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”
IRON MAIDEN – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988, 1996 bonus CD)
Maiden finally did it. After years of denying that their albums had been concept albums, Maiden went ahead and wrote a concept album! The circumstances were coincidental. The album was to be their seventh. Steve Harris had already written his album epic, the title track “Seventh Son of Seventh Son”. Meanwhile, Bruce had written down lyrics such as “Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win…” Seizing this serendipitous moment, Maiden plunged forward with the tale of a boy born with healing powers and the ability to see the future…everyone’s but his own.
A boy born as the seventh son to a seventh son, in some folklore, was prophesied to have such powers. But the inability to foresee his own fate was a cruel joke by none other than Lucifer himself. In the story, the sides of good and evil battle for the soon-to-be-man’s soul, hoping to bend his powers to their will.
If Bruce was a basket case on the prior album, Somewhere In Time, he had bounced back by Seventh Son. With no less than four writing credits out of eight songs, Bruce must have been satisfied that Maiden were incorporating acoustics, and keyboards. It was all in the name of texture and light & shade. Bruce had hoped that one day Maiden would make their Physical Graffiti and perhaps this is it.
I recall when it came out that there was some backlash: Some Maiden fans did not take too kindly to the obtuse lyrics, acoustic guitars, and softer more progressive direction. When you listen to both albums back to back, on a whole I think Seventh Son is heavier than Somewhere In Time, by a hair. Yet compared to Powerslave or Killers, clearly this was new and different. Some didn’t like that, while others took the time to get to know and love Seventh Son. I can recall being perplexed by the lyrics, struggling to figure them out, and wondering if the symbols written on the lyric sheet were clues.
At the same time that Maiden were exploring new directions, so was cover artist Derek Riggs. No longer wishing to draw Eddies with axes in people’s heads, he came up with something very different that suited Maiden’s more mystical musical direction. Here’s another one I wish I had on vinyl! Clearly no longer on our plane of reality, but still with his cybernetic implants, Eddie seems to be giving birth to a new generation of Eddies! On the back, the Arctic ice forms seem to represent past Eddies. Altogether, seven of them…
The acoustics and keyboards are evident right from the get go as they form a major part of “Moonchild”, written by Bruce and Adrian. It’s a strong opener, quickly getting up to speed, with lyrical angels and demons swooping upon you as Bruce spits out the words. I recall Bruce saying in a Canadian interview that he enjoyed playing multiple characters on the album, and when singing as the Devil, he drank “a couple cups of tea.”
Steve’s “Infinite Dreams” begins slow, in line with past Maiden ballads, the sound of precious Fenders caressing your ears as our protagonist emerges from a nightmare. Soon the tempos change (more than once!) and Bruce lets loose a scream from hell. (As kids, this is the first time we noticed Bruce losing some of the smoothness and range of his high voice.)
The first single, “Can I Play With Madness” is third. It too was controversial in a way: The music video didn’t have Iron Maiden in it! Aside from some Powerslave footage playing on a TV in a catacomb, the video starred Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and a certain Mr. Eddie. The mystical video did little to enlighten us kids on the meaning of the lyrics! Musically, it’s another anthemic Maiden hard rock single, but perhaps the most commercial one yet.
The second single, “The Evil That Men Do” closed side one. Like the previous song it was written by the triumvirate of Steve, Bruce and Adrian. It boasts a powerful singalong chorus and some great guitar melodies. Lyrically, our protagonist has now “slept in the dust with his daughter,” and I think you can guess who’s daughter he’s referring to. This song represents one of the very few times Maiden sing about love, albeit in this case it’s a sub-plot of a concept album.
Side two opened with Steve’s 10 minute epic, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” which essentially sums up the plot so far. It’s not as dynamic as some past epics as “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, nor as riffy. It is still quite an excellent epic, slow and meandering but of course with ample changes and parts to keep your attention. Like “Rime” it has a slow spoken word section in the middle.
“The Prophecy”, written by Dave Murray and Steve Harris, continues the story. The seventh son has foretold a disaster and the village is doomed. The townspeople do not believe him. Yet disaster does strike while “Lucifer smiles, looks on and waits,” and the town blames him for bringing a curse! Musically this is not the best song on the album, and it comes close to filler territory. Yet the end of it is an intricate medley of sad acoustic guitars, weaving an ancient-sounding melody. It is moments like this that are a great example of Maiden and acoustic guitars working together appropriately. The third single, “The Clairvoyant” begins with some of Steve’s patented rinky-dinky bass melodies before the dual guitars crash in. This melodic winner, written alone by Steve, is one of the best. Not only are the verses soaring, but it is taken to a whole higher level when Bruce digs into the choruses. Nicko’s drum fills are exactly perfect (as they always are) punctuating the right moments with thunderclaps and rain. It ends with a bright note though: “As soon as you’re born, you’re dying…to be reborn again!”
