Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Senjutsu

[Dream Team]

Sorta on-topic, but has anyone been following the song-ranking countdown thread on Maidenfans? It's the most amazing one I've even seen, with rankings for the past 13 years, standard deviations, everything:

https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/the-official-maidenfans-com-rankings-results-2004-2016.62069/

A few rankings I strongly disagree with of course, but interesting comments throughout.

[TAC]

I'm kind of following it. I'm on Maidenfans, though I'm not wicked active. I haven't rated any songs. Seems like a huge task to do so. Typical countdown..this one's too high, this one's too low.

[Mosh]

I'm very active on there and yea it's a huge project. I went through and rated everything twice (2011 and 2015), some members have done it 4 or 5 times going back to 2004. I'd say the countdown is mostly interesting for the meta aspect, seeing how that particular community has changed over the years.

...reissue Donnington covering a few more years seems like a good choice, but how will they address the Blaze years? And will they dare to go on tour with a setlist based on their 90's output?

I don't even know how I'd feel about a Donnington '92 Reissue. It might literally be the worst concert video I've ever seen. Would love to hear the band discuss the 90's though.

I am certain there will be no 90s tour. The closest thing we'll get is if they do another TFF 2010 style tour before a new album comes out and they throw some 90s songs in.

And if they even play some Blaze material, it'll most likely be a repeat like The Clansman.

I'm hoping they fix the video if they ever release it on DVD. People call DOTR unwatchable, but Donington is so much worse. Also kind of a meh setlist and stage. I mostly want it for completion sake and holding out hope for some good bonus features. I'm assuming Raising Hell will be packaged with it (not that much of an improvement but an interesting oddity), I'm hoping the documentary will be good, and maybe we'll get some concert video from the vault. I'm pretty sure they filmed every other tour in the 90s.

If they play some 90s material on a tour, my thought is 3 songs from No Prayer and 3 songs from Fear: Tailgunner, Bring Your Daughter, Holy Smoke, ATSS, Be Quick Or Be Dead, and FOTD. Nothing too exciting. I doubt they'll ever do Blaze material again, but if they do it'll definitely be a repeat. Probably a shorter song though so not too much set time is devoted to it.

In any case, I think the proper way to end those revival tours and the rather sketchy documentary they're doing to recap their career would be to wrap it up when the current lineup was formed. Reissue Rock in Rio with the final chapter of the story and that's it. What do you guys think?

Yea, I figure they could put Rock In Rio out on blu ray or something. The 00s are pretty well covered, documentary wise, only BNW and TBOS don't have documentaries. At some point they are going to have to release the 00s tours that they filmed but haven't yet released.

[TAC]

I'm hoping they fix the video if they ever release it on DVD. People call DOTR unwatchable, but Donington is so much worse. Also kind of a meh setlist and stage. I mostly want it for completion sake and holding out hope for some good bonus features. I'm assuming Raising Hell will be packaged with it (not that much of an improvement but an interesting oddity), 

I remember when Raising Hell was aired. It was a pay per view thingy. I remember having to go out that night, but I set my VCR, and being so pissed it didn't record.


Even though it's the best filmed Maiden concert, DOTR is unwatchable. But Donnington '92 is WORSE!!

[cramx3]

Yea, I figure they could put Rock In Rio out on blu ray or something. The 00s are pretty well covered, documentary wise, only BNW and TBOS don't have documentaries. At some point they are going to have to release the 00s tours that they filmed but haven't yet released.

Was RiR filmed in widescreen?  I think that might hold it back from ever getting a blu ray release if thats the case, however, DotR would probably look beautiful if it got the blu-ray treatment (I think it looks great on DVD) however, it really needs a re-edit.  I'd still buy it and likely enjoy it though.

