Part 13.5 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!(?) I just dug up this single from my collection, so this one actually falls right after No Prayer For The Dying!
IRON MAIDEN – “Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter” (1990, etched 7″ single)
4/5 stars
Iron Maiden
REVIEW: Iron Maiden – Live At Donington August 22nd 1992
Part 18 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
“Satan’s work is done Donington!” – Bruce Dickinson
IRON MAIDEN – Live At Donington August 22nd 1992 (1993 CD, 1998 remastered edition)
I imagine if Bruce remained in the band, Maiden probably wouldn’t have released three live albums in one year. But they needed time to regroup and figure out what the hell to do next. In the meantime, as if to say, “We’ll be back!” Maiden released Live At Donington August 22nd 1992.
A much better recording than its two predecessors (A Real Live One and A Real Dead One), it’s a very special set. It’ll never be Live After Death (that’s impossible) but this is one of the finer Maiden live albums to come down the pipe. I mean, just look at the first three songs! A smoking “Be Quick Or Be Dead”. An absolutely devastating “Beast” (I like that they threw it in early). A surprising “Wrathchild”, one of the best Maiden songs of all time.
Then I get a little disinterested — “From Here To Eternity” is not a personal fave, and “Can I Play With Madness” is flat sounding again, just like on A Real Live One.
“Wasting Love” is better. The dual guitar harmony is a little off, but it’s live, what you hear is the way it was. Bruce pushing his voice to the breaking point. The mix is nice here. You can hear Nicko’s drums beautifully and both guitars clear as a bell.
A fiery “Tailgunner” takes us out of ballad territory and back into traditional Maiden: pumping guitars and lyrics about good ol’ WWII. I like when Bruce sings, “No more bomber just one big bomb, hey hey, whooo! Pussshhhttt!” as if to imitate the sound of a bomb going off!
Then, “The Evil That Men Do” lives on and on. Bruce urges Donington to scream for him; they do and he responds with a solid “Fuck yeah!”
Incidentally, does anyone know why Bruce always seems to sing the words to this song wrong, live? This album and A Real Live One, he sings:
“And I will pray for her,
Someday I may return,
I will bleed for her,
If I could only make her learn.”
The actual lyric on the album is:
“And I will pray for you,
Someday I may return,
Don’t you cry for me,
Beyond is where I learn.”
Anybody?
Bruce then introduces the modern war ballad, “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”. I think this is one of Maiden’s greater songs, at least once it gets going into that awesome guitar melody…and then another one after that!
The first CD of Donington closed with “Fear Of The Dark”. Interesting — playing this one halfway through the show, and not the end! How things would change, as this song became more and more of a classic. The Donington version is great, I love Janick’s pinch harmonics. The remastered CD loaded four more songs onto disc one from here, freeing that space off disc two for video content. I’m only mentioning this because depending on which version you have, your disc may end on a different song. But I think “Fear Of The Dark” may as well close the disc, as it’s a perfect place to pause!
“Bring Your Daughter” was up next. I can always pass on this song, although the redeeming factor are the wild and crazy guitars! I could do without the singalong intro, but the fans at Donington are sure into it!
The brilliant “Clairvoyant” pumps the crowd up once again. Once again, Janick crazies-up the guitar work making the whole thing more manic.
“Heaven Can Wait” of course was the big singalong song, I just wish they’d play something else from Somewhere In Time instead of this number. Although I do like it when Bruce allows Nicko to have a word. “Oiiiyyyeeeee!” This is followed by “Run To The Hills”, which indicates we’re getting closer to the end. Personally I’m tiring of this song, and the guitars sound too thin.
“2 Minutes To Midnight” serves as a reminder of the great tunes that Bruce and Adrian used to write together. Great riff (even if poached from “Wildfire” by Budgie), great song. Funny: As a kid, I loved “Hills” and didn’t really like “2 Minutes”. Now, I really love “2 Minutes”, but I’ve heard “Hills” just too many times.
Then: four classics in a row. “Hallowed”, “Trooper”, “Sanctuary”, and “Running Free”. “Hallowed” is still one of the very greatest Maiden tunes of all time, and in many ways I think it’s better live. In particular, the Live After Death version is great. But Bruce sings his teeth into this one too, and it’s just that much better for it. Once again, I can hear some tasty pinch harmonics in the opening. Is that you Janick? Guess I’ll have to wait until this show comes out on blu-ray in 2013….
“The Trooper” is of course pummeling as ever, and “Sanctuary” a welcome rarity from the earlier punkier days. I like when Bruce introduces Nicko as “old Flatnose himself”.
“Running Free” though was very special indeed, and a harbinger of things to come.
