40 Years Ago, Iron Maiden Cemented a Classic Lineup with Piece of Mind
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The post 40 Years Ago, Iron Maiden Cemented a Classic Lineup with Piece of Mind appeared first on Consequence.
Iron Maiden’s 1982 album The Number of the Beast was a massive triumph, as it exceeded its two predecessors critically and commercially — earning them their first No. 1 spot on the UK Albums chart and proving that singer Bruce Dickinson was the ideal replacement for Paul Di’Anno.
The legendary metal act kept the momentum going with their next LP, the exceptionally diverse, challenging, and rewarding Piece of Mind. Released on May 16th, 1983, it elevated their compositional and production prowess amidst introducing a lineup in which all the members still remain in the band to this day.
Forty years later, it still stands as one of Iron Maiden’s best albums and a highlight of classic heavy metal.
Perhaps most significant, the album marked the introduction of ex-Trust drummer Nicko McBrain. In his book Iron Maiden Running Free, Garry Bushell clarified that former stickman Clive Burr cordially “quit just after Christmas [1982]” for “personal reasons” (the group even included a brief message to Burr — “good luck mate” — in Piece of Mind’s liner notes).
According to his 2011 chat with Classic Rock magazine, however, Burr was unexpectedly fired after returning from a trip home to mourn his newly deceased father. Logically, touring substitute McBrain got the permanent seat. “I knew Nicko. He loved the band, loved being part of it all. And the rest of the band liked him,” Burr reflected while refuting rumors that he was sacked due to drug and alcohol abuse.
Indeed, McBrain fit in perfectly. Speaking to Artist Magazine in 1983, bassist/songwriter Steve Harris boasted that McBrain’s “drumming is some of the best rock drumming there is. . . . [He’s] given us a different dimension.” For sure, McBrain’s fluidity and versatility are a big part of the record’s evolution.
Likewise, Piece of Mind doubled down on Iron Maiden’s novelistic aspirations by having every song borrow from literary or otherwise creative outside inspirations.
Most famously, “Flight of Icarus” is based on the Greek myth and “The Trooper” derives from Tennyson’s 1854 poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Then there’s the Biblical “Revelations,” which also evokes the writings of G. K. Chesterton and Aleister Crowley.
Beyond that, “Where Eagles Dare” is titled after Brian G. Hutton’s 1968 war picture; “Die with Your Boots On” references Raoul Walsh’s 1941 movie and the foresight of Nostradamus; “Still Life” comes from Ramsey Campbell’s “The Inhabitant of the Lake”; “Quest for Fire” descends from the 1911 book and 1981 film of the same name; “Sun and Steel” recalls Yukio Mishima’s 1968 autobiographical essay and the life of samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi; and “To Tame a Land” harkens back to Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Clearly, Piece of Mind was Iron Maiden’s most academically rich LP thus far. Plus, it paved the way for both future adaptations (from Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” on 1984’s Powerslave to Briggs’ “When the Wind Blows” on 2010’s The Final Frontier) and the entire subgenre of power/fantasy metal.
It’s also their first album not to be titled after one of its tracks (although “Still Life” contains the phrase “Nightmares will give me peace of mind”). It was originally going to be called Food for Thought – a nod to mascot Eddie being lobotomized on the front cover and the band eating human brains inside the gatefold – but as Dickinson professed to Enfer Magazine in 1983, they decided that the Piece of Mind was “more subtle.”
In early January 1983, they settled into New Jersey’s Le Chalet Hotel and began hashing out much of the material (as well as indulging in drinks, gambling, “a Space Invaders machine, a dartboard, a pool table, [and] a table tennis table,” according to Bushell). Endearingly, Dickinson earned his first four writing credits via “Revelations,” “Flight of Icarus,” “Die with Your Boots On,” and “Sun and Steel.”
Between February and March, they flew to the Bahamas to record at Compass Point Studios — where they’d eventually go to lay down Powerslave, 1986’s Somewhere in Time, and The Final Frontier — and then traveled to Electric Lady Studios in New York City for mixing. All the while, longtime collaborator Martin Birch returned to produce, ultimately outdoing himself in terms of making Iron Maiden sound larger, cleaner, and brighter than ever before.
Piece of Mind’s marketing upped the ante, as well.
For one thing, the corresponding international “World Piece” tour — which found them headlining North America for the first time — was more elaborate in terms of its set design, props, sound system, and pyrotechnics. In addition, they played alongside heavy hitters such as Quiet Riot, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, and Def Leppard.
Furthermore, lead singles “The Trooper” and “Flight of Icarus” (their first in the United States) were fairly successful and greatly helped build their American fanbase.
Piece of Mind was a huge seller, too, topping The Number of the Beast on the Billboard 200 (No. 14 vs No. 33) and falling just behind it on the UK Albums Charts (at No. 3). Similarly, professional reviews at the time more or less said it was equal to its immediate predecessor, and decades later, it’s always ranked as one of Iron Maiden’s top 5 LPs (deservingly so).
The introduction of “Where Eagles Dare” acts as McBrain’s thrillingly dynamic statement of purpose, ability, and longevity. It’s as if he’s declaring, “I may be the new guy, but I’m also the right guy and the only guy this band will ever need!” Coupled with Dickinson’s confident soaring singing and the dual six-string theatrics of Smith and Dave Murray, it’s a stunning opener.
Of course, “Flight of Icarus” houses some of the band’s most anthemic melodies and guitar solos, just as “The Trooper” charges along with their signature riff. It’s no wonder why it’s appeared in numerous pop culture properties — from NCIS: Los Angeles to Guitar Hero 2 — and spawned its own beer brand.
Aside from being delightfully catchy and dramatic, “Still Life” gets a chuckle for how its preliminary hidden message (McBrain imitating British actor John Bird’s take on African dictator Idi Amin) was meant as a tell-off to people who accused them of endorsing satanism with The Number of the Beast.
Elsewhere, “Revelations” masterfully transitions between chaotic and calming phrases thanks to its melodic guitar arpeggios and brooding tempo. Likewise, the feisty “Die with Your Boots On” conjures the punkiness of earlier compositions as it delivers sing-along hooks and funky ascending bass. Admittedly, “Quest for Fire” is comparatively unremarkable (yet still good), and then we get the invigoratingly poppy choruses and zany guitarwork of “Sun and Steel.”
Finally, closer “To Tame a Land” — which was going to be called “Dune” until Hebert’s representatives forbade it — is an awesomely epic precursor to the futuristically progressive nature of 1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
“Piece of Mind was just special,” Harris told biographer Mick Wall in Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, and he’s absolutely correct. Backed by newcomer McBrain and an emphasis on literary allusions, it established Iron Maiden’s classic lineup and ensuing direction.
While there’s something to be said for the grittiness of its predecessors, Piece of Mind wider creative breadth and smoother production make it a superior collection and one of the greatest heavy metal albums of the 1980s.
Piece of Mind Artwork:
40 Years Ago, Iron Maiden Cemented a Classic Lineup with Piece of Mind
Jordan Blum
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