. You don’t even have to know the history of the band. It’s about loving the music.
However!...I love this kind of stuff, the history and the releases and all of those things. I don’t always enjoy them, but this has always been a really interesting period of history of the band that intrigues me thoroughly. The changes to the band. The travelling around together in the Green Goddess. Those early gigs. All leading up to the recording of this demo and then to this EP. It’s all fascinating, the time of the band when they were still poor and working gig to gig, hoping to pull off something special and maybe get a recording contract, and then maybe get a few more fans. Looking back from this point in time, it's still hard to believe that they could have been that small, just beginning to explode.
So here it is, “The Soundhouse Tapes”. Yes, it’s worth a listen. And yes, it is interesting to hear Paul Cairns on guitar even though it is never mentioned anyway. And hear Doug Sampson on drums before he was forced to give the role away. And hear Paul Di’Anno before he truly commanded his own personality. It’s worth a listen, and to think about its place in history. Because without it, Iron Maiden may never have traversed to the peaks they now reside at.

1259. Iron Maiden / Powerslave. 1984. 5/5

There could have been few bands in the world in the early to mid 1980’s in a better position to reach a period of dominance than Iron Maiden. They had done their time in the pubs and clubs, five years of grind and toil that saw them attain a recording contract, and then release their debut and sophomore albums “Iron Maiden” and “Killers”. Through this saw some rearranging of the furniture, bringing in Adrian Smith as guitarist, who had always been destined to find his way into the band, then Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, whose powerful range gave the band a wider scope of songs to aspire to, along with the songwriting ability of both he and Smith, and finally Nicko McBrain whose drumming and personality completed the outfit. This line up had recorded the band’s previous album “Piece of Mind”, which had built up on the enduring success of “The Number of the Beast” and pushed on further, showcasing longer and more complicated song structures while retaining all of the characteristics which made Iron Maiden such a unique proposition in the music world at that time. Alongside the boss Steve Harris and the ever present Dave Murray, the band had toured for 8 months to promote the “Piece of Mind” album, which was completed in December 1983. They then allowed themselves a three week break (yep, that’s it) before reconvening to begin writing for the follow up album. Is it any wonder maintaining families under these time pressures was extraordinarily difficult. And this wasn’t unusual in the days of a 12-month cycle being write an album, record an album, release an album, tour the album.
The band returned to the Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas to record the album, the same place where “Piece of Mind” was recorded and that the follow up to this album would also take place.
The success of “Piece of Mind”, which had gone to #3 in the UK, #14 in the US and #17 in Australia, proved there was a marketplace for their music, and having already shown they could write fast paced and heavy singles such as “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper”, and longer and technically proficient songs such as “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “To Tame a Land”, in order to go to another level with their music, just what could they produce for their new album that would satisfy these requirements? The answer came in the form of 8 amazing tracks that make up the album that became “Powerslave”.

 
One of the immediate impacts of this album, that if you look at the cover of the album feels so mystical and mythical, is that the first two songs heavily reference and describe war, such that when initially listening to the album you could believe that it is going to be an album all about war. And part of the perfection of the tracks is that the music of each almost makes you feel the differing emotions of the actions being drawn. The opening battle cry of “Aces High” moves from the twin guitar montage before diving hell for leather into the song at a careering pace, which barely lets up for the entire song. As with so many of Steve Harris’ composed songs, the subject takes its basis from the movie of the same name, 1976’s “Aces High” {put in some context of the movie here]. Even the screaming solos from Dave and Adrian through the middle of the song make it sound like you are watching the planes dogfight above you, rolling and turning and diving, and the pace of the song exarcebates that as well, and the conclusion you almost see two of these plavnes colliding as the final note is played. It is a sensational opening track, setting the album off in cracking style.