Adrian came out and joined the band for this one, a special appearance at a special gig. For years I had no idea: It’s not like you can really understand what Bruce is saying when Adrian comes out, perhaps overcome with emotion! This really was a preview of the most beloved, long-standing Maiden lineup of all time: Bruce, Steve, Nicko, Davey, Janick, and Adrian. It would be seven years before they played together again, but here’s the first.
The cover art and packaging was decidedly bootleg: A plain white cover with a Maiden logo stencil and the title in sloppy typewriter font. No booklet at all. Thankfully, this was rectified with Mark Wilkinson’s poster art, used for the remastered cover art. The remaster did indeed feature a full booklet packed with photos, and some live video stuff that may or may not work on your current machine.
And thus ends Live At Doningon, and thus ends the last album with this lineup. It would be uncharted waters forward, as Maiden began the audition process for a new lead singer for the first time in a decade.
But there would be one more special show. One more release to talk about: Not an album, but a video. Next time, we’ll talk about Bruce’s final show, called Raising Hell, featuring the decapitation of the band’s lead singer!
4.5/5 stars
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Part 133: Die For Love
RECORD STORE TALES PART 133: Die For Love
1996 was my first year of managing my own store. In the very first weeks of business, in came this little gem, Japanese import, never seen it before.
The band featured Iron Maiden’s former guitarist, Dennis Stratton. Dennis of course played on the first immortal Maiden platter and a few B-sides too. The album featured one great single, “Die For Love”, which had one of the cheesiest music videos of all time. Band must rescue blonde damsel in distress from horny-looking mad scientist.
It’s actually a really cool song, very commercial but solid and I’d been hunting for it for years. Yet another treasure that fell into my lap. Japanese import, $20 used, but with my discount more like $15.
Still, I ended up passing on it. I only really liked the one song, and I had other stuff to buy that week including the new Scorpions and King’s X. So, I made a judgement call and threw it on the shelves. I put a sticker on it that said “Dennis Stratton ex-Iron Maiden” and it sold in a couple weeks. It was after it sold that I regretted my decision! I didn’t realize how rare the disc was, and I underestimated how much I liked that one song!
Thankfully it’s since been reissued. Still, wouldn’t it have been nice to have that Japanese import? Yeah.
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REVIEW: Iron Maiden – A Real Dead One (1993, plus single)
Part 17 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews! NOTE: This album was later reissued as part of A Real Live Dead One.
IRON MAIDEN – A Real Dead One (1993)
When Maiden hit the road for what was to be Bruce’s farewell tour, it did not go as the band intended. There were some positives: Because this was Bruce’s farewell, the band decided to pull certain older tracks out of the box, and record them for the next live album, A Real Dead One. But three of the four other Iron Maiden members (Janick Gers being the sole holdout) have accused Bruce of sabotaging that last tour. I’m sure this is all water under the bridge now, but Maiden were furious that Bruce seemingly stopped trying, barely sang, and underperformed on certain stops on the tour. Only the big gigs, with the cameras and the press, did Bruce put any effort into singing, claimed the band.
Whatever the case may be, Bruce did turn up for the tracks on A Real Dead One. And Maiden stacked the deck with great tracks, stretching from the first album to Powerslave. And those older seldom heard tracks that Maiden pulled out of the box? Yeah! You get classics like “Remember Tomorrow”, “Where Eagles Dare”, and “Prowler”. None of those songs were on the immortal Live After Death (neither was “Transylvania” or “Sanctuary”!) so that brings added value to this album, as a companion piece of sorts.
But it could never live up to the legacy set by Live After Death, and although it’s certainly better than A Real Live One, I can’t say I play this too frequently. The band are on fire and playing as furiously as ever. The solos are nothing if not sublime. Steve and Nicko gallop forward driving the whole thing. That’s all well and good. The vocals don’t seem mixed high enough to me. Bruce’s voice is also obviously wearing with age. It happens. I think the album has a better overall sound than A Real Live One however.
I don’t think “Remember Tomorrow” needed backing keyboards, although Dave and Janick’s guitar work is beautiful. I love Janick’s noisy chaotic solo that still somehow fits the song. I also love Nicko’s drum work and fills.
“Hallowed By Thy Name” appropriately closes the album, and was also the album’s single. The fantastic cover art shows Bruce being killed by Eddie, a trick they would try live for their final gig (and more on that when I get to it). “Hallowed” had two unique live B-sides: “Wasted Years” and “Wrathchild”! Both are worth having. “Wrathchild” probably could have been on this album, and “Wasted Years” definitely should have been on A Real Live One.
Derek Riggs came back for the cover art. DJ Eddie seems to be spinning discs in hell, at 666 FM!
