Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
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Free Music Notes for Piece of Mind
Free Music Review: The Greatest Metal Album Of All Time?
Hit: 5 Stars
The first time I heard this record,I was about thirteen. It had already been out for about four years,and in that time its acclaim had grown to the point where it was already widely regarded as a classic. Once I heard the brief drum solo that opens lead track Where Eagles Dare, it was easy to hear why. There was something so fierce about Piece Of Mind. Perhaps it was the production of Martin Birch, or the primal screams and powerful wails of Bruce Dickinson. Maybe it was nine-round axe duel between Adrian Smith and Dave Murray or the masterful rhythm section of Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain at work. I think it was all of those, but most importantly, it was the songwriting that made this album the highlight of metal's most creatively stellar year,1983.
Listen to the aural acrobatics of the aforementioned Where Eagles Dare which features one of the best examples of daring riffery and acrobatic melody the metal genre has to offer. Even the album's weakest track, Quest For Fire, thrusts, dodges, lunges, and parries with proud cunning. Every composition on Piece Of Mind broke ground, and the album as a whole could not have been written by any other band. Piece of Mind is one of those records that always seemed to be not unlike an anthology of self-contained, yet vaguely related stories. When reading the acknowledgements, it comes as no surprise that the band thanks Alistair MacLean and Frank Herbert for the inspiration that their novels brought to their work. My young mind was engrossed in the richly British escapism of the lyrics and still is to this day. Where Eagles Dare sent us on a mission to infiltrate a castle in the Austrian Alps. The intricate dirge Revelations told a tale of Biblical intrigue. Flight Of Icarus brought the myth of one who tempts fate with man-made wings to a whole new generation. Die With Your Boots On gave us warnings from Nostradamus. The Trooper, with its rousing, galloping twin-lead riff, put us right onto a battlefield during the Crimean war. Still Life told us a ghost story. Quest For Fire took us back to a prehistoric time that never actually was. Sun And Steel took us into the mind of Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, and finale To Tame A Land thrust us far beyond our universe to Frank Herbert's desert planet Arrakis. Never before or since has a album taken me to so many fantastic realms in such a short period of time. This, combined with everything else I have written, is what makes Piece Of Mind the definitive Iron Maiden experience. All in all it remains a swashbuckling thriller of sound and fury that has withstood the onslaught of Father Time long enough to become my favorite album ever.
Free Music Review: classic Maiden = essential.
Hit: 5 Stars
Given how musical tastes change over the years, it's not uncommon for people to find that the music of their youth isn't quite so appealing anymore. Yet for me, even as I become absorbed by avant-garde, Rock-in-Opposition, 20th/21st century classical, modern jazz, and other wild n' crazy stuff, Iron Maiden remains very endearing. And it's not just nostalgia (distorting the past to fit the sensibilities of the present). Iron Maiden is just a great, great band, and _Piece of Mind_ remains my favorite album in their considerable catalogue (followed by _Seventh Son..._).Although it will probably pain a lot of hardcore Maiden lovers to hear me say it, but I think Iron Maiden's music has always had a certain metal-pop quality to it. I do NOT mean that Iron Maiden should in any way be associated with pathetic pantywaists like Poison or Warrant (such bands justify the repeal of the First Amendment). But in addition to insatiable metal energy and carnivorous, immortal metal riffs & solos, Maiden has always placed an immense emphasis on vocals, hooks, melodies, and tight songs. Yeah, they're cheesy, but Maiden is comfortable with their intrinsic metal cheesiness, so it works for them rather than against them. (A worse crime than cheesiness is to be completely oblivious to your cheesiness -- for an empirical illustration of this theory, I refer you to the legions of horrible European power metal bands like Stratovarius and Helloween.)
_Piece of Mind_ is an amazing album with not a single weak track. Of course, some songs are still better than others, and those are veritably deserving metal classics. There's "Where Eagles Dare", with its choppy, spitfire riffing; "The Trooper" with its unforgettable, evocative metal gallop and lyrics; and "Flight of Icarus", with its classic chorus and anthemic reach. "Revelations" is an epic that surrounds lyrical moments of beautiful imagery with memorable metal riffing. There is also "Still Life", one of the most tragically underrated Iron Maiden songs, with a mysterious opening that kicks into one of the most infectious and catchy songs in their catalogue. Apparently a lot of people think "Sun and Steel" and "Quest for Fire" are crap or at best inconvenient filler, I really like those songs ("Sun and Steel" especially!). The final epic, "To Tame a Land", suggests the direction the band would take with _Seventh Son_, carefully building until its monumental, epic guitar harmony at the end -- it remains one of the highpoints of their formidable songwriting genius.
It's a classic, and it doesn't really need me saying so. But another positive review never hurt anyone.
Free Music Review: Oh to have been alive in the 80's...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an album that makes you wish you had been a teenager, or at least of appreciable age in the early 80's, so that you could have embraced this band in a more nurturing environment, where new albums were only about a year apart and Iron Maiden toured mercilessly.
Piece of Mind is another excellent record, Maiden's 4th and the follow up to the monstrously good Number of the Beast. It does not disappoint; recorded in Nassau, Bahamas, Maiden perhaps even surpassed Number of the Beast; I prefer Piece of Mind slightly over it at least.