This is followed by the iconic opening riff of the Smith/Dickinson song “2 Minutes to Midnight”, and while the opening track speaks in a romantically yet realistic tone of the way that air fights occurred during WW1, there is immediately a more sinister sound about the following track. There is a more serious tone about the lyrics here, referencing the Doomsday Clock, which symbolises impending doom, and is set closer to midnight the faster that this approaches. The guitars are more menacing, as Bruce starts singing lyrics such as “The killer's breed or the demon's seed, the glamour, the fortune, the pain. Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain, Don't you pray for my soul anymore”. The solo section is a brooding piece as well, the tempo rising and falling, until at the end it falls into Nicko’s rising drum roll, and crashes back into the main riff, and the tone of the whole song builds to its crescendo as Bruce spits out his lyrics - “The body bags and little rags of children torn in two, And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you. As the mad men play on words and make us all dance to their song, To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun”. It is an incredibly powerful finish to the track, one where the built up emotion spills over and crushes to the conclusion. Still just an amazing song.
After two heavy war based song lyrically, the third track takes on a different direction, with the instrumental and cleverly titled “Losfer Words”. Some have questioned why the band would place an instrumental on their album when they have the voice of Dickinson to call on, but this works really well, and does gives you the opportunity to fully concentrate on the music and musicians themselves. The middle piece of the song, with Dave soloing and Steve’s incredible bass guitaring underneath, is still an amazing piece of music.
From here the album moves into two songs that may not be about war but are certainly referencing the use of weapons. Bruce utilises his love of the sport of fencing in composing “Flash of the Blade”, where the lines “the smell of resined leather, the steely iron mask, as he cuts and thrusts and parries at the fencing masters call” is surely a reference to his own early travails in the sport. This song moves along at a quick tempo driven my Nicko’s fast rated drum beat, vastly underrated on this song in particular. Bruce’s doubled vocals through the chorus increases the energy as well, adding that extra layer. It’s a simply structured song but each part is played to perfection. This segues perfectly into the start of “The Duellists”, Steve Harris’ depiction of an old-fashioned duel. The bassline that runs through this entire song, but especially through the middle instrumental solo section that links the two lyric bound stanzas, is truly remarkable. It is the mainstay of the song, and it is no wonder the band has never played it live, because even Harry’s fingers would be bleeding at its conclusion if he did. Take a listen to this track and be amazed at what he puts into this track, that sometimes just seems to blend in so well that you don’t even notice it. It really is a remarkable piece of bass playing. The two solos played over the top sound amazing, but it is the bass underneath that provides the real superbness of the song. An underrated classic.
Opening up side two is “Back in the Village”. Now, I love “The Prisoner”, not only do I love Iron Maiden’s song, but the TV series that it is written about. So who would ever have thought we would get a sequel to that song? Well here it is, the Smith/Dickinson composition that once again returns to the eponymously named ‘The Village’ of the TV show, and we have more rollicking fun lyrically as they again canvas us with the goings on of the show. It is a rollicking ride musically, wonderfully fast paced with great guitar licks from Adrian, that incredible rumbling bass from Harry and Nicko’s drums crashing along the way. Bruce has a ball with the lyrics, both soaring and spitting as he moves through the song. It’s yet another great track with so much energy and purpose you can’t help but be transported along for the ride.
The final two tracks of the album take a different direction and are both arguably some of the finest work that Iron Maiden has ever done. “Powerslave” is Bruce’s second solo composition for the album, and fourth overall, stamping his mark on the direction the band was taking. The Egyptian theme was apparently something Bruce had been working on while on tour for “Piece of Mind” and then eventuated during the writing sessions for this album. It is an epic song, highlighted as with many of the songs here by the two bands of lyrics connected by a long solo section that allows the two guitarists to showcase their ware. Bruce’s vocals here are amazing, but for me the epic brilliance of that middle section is unmatched in all of music. Harry’s bass once again takes the reins of the music, the way he runs his fingers up and down and around the fretboard during this interlude is truly brilliant. The mood he creates here is perfect for the song, less intense than the verses and chorus have been, and amplified by the guitars of Smith and Murray, whose perfect harnessing of the mood brings it all together amazingly. The mood swings lower and higher, serene to more intense, until again the conclusion to the solo section is hammered down the slope by Nicko’s drumming to crash back into the main riff, and the song is off again. Just magnificent, and an epic track that has stood the test of time to retain its magnificence.