Even though this was Maiden’s second live album of 1993, it was not their last! Stay tuned…
3.5/5 stars
Below: Note Bruce promoting his cousin Rob Dickinson’s new band, Catherine Wheel! Also seen, the CD for the combined A Real Live Dead One release.
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REVIEW: Iron Maiden – A Real Live One (1993, plus single)
Part 16 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews! NOTE: This album was later reissued as part of A Real Live Dead One.
IRON MAIDEN – A Real Live One (1993)
And then the bombshell hit. Just as Iron Maiden were releasing their next live album, Bruce Dickinson was leaving the band.
It was another in a string of major metal singer departures: Vince Neil and Rob Halford in 1992, and now Bruce Dickinson. Not to mention Dio splitting with Sabbath, again. It was a very demoralizing time to be a metal fan.
Tattooed Millionaire was a big enough success to warrant a sequel. On the advice of Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, Bruce was encouraged not to just do a half-assed sequel, but to really throw himself into the creative process. What he came up with was very different and intriguing; Bruce likened it to early Peter Gabriel. This triggered some soul searching. What if this direction was to pursued? What then?
Bruce approached Smallwood. “As you can see, the music is very different, that’s the good news,” he started. “The bad news is I’ve decided to leave the band.”
As a compromise, Bruce agreed to do the next tour, promoting the live album A Real Live One. A Real Live One was a document of the Fear of the Dark tour, and after it was mixed the band planned to hit the road again for a second leg. Bruce did not want to jeopardize the tour, and Steve Harris agreed to do it as a farewell. This was a decision that all parties would regret, but more on that later. In the meantime, Maiden had a live album to promote, with a distinct black cloud over it.
Maiden had chosen to do two live albums. First came A Real Live One, which covered music from 1986-1992. Then, post-tour, A Real Dead One covering the early years was scheduled. Splitting the live album into two may have proven to be a mistake, as it meant A Real Live One was lopsided and full of songs that many in North America did not care about: “Heaven Can Wait”, “From Here To Eternity”, “Bring Your Daughter”, but nothing of the beloved earlier period previously covered on Live After Death.
And how do you top an album like Live After Death? You can’t, so A Real Live One was doomed to be deemed inferior from the start.
Making matters worse, not only were Maiden releasing a live album that summer, but so did Kiss, Ozzy, and Van Halen.
The production seemed a little muddier (the first without Martin Birch since the early days). The performances were fine, as expected, Maiden are nothing but professionals. I don’t listen to this album often. Later live albums that cover this material are superior, and it would have helped if the album had pre-1986 classics on it. Although A Real Live One had four albums to draw upon, that period of Maiden is not the golden era, and the albums are undeniably less classic than the pre-’86 period.
I can understand their reasoning of doing the release like this. I’m sure they felt that a live album without overlap with Live After Death was better value for the money. And if you wanted those songs, you could get A Real Dead One later on. But still, a Maiden live set without “The Trooper” or “Hallowed” or “Number” was a lopsided Beast indeed.
Worthy: “Fear of the Dark”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, “The Evil That Men Do”, “The Clairvoyant”.
Ugh: a flat “Can I Play With Madness” & “From Here To Eternity”.
Missing: “Wasted Years”. That would have been a worthy addition to the set.
Derek Riggs returned to do the cover art for this and it’s a fun striking painting. Nothing special, just another cool Eddie.
The single was the awesome “Fear Of The Dark”, live (which had a better cover than the album). This had become a concert classic already, with a massive fan singalong. The B-side was “Hooks In You” from the No Prayer album and tour. I’ve never been a fan of this song, but I have no problem with Maiden issuing live B-sides of songs that are rarely aired live. It’s good for documenting history. It’s also available on the Fear of the Dark bonus disc edition.
2.5/5 stars
| 1. Be Quick Or Be Dead |
| 2. From Here To Eternity |
| 3. Can I Play With Madness |
| 4. Wasting Love |
| 5. Tailgunner |
| 6. The Evil That Men Do |
| 7. Afraid To Shoot Strangers |
| 8. Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter |
| 9. Heaven Can Wait |
| 10. The Clairvoyant |
| 11. Fear Of The Dark |
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REVIEW: Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark (1992, 1996 bonus disc)
Part 15 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
IRON MAIDEN – Fear of the Dark (1992, 1996 bonus disc)
I remember staying up late one night, listening to Q107, waiting to hear the new Maiden track. They promised it, and after airing “Burn” by Deep Purple, they debuted “Be Quick Or Be Dead”.
Nice riff, I said. The song took a while to grow on me, because Bruce was still growling a bit too much for my taste. If there was one thing I disliked about Maiden’s previous, No Prayer for the Dying, it was Bruce’s growl. I’d rather hear him sing. He was growling the verses, and singing the choruses. And Nicko was doing some serious steppin’! It was the Maiden writing debut of Janick Gers (with Bruce), and it was a rant on big business. Maiden were the 99% in 1992! I thought it was one of the best songs from the new album, Fear of the Dark.