[Mosh]

After the conclusion of the Seventh Tour, Maiden took a year off for the very first time. 1989 is one of only three years with no Maiden activity since their formation. No tours and no new albums. Maiden England and an accompanying single were released later in the year, but of course that was recorded a year earlier. Most of the guys used the year off as a much deserved break from music, but Adrian Smith (still a member of Maiden at this point) and Bruce Dickinson both managed to keep busy. Bruce in particular, even then living up to his reputation as a man of many trades, made a solo album and wrote a book. There was probably some fencing involved too. Before moving on to No Prayer, let's take a look at the two Maiden related albums released in between.

ASAP - Silver and Gold (1989)


ASAP (short for Adrian Smith and Project) was born out of The Entire Population Of Hackney, the short side project Adrian and Nicko participated in during Maiden’s last break. The lineup is the same, although Nicko didn’t participate this time because he was busy getting married. In his place, Adrian enlisted Ringo Starr’s son: Zak Starkey. Silver and Gold shows a more melodic AOR style of music from Adrian that we caught glimpses of with Wasted Years and the b-sides to the Somewhere In Time singles. If you enjoyed those songs or Adrian’s singing on Reach Out, this album is very much in that vein. Some of the songs originate from that project and can be heard on Entire Population Of Hackney bootlegs.

Unfortunately, the album was a commercial failure. There wasn’t much promotion for it and finding an audience for the music was difficult. It was such a stark contrast from even the more commercial leanings of Maiden that it did not appeal to most fans. Regardless, it gave Adrian Smith a new creative outlet and a taste of life outside of Maiden. Not much else to say about ASAP. The project didn’t continue after Adrian departed from Maiden, he actually quit the music industry altogether for a few years. We’ll get more into his departure when we talk No Prayer as it is more relevant to the making of that album.

Bruce Dickinson - Tattooed Millionaire (1990)


Midway through 1989, Maiden were approached to record a song for the new Nightmare On Elm Street movie. Committed to their break, the band turned it down, but Bruce Dickinson took the offer instead as an opportunity to record his first solo music. He wrote Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter for the movie and teamed up with guitarist Janick Gers to record it. Janick had been a part of the British hard rock/metal scene since the late 70s, about the same time as Maiden. He had a short lived project called White Spirit (they released an album in 1980, it’s pretty good!) and gained most of his notoriety as Ian Gillan’s guitarist. He also did a project in the mid 80s with Paul Di’Anno and Clive Burr called Gogmagog. So Janick and Maiden had crossed paths throughout the 80s and were well aware of each other, making him a natural choice for Bruce when he needed a guitarist.

Bring Your Daughter wasn’t a major hit, it actually earned Bruce a Golden Raspberry award for Worst Original Song, but it did show his potential as a solo artist and EMI gave him the opportunity to come up with an album. The result was Tattooed Millionaire.

Tattooed Millionaire begins the short tradition of Bruce Dickinson using his solo albums as an opportunity to release music that wouldn’t fit in Maiden. This particular album boasts a more traditional Hard Rock sound, even with some hints of the LA Glam Metal scene. There is a lot of influence from bands such as AC/DC, Aerosmith, and even Guns N’ Roses. There’s also a Mott the Hoople cover: All the Young Dudes. Bruce also employes a new raspier vocal technique on the album. It’s a stark contrast from Bruce’s spandex-clad theatrics in Maiden, especially after an album like Seventh Son. The songs are simpler and contain big anthemic choruses. Of course Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter isn’t on the album, it was left off because Steve asked Bruce to save it for Maiden.

The album also proved Janick and Bruce to be effective writing partners, similar to the partnership between Adrian and Bruce. All songs on Tattooed Millionaire, with the exception of No Lies and All the Young Dudes, were co-written by the two. With Janick being the only guitarist, he has a lot more room to play than with Maiden. In some ways he gets to flex his playing muscles a little more than he did with Maiden, at least on the first couple albums. His soloing style is also more melodic and less manic.

Like Silver and Gold, the album was quite a departure from what fans were used to with Maiden. Tattooed Millionaire remains a controversial Bruce album and is often ranked as one of his weakest. It’s hard to compete with Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, but I still like this album. It was the first Bruce Dickinson solo album I heard and at the time I was very much into 70s Hard Rock and 80s Glam Metal, so this stuff fit in fine with what I was listening to. I think Bruce did that sound a lot better than most of his contemporaries. Like most of Bruce’s early solo work, it can be enjoyed if you approach it with an open mind and don’t expect anything that sounds like Maiden.