And yet - there is still no song written by this band, or perhaps any band ever, that is a more perfect embodiment of bringing a poem or story to life than Steve Harris’ masterpiece, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Inspired by and referencing direct lines from the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, it is a brilliantly conceived retelling of the story of the poem, with the songs going through all of the lulls and rolls, highs and lows, anguish, fear and redemption that the poem has to offer. Each part of the story has music composed to relate to that part of the tale, and while it isn’t an opera, it is a piece of musical theatre where you can see what Bruce is singing about by his descriptions and the music bringing it to life. Again, the middle section is a superbly written and performed piece, picturing the boat stranded on the lifeless sea, the dead lying around the mariner, with the spoke passage from the poem itself. This then feeds into the return of the band proper, as the mariner accepts the curse and wishes he had taken his shipmates place, as Bruce sing and the music builds, into the cacophony of his scream, and the roller coaster of guitars and drums scream down the precipice into the heart of the solo section, one of the heaviest and brilliant pieces of music the band has ever written and played. I still get shivers down my spine every time I hear this lead into the Dave and Adrian solo pieces. It is magnificent, emotional, headbanging stuff, which continues back into the verse and the end of the tale and the song. The whole song is an experience, not just the final track of the album. Maiden has a lot of long songs, that have their own tales to tell, and the majority of them and brilliant. But “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a step above them all. If Maiden had never written another album, another song, following the release of “Powerslave”, it would barely have mattered, because this album is so utterly brilliant, and this song is the crown that rests at the top.

Back at the end of 1985 I was on an end Year 10 school camp at a place called Bundanoon on the NSW Southern Highlands. For a week 50-60 of us spent that time camping and running around like the 15 and 16 year old maniacs we were and having a superb time. The conclusion of the camp was a skit concert on the final night, where all campers were asked to participate. Some of my friend group got together and pretended to be a rock band, miming to the Stiff Little Fingers instrumental track “Go for It”, and in the process enthralling the crowd so much, that at the end they decided to do an impromptu second performance. This one saw the band miming, quite well from memory, Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills”, receiving rapturous applause at its conclusion. This, as it turns out, was the first time I had heard an entire song from start to finish by Iron Maiden. I had heard one of my best friends all camp walking around humming and singing a couple of songs throughout, without knowing what they were. As it turns out, he had recently rediscovered Iron Maiden in a big way. And so, the following week when we were back at school, as I had on quite a few occasions in the past, I brought in a blank cassette, and asked him to record me some Iron Maiden for me to experience. This friend, who at this point became and remains my heavy metal music dealer, came back two days later with the album “Powerslave” for me to listen to.
That day was Wednesday 27 November 1985. It was the first day I had truly sat down and listened to a heavy metal album. It was the first time I had listened to an Iron Maiden album. More importantly, it was the first time I had listened to “Powerslave” the album. And it was captivating. I sat in my bedroom that afternoon, with my portable tape player that had just spent the past week taping my friends laughing around campfires and playing hijinks on teachers (tapes that still exist almost 40 years later), listening to this album for the first and second times in my life. And, it was surreal, that’s what I remember feeling. Because the journey of the album is quite a winding one, of battles and fights of different eras, of mythology and poetry and mystery. And that’s not an easy thing to understand and take in when you only have your blank cassette cover with the names of the songs on it, rather than the album itself. It was something that I wanted to rectify.