The second track, “From Here To Eternity” featured the return of Charlotte! Harris wrote this one alone, and it too was a single. It has a shout-along chorus, but too much rinky-dink bass way up high in the mix. This song wouldn’t make my road tape, I never particularly cared for it.
Much, much better is “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”. Steve wrote this one for the men and women who served in the Gulf War, who as Bruce said, “never wanted to kill anybody.” I consider this song to be the birth of the “new” Iron Maiden. The gentle guitar, with the melodic bass in the background, the keys…is it a ballad or an epic? It’s both. Then it picks up with some of the catchiest guitar parts Steve’s ever written. There would be many many Maiden songs that followed this blueprint on albums to come, especially The X Factor. (My friend Andy and I beat this song by a year. In 1991 we wrote a Maiden-inspired tune called “Unleashed in the Middle East” about the Gulf War. Fortunately, it remains unrecorded to this day.)
Did you also noticed Maiden getting more topical? Big business…the Gulf War…it was the 90’s.
The Zeppish “Fear Is the Key” is next. Bruce and Janick wrote this one, but again, I’m not too fond of it. It has a great hook, and it’s technically accomplished, but Maiden and Zep don’t always mix. I don’t think they ever played it live. Do I hear a slide?
“Childhood’s End”, written by Steve, doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Arthur C. Clarke novel. It is rhythmically complex and melodic and powerful with a soaring guitar melody. I don’t consider this one of Maiden’s greater songs in the canon, but it is one of the better songs on Fear of the Dark.
The triumphant ballad, “Wasting Love” closes side 1. This one may have thrown people for a loop, both by the title and the music. Maiden, singing about love? More Scorpions sounding than Maiden, this one came from Bruce and Janick.
Maybe one day, I’ll be an honest man
Up til now I’m doing the best I can
Long roads, long days
of sunrise to sunset, sunrise to sunset
The song seems to be a reflection on infidelity on the road, but was there more between the lines? “Maybe one day I’ll be an honest man…”
Yes, it’s a ballad, but it is not wimpy. The guitar harmonies evoke mellow Thin Lizzy. I think “Wasting Love” is among the three best songs on Fear of the Dark. “Afraid to Shoot Strangers is another one, and we’ll get to the third in due time.
Side 2 opened with Steve’s “The Fugitive”. It takes a long time to build. It’s OK, nothing special. Again, I doubt it was ever played live. I don’t know if The Fugitive really needed to be made into a song, but Steve beat the movie adaptation by a year!
Bruce and Davey’s “Chains of Misery” follows. I think it’s another OK song, again nothing special and again I doubt it was ever played live. Nice shout-along chorus.
Another Zeppish song is next: “The Apparition”. Steve wrote this one with Janick. See above comments: OK song, never played live. The lyrics start with promise, a ghost story perhaps, but then it turns into a series of pieces of advice from the apparition to the living. Stuff like “You can make your own luck,” etc. And Bruce is doing that annoying growl vocal!
Thankfully, “Judas Be My Guide” gets us out of this slump! Ironically I always found this one to sound kind of Priest-like! I like this tune. Bruce wrote it with Davey, and to me this is the kind of song that Adrian Smith used to bring to the table. Melodic, powerful, anthemic, sing-along metal. I don’t think it was ever played live, but to me this one would have been single material. I would have picked it over “From Here To Eternity”.
The mellow “Weekend Warrior” is one of the oddest on the album. Bruce does his growl vocal (again!) but the song goes from acoustic section to electric section to acoustic again, and it’s quite unlike most Maiden songs. The lyrics seem to be about football hooliganism. I’m not sure if this was a topic that Iron Maiden needed to delve into, but there it is.
Finally, we have the Steve epic you have been waiting for: “Fear of the Dark”. It’s a little simple and repetitive compared to past epics, but it’s solid and has remained in the live set tour after tour after tour. It is a fan favourite worldwide, and I think it’s great. Although it’s simpler musically, I think in a lot of ways it’s one of Steve’s best epics. It’s absolutely perfect live, it begs to be sung along with, and it goes from peak to valley so well! I like big gothic opening riff. The mellow sections, again, would serve as a blueprint for the next era of Iron Maiden. Steve’s melodic bass, backed by quiet keys…
And that’s the album, a fat 12 songs, and although many are in the 3 minute range, there are several over 5 minutes this time. It was a generous slice of studio music from Maiden, never before had they crammed so many songs onto a record. It was also released on DAT, cassette, and CD. The vinyl was a double, and very hard to find. Vinyl was an import here in Canada: Capitol stopped pressing vinyl here in early 1990.