Even though the album was recorded in 1989, it wasn’t released until May of next year. By the time it was released, Janick Gers had joined Maiden and is credited in the liner notes as “Now With Iron Maiden”. There were two top 40 UK singles: the title track which hit #18 and All the Young Dudes which hit #23. It was such a success for Bruce that he was able to tour for it, which brings us to:


Dive! Dive! Live! (Recorded 1990, Released in 1991)


Somehow during the production of the next Maiden album, Bruce and Janick found time to tour on Tattooed Millionaire. This is a video from the tour recorded in LA that also used the same directors who worked on Live After Death. Once again, it shows Bruce in a totally different context. Watching this after Maiden England is especially interesting because it is the total opposite type of performance. It’s in a small club with a basic stage setup and Bruce is wearing fairly normal clothes. It actually foreshadows Maiden’s 90’s look. The setlist features every song from Tattooed Millionaire, plus some b-sides, Bring Your Daughter, an AC/DC cover, and a taste of Bruce’s past with Samson.

This video is available on Bruce’s Anthology DVD, which was released around the time of Tyranny Of Souls. It’s a great DVD that features two other concerts, an interview, and all of his music videos. Definitely a must for fans of his solo material and pretty easy to find. I got it for something ridiculous like $3. For 3 discs with that much content, you can't pass it up. 

[cramx3]

I definitely got an 80s glam metal vibe from Tattooed Millionaire, and while I even enjoy 80s glam metal, I really never enjoyed the album.  A few decent songs, but I mostly found the album uninteresting.  I have Bruce's Anthology DVD and enjoy the Dive Dive Dive concert (even though, like I said, I'm not a huge fan of the music) but that concert is pretty different as Mosh explained so it's pretty interesting to see.  Also cool to see Bruce and Jannick together before IM. 

[MirrorMask]

I have to confess I'm in the vast majority of those who haven't heard ASAP's Silver and Gold.

But I have heard basically everything Bruce has even done (except Samson here and there), and so I know Tattoed Millionarie. I surely heard the live version of Dive Dive Dive, don't remember if I ever watched the video... but I remember Janick playing No Lies with his face bleeding (Rod Smallwood would agree that it's good television - on Rock in Rio '85 Bruce hurt himself and he jokingly asked to bleed more 'cause it looked good on TV  )

I like Tattoed Millionaire. I don't love it, but it's a fun album. Also because of the way it was born:

Midway through 1989, Maiden were approached to record a song for the new Nightmare On Elm Street movie. Committed to their break, the band turned it down, but Bruce Dickinson took the offer instead as an opportunity to record his first solo music.

I'd like to humbly offer a different perspective on this - Bruce is on record saying that he wrote the song, he was asked if he had an album to release, said he had it.... but he didn't, then called Janick Gers to write the album in a week. Tattoed Millionaire was born like that, and as I said I think it's a fun album. It starts off very, very strong, then each of the songs - especially the slower ones - are a bit worse than the previous, and by the end, well, it kinda falls off the rails.

Still, the title track is an anthemic and catchy hard rock song as you can get, and the oddly placed opener, Son of a Gun, is the true gem of the album. A true fantastic song, where Bruce's new style suits the mood of the song very well, and it has powerful lyrics and a great chorus. The bridge "Oh, in a blood red sunrise, take me to Jesus, with Judas my guide" sends shivers down my spine. The album is reedemed by this song alone. A redemption needed by stuff like Zulu Lulu which is probably one of the worst things Bruce has ever done 

The first trio of songs (Born in '58 can't be forgotten) is amazing however. All things considered this is Bruce's worst solo album, but these three songs are gorgeous.

[Grappler]

I've never really cared for any of Bruce's solo stuff, except for the heavier stuff (AOB & onward).  So I have very little to contribute. 

