Great Metal Albums of 1984: Iron Maiden- Powerslave

Having had a glance back at posts about previous Iron Maiden, I mentioned when I posted about the “Piece of Mind” album, that the first Iron Maiden album I actually bought was “Live After Death,” which wouldn’t come out for another year after, “Powerslave.” But it was buying that great live album that got me to get off my ass and check out their earlier albums, including this great 1984 offering, “Powerslave.”

When you hear a song on a live album and then hear the studio version or vice versa, it’s hard not to compare and contrast the two versions. It is even more of the case when listening to “Powerslave” because four songs from it are played on “Live After Death.” There are some interesting comparisons both ways here. Take the opener. “Aces High” is a great song to open the album with. However, the live version is an even better song to open a concert on. It seems that the live version is played with much more intensity. That’s just my opinion. Thinking about it more, one thing that pisses me off is the fact that whenever there is talk about the Battle of Britain, “Aces High,” which is a great song to commemorate the battle, is never mentioned. This song is not only a great metal tune, it should be used as a teaching tool in schools.

On the other hand, the title track, sounds just average on “Live After Death.” It’s played well and all that but it just sort of blends in along with all the great songs from the other studio albums that are played live. However, it does stand out more on the studio album that bears its name and as a result, I get into it more. In regards to the other two songs from this album that appear on the live album, “Two Minutes to Midnight” and “Rime of the Ancient Mariner sound just as good played either way.

Now before stones start getting hurled at me, when I say that the title track stands out more, I am no way implying that the other songs on the album are sub par. I enjoy listening to all the songs on “Powerslave.” “The Duellists” is a great song where guitarists Smith and Murray trade off solos very well. I also find the instrumental, “Losfer Words” very enjoyable as well. I think that like the previously mentioned song, Adrian and Dave were given more liberty to shine on their six strings and with fantastic results! “Back in the Village” is a more powerful Maiden track that gets more in your face. So you have a little bit of everything Iron Maiden can do at their best here and that makes a fine album.

Track Listing:

1. Aces High
2. Two Minutes to Midnight
3. Losfer Words
4. Flash of the Blade
5. The Duellists
6. Back in the Village
7. Powerslave
8. Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Iron Maiden

Bruce Dickinson- vocals

Steve Harris- bass

Dave Murray- guitar

Adrian Smith- guitar

Nicko McBrain- drums

Heavy metal was exploding across the world in 1984. Great bands from all around the world were making their mark but it was still great that all the great NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden were leading the charge and still proving they were a force to be reckoned with. “Powerslave” stamps that point emphatically.

Next post: Mercyful Fate- Don’t Break the Oath

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Great Metal Albums of 1983: Iron Maiden- Piece of Mind

One problem with me back in 1983 was procrastination. When I would hear about how good a particular band was or even heard a couple of songs I really liked from said band, I still wouldn’t rush out and buy their album. I put it down to me being too tight with my money back then. In the case of Iron Maiden, I heard a lot of good songs from them in the early years and even saw their kick ass live show in January 1985, which is highlighted in “Rock And Roll Children,” but the first Maiden album I actually bought was “Live After Death.” It was then that I started to delve into their backlog of studio albums and discovered what would be my all time favourite Iron Maiden studio album, “Piece of Mind.”

If I’m completely honest, I think what I liked most about “Piece of Mind” was that fact that it has many of the songs that I loved from “Live After Death” on it. What’s an added bonus is that the studio versions of those songs don’t sound too different from the live ones. Although when I hear “Revelations,” even after all these years, I still half expect Bruce Dickinson to shout “Scream for me Longbeach!” in the middle of the song. Still, you can’t go wrong with such great tracks as the one mentioned as well as two others near the top of my favourite Iron Maiden song list, “The Trooper” and “The Flight of Icarus.” The weird thing about those two songs is that “The Flight of Icarus” sounds shorter in length that what it actually is and “The Trooper” sounds longer. But hey, who cares about things like that? They’re both great songs, one written about a famous Greek fable while the other is about a tragic blunder in British military history, the charge of the light brigade. Both done very well set to music.

“Die With Your Boots On” is another cross over from the live album and I really like that one as well but those don’t lessen the effect the other tracks has on the album. “Where Eagles Dare” is a fantastic opener and “To Tame a Land” is a cool closer. The other three tracks on the album also contribute to “Piece of Mind’s” greatness although I never really get to hear what is said in “Nicko” which is a backwards message at the beginning of “Still Life.” It was included as a dig at the religious nuts who claimed Iron Maiden were Satanic on account of the “The Number of the Beast Album.” On the subject of Nicko, this was the first album to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who replaced Clive Burr. What I never knew was that Nicko used to play with guitar great, Pat Travers. Man, you learn something new every day.

Track Listing:

1. Where Eagles Dare
2. Revelations
3. The Flight of Icarus
4. Die With You Boots On
5. The Trooper
6. Still Life
7. Quest for Fire
8. Sun and Steel
9. To Tame a Land

Iron Maiden

Bruce Dickinson- vocals

Steve Harris- bass

Adrian Smith- guitar

Dave Murray- guitar

Nicko McBrain- drums

History has tried to state that the new wave of British heavy metal, (NWOBH) was fading by 1983. I guess that Iron Maiden forgot to pick up the memo because they put out a stellar album in that year. One can’t fault “Piece of Mind” at all as it cemented their place as heavy metal legends.

Next post: Def Leppard- Pyromania

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