About six months later, on Friday 2 May 1986 as it turns out, I had completed an English exam for my year 11 half yearlies, and was faced with the prospect of either waiting at school for about four hours for the end of the school day to catch the bus home, or instead face the walk home, a journey of about an hour and 20 minutes from school. I decided on the second, so that I would at least have some time at home before the rest of the family arrived. On the way however I decided to divert into town, and take a look at Kiama’s one and only record store, Kiama Sight & Sound, just to see what was in stock at the time. And, beyond my surprise, there was a vinyl copy of Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave” in the racks. My heart leapt, and within moments I had made my purchase ($11.99 for those interested) and returned to my journey. It was warm for the start of May, and the walk home wasn’t a pleasant stroll, but the anticipation of being able to get home to listen to my new acquisition was enough motivation to keep going. And I still remember that afternoon, putting the album on my parents' stereo, and hearing it in pristine condition, holding the album and going over every centimetre of detail in both the cover design and the information contained within.
This has been a very long winded explanation of my discovery of this album, but I feel it is important, because of the momentous occasion that it was. It was my first Iron Maiden album, and first experience of both the band and heavy metal as a genre. Is it a simple and accurate statement to say that my life changed that day forever? Probably, but a more accurate one was that over the proceeding eight weeks of the summer holidays of 1985/86 my whole world changed. The album grew with me at different stages, the rollicking opening of “Aces High” and the intangible opera of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” the first to cast me under their spell. Then came that middle solo sequence of the title track, one that is still so amazing to the present day. The urgent charging of both “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Flash of the Blade”, driving relentlessly forward. The utter bombasticness of “Back in the Village”, and the amazing instrumental influences of “Losfer Words”. And finally, the sheer underrated brilliance of “The Duellists”, once again through that middle solo section with the three guitarists and the drummer putting together an amazingly connected interlude. Each piece of that puzzle came to me in different times, and eventually combined to become the whole, the album that is “Powerslave”.
So I wore that cassette out that I was originally given, and countless others once I had the vinyl album. Eventually came the CD as well. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have listened to this album in my life. It is not unreasonable to guess that it was over 500 by the time I left high school and that was 37 years ago. It has been a constant companion, an album that has never lost its sheen, never lost its lustre. The writing and composition is so superb, with all contributors arguably at the peak of their powers on this album. And the performance of the music, under the brilliant production of Martin Birch, is beyond compare.
The band that my friends and I created not long after high school eventually had a crack at five of these eight songs, with a reasonably high success. “Flash of the Blade” was one of the first songs we learned and was always fun to play. “Aces High” was well received whenever it was brought out, as was “2 Minutes to Midnight”. “Losfer Words” would give the long suffering vocalist a rest during a set, while we famously debuted “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” at our mates 21st birthday party, which saw the metal heads in attendance open mouthed in awe, and the rest of the party bored to death by the end of its 15 minute journey. There’s still video footage of it somewhere.
Today, this still ranks as one of the best that Iron Maiden has produced. Discussions will always occur between people’s favourites, but in writing, music and production this album ranks at the top of the tree. The band went forth on the World Slavery Tour to promote this album, which eventually led to one of the greatest live albums of all time, “Live After Death”. It heralded a remarkable run of success for the band built on talent and hard work.
This was my introduction to this band and heavy metal. And over that timeline of 39 years, hundreds of bands and thousands of albums, I have still heard nothing that betters this album. I believe there are a number that are of the equal of this but nothing exceeds it. Is it just because it is the first I heard? Or because I lucked out on finding it at the exact right moment that I was looking for it? Believe what you will of that. As an album and a band, you would be hard pressed to argue against it. I think it is one of the best albums of any genre ever. And still my favourite of all time.

1228. Iron Maiden / Live at Donington 1992. 1993. 5/5

As has been noted on a few recent episodes in regards to Iron Maiden albums, 1992 and 1993 were not easy years for the band. Bruce Dickinson had already made his decision and announced that he was quitting the band by the time the Fear of the Dark tour concluded late in 1992, and yet the band had already announced further dates for 1993, which Bruce somewhat reluctantly agreed to complete, which took up another 6 months of 1993. During this time, the band did not get on as they had done, and by its conclusion it is probably fair to say that everyone was relieved.