I do recall that in Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries book, he claimed that the song Tattooed Millionaire is about him having had an affair with Bruce's wife at the time.  Who knows how true that is, but one review of the lyrics shows that it's a pretty pointed attack on the LA/glam metal scene, if not one person in particular.

[Art]

Tatooed Millionaire is a fun album, with it's fair share of filler, but it has some very good stuff in it, like: Born in 58, Son Of A Gun, title track. Hell, i even like Gypsy Road 

Since at that time the solo stuff was not his main gig, the album came out a lot more relaxed and with a jam-session vibe to it.

[devieira73]

Still, the title track is an anthemic and catchy hard rock song as you can get, and the oddly placed opener, Son of a Gun, is the true gem of the album. A true fantastic song, where Bruce's new style suits the mood of the song very well, and it has powerful lyrics and a great chorus. The bridge "Oh, in a blood red sunrise, take me to Jesus, with Judas my guide" sends shivers down my spine. The album is reedemed by this song alone. A redemption needed by stuff like Zulu Lulu which is probably one of the worst things Bruce has ever done 

The first trio of songs (Born in '58 can't be forgotten) is amazing however. All things considered this is Bruce's worst solo album, but these three songs are gorgeous.

Totally this. This song should have been recorded by Maiden IMO.

[TAC]

Awesome writeup Mosh. Lots to chew on.

I was very excited for the ASAP album. I found it very underwhelming. I remember liking the title track, but in all seriousness, I haven't listened to it in ages. I just dug my vinyl copy out of my attic, along with Bruce's book.




As far as Tattooed Millionaire, This is a nice little album. It felt like something Bruce may have had to do to get out of his system, or simply to keep busy while Maiden took their longest break to date between albums. The album is kind of a mixed bag, and is cool enough for what it is, but it really gave no glimpse of what would become an amazing solo career.

Born In '58 is an absolute masterpiece and might be my #1 Bruce solo track. . I also love No Lies and Son Of A Gun. Gypsy Road too.

I was also lucky enough to see the TM tour at The Living Room in Providence on July 22, 1990. The Living Room is a freaking shoebox. I have some pics, but honestly most of them came out blurry as I was "at the stage" getting pushed around, plus trying to keep Bruce and Jannick in focus is quite difficult. Being so close, my camera just didn't quite focus right.











...and tour shirt:

[cramx3]

Wow TAC, that's awesome you got to see Bruce in a club show like that 

[TAC]

Those are really the only pics I can share. I have about 15-20 more that are nothing but fuzzballs. I was so pissed when I got the film back.

[Lowdz]

I have never heard TM - I heard the singles and didn't like them. I was falling out of love with Maiden and I never really bothered following Bruce. I heard all his others more recently but never went back to this one.

I bought his book and thought it was complete shite.

I have Silver and Gold on vinyl, and a silver vinyl version of the single. I played the album recently and it's ok, but nothing really noteworthy.

[TAC]

I bought his book and thought it was complete shite.

It is. I read it at the time, and it is complete nonsense. In fact, even though it's written in English, I couldn't understand a single word!

[Lowdz]

I bought his book and thought it was complete shite.

It is. I read it at the time, and it is complete nonsense. In fact, even though it's written in English, I couldn't understand a single word!

To be fair, it is very English. Though I think it's how we plebs think the rich folk live.

[TAC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dScD0309o8

[Mladen]

Just when I thought TAC couldn't surprise me anymore with his "I was there", "I attended this concert", "I saw this tour" posts. That's truly impressive. 

Tattoed millionaire is way too vanilla hard rock for me, I'm not sure which tracks would be my favorites. None of it is really great. I've never listened to that ASAP album, but I've been telling myself I need to check it out for years now.

[TAC]

Just when I thought TAC couldn't surprise me anymore with his "I was there", "I attended this concert", "I saw this tour" posts. That's truly impressive. 

Haha thanks. Just lucky to be around at the time and I was a huge Iron Maiden fan. I was a few months short of turning 22 at the time.

