Killers (Iron Maiden album)
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Studio album by 
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Publication |
2nd February 1981 |
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admission |
November 1980 - January 1981 |
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| Label (s) | EMI | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP, MC |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
43:53 |
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Studio (s) |
Battery Studios, London (England) |
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Killers (English for: " Murderer ") is the second studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden . The album was released on February 2, 1981 via EMI . In the USA the album was released in June 1981 and included the song "Twilight Zone" as a bonus. The album cover, like most of the others , isby Derek Riggs and depicts the mascot Eddie holding a blood-soaked ax in his hand while two hands are clinging to his shirt from below.
Emergence
Killers is the last studio album with singer Paul Di'Anno . He was released from the band during the tour due to his alcohol and drug problems and replaced by Bruce Dickinson . Guitarist Adrian Smith can be heard for the first time on Killers . The album was produced by Martin Birch , who also produced all subsequent Iron Maiden albums up to and including Fear of the Dark (1992).
The album was written almost entirely by bassist Steve Harris . Killers is the only Iron Maiden album that contains two instrumentals. Except for Murders in the Rue Morgue and the title track, the songs featured on Killers were written before the debut album was released . However, they were re-recorded for the album with Adrian Smith.
Until 1998, Killers was the only album by the band that did not use additional studio recordings as the B-side.
Track list
Original publication
- The Ides of March (Steve Harris) - 1:45 (Instrumental)
- Wrathchild (Steve Harris) - 2:54
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (Steve Harris) - 4:19
- Another Life (Steve Harris) - 3:22
- Genghis Khan (Steve Harris) - 3:06 (instrumental)
- Innocent Exile (Steve Harris) - 3:53
- Killers (Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris) - 5:01
- Prodigal Son (Steve Harris) - 6:11
- Purgatory (Steve Harris) - 3:21
- Drifter (Steve Harris) - 4:48
Republication
In 1998, all Iron Maiden albums were re -released prior to The X Factor (1995). The re-release contains the song Twilight Zone, which was previously only available on the US version of Killers .
- The Ides of March (Steve Harris) - 1:45
- Wrathchild (Steve Harris) - 2:54
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (Steve Harris) - 4:19
- Another Life (Steve Harris) - 3:22
- Genghis Khan (Steve Harris) - 3:06
- Innocent Exile (Steve Harris) - 3:53
- Killers (Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris) - 5:01
- Prodigal Son (Steve Harris) - 6:11
- Purgatory (Steve Harris) - 3:21
- Twilight Zone (Steve Harris, Dave Murray) - 2:34
- Drifter (Steve Harris) - 4:48
Song information
- The Ides of March is the shortest song Iron Maiden has ever recorded at just 1 minute, 44 seconds. It is an instrumental piece that probably refers to William Shakespeare's "Beware of the Ides of March " from Julius Caesar . The song overlaps with Thunder burst of Samson . Samson's drummer had played for Iron Maiden for a short time and probably wrote the song with Steve Harris. The two songs differ in a few points, however: Thunderburst is opened by an acoustic guitar , and the songs also use two different scales . Thunderburst also has a different chord and a kind of choir sounds at the end. In Thunder burst Steve Harris is named as co-author, Thunder Stick (the name of the masked Samson drummer), however, in The Ides of March is not mentioned.
- Wrathchild was already published on the compilation Metal for Muthas . The version on the album was re-recorded.
- Murders in the Rue Morgue is loosely based on the short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe .
- Another Life is about suicide .
- Genghis Khan is another instrumental track on the album. It was written as a filler song at short notice and had the working title Jenkin's Barn.
- Twilight Zone has already been released as a single and therefore did not appear on the European version of the album.
- Purgatory is a re-recording of the song Floating, a song that Iron Maiden often played live in their early stages.
Single releases
Twilight Zone / Wrathchild was released as a double A-side . It peaked at # 31 on the UK charts and the Billboard mainstream rock charts.
Purgatory was released as the fifth single by Iron Maiden and includes Genghis Khan as the b-side . Originally intended for the single image was later for The Number of the Beast - Cover used. The single missed the top 50 of the British singles chart.
reception
The album sold four times as often as its predecessor. It peaked at # 12 on the UK charts and # 78 on the US Billboard charts. In 1985 the album reached gold status in the UK and 1987 in the USA and Germany.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Killers ( Memento from May 3, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b http://www.everyhit.com/
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000601464
- ^ Purgatory ( Memento from June 23, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000601464
- ↑ http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/
- ↑ Gold / platinum database - Bundesverband Musikindustrie e. V.