With Bruce leaving the band, they had decided to record and release two separate live albums in 1993, being “A Real Live One” - the episode of which you can find in Season 4 of this podcast - and “A Real Dead One” - the episode of which you can find just a few episodes back here in Season 5. While both sold well as you would expect, one of the main criticisms of the releases was that they were both a collection of live songs, taken from different concerts at different times during the tour. Having had the wonderful “Live After Death” album eight years beforehand, what most Maiden fans were after was another complete concert recording, which reflected how Maiden sounded at that time.
Now, whether this was taken on board by the management and record company, or whether they just saw another opportunity to make a great big pile of cash, something facilitated the release of this album, along with the concert footage in full on video as well, which is the complete set of Iron Maiden’s headlining gig at Castle Donington in August 1992, one where perhaps for the final time before the full reformation of the band seven years later showcased just how good this band was when they were at the peak of their powers. The fact that the gluttony of releasing three live albums in the space of eight months was possibly overlooked in the chase for sales didn’t stop the fans from rushing to their record retailers and buying all three albums up in huge numbers.

Initially this was a limited edition 2 CD release, with the plain white cover and not meant to be a full album release. As such, when it first went on sale 30 years ago it was highly sought. Eventually, with all things such as this, it was re-released to a wider audience worldwide and on various formats.
The gig contains the full setlist from the Fear of the Dark tour than the band was in the middle of at the time, this containing a large mix of recent release songs and then the well worn classics (not as well worn then as they are now!). The then current album had plenty of representation, with “Be Quick or Be Dead”, “From Here to Eternity”, “Wasting Love”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, and “Fear of the Dark” all appearing in the first half of the setlist. All of the versions are great here, even the title track, which I admit I have tired of over the years. But the versions done on this tour, when the song was fresh and new, are all terrific, and is again here. Also, as I am sure was made obvious on previous episodes, I am not a fan in any way of the song “Wasting Love”. To me it was a mistake releasing it as a single, and in ever playing it live, as it is a momentum killer. On the other hand, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” is a gem, mixed with both high velocity power and also emotion. A great song performed beautifully here. These songs on the first CD are all perfectly interspaced with old and new, with “The Number for the Beast” and “Wrathchild” coming at the top of the song list, and ten “Can I Play With Madness?”, “Tailgunner” ad “The Evil That Men Do” providing a great lift as soon as they come out of the speakers. The whole first CD – well, OK, apart from “Wasting Love” - is a real triumph.
The second CD starts with three fantastic songs from the then middle age of Iron Maiden’s great hits, the brilliant “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter”, the magnificent “The Clairvoyant” and the fantastic “Heaven Can Wait”. What a truly awesome run of three songs to be able to watch live in concert. Action packed, fast paced and Bruce’s vocals at the top of their game.
This then leads us into the prehistoric era of the band, finishing off the night with those great songs that their earliest fans grew up with and still demand in the live setting. You know them all. “Run to the Hills”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Trooper”, and then “Sanctuary” into “Running Free”. A pretty fair way to finish off your night, and this album. The final song “Running Free” also features an appearance from former guitarist Adrian Smith, coming on stage to be reminded of what he left behind when he left the band in 1989.

It was an interesting time when this live album came out. As already mentioned, this was the third live album that Iron Maiden had released in 1993, which is overkill in anyone’s language. Beyond this, there were mixed emotions, because when this album was actually recorded it would have been one of the highlights of the band’s career, headlining the Donington Festival in front of 80,000 fans, and yet when it was released just over a year later, it was at one of the lowest ebbs that the band had faced. And as a fan I felt that same way. This was a great album, showcasing everything brilliant about one of my favourite all time bands, and yet it was also showcasing what we would now miss with the departure of Bruce Dickinson.
This album is not in question in regards to quality and quantity. As I often remark, live albums should be an automatic 5/5 rating, because they have the band’s best songs played in their best environment. And that is certainly the case here. While the other two live albums released in 1993 may have some flaws, this full concert album does not. A great set list, all performed fantastically.