As I mentioned, there are moments here that musically look into Maiden’s future. But changes were already afoot, and in a real way, Fear of the Dark is the first album of the new Maiden. For the first time ever, Derek Riggs’ artwork was absent. Maiden instead chose a painting by Melvyn Grant. Gone were the Riggs trademarks, and a lot of fans reacted negatively to the new art. Eddie looked more Nosferatu than Eddie, and the idea of Eddie being reborn from a tree was…weird?
This was also to be Martin Birch’s final production effort. He retired after Fear of the Dark. Happy retirement, Martin! What can you possibly say bad about the man who produced Machine Head? Nothing. I will say though that this album, recorded digitally for the first time, sounds very thin. I think it was immediately noticeable and this was rectified on future albums.
My 1996 reissue has a bonus disc chock full of B-sides.
“Be Quick Or Be Dead” came with the piano-infused joke boogie tune, “Nodding Donkey Blues”, an ode to plus-sized ladies. It’s actually really great fun. “Ahh, there should be some kind of guitar solo here!” says Bruce before the piano kicks in.
Also from the same single is Montrose’s “Space Station #5” – Sammy Hagar’s first and only writing credit on an Iron Maiden disc! Maiden of course kick this song in the nuts. What an awesome riff. But wait — don’t turn it off. The hidden track “Bayswater Ain’t A Bad Place To Be” is yet another hilarious roast of manager Rod Smallwood!
Second single, “From Here To Eternity” was an oddity of sorts, one of the few Maiden singles to not feature Eddie on the cover. It’s B-sides included a Chuck Berry cover/ode to roadie Vic Vella called “Roll Over Vic Vella”. There were also two live tracks from the previous tour: “Public Enema Number One”, and “No Prayer For the Dying”. Nice to have live versions of these songs, as I doubt they were played again after that tour.
“From Here To Eternity” also supposedly featured a remixed A-side — a “Triumph Mix”. (The name “Triumph Mix” is only printed on the disc itself and not the back cover.) I can’t tell the difference, so don’t get excited. I also haven’t attempted to do a detailed comparison, so if you know more than I do, please comment.
The third and final single was “Wasting Love” which unfortunately had a terribly boring music video. It’s just too 90’s! It had three more live tracks, all from the previous tour: “Tailgunner”, “Holy Smoke”, and “The Assassin”. Same comment as above: Nice to have live versions. But note, none of these songs are on the 1996 reissue with bonus disc! Not one! And this is one of the rarest of Maiden singles. Took me a while to find a copy at a decent price.
There was one bonus included on the 2 CD edition of Fear of the Dark, in lieu of the above: “Hooks In You”, also live from the previous tour. Probably my most hated of all Maiden tunes. It’s actually from a later single, and I’ll get to that when I get to that album.
This was the last of the ten Iron Maiden 2 CD reissues from 1996.
So there you have it: Fear of the Dark. It’s superior to No Prayer, I believe. Both the good songs and the filler are superior. It pointed the way to some interesting new directions, mixing light and shade, and it proved that Janick Gers was an able songwriter in Iron Maiden. He had also begun to gel with Dave Murray as guitar player. Yet the album also had much filler, it would have been stronger at a traditional 9 or 10 tracks. I still have a fond place in my heart for Fear of the Dark, for it was one of many albums that helped me get through the 90’s.
But if you thought the last couple Maiden albums were controversial among fans, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
3.75/5 stars
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Part 128: VIDEO BLOG – Mike & Aaron Go To Toronto! (now with Store Report Card!)
Join Mike and Aaron as they hunt for rare albums!
REPORT CARD
Sonic Boom, 782 Bathurst St – 5/5 stars
BMV, 471 Bloor Street West – 3.5/5 stars (Mike) 4/5 stars (Aaron)
Rotate This, 801 Queen St. W – 3/5 stars (no rating from Aaron)
Pauper’s Pub, 539 Bloor Street West – 3.5/5 stars
Paradise Bound, 270 August Ave – 4/5 stars * note I got the name wrong in the video
Moonbean, 30 Saint Andrew Street – 5/5 stars
Sonic Boom Kensington, 201 Augusta Ave – 4.5/5 stars
HMV, 333 Yonge Street – 1.5/5 stars
Sunrise, 220 Yonge Street, 1.5/5 stars (no rating from Aaron)
See what Aaron bought by clicking here!
FINAL NOTE: I procured a the Japanese import from eBay a week later, October 27, for $41, free shipping.