Does that happier fate befall our protagonist? Spitting out disgust at the society that rejected him, he indicts them for their crimes. “So I think I’ll leave you, with your bishops and your guilt. So until the next time…have a good sin.” Yet he finds that to be reborn again might not be a good thing after all, Bruce throwing in a hinting snicker at the end…The name of the song is “Only the Good Die Young”, and it is a great Maiden closer. One of the best. And you just have to love that ending!
Yes, Seventh Son is indeed a triumph. I think the reaction to it at the time was more indicative of the times. People feared for Maiden losing their edge, as Priest seemed to do (Turbo), while newer heavier bands citing Maiden as an influence gained some traction. If Maiden had gone even softer after Seventh Son, then I think that a portion (a minority) of fans would have given up on them. Maiden seemed to be aware of this, though…
I find Martin Birch’s production to be a tad muddy…just by a hair though. I’d like it a little brighter personally. Minor nitpick.
For the first time, fans had four singles to collect! “Infinite Dreams” was thrown out there as a single at the end, right around the time of release for the new live video, Maiden England!
Singles breakdown is below. For whatever reason, although the other nine songs are included, the 1996 2 CD reissue of the album excluded “Heaven Can Wait”. Too bad. There was room on the disc.
“Can I Play With Madness” included the comedy song “Black Bart Blues”. Please allow Bruce to introduce you to Black Bart, a suit of armor that rode on the back of their tour bus! On the heavier side, Maiden throw in an authentic cover of “Massacre” by Thin Lizzy. As I kid I was amazed it was cover, because it seems custom made for Maiden once you hear this version!
“The Evil That Men Do” (besides having the best cover art, that folded out into a Monsters of Rock poster) had two great B-sides: Re-recordings of old Maiden classics, with Bruce singing! In fact neither Bruce, nor Adrian, nor Nicko were in the band when “Prowler” and “Charlotte The Harlot” were originally done. The new versions, dubbed “Prowler ’88” and “Charlotte The Harlot” ’88 are captured nice and raw, much like the originals but with better production values. Bruce really nails it on “Prowler ’88”
“The Clairvoyant” was released a a live single surprisingly, in gatefold sleeve no less. It contained live versions of “The Prisoner” (finally, since it wasn’t on Live After Death!) and the aforementioned “Heaven Can Wait”, complete with “whoah-oh-oh” singalong.
“Infinite Dreams”, which coincided with the new live video, was also live. It was backed by awesome live versions of “Killers” and “Still Life”, two more songs that weren’t on Live After Death. A CD version of this video didn’t come out until 1994 so for a while this was the only place you could get them.
The Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour portended some changes. The stage productions had gotten so large that the band were afraid of being lost in it all. Bruce complained on Canadian TV that he’d sweat buckets on stage only to have a fan approach him and ask him something about the “fucking crystal ball”. But deeper problems were afoot. Bruce seemed creatively revitalized, but Adrian was clearly unhappy on stage. The band knew it. But in the meantime, Steve Harris had a live video to edit, and Bruce had plenty of time off for solo activities…
5/5 stars
1996 2 CD reissue: 4/5 stars – knocking off a point for excluding “Heaven Can Wait” live.
Trevor’s in the habit of texting me whenever he sees something that I may want. Which is more often than I can afford, as it happens, so I have to pick and choose! I just received another box of goodies from T-Rev last week. Inside I found the contents below:
Gotta love picture discs eh? I’ll never play that Ozzy EP (all songs are also on his Prince of Darkness box set) but it sure looks cool. (Look at Jake E. Lee! Oh, Jake.) Didn’t even know it existed. That Grim Reaper one, I’d never seen the album cover before. Never even knew what it looked like! Sure love that title track though. And I’m well on record for loving the Rage For Order LP by Queensryche!
Also in the box was a rare 12″ single by Kim Mitchell. You know, the guy who teased your brains with Max Webster, and then your taste buds with “Go For Soda”.
