Piece of Mind
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Studio album by 
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Publication |
May 16, 1983 |
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admission |
January - April 1983 |
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| Label (s) | EMI Electrola GmbH & Co. KG | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP, MC |
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Title (number) |
9 |
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running time |
45:53 |
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Studio (s) |
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Piece of Mind is the fourth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden . The album was released on May 16, 1983 by EMI .
Emergence
After the Beast-on-the-Road tour, Iron Maiden split from drummer Clive Burr . Burr refused to talk about this split until his death. It is generally believed that musical differences were decisive. Although Burr's departure was not amicable, there is a dedication to him on the album.
Nicko McBrain , who previously played for Trust and Pat Travers , among others , replaced Burr in January 1983.
The album was recorded under the direction of Martin Birch at Compass Point Studios in Nassau , Bahamas .
It contains some gimmicks . In the booklet there is a quote from the Bible from the Revelation of John :
“And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death. Neither sorrow, nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed. "
Iron Maiden replaced the word “pain” with “brain”, a small swipe at the album title and the surname of the newly hired drummer. There is a backward message between the songs The Trooper and Still Life . When played backwards, there is a nonsense passage spoken by McBrain.
Piece of Mind - originally the album was supposed to be called Food for Thought - is Iron Maiden's first musical release that was not named after a song name.
The album name is an English pun . The term "P ea ce of Mind" means something like "peace" in English. The equally pronounced ( homophonic ) album title " Pie ce of Mind" means something like "a piece of the brain ".
Track list
- Where Eagles Dare (Steve Harris) - 6:10
- Revelations (Bruce Dickinson) - 6:48
- Flight of Icarus (Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith) - 3:51
- Die with Your Boots On (Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Steve Harris) - 5:28
- The Trooper (Steve Harris) - 4:10
- Still Life (Dave Murray, Steve Harris) - 4:53
- Quest for Fire (Steve Harris) - 3:41
- Sun and Steel (Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith) - 3:26
- To Tame a Land (Steve Harris) - 7:27
Song information
- Where Eagles Dare begins with a short drum solo. The song is based on the novel of the same name by Alistair MacLean , which was also made into a film under the title Agents Die Lonely .
- Revelations refers on the one hand to the Revelation of John, on the other hand the song was influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley . The first stanza is an excerpt from a poem by Gilbert Keith Chesterton . Verses 2 and 3 are about Hinduism and Crowley.
- Flight of Icarus is based on the saga of Icarus , but has been slightly modified to appeal to teenagers who rebel against their parents.
- The Trooper is one of Iron Maiden's most popular songs. The text deals with the Crimean War and is about a British cavalry who fought against the Russian army and whose fight went down in history as the " attack by the light brigade ".
- Quest for Fire is about the movie In the beginning there was fire .
- Sun and Steel covers the life story of Miyamoto Musashi , referred to by many as the greatest samurai of all time. Just like Quest for Fire, the song was never played live.
- To Tame a Land uses the literary template Dune by Frank Herbert . The song couldn't be named Dune because Herbert threatened to sue the band. Steve Harris calls it his best song.
Single releases
Flight of Icarus
Flight of Icarus was released on April 11, 1983. On the cover, Eddie shoots the flying Icarus with a flame thrower . It was Iron Maiden's first single to be released in the States. The single was also released as a picture disc in Germany and Great Britain . It peaked at # 11 in the UK and was widely played on radio in America, making it # 12 on the Rock Radio Chart and # 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. The B-side is a cover by the band Montrose . The song was already the B-side of the Sanctuary single, at that time as a live recording and in the first line-up with Paul Di'Anno as the singer.
- Flight of Icarus - 3:51
- I've Got the Fire - 3:53
The Trooper
The Trooper was released on June 20, 1983. The cover is a classic motif, which was often booted and satirized . It shows Eddie as a British cavalryman running across a battlefield with a Union Jack and drawn, blood-splattered sword. A similar illustration can be found on a Southern flag. The single was also released as a "Shaped Picture Disc". The B-side is a cover version of the Jethro Tull classic Cross-Eyed Mary . The single reached # 12 on the UK charts.
- The Trooper - 4:10
- Cross-Eyed Mary - 3:55
The Trooper 2005
A re-release of the single from 2005 climbed to # 5 on the English and Canadian charts. The single contains a live and a studio version of the piece, as well as a live bonus track and the videos of the song.
- The Trooper (Live in Dortmund on November 24, 2003)
- The Trooper (album version)
- Prowler (Live in Reykjavík on June 7, 2005)
- The Trooper (Live Video)
- The Trooper (promo video)
vinyl
- The Trooper (Live in Dortmund on November 24, 2003)
- The Trooper (album version)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (Live in Reykjavík on June 7, 2005)
reception
The album peaked at number 3 in England and number 70 in the US . It is considered one of the band's best albums. In the Kerrang! Magazine, the album was voted # 1 of the best metal LPs of all time.
Video pieces
An 18-minute VHS video was released in 1983 under the title Video Pieces . It contains the videos for Run to the Hills , The Number of the Beast , Flight of Icarus and The Trooper . The video was one of the rare releases that didn't have Eddie on the cover.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Liner Notes of the 1998 rerelease
- ↑ a b c Information about the album on Maidenfans.com ( Memento from March 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Flight of Icarus ( Memento from January 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c http://www.everyhit.com/
- ↑ Information on Flight of the Icarus on Maidenfans.com ( Memento from March 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000045853