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REVIEW: Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire (1990, 2005 2 disc set)
You can’t talk about this part of Maiden’s history without talking about Tattooed Millionaire. Part 14 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
BRUCE DICKINSON – Tattooed Millionaire (1990, 2005 Sanctuary 2 disc set)
If Tattooed Millionaire had not happened, neither would so many things in Maiden’s history: No #1 single (“Bring Your Daughter…to the Slaughter), Janick Gers might never have joined the band, and so on.
Due to the six months downtime between Seventh Son and No Prayer, Bruce decided to have some fun. He first recorded “Bring Your Daughter…to the Slaughter” for the Nightmare on Elm Street 5soundtrack. This opened the floodgates and before too long, Bruce and guitarist Janick Gers had more than enough songs for an album. (Other band members: Andy Carr – bass, Fabio Del Rio – drums.)
And an album there was, and what a fine album indeed! Bruce made no bones about it: This is not a heavy metal album like Maiden. This is a hard rock album, along the lines of his influences: Deep Purple, AC/DC, Mott the Hoople, and more. What was surprising even to me at time was just how good it was.
The first single, “Tattooed Millionaire” was catchy as hell while still sounding very British and uncompromising. Vocally, the song and album combines Bruce’s classic soaring voice, with his newer style of spitting out the words in a furious assault. The combination is effective; Just listen to “Hell On Wheels”. While innuendo-loaded verses are spat out, the chorus soars in a singalong fashion. “Dive! Dive! Dive!” and “Lickin’ the Gun” tackle similar lyrical territory.
But it’s not all sexual innuendo. Bruce tackles more philosophical topics on songs such as “Born in ’58” (a great single), “Son of a Gun”, and “Gypsy Road”. Meanwhile, “Tattooed Millionaire” pokes fun at the rockers of the L.A. scene, loaded with cash but not too much in the way of brains.
Tattooed boys with expensive toys,
living in a bubble of sin.
Money can buy you most of anything,
fix your nose or the mess you’re in.
Some speculated that this was aimed at former tourmates, Guns N’ Roses. I believe Bruce later said the inspiration was Motley Crue!
Bruce admitted that doing a cover song for a single was “cheating”, but “All the Young Dudes” was a great choice to cover. Fear not; Bruce does it justice. Bruce kicks it in the head. Gers’ guitar work is perfect for the song, and it’s good to have a chance to hear him play a more laid-back style, unlike his usual work.
The album spawned plenty of singles, each with their own B-sides worth collecting. But luckily, the fine folks at Sanctuary put all of this stuff together, along with “Bring Your Daughter”, on a tasty bonus disc.
The bonus disc includes some acoustic music (“Winds of Change”, “Darkness Be My Friend”, and the joke song “Ballad of Mutt”). It also has some kickass live covers: Deep Purple’s “Black Night” and “Sin City” by AC/DC among them. Bonus — there’s also a studio version of “Sin City”, and some live versions of the album’s hits.
Absolutely essential: “Son of a Gun”, “Tattooed Millionaire”, “Born in ’58”.
Great: “Gypsy Road”, “Zulu Lulu”, “No Lies”, “All the Young Dudes”
So-so: “Dive! Dive! Dive!”, “Hell On Wheels”
Filler: “Lickin’ the Gun”
4/5 stars
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REVIEW: Iron Maiden – No Prayer For the Dying (1990, 1996 bonus disc)
Part 13 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
IRON MAIDEN – No Prayer For the Dying (1990, 1996 bonus disc)
Regrouping after a six-month break, Maiden returned to writing mode a changed Beast.
The Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album was artistically rewarding but the band were eager to return to their stripped down heavy metal roots and make a live-sounding album more like Killers or The Number of the Beast, without the production values and ten minute songs that were becoming the norm.
Both Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson were coming off solo albums (A.S.a.P.’s Silver and Gold featuring Zak Starkey (Oasis, The Who), and Bruce’s Tattooed Millionaire). Bruce’s was successful commercially and critically, Adrian’s less so. Still, it came as a complete shock to the fans when it was announced that Adrian Smith had left Iron Maiden.
Or, perhaps, been nudged out. Steve Harris was worried that Adrian was becoming unhappy, and it was especially obvious during the writing sessions for the next album. While Steve, Dave and Bruce were contributing heavy songs, the usually prolific Adrian had nothing but a song called “Hooks In You” that he had written with Bruce. He was clearly unhappy that Maiden were not progressing down the road pointed to by Seventh Son, and were going heavier. Steve took him aside.
When asked how into it he was, the answer came “about 80%”. Steve has always had a simple policy for membership in his band — you had to be into it 110%, or it wouldn’t work. The fans wouldn’t buy it, and Steve couldn’t look them in the eye knowing somebody on stage wasn’t completely into it. Adrian was out.