  I've never listened to that ASAP album, but I've been telling myself I need to check it out for years now.

Click the youtube link above. It's the title track introduced by the man himself.

[PowerSlave]

I can't remember specifics, but I remember someone telling me that the model on the ASAP album was Adrian's wife at the time. Can anyone confirm this?

[Mosh]

Great pics TAC! I really hope Bruce tours again some day. Would love to see him in a small venue.

I have to confess I'm in the vast majority of those who haven't heard ASAP's Silver and Gold.

But I have heard basically everything Bruce has even done (except Samson here and there), and so I know Tattoed Millionarie. I surely heard the live version of Dive Dive Dive, don't remember if I ever watched the video... but I remember Janick playing No Lies with his face bleeding (Rod Smallwood would agree that it's good television - on Rock in Rio '85 Bruce hurt himself and he jokingly asked to bleed more 'cause it looked good on TV  )

I like Tattoed Millionaire. I don't love it, but it's a fun album. Also because of the way it was born:

Midway through 1989, Maiden were approached to record a song for the new Nightmare On Elm Street movie. Committed to their break, the band turned it down, but Bruce Dickinson took the offer instead as an opportunity to record his first solo music.

I'd like to humbly offer a different perspective on this - Bruce is on record saying that he wrote the song, he was asked if he had an album to release, said he had it.... but he didn't, then called Janick Gers to write the album in a week. Tattoed Millionaire was born like that, and as I said I think it's a fun album. It starts off very, very strong, then each of the songs - especially the slower ones - are a bit worse than the previous, and by the end, well, it kinda falls off the rails.

I've heard that story before too but was having a hard time finding the source of that. Might've been on that Anthology doc, I'd have to watch it again. I also agree that the album starts off strong and then quickly declines. The first three tracks are incredible, then you have three songs which aren't bad but seem very derivative and below Bruce's standards. All the Young Dudes is good, but then it's three more ok to mediocre songs.

All that being said, I still have a soft spot for it. It's a better glam metal album than most legit glam bands were actually putting out at the time.

I do recall that in Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries book, he claimed that the song Tattooed Millionaire is about him having had an affair with Bruce's wife at the time.  Who knows how true that is, but one review of the lyrics shows that it's a pretty pointed attack on the LA/glam metal scene, if not one person in particular.

That's another story I've heard many times but not from Bruce himself. Could be true that it inspired the song, but the lyrics are pretty obviously not about that.

ASAP is OK. Adrian Smith has one of those voices that works great as a background or occasional lead but can't really carry a whole album. There are some decent songs but it gets pretty samey after awhile. I can take the album in small doses.

Never checked out Bruce's book. If I came across it in a thrift store or something I'd pick it up but I'm not going to actively seek it out.

[Stadler]

Count me in on the people who:
- Like but not love the TM album (don't like the raspier singing; it foreshadowed what was coming in Miaden, and that wasn't a good thing);
- Have the ASAP album (and the two singles, which each have unreleased songs on the "b-sides"). It's kind of a curiosity though; Adrian's voice is good as contrast to Bruce's but not to carry an entire album.  EDIT: Didn't read Mosh's post until I posted; I guess we agree!)

"Tattoed Millionaire" is pretty obviously slamming the LA scene of which Motley - and therefore Nikki - was a big big part.  And there are implications there being no loyalty among thieves, which you can read into as saying "we're both musicians, we look out for our own" and the LA boys not playing by those rules. 

I had the chance to see Bruce on that tour at Toad's (also a shoe box).  It made the news; there was a fight at the show and Bruce had to stop the show and calm things down.  I used to have a boot of that I think.   It was a weekend, and I was at the time getting up at 3:00 am to be at a jobsite at 5:00 am for work.  No bueno. 