Is it an essential album for fans of the band? In the main, if you have “Live After Death” you have the band’s best live album. Both the “Maiden Japan” EP and “Maiden England” album from the Seventh Son tour are also terrific, and this actually makes a solid set with those three albums. Iron Maiden does have a lot of live albums now, but this is still great to listen to.
I saw Iron Maiden for the first time two months after this gig was played, in Sydney in October 1992. Due to a terrible mix and soundboard problems it was, unfortunately, a forgettable concert in the main. And this album was both a relief that it is so good when it came out, and a disappointment because the night I saw them sounded nothing like this. Thankfully for me, better Maiden concerts were to come, but not for a very very long time.

1203. Iron Maiden / Piece of Mind. 1983. 5/5

Iron Maiden’s popularity had exploded worldwide with the release of their third studio album “The Number of the Beast”, and the success of the lead single from that album “Run to the Hills”. The story of that album can be found in an episode of this podcast back in Season 2 if you are interested in reliving the story that came with it.
Once the touring schedule for that album had been completed, the band could concentrate on the writing session for their follow up, something that was going to be a tough ask. The first part of that puzzle had already occurred by this point. Drummer Clive Burr, who had been a staple of the first three albums, had been let go by the band after he had taken a short leave of absence due to the death of his father. Filling in for him while he was away was drummer of the band Trust, Nicko McBrain. On Burr’s return, a meeting occurred where the band had decided that they needed to move in a different direction. What brought this on? There is no definitive answer to this. Several reports at the time suggested it was drugs and alcohol that had caused the separation, but more reliable quotes suggest that Clive and band leader Steve Harris had had too many disagreements and Steve’s patience had run out. Clive was quoted in “Classic Rock” magazine two years before his sad demise from multiple Sclerosis as saying - “Steve used to say I played the songs too fast, he was always telling me to slow down. My abiding memory of recording “The Number Of The Beast” album is Steve telling me to slow down.” There were odd spats, he says, but nothing major, nothing serious. Bruce Dickinson in his autobiography says he felt Clive’s dismissal came from personality conflicts with Steve, but that he had always wished he had been able to stay longer, as his drumming was his favourite of Maiden’s drummers. Without knowing anything for certain, it appears from the outside that when Nicko came in for Clive for those shows, something clicked for Steve Harris and he decided that it was this style of drumming the band needed, and he made that decision to fire Clive and hire Nicko full time. Nicko, of course, has been Iron Maiden’s drummer ever since.

The other major change for this album was that Bruce Dickinson was now officially able to contribute to the writing process. Because of contractual problems with his previous band Samson, Bruce was legally unable to be credited on any of that album’s songs, despite the fact that it was later revealed that he had made significant contributions to the songs "The Prisoner", "Children of the Damned" and "Run to the Hills". Now however he was free to be completely involved in the writing process and be credited for this. It gave the band an amazing set of songwriters in Steve Harris, Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson, who were able to write songs on their own but also with each other, something that began to create the amazing template for the Iron Maiden albums of the 1980’s. With Dave Murray also offering his one or two contributions per album, it truly made the band a full unit on the writing front.
When it came ot the writing and recording, the band left UK soil to do both. The writing for the album took place off the coast of France in Jersey in January of 1983, before they moved to the Bahamas to complete that job and then also record the album.
One of the interesting parts about this part of Iron Maiden’s career was the controversy that had come with their previous album and the branding of the band as satanists and devil worshippers as a result. Despite the ridiculousness of those claims, mostly from the conservative religious elements in the US, the band was somewhat branded in some places as a result. On this album, they decided to fight back. In an interlude directly preceding the track “Still Life”, there is an incomprehensible recording, which for all money sounds like it is backwards masking. As it turns out, that is exactly what it is. In order to put the wind up the kind of people who like to protest about ‘this kind of thing happening’ on albums, the band actually recorded Nicko saying "What ho said the t'ing with the three 'bonce', don't meddle with things you don't understand...", and then put it on the album backwards, no doubt driving those that like to protest about this kind of thing mad. And, let’s face it, could there ever be a better way to fight back against that kind of simple thinking than doing exactly this?