It's hard to find fault with this album; all the songs are good, with most of them being great. The strongest points are undoubtedly Revelations, TO Tame a Land, and probably the Trooper (i've heard it so much that I often neglect how good it is as a song). It opens with a great drum fill by Nicko (this was his first album with the band after Clive Burr left) on 'Where Eagles Dare' and doesn't stop rocking until the end of 'To Tame a Land', a classic progressive song, which foreshadowed the Rime of the Ancient Mariner on the follow-up, Powerslave
In addition to classic maiden songs like the Trooper and Flight of Icarus, we also find overlooked masterpieces; Still Life is a very underrated song that is just awesome. Revelations is a very touching song (I think, Bruce's first song on his own...? correct me if I'm wrong), and Where Eagles Dare and Die With your boots on are great rocking tracks
IF there is a weak point it is often said to be 'quest for fire' or 'sun and steel'. Personally I see nothing wrong with 'Sun and Steel', it has a great chorus; sure it's about fencing but its still good. I wouldn't style it 'filler', at least quality wise. It's nonetheless a good track
Quest for fire is probably the weakest song; not necessarily because of the music; it's got some good guitar in there. BUT its hard not to laugh at the subject-matter of the song; i.e. cavemen battling dinosaurs. THe opening lyric is quite silly 'In a time when dinosaurs walked the earth', and most hardcore fans consider Quest for Fire to be their WORST song, purely because of the silliness. I must agree that the song isn't great, but it really isn't bad and 8 out of 9 is a pretty good ratio of great songs as far as I'm concerned
If you like Iron Maiden, buy this album. It's a great precursor to Powerslave, which IMHO is the BEST album they made.
Free Music Review: Essential Maiden
Hit: 5 Stars
It you were to choose your first Maiden album, this should be it. It is not their best, but it captures the essence of the band perfectly. Unlike Seventh Son, for example, it is not heavy on lyrics and latent meanings, so it is easy for beginners to get into. It is also the band's first album with Nicko McBrain on the drums, and this group - McBrain, Dickinson, Harris, Smith, and Murray - proceeded to produce some of the Maiden's best albums.
Now, to the contents:
Where Eagles Dare is a classic opener - aggressive, fast, and will get you right into the Maiden frame-of-mind. It is also quite repetitive, which may become boring if you listen to it often.
Revelations is one of their greatest ever. It is not a typical Maiden song, as it is slow and melancholic at times, but herein lie its true beauty and uniqueness. The guitar solo is great, and the lyrics are touching, if abstruse.
Flight of Icarus is one of their most famous. Based on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus, it tells the story of the boy who flew too close to the sun. It is short but powerful.
Die with Your Boots On is not a great song, but it ends very nicely with a guitar solo and Dickinson's "they died with their boots on" screams. The guy has the best male voice in the history of music.
The Trooper may be their most famous and successful song ever. Aggressive, fast-paced, and speaking of war and death, it is a Maiden classic. Smith and Murray do a great job on the guitars.
Still Life is great particularly because of the lyrics. Dark, mysterious, and macabre, it speaks of nightmares meshing with reality, and, of course, death. The entire Maidenian spirit is captured in this song.
Quest for Fire is short and boring, but it contains an excellent guitar solo.
Sun and Steel is short, highly repetitive, and one of their worst ever.
To Tame a Land is a perfect piece to end an album. Written by Harris and based on the series of "Dune" sci-fi books, its pace changes frequently and it ends with a fantastic guitar solo, one of their best solos ever.
In summon, while not their greatest album, it is nonetheless a masterpiece that every Maiden enthusiast should cherish.
Free Music Review: Four Awesome Albums in Four Years
Hit: 5 Stars
These guys must have had so much energy to keep putting out quality metal. Here we have the most popular Maiden lineup of Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Steve Harris (bass), and Nicko McBrain (drums). Nicko is the newest addition here, coming from the french band Trust. This album also stands out because of the production. Songs like 'Flight of Icarus' and 'To Tame a Land' have an epic nature about them that is brought out by the professionalism of the recording. For example, when you hear the line "When the sun breaks above the clouds/an old man stands on a hill," you can actually picture this environment in your mind. I feel like the three Maiden albums before this one were more on the 'raw' side while this recording sounds like a little more time and money were put into it.
My favorite song on this release is 'Die With Your Boots On' - I like it for it's heavy nature and catchy chorus. It is also a fan favorite at live shows. Another great tune is 'Still Life' which has a catchy guitar harmony up until the first solo which is right on the money. It's truly an air-guitar classic!
The more popular songs here are 'Where Eagles Dare' (which is based off a movie), 'Flight of Icarus,' 'Revelations,' and 'The Trooper,' the last of which is the most famous, and take it from a guitarist - It's fun to play. I remember the video for this song; it was full of clips from old black and white cowboy and indian movies.
I agree with another reviewer that 'Quest For Fire' is the only bad song here. Once you hear the line, "At a time when dinosaurs walked the earth...," you know it's going to be corny. My friends and I used to joke that the song is probably about someone who was searching for a lighter or matches in the middle of a nicotine fit!
When an individual like myself gives just about every maiden album *5* stars, it is difficult to recommend one over the other. That should tell you that this is a consistent band when it comes to putting out quality music. With that said, you should definitely own this album, as well as most of the other stuff in this band's catalogue. I can't say which album to get before or after this one...just make sure you own it!