[Mosh]

No Prayer For the Dying (1990)
Bruce Dickinson - Vocals
Dave Murray - Guitars
Janick Gers - Guitars
Steve Harris - Bass
Nicko McBrain - Drums




(1998 remaster cover)

When Maiden reconvened in early 1990 after a year off, they quickly hit a roadblock: Adrian Smith decided to leave the band. Like most Maiden departures up until this point, there was a level of mutuality between Adrian and the rest of the band in his decision to leave. Adrian felt that he wasn't fully into it anymore. He recently married and was planning on starting a family which made the idea of yet another full album/tour cycle very unappealing. A reliably straight shooter in situations like these, Steve Harris made it clear that if Adrian wasn't completely dedicated to Maiden, it was necessary for them to find someone else.

Luckily, the search for Adrian's replacement was quick and easy. Having just worked with Bruce Dickinson on his solo album and being well known to everyone in the band already, the obvious choice was Janick Gers. Janick was given 24 hours to learn Iron Maiden, The Prisoner, and Children of the Damned for an audition. Needless to say, he nailed it and was offered the job.

By the time Janick joined, the album was already mostly written. The band originally planned to record in a London studio, but since things had moved along so quickly they decided to go in a different direction rather than wait for the studio to become available. Steve had a barn that Maiden used as a rehearsal studio and the band enjoyed the vibe so much that they decided to just record the album there. To record, they used a mobile studio (the same one that Led Zeppelin used to record Physical Graffiti).

No Prayer is a strange album. After a period of experimentation and taking the progressive element as far as it could conceivably go, the band decided to go back to their roots and go for a more direct approach with the songwriting. They wanted to recapture the "street" vibe of Maiden that dominated the first two albums. As a result, the keyboard usage was cut back severely (they only appear on two songs) and there are no songs that exceed the 6 minute mark. The only other album not to feature any longer songs was Killers. The lyrical themes also saw an overhaul with this album. The mythological, fantastical, and science fiction tinged lyrics were exchanged for historic topics and social commentary. Holy Smoke shows Maiden taking a stab at a popular topic in Metal at the time (although they were pretty late to the party): televangelists. Mother Russia is a brief commentary on the fall of the soviet union. Tailgunner shows the long awaited return of Maiden's war themed songs with a trip back to World War II.

To complement the change in style, Bruce traded in his operatic singing style for something more raspy and aggressive. He was already experimenting with the different singing style on his solo album, but on No Prayer he goes all out with it.

The writing for No Prayer was kickstarted by Bruce Dickinson's solo effort, Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter. Steve Harris liked the song so much that he insisted that Bruce leave it off his solo album and save it for the next Maiden album. The straightforward hard rock sound of the song seemed to shape the album's overall direction.

With one of the key songwriters out of the band, new songwriting collaborations were formed. Bruce and Steve worked together for the first time on the previous album with Only the Good Die Young and the partnership naturally continued on the next album. On No Prayer, the duo wrote 3 songs together. Tailgunner is a return to the energetic Harris opener with an air battle theme, although the lyrics were written by Bruce. It's very similar to Aces High and Where Eagles Dare, sharing a similar structure and high energy. Holy Smoke, the album's lead single, is a more commercial track that has an almost hard rock drive. Finally, there's Run Silent Run Deep, which features lyrics that were left over from Bruce's Somewhere In Time rejects.

The album is also unusual in that it features two Dave Murray contributions. Public Enema Number One is Dave's first collaboration with Bruce and the first time he collaborated with anybody other than Steve. It's an interesting combination with Dave's usual lyrical guitar melodies and Bruce's newfound aggressive vocal style and his vivid lyrics. The other Murray contribution is a more familiar collaboration with Steve Harris, Fates Warning. This song features the typical slow bluesy intro followed by a fast paced rocker. Where Dave's contributions up until this point were often among the more forgotten tracks, his two contributions to No Prayer stand as some of the most memorable and arguably the best tracks on the album.