The band already knew Janick Gers, and he and Bruce had developed a successful writing partnership on his Tattooed Millionaire solo disc. Janick was nevertheless shocked when Bruce phoned him up and asked him to learn some Iron Maiden numbers. Janick initially said no, because he assumed Bruce was talking about his solo project, and they had already agreed to do no Maiden numbers. When Bruce explained it wasn’t for the solo band, it was for Maiden, Janick was horrified.
Janick Gers was really the only guy I can think of that was right for Maiden, also being from the era of the NWOBHM bands (White Spirit). He’d also been in Gillan (the incredible Magic album) and worked with Fish. The songs for the album were already written, all Janick had to do was head over to Steve’s farm, where they were recording the album, and learn the songs.
But that’s all just background, just context. That’s all important, especially to this album, but what is also important is the bottom line. And the bottom line is that this is the first time Maiden turned in something that was almost universally received as a disappointment.
While some fans were clamoring for a return to basic heavy metal songs, short and bangin’ and to the point, others preferred the epic scale of Seventh Son. And it was clear that you can’t just replace Adrian Smith. The songs on the new album, titled No Prayer For the Dying, seemed less finished and not quite up to standard. Not to mention Janick and Dave hadn’t had time to properly gel together, and never quite sync up on this album the way Dave did with Adrian.
The opening song “Tailgunner” is good enough though, not quite an “Aces High” but certainly adequate. Being tailgunner might have been the worst job on the Lancaster bomber, since it didn’t have a belly gunner! (Neither did Enola Gay, tailgunner was certainly the worst job on a B-29)! But Steve and Bruce failed to really nail it lyrically, with lines such as “nail that Fokker, kill that son, gunna blow your guts out with my gun” not living up to past Maiden historic glories.
Steve and Bruce also wrote “Holy Smoke”, the first single. This reckless fast number showcased a manic Janick Gers solo, demonstrating how different he was from Adrian. Where Adrian used to compose solos with beginnings, middles and endings, Janick just went for it! Dave was also somewhere between the two approaches. Now, without Adrian’s melodic touch, the band were moving sharply to a more live and spontaneous guitar style.
“Holy Smoke” is about TV preachers, and while they always make a good target in heavy metal songs (I prefer Ozzy’s “Miracle Man”) this one also fails to excite. As a song it doesn’t have much in terms of melody. On No Prayer, Bruce is shouting as often as he’s singing, and with the songs’ new emphasis on raw power, there’s less memorable melody to go around. Janick’s manic gonzo solo does fit the vibe of the song!
The title track is third, a number that tries to be an epic in under 5 minutes. It does indeed have all of the trademark qualities of a Maiden epic except the length: Multiple parts, multiple tempos, soul-searching Steve lyrics, and ample anthemic guitar melody. Yet the song fails to nail it home like, say, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” did.
Better is the badly titled “Public Enema Number One”. This Dickinson/Murray rocker is riffy, straightforward with some decent melodic bits. But again Bruce is hoarsely shouting the verses, and the song careens from section to section that don’t feel like they quite all fit together probably. Like other songs on No Prayer, the song sounds slightly unfinished.
And better again is “Fates Warning”, this time written by Steve and Dave. The opening soft guitar part is a nice change of pace, and a great example of Dave Murray’s tremendous feel. Perhaps in a past life he was a bluesman. Nicko then kicks the song into gear while Steve’s lyrics question the seemingly random nature of life and death. In the middle, is an old-school dual Maiden guitar lead, before Dave nails another perfect one of his own.
Side two begins with the stuttery “The Assassin”. Written solo by Steve, it is rhythmically complex as it is propelled forward. It has a fairly decent chorus but it doesn’t quite resolve itself nicely. Some of the guitar and bass melodies are reminiscent of “To Tame A Land” from Piece of Mind.
This is followed by the superior “Run Silent Run Deep” Submarine warfare is a good topic for a Maiden song, and the song chugs forward like those big diesel engines. This is one of the better songs on No Prayer. Steve and Bruce wrote it together, and Nicko’s precise drum fills accent the song perfectly.
Next is the worst song on the album: Bruce and Adrian’s “Hooks In You”. Lyrically this is one of the worst things ever on a Maiden album. Judging by the opening line, “Got the keys to view at number 22,” it sounds like Charlotte is back to her old tricks. Unfortunately, the band subjected people to this song live. I’ll admit it’s got a great little riff, but Bruce’s shout-growl vocals, lack of melody, and lack of any lyrical intelligence just sinks this one.
And then the baffling #1 single, “Bring Your Daughter…to the Slaughter”. This Bruce song is actually an outtake from his solo project. He recorded and released the original version with Janick Gers on the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5. I seem to remember that soundtrack being panned as “the worst soundtrack of all time” at one point. Steve heard the song, went nuts, and said, “Don’t put it on your solo album: I want to save this one for Maiden.”