Trev and I are both Kim and Max fans, but undoubtedly he’s the bigger fan than I am. So it was with utmost gratitude that I accept this record: “Go For Soda (Syphon Remix)” / “Love Ties”. This was from his own personal collection. As far as I know, neither of us have seen another copy. I spoke to my buddy, that guy Craig Fee who works at that radio station Dave FM, and he’d never heard of it, let alone encountered it in his vast travels.
Anyway, Trev found this one, back in the record store days! I don’t know when or where but maybe he’ll pop in with his remembrances! But this is the kind of thing we lived for. Finding something rare, cool, and previously unknown.
There’s no credit for who did the remix, essentially an extended version. The song has a different intro and is beefed up from 3:26 to 4:59. It’s a UK import, from Bronze records. Mitchell’s stuff is released by Anthem over here in North America. Bronze released Motorhead and Girlschool records in the 1970’s, I wonder if they commissioned this remix themselves.
So thanks Trev for another treasure. This is the kind of thing that Trev was prone to finding. I recall he had an etched Megadeth picture disc, and he also somehow scored me a double Bon Jovi 12″ single with 3 rare live tracks.
Must be the keen eye of a skilled Record Store Guy! I salute you sir.
It’s a holiday weekend in Canada! Happy Thanksgiving. Because it’s a holiday weekend I thought I’d be lazy and just review two songs instead of an album!
W.A.S.P. – “Mean Man” (1989 7″ single)
I bought this at a record show in 1995. For $8 it seemed like a great deal: Non album track “Locomotive Breath”, purple vinyl, and a “means test”. A what?
“Locomotive Breath” is one of my favourite Tull tunes anyway, so I was fine with Blackie and the gang pummeling their way through this cover. The riff is perfect for a metal band like W.A.S.P. to utilize anyway. They do it straightforward and it works.
The A side was from The Headless Children LP. In my opinion, that’s the best W.A.S.P. album anyway, and has my favourite lineup: Blackie, Chris Holmes, Johnny Rod, with Frankie Banali. Not the best song from that album, though. It’s catchy and has a solid riff with a tough-guy singalong chorus. The lyrics are a pretty funny send-up on guitarist Chris Holmes, that’s why he’s on the cover! I’m sure the song did nothing to ease the public’s image of Chris, after being seen drunk in a pool in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.
Blackie stated on MuchMusic in 1989 that Chris was not drunk, and that it was an act for the cameras. It certainly does seem staged. Either way I think this song and single was clearly an attempt to capitalize on that image!
The purple vinyl is cool, gotta love the cover image, and as for that “means tester”, it works like a mood ring. Push your thumb on it and it changes colour due to your body heat. The best I seem to do is somewhere between “hard” and “firm”!
IRON MAIDEN – Live After Death (1985, 1996 bonus CD, 1998 remastered edition)
…We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!
With that dramatic, adrenaline pumping speech from Winston Churchill, Iron Maiden hit the stage, careening across the boards ripping to shreds the opening riff to “Aces High”, guitars cranked and perfectly captured by producer Martin “Live Animal” Birch! Live After Death may be the perfect live metal album. Running over a mammoth 100 minutes (on LP anyway), it required specially skilled engineers to cut the vinyl, so long were the records!
I have played this album so many times I could review it in my sleep. I own three copies of it, each one for its own reasons (more on that later). Iron Maiden could very well have released this album and retired, and their place in metal history would have been secured. Great value for the price of a double live album, this was at the time one of the longest double live albums ever released, with not one second of precious vinyl wasted. The package was loaded with photos and text.
Inside the gatefold
Recorded in Long Beach, California (you can tell by Bruce’s incessant shouting, “Scream for me, Long Beach!”) and the Hammersmith Odeon, the crowds are absolutely nuts for Maiden. This is one of the best recorded live metal albums of all time, thanks to Birch. The crowd is loud, the band is clear, and the harmony vocals of Adrian and Steve are perfectly audible. I’m certain there’s overdubs on those backing vocals, they’re too perfect. Whatever. Do I like the album? Hell yeah.
There are some tunes here that you don’t hear live very often, such as “Die With Your Boots On” and the 14 minute epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (made even better with Bruce’s intro: “This is about what not to do if a bird shits on you!”). “Powerslave” is as powerful and dramatic as the original album version, glorious solo intact. There are a handful of key Di’Anno-era tracks, such as the single “Running Free”, the growling “Wrathchild”, and the band’s early opus, “Phantom of the Opera”. Indeed, this album is worth buying for “Phantom” alone, so rarely is this played. As for “Running Free”, this may now be the definitive version of that song.
