•
Rating: This is the fourth studio album by Iron Maiden. It follows "The Number Of The Beast" (1982) with which Maiden had reached the top of the charts in their homeland. This is the band's absolute masterpiece. This is "Piece Of Mind" (1983, EMI Records).
Nine tracks, all beautiful, almost 46 minutes of pure class. Behind the drums, Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain takes over from Clive Burr. The new drummer rejects the double bass on principle and trains obsessively, acquiring an impressive speed on the single bass drum. With Nicko, Maiden's rhythmic section evolves further and Steve Harris fully enjoys it: the opener "Where Eagles Dare" (written by Harris; from MacLean's book of the same name) confirms it unequivocally. Dickinson and Smith are now full-fledged members who contribute significantly and (especially on this album) even masterfully on the compositional level. From this perspective, the difference with the successful predecessor (The Number Of The Beast) is a greater melody: "Revelations" (written by Dickinson with a quotation for Chesterton) and "Flight Of Icarus" (written by the Smith/Dickinson duo; from the eponymous Greek mythological theme; wonderful final solo by Murray) need no further proof. When Harris joins the two, it results in a true battle hymn frequently proposed on stage such as "Die With Your Boots On" (written by the Smith/Dickinson/Harris trio; excellent drumming by McBrain) and defining a song like "The Trooper" (written by Harris; from Tennyson's story on the «Crimean War»; a true musical seal to the personal friendship and the guitar twinning of the Smith/Murray duo) as uplifting (to say the least) is a simple and pure statement.
Murray also composes (and does it excellently) in a duo with Harris in the hallucinatory "Still Life" (written by the Murray/Harris duo; from Campbell's "Dweller in the Lake") and the subtle line between lucidity and madness (all centered on the play on words between "Piece Of Mind" and "Peace Of Mind) that permeates the entire album, emphatically stands out in "Quest For Fire" (written by Harris; one of Dickinson's best vocals). The catchy "Sun And Steel" (written by the Smith/Dickinson duo; from the autobiographical book of the «samurai» Miyamoto Musashi) is, in its choral refrain, the most «catchy» piece (a term I allow myself like a poet indulging in a «license») that precedes the best track of this group's entire repertoire and of the entire Heavy Metal genre: the closer "To Tame A Land" (written by Harris; from Herbert's book "Dune"; a perfect union of musical sequences in unison and rhythm changes).
This is not a review for fans only (each of them has their favorite album, for mostly personal reasons). This is a review of an absolute masterpiece that embodies a genre: Heavy Metal. Everything is here and it touches perfection so much as to appear «outwardly aseptic». But the «pathos» that these tracks unleash live dispels any doubts about it. Maiden are the true forefathers of Heavy Metal, and the most admired and «copied» album by the «colleagues» of the London group is this one. An artist will always say that the best album is the last one they've made, but just read a little between the lines and you'll see that the historical leader Steve Harris gives a clear indication in this regard. In the context of my modesty, I love to say that (truly) starting from this album, «Iron Maiden is Heavy Metal ‘cause Heavy Metal is Piece Of Mind».
TRACKLIST
- Where Eagles Dare (Harris) - 6:10
- Revelations (Dickinson) - 6:48
- Flight of Icarus (Smith/Dickinson) - 3:50
- Die With Your Boots On (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) - 5:25
- The Trooper (Harris) - 4:11
- Still Life (Murray/Harris) - 4:55
- Quest for Fire (Harris) - 3:41
- Sun and Steel (Dickinson/Smith) - 3:26
- To Tame a Land (Harris) - 7:25
LINE-UP
- Steve Harris: Bass & Backing Vocals
- Dave Murray: Guitars
- Adrian Smith: Guitars & Backing Vocals
- Bruce Dickinson: Lead & Backing Vocals
- Nicko McBrain: Drums
http://filippoguzzardi.blogspot.com/2006/12/iron-maiden.html
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Where Eagles Dare (06:10)
It's snowing outside, the rumbling sound
of engines roar in the night
The mission is near the confident men
are waiting to drop from the sky
The Blizzard goes on, but still they must fly
No one should go where eagles dare
Bavarian Alps that lay all around
They seem to stare from below
The enemy lines a long time passed
Are lying deep in the snow
Into the night they fall through the sky
No one should fly where eagles dare
Their closing in, the fortress is near
It's standing high in the sky
The cable car's the only way in
it's really impossible to climb
They make their way, but maybe too late
They've got to try to save the day
The panicking cries, the roaring of guns
Are echoing all around the valley
The mission complete, they make to scape
Away from the Eagles Nest
They dared to go where no one would try
They chose to fly where eagles dare
02 Revelations (06:48)
"O God of Earth and Altar,
Bow down and hear our cry,
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die,
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide,
Take not thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride."