There are many elements that still make this a great album. First off, the writing and inspiration of the tracks. For me, I think it is a terrific thing to have so many songs here inspired by stories, either in the written form in the shape of books or poems or short stories, or by movies and the stories told in that art form. And that’s what helps make the songs interesting even 40 years later, because the stories are still there to be told and heard. And then you have the music itself, and the highly developed way it has progressed since their first album just three years previous. Yes, the drums are different because of the change of drummer, that is to be expected. And Nicko is spectacular on this album. But the guitars and the melodic trade off between Adrian and Dave throughout are immense. The switching of solos, the harmony guitars when used, and the amazing rhythm riffs are even more intense and perfectly constructed that they were even on “The Number of the Beast”. And that galloping bass guitar of Steve Harris that is completely unique in metal at the time. All of it combines here to make an unreal album.
And in some places it is just the small things that make it so amazing. The machine guns in the album opener “Where Eagles Dare” are actually just Nicko on his hi-hats. His amazing fills that flesh out the song so much but are often overlooked when it comes to the brilliance of the track itself. Even if you haven’t seen the film that the song is based on, you can almost see it occurring before you anyway as you listen to the song. And Bruce’s vocals lines, into that final high pitches scream at the end of the song is just shivers down the spine stuff. So much air guitaring goes on while this song is played. It is one of the great album openers of all time. This is followed by Bruce’s amazing “Revelations”, which swings between the faster and heavier to the moody and thoughtful, the power of the track being in his own incomparable vocals. His lyrics here, combined from several sources and focusing especially on the writings of Aleister Crowley, are mesmerising, and beautifully expressed.
Many people remained surprised that “Flight of Icarus” was released as the first single from the album, but given its length made it radio friendly, and the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus composition also gave it that radio friendly appeal, perhaps in the long run it was not. Of course, it proved a hit in the US where it reached number 8, so the question is probably moot. Based around the Greek mythology story of Icarus it proved a hit to those who studied ancient history in high school. Side One of the album then concludes with the galloping joy of “Die With Your Boots On”, based on the story of Nostradamus and his visions that many believe foretold the future. Beyond that though, two great guitar solos and that superb bass guitar from Steve Harris drive the song along at the perfect clip and make it one of the best, most underrated Iron Maiden songs in their catalogue.

“The Trooper” is still regarded by most fans as the band’s greatest ever song. Everything about it seems iconic. The cover to the single, the second and final single released from the album, which of course then sold in the millions on T-shirts and posters. The sight of Eddie coming at you with the tattered Union Jack and the sword in his other hand is still one of the most decorated in music history. The amazing combination of the twin guitars on this song is unparalleled, with both Adrian and Dave producing an amazing performance. What makes the song so unique though is the fact that it tells the story of the Charge of the Light Brigade, one of the most famous battles of the Crimean War, and the galloping of Steve Harris’s bass guitar correlates perfectly to the sound of galloping horses, becoming the most iconic of songs as a result. And the sight of Bruce Dickinson standing astride on stage in both the music video for the song, and every night they play it live on stage, completes what is the perfect storm in heavy metal music. 40 years on, it has lost none of its power and standing in the metal world.
“Still Life”, preceded by Nicko’s reverse warning, is another of Maiden’s most underrated songs, and as Dave Murray’s sole co-written track again proves that less can be more. This is a beautifully moody yet melodically heavy track, that builds and wanes perfectly, lulling you into its spell before crashing into the main crunching riff and Bruce’s mood-changing vocals. It is an awesome song, one of my all time favourites with two perfectly played solos again through the middle of the song.