Always the primary songwriter, Steve Harris dominated the writing for this album. On the previous few albums he had relaxed some of his hold on the writing to let in more ideas from Bruce and Adrian, but Adrian's departure left a void that Steve was happy to fill. 8 of the 10 songs are credited to Steve and three were written on his own. The Assassin thematically feels like a spiritual successor to Killers, although musically it is quite different. The other two Harris songs are the closest this album gets to the prog influence of the late 80's. The title track is like a followup to Infinite Dreams, featuring a slow bluesy intro followed by a heavier conclusion, all in a shorter song format. The lyrics are also similar, dealing with the familiar Harris topics of dreams, spirituality, and inner turmoil. Mother Russia is the closest thing to an epic on this album, and is the longest song just shy of 6 minutes. These two songs also feature the only appearances of keyboards on the album.

Despite leaving the band, Adrian still leaves a mark on this album. Hooks In You was a song Bruce and Adrian worked on together before he left the band and it is musically what you would expect from the duo. While it is seen by many as one of Maiden's weakest songs, it still contains most of the same traits as in other Smith/Dickinson efforts. Hooks In You is to this day the only Maiden song that credits a member who is not currently in the band.

Since Janick joined so late in the game, he was not able to contribute to the writing process. His playing is also somewhat understated on this album. He was used to being the only guitarist in the bands he played in, so having to share the stage with another guitar player, let alone one who had been in the band since the beginning, was a challenge. This may be a controversial opinion, but I find No Prayer to be the closest Maiden ever got to making a "one guitar" album. Obviously Janick plays on everything, but the twin guitar harmonies are less utilized and the solo tradeoff isn't quite the same as what you got with Adrian and Dave. Where those two players often complemented each other with different tones on playing styles, Janick is very close in style to Dave. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the two players. This is not a slight against Janick, by the next album he was settled and found his place in the band as a writer and as a player, but on No Prayer he seems to be more in a "hired gun" role. It's different from when the other members joined and were immediately involved in the creative process.

Sticking to the "back to the roots" theme of No Prayer, it was natural to go the same route with the artwork. Derek Riggs was commissioned to create a "classic" Eddie design. This was something Riggs was not enthusiastic about, as he wanted to continue with the "deconstruction" of Eddie that was depicted on the artwork for Seventh Son. The album covers up until this point had a level of progression. There wasn't a concrete story behind the covers, but they were still linear in design. All covers after Piece of Mind showed the screws in his head from the lobotomy, the cyborg design from Somewhere In Time continued into Seventh Son. On No Prayer, these features are all gone and Eddie's look is closer to the first album. The graveyard scene was also less extravagant and other-worldly, the way the older covers were. This marked the beginning of Iron Maiden album covers that didn't feature a sequence in the Eddie designs. Eddie might be general of an army of the undead for one album and a space monster on the next. This was also the last time Eddie was drawn exclusively by Riggs, but more on that later.

No Prayer is one of the band's most controversial albums and marks the beginning of what many see as a decline in quality for the band. Man fans were blindsided by the band's sudden change in direction. While fans of Maiden's early days were delighted to hear a return to that style, those who followed the band's progression over the years were disappointed to find the growth coming to a sudden halt. Even some who did welcome the change weren't impressed with the actual content of the music. Many see it as the band's worst album. Some question Bruce's commitment to the band, citing his change in approach to the vocals, despite his claims that Tattooed Millionaire gave him the space necessary to get excited about the next Maiden album. Their sales also began to decline, becoming the second album in a row not to reach platinum status in the US. However, they were still doing well in the UK and charted at #2 with the album. The Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter single also became the band's first UK #1, although that is largely credited to them releasing it during Christmas when there was little competition and with several different "collectable" versions.

Despite all this, there is still much to appreciate about No Prayer. It was the beginning of a new decade and a new lineup for the band. The 80s were gone and Maiden embraced the changes by trying something new. There are some really good songs on here, Especially from Dave Murray. Like Tattooed Millionaire, it is best to approach this album not expecting Seventh Son or a masterpiece. Taken on its own merits, it is a decent effort and an important moment in the band's history.

[wolfking]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dScD0309o8

That Mullet is incredible.

[wolfking]

Great writeup again Mosh.