(Note: the cassette version of the album edited out the long Bruce/crowd interplay.)
Here’s the three versions I own, and why:
1. Vinyl. This was what I bought back in 1985 (my first Maiden LP), and I still have it. The original vinyl was a gatefold sleeve enabling you to read all the hidden messages on the tombstones. “Letit R.I.P.” was my favourite. Inside, the album unfolds with two fully coloured photo record sleeves and a generous booklet with liner notes from Birch and a complete list of every date on the tour. Also amusing was a list of everything they went through on tour, from guitar strings to cans of beer.
2. The 1998 remastered CD edition. The original CD releases everywhere were only one single disc, and comprised only the first three sides of vinyl, ending after “Running Free”. This CD version restores side 4 on a second CD, which included “Phantom” and “22 Acacia Avenue” among others — you can’t do without these songs! It also includes a completely different set of photos from the album release, so that’s cool if you already have the vinyl. No overlap.
3. The 1995 UK CD reissue of this album, which included all three B-sides. The “Running Free” single had two exclusive songs, which were “Sanctuary” and “Murdered In The Rue Morgue”, both with Bruce singing of course. The “Run To The Hills” single included the very rare instrumental “Losfer Words” which, as far as I know, was only played a handful of times and never again.
Briefly on the cover art: You recall last time we saw Eddie was being buried. Well, he seems to have recovered. You can see the pyramid in the background. How much time has passed? Maybe we’ll find out next album….
If you don’t own Live After Death yet, then it’s time to fix that!
5/5 stars.
I’m going to pause here for a few days, as this seems a natural place to do so. Not only does Live After Death summarize the previous 6 years appropriately, but the Iron Maiden that emerged after it would be a newly modernized Beast, “Caught somewhere in time…”
I don’t know exactly why, but some countries got four songs on this EP while others got five. Something to do with what would be considered a single vs an EP. Fortunately for me, Canada was one of the countries that got all five.
A cross section of the best songs from the first two albums, Maiden Japan (how can you not love the title?) was an almost instant love for me. Expertly recorded by Maiden and Doug Hall, the EP breathes new life into “Running Free” and “Remember Tomorrow”, two songs from Iron Maiden. Di’Anno’s screams are absolutely awesome. By and large I often prefer these versions to the originals.
This EP was relatively easy to find here when I was growing up, so it was my first exposure to early Maiden aside from the “Women In Uniform” music video. A lot of the time, if you hear a good live album first, that is the version that sticks with you through life.
This would prove to be Paul Di’Anno’s final release with Iron Maiden. The band were already planning his replacement. An early cover with Eddie decapitating Paul was quickly replaced with another, in light of these developments!
The original cover art
I know this was released on CD, I saw it myself. It was with the 2 CD edition of Killers, Japanese import version. Yet another item that I wish I’d splashed out for!
Lineup: Paul Di’Anno, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Clive Burr.
Changing vocalists proved to be the right move to Maiden; it launched them into a whole new world and tranformed them into a bigger, better Beast…
THE BLACK CROWES – Before The Frost…Until The Freeze (2009 Silver Arrow)
I didn’t know what to expect when I cracked the seal on my brand new vinyl LP of Before The Frost…Until The Freeze. The Crowes do something different every time. Reemember how different By Your Side was from Three Snakes? And how Lions was from both of those? Not to mention Southern Harmony compared to Money Maker…
The Crowes have done it again, with an album different from their others, and they did it right. Not that Warhorse was a bad album at all, although it’s one that remains tucked away on my shelves most of the time. This time, the Crowes are digging way, way back to their roots. The album is evocative of many eras of American music, from the 1920’s to the 1970’s, with an emphasis on the blues. There’s also some bluegrass on this album, plenty of acoustics, and a little bit of funk.
And interestingly,a lot of it seems to be recorded live in front of a studio audience. Amazing atmosphere on Before The Frost…Until The Freeze!
I will say that this album should really be owned on vinyl. I own both the vinyl and CD formats, and vinyl is the most enjoyable listen. The vinyl comes with all 20 tracks in a more logical order. The CD comes with 10 songs, and a download code to the get the rest. It’s nice that you can get all 20 songs via download, but I’m too old-school for that. I want to own these songs on some form of plastic. Some form of physical product. I want to hear these songs breathe on vinyl, because the Crowes are meant for vinyl.