“Quest for Fire”, on the other hand, often gets short shrift when discussed by fans and critics alike. Unlike the other songs here, it seems a fairly simple one, with the only real outstanding feature being Steve basslines, especially through the chorus. Perhaps that is so, and it seems unlikely that anyone would ever put “Quest for Fire” on a pedestal. But to be honest, it never bothered me in the slightest growing up with the album, or now. It is part of the furniture, a song that is a part of Piece of Mind, and that is all that has ever mattered to me. But it is interesting that “Quest for Fire” is often paired up with “Sun and Steel” as being the weak links of the album, and I say interesting because I freaking LOVE “Sun and Steel”. Similar in what many call a ‘simple’ style, I love Bruce’s harmony vocals through the chorus, the melodic guitars especially in the solos, and Bruce’s climbing vocals at the end of the song. I still love it.
What is surely not in dispute is the awesomeness of the album’s closing track, “To Tame a Land”. Based on the novel “Dune” by Frank Herbert, "To Tame a Land" was meant to be called "Dune". They sought permission from Herbert’s agents to do so (much as they had done with Patrick McGoohan for “The Prisoner” on the previous album) but apparently the message they got back as quoted as such - "Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially bands like Iron Maiden". Thus this epic track is called “To Tame a Land” which to be honest is a much better sounding name for a song of this stature than “Dune”. It is one of Maiden’s most elaborately brilliant songs, amazingly sung by Bruce Dickinson, and then performed by the band itself. Nicko’s drumming is superb and also helps to dictate the mood of the track which is quite a feat for a drummer on this scale. Much like the opening track, even if you don’t know “Dune”, the song paints its own picture and allows you to see everything that the band wants you to see. And it also dictates to you once it has finished that you must turn the album over, and start it all over again.

You may have guessed by now that “Piece of Mind” is an album that I think pretty highly of. I didn’t actually hear the album until the final weeks of 1985, some two and a half years after it had been released. It was the very start of my journey into the love and obsession with the heavy metal genre of music. The previous week I had been handed a cassette with Iron Maiden’s next album, “Powerslave” recorded on it, and then my impatience for new material in this genre was curbed slightly by my heavy metal music dealer providing me with a copy of this album as well. And I began listening to both albums in the two weeks that led up to Xmas that year. Perhaps surprisingly, one song began to stick in my mind, and I began to play it over and over until I had all the lyrics right. That song was “Flight of Icarus”, and it became the song that truly got me into Iron Maiden. From there, the remainder of the album came along for the ride, first with “Die with Your Boots On” and of course “The Trooper”, which soon outstripped “Flight of Icarus” and became the anthem of my final two years of high school. I walked our school cross country the following year with my metal dealer, singing the whole album from start to finish to pass the time, playing each guitar solo on beautifully immaculate air guitars. I began bringing my portable cassette deck to school, so we could listen to this album and others like it during lunch and recess every day. My taped version had “The Trooper” where it jumped a couple of times – in fact, all of us in our group at high school did, because our same metal dealing mate was recording his album for everyone, and his vinyl jumped in the same spot every time. In fact, until we got “Live After Death”, we didn’t even have a copy of the song that was the full version without skipping. That was the joy and bane of the vinyl days of music. The band we were in during the early 1990’s played “The Trooper” in every setlist, and even began to play “Still Life” to rapturous applause during the concluding days of that band’s existence. I have “The Trooper” poster, framed and hanging on my wall in the Metal Cavern. And my 15 year old son Josh has one on his wall as well.
By the time I’d returned to school at the beginning of 1986, I was hooked, an addict. Iron Maiden was a drug, and this album was the affinity of it. It was the beginning of a journey for me, one that in 1986 included Iron Maiden, and the discovery of Metallica and Ronnie James Dio, the three artists that for me have defined a major portion of my teenage years, and my post-teens life. And for those last 30 years, if I was ever asked what my favourite albums of all time are, I can still confidently narrow down as my top three of all time. A Metallica one with crosses all over the front cover, an album that has a pyramid emblazoned on its front cover, and “Piece of Mind”. Come at me with suggestions that you think might be better. You’d be wrong.