(G. K. Chesterton; English Hymnal)
Just a babe in the black abyss
No reason for a place like this
The walls are cold and souls cry out in pain
An easy way for the blind to go
A clever path for the fools who know
The secret of the hanged man - the smile on his lips
The light of the blind - you'll see
The venom that tears my spine
The eyes of the Nile are opening - you'll see
She came to me with a serpents kiss
As the eye of the sun rose on her lips
Moonlight catches silver tears I cry
So we lay in the black embrace
And the seed is sown in a holy place
And I watched, and I waited for the dawn
The light of the blind - you'll see
The venom that tears my spine
The eyes of the Nile are opening - you'll see
Solo: Dave / Adrian
Bind all of us together
Ablaze with hope and free
No storm or heavy weather
Will rock the boat you'll see
The time has come to close your eyes
And still the wind and rain
For the one who will be king
Is the watcher in the ring
It is you
03 Flight of Icarus (03:51)
As the sun breaks, above the ground,
An old man stands on the hill,
As the ground warms, to the first rays of light
A birdsong shatters the still.
His eyes are a blaze,
See the madman in his gaze.
Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly and touch the sun.
Now the crowd breaks and a young boy appears
Looks the old man in the eye
As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd
In the name of God my father I'll fly.
His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream,
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave.
Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly, touch the sun.
04 Die With Your Boots On (05:28)
Another Prophet of Disaster
Who says the ship is lost,
Another Prophet of Disaster
Leaving you to count the cost.
Taunting us with Visions,
Afflicting us with fear,
Predicting War for millions,
In the hope that one appears.
No point asking when it is,
No point asking who's to go,
No point asking what's the game,
No point asking who's to blame.
'cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
'cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on.
If you're gonna try, we'll stick around,
Gonna cry, just move along,
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
In 13 the Beast is rising,
The Frenchman did surmise,
Through earthquakes and starvation,
The warlord will arise.
Terror, Death, Destruction,
Pour from the Eastern Sands,
But the truth of all predictions,
Is always in your hands.
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on,
If you're gonna try, we'll stick around,
Gonna cry, just move along,
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
05 The Trooper (04:10)
You'll take my life but I'll take yours too
You'll fire your musket but I'll run you through
So when you're waiting for the next attack
You'd better stand there's no turning back.
The bugle sounds and the charge begins
But on this battlefield no one wins
The smell of acrid smoke and horses breath
As I plunge on into certain death.
The horse he sweats with fear we break to run
The mighty roar of the Russian guns
And as we race towards the human wall
The screams of pain as my comrades fall
We hurdle bodies that lay on the ground
And the Russians fire another round
We get so near yet so far away
We were meant to fight another day.
We get so close near enough to fight
When a Russian gets me in his sights
He pulls the trigger and I feel the blow
A burst of rounds take my horse below.
And as I lay there gazing at the sky
My body's numb and my throat is dry
And as I lay forgotten and alone
Without a tear I draw my parting groan
08 Sun and Steel (03:26)
You killed your first man at 13
Killer instinct, Animal supreme
By 16 you had learned to fight
The way of the warrior, you took it as your right
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Through earth and water, fire and wind
You came at last - nothing was the end
Make a cut by fire and stone
Take you and your blade and break you both in two
Break you both in two
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel - rolling on and on
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel
Sunlight, falling on your steel
Death in life is your ideal
Life is like a wheel - and it`s rolling still
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By cliffburton86
"Piece of Mind remains a milestone of metal in general, as well as one of the most beautiful records in the entire Maiden discography."
The arrival of Nicko McBrain brought a more square and solid rhythmic sense along with greater versatility compared to his predecessor.
By Spike Joe
Masterpiece. This is the most appropriate word for an album of this caliber.
No Iron Maiden fan or lover of the 'new wave' should miss an album of this caliber.
By Starblazer
This is a masterpiece, it is a perfect record, it is an icon, the very essence of classy metal.
Revelations is one of the absolute pinnacles of beauty and poetry ever achieved by Iron Maiden.