Here’s your track list for both LPs. The first record is more mellow, rootsy and acoustic. The second, more electric and blues-driven.
Record one — Green vinyl!
“Aimless Peacock” – 6:40
“Good Morning Captain” – 3:24
“Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love)” – 7:47
“Greenhorn” – 7:12
“Appaloosa” – 3:35
“The Shady Grove” – 4:42
“The Garden Gate” – 4:21
“Shine Along” – 4:47
“Roll Old Jeremiah”- 4:40
“Houston Don’t Dream About Me” – 5:05
Record two — White vinyl!
“I Ain’t Hiding” – 5:57
“Kept My Soul” – 5:23
“Lady of Ave. A” – 5:20
“Make Glad” – 4:18
“And the Band Played On…” – 4:12
“What Is Home?” – 5:13
“So Many Times” – 4:53
“A Train Still Makes a Lonely Sound” – 4:23
“Fork in the River” – 4:11
“The Last Place That Love Lives” – 4:57
To give you an example of why you need to hear this on vinyl, the first track, “Aimless Peacock”, is a nice acoustic instrumental. It segues pretty seamlessly into “Good Morning Captain”, a beautiful song. Well, if you buy the CD, “Good Morning Captain” is track 1, and “Aimless Peacock” is track 1 of the free downloads. So you miss that transition.
The best songs for me:
“The Garden Gate” — pure bluegrass. Could have been on the O Brother soundtrack. Beautiful song, amazing song. And this one isn’t even on the CD version, just the vinyl/download.
“I Ain’t Hiding” — wow. You go from the very bluegrass first LP, to this opening track on record two, which is pure 70’s disco funk. That’s why you need to hear this on two LPs! This is track 5 on the CD, which makes its appearance more jarring.
Other standouts include “Appaloosa”, “Roll Old Jeremiah”, Rich’s “What Is Home?”, and “Good Morning Captain”, but really this is a great album, all 20 songs. It’s a great one to just chill and relax to. I think it’s becoming my favourite Crowes album. I’m a big fan of Amorica, but when I can find the time to devote to it, I think I prefer Before The Frost…Until The Freeze.
While I’m qualified to talk about Helix, I’m not qualified to talk about what this single means to a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. For that reason, I’m handing this one over to Mrs. LeBrain!
HELIX – “All I Want For Christmas is the Leafs to Win the Cup” (2012 Helix Records 7″ single)
Helix has their Heavy Mental Christmas – This is the carol I will sing to my great-grandchildren…
All I want for Christmas… Is the Leafs to win the CUP. That is a present worth fighting for.
From my earliest memories I have been “torontomaplegirl”. This song sings to everything that I am. The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the longest droughts in professional sports, but their fans, oh their fans will be loyal until the end of time.
We load up in cars and airplanes to watch them play in other cities because it is impossible to get decent seats at their Bay Street home. We decorate our homes with a Maple theme and select our cars and clothes in that delicious royal blue that sets us apart. (I convinced LeBrain that we wanted a blue car that I have since named Dougie Carmour.)
“Go LEAFS Go” are the first words we teach our children, and Brian Vollmer has them wonderfully placed throughout the song’s chorus. He makes a quick reference to the hundred year old rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens in a cute way – advising that a Habs jersey would be an unpleasant gift during the Christmas season. He also references 1967: the last year that the Stanley Cup was in the place it belongs. (I have kissed the Stanley Cup on 1967 during a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1994, hoping it would bring the glory back to Toronto – we made it to game 7 of the western conference finals that year.)
The song is available in two places. It can be found on the new Helix Best Of CD covering hits from 1983 – 2012. Available for the serious collector is a vinyl single, autographed by Brian Vollmer in green vinyl. It has a heavy mental “Jingle Bells” on the other side. In future releases, the vinyl will be released in different colours. I am patiently awaiting the Maple Leaf blue coloured single to make it into the LeBrain family home. [The vinyl release also comes with a download code in case you can’t play vinyl — nice touch. – LeBrain]
Now we just have to get working on my Thanksgiving gift wish of firing Gary Bettman so we can get this lockout bullshit taken care of.
4/5 stars
Below: Helix sells the single, album and T-shirt as a bundle
Way to leave the closet door open behind you while taking a photo of yourself, LeIdiot!
mikeladano.com 