Somehow, Steve was right, as it went straight to #1 in the UK, the first and only time this has happened to Iron Maiden. I don’t get it. I don’t get what people like about this song.
“Mother Russia” ends the album on a sour note. Lyrically simple, musically pretty good, “Mother Russia” is certainly not up to the standards of past Maiden album closers. Although it tries to be an epic along the lines of “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” (featuring a similar keyboard section in the middle), it’s just not as great as past epics. At five and a half minutes, “Mother Russia” is the longest song on No Prayer. It is made up of excellent components; I like the melody and the solos big time, but it’s just…not comparable in quality.
Nicko McBrain said on MuchMusic that No Prayer was “the best Iron Maiden yet.” Steve said that the album’s biggest problem is that it didn’t sound live enough without an audience track. I disagree with both. I think the album has an abnormally high quantity of unfinished songs and filler.
Even the cover art was substandard. To go with the live, stripped down sound, Riggs too stripped his artwork of the symbolism and fantasy. Instead, Eddie goes for the throat of a groundskeeper as he emerges (once again) from the grave. All hints to continuity are gone, as Eddie’s lost his lobotomy scar, cybernetic implants, and that bolt that kept his skull on! He even has his hair back. I guess somebody wasn’t happy with the artwork, because it was heavily tweaked for the 1998 remaster, repainting much of it and removing the groundskeeper.
The B-sides to the first single, “Holy Smoke” were the excellent “All In Your Mind” (a cover from somebody called Stray) and Golden Earring’s “Kill Me Ce Soir”. Both songs are pretty damn good. I prefer both to some of the album tracks!
“Bring Your Daughter” had two of its own B-sides: “Communication Breakdown” and “I’m A Mover”. Maiden tackle Led Zeppelin and Free less successfully than they did they other two B-sides. “I’m A Mover” ain’t bad as it allows Maiden to get into a groove they normally wouldn’t, and Bruce seems to have fun with the vocal.
3.5/5 stars
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REVIEW: Iron Maiden – Maiden England (1989 VHS, 1994 CD)
Part 12 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews!
IRON MAIDEN – Maiden England (PAL VHS/CD set)
Maiden’s spectacular Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour seemed the perfect time to do another live home video. Future Maiden tours were to be toned down stageshow-wise for quite a few years. It also enabled Maiden to take a break while Steve Harris took 6 months to edit the video himself. In the meantime, Adrian and Bruce were able to write solo albums. We’ll get into that.
In the meantime, “Moonchild” opens the set. Sadly the acoustic part is just a pre-recorded tape, but Bruce just howls his way through this one. As Bruce welcomes the Birmingham crowd to the show, the band break into “The Evil That Men Do”, probably the best live version of this song available. Steve charges into it and the rest of the band keep up.
This is followed by a deuce of classic Maiden tunes that were-not-but-should-been-on Live After Death! These would be “The Prisoner” and “Still Life”, also available on the single for “Infinite Dreams”. “Still Life” is a rarity to hear live so this is a nice treat; I think it’s an excellent song. One of my all time favourites.
“Die With Your Boots On” was included on Live After Death but I ain’t complaining! You can hear that Bruce has lost a little bit of his range on some of the high notes; it is what it is. It’s an awesome tune and this version has a certain reckless abandon.
The single, “Infinite Dreams” follows, and I always felt it was one of the better Seventh Sontunes. It works live, especially once the band kick it into gear halfway. And if you somehow managed to fall asleep, an especially screamy “Killers” will wake you up.
That’s it for classic Maiden for a while. The next four numbers are all from the most recent two albums: “Heaven Can Wait” (with singalong), “Wasted Years” (which Bruce seems to struggle with), “The Clairvoyant” and the epic “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”. At 10 minutes long, Bruce makes sure the crowd doesn’t fall asleep, getting them to sing along.
The CD closes with a double whammy of classic Maiden: “The Number of the Beast” and “Iron Maiden”. Bruce implores the Birmingham NEC to scream for him, and scream they do.
The VHS version had two extra songs, lopped off the CD for time reasons. They are, unfortunately, an amazing “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and the single “Can I Play With Madness”.
A DVD version of Maiden England with a remastered and complete CD was confirmed by Maiden manager Rod Smallwood to be forthcoming on March 25, 2013.
Maiden England was a good package, and it’s cool to have the Seventh Tour documented on video, with that cool arctic stage set and crystal balls, and all that. Comparing it to Live After Death is just…well…you can’t. Live After Death was 25 minutes longer therefore more comprehensive, and perfectly mixed. Maiden England sounds a little more…I dunno…muddy, maybe?
Who cares. It’s Maiden.
4/5 stars
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