No Prayer was one of my first three Maiden and metal albums are a young boy, so even though it's mostly frowned upon, I have a soft spot for it.  It certainly isn't the strongest collection of Maiden tunes and even listening back now there's some slightly awkward moments but on a whole, it's enjoyable. 

I like how you mentioned about Dave and Janick, I always felt as a guitarist that it was the hardest album to really distinguish between both of them.  It's funny when you hear Janick and Dave now how different they are, but on here they really do keep you guessing at times who is doing what.

[Setlist Scotty]

Gotta agree - very well written Mosh!

For me personally, while like most fans, this is the beginning of the 90s decline of quality for the band, I would say this (IMO) is their best album of the decade. It's not great, but I'll take it over FotD and both Blaze albums without blinking an eye. Really, I think the album gets unfairly bashed a bit. For me, there's only 3 real clunkers on the album - ironically the 2 singles from the album, and Adrian's final contribution. All 3 are pure garbage to my ears - I can't stand listening to any of them and I can't understand how they thought it was a good idea to make the first 2 singles! Even The Assassin is better than these 3!

Both the title track and Mother Russia sound like rehashes of older songs, but that doesn't phase me at all - I like 'em both. And really most of the other tracks, while not of the quality of their 80s output, was still pretty decent. In particular, I don't understand the hate for Public Enema Number One - I love the driving verses and both the chorus and solo section are perfectly fine.

I'm surprised that Mosh didn't comment on them, but I gotta give it to the band for the 2 covers they chose for the Holy Smoke single; the A-side may have been pure unadulterated crap, but the 2 B-sides are among the best: All in Your Mind and Kill Me Ce Soir. I had gotten the CD single when it first came out and I remember listening to those 2 songs repeatedly. I wish more of their B-sides were of the same quality as these and the ones they did for SiT.

As for the cover art, I too was bummed when they decided to "reset" Eddie, and even more disappointed in seeing the revised version of the cover for the reissues. Don't understand why Rod Smallwood had such an issue with the undertaker in the picture.

[Zydar]

It's definitely a step down in quality from the previous albums (especially 7th Son), but I find it to be the best of their 90s albums. My favourites here are Tailgunner, the title track, Hooks In You, and Mother Russia. Bruce's change in vocal style is understandable if he wanted to experiment, but I still prefer his more operatic style. I haven't reflected over the guitars here, considering Janick being the new member, and how he integrated into the sound.

[MirrorMask]

Once again a great and comprehensive write up! 

As I said earlier, Maiden is my favorite band of all time, even if I don't listen to them anymore 'cause I've heard all their songs a gazillion times. And I wasn't around when No Prayer came out, so I didn't live through the big change and my soft spot for Maiden allows me to endure even their lowest points... which are still higher than many bands' standard.

So, all in all I don't really dislike the album, I'm actually glad people are supporting it in their last comments, though I would never fault anyone for disliking, I totally get those who can't stomach this album.

It's a little pity that the album was so divisive because the idea behind it was quite good - after having gone as far as the bombastic operatic route could take them, how about strip down everything? how about an album raw like Iron Maiden, but with today's (well, then's) songwriting skills, experience, production, and with Bruce? the idea was exciting, it's the end result that kinda fell flat.

The only song I truly dislike and I don't care for is Hooks in You... kinda a bad last memory for Adrian to leave. All the other songs I don't mind them, some I actually like and some at worst do not annoy me. No Prayer for the Dying would be my favorite, and probably the "best chorus" award should go to Run Silent, Run Deep. I understand the lyrics are not that classy but I never minded Bring your Daugther, I actually like it and I think it's a fun rocking song, with the bass intro being prolonged live that offers quite a nice moment.

[wolfking]

Both the title track and Mother Russia sound like rehashes of older songs, but that doesn't phase me at all - I like 'em both.

The title track is one of my fav Maiden tunes, so underrated.  But the solo section of Mother Russia is such a blatant rip of the 7th Son solo section it actually makes me laugh. 

The only song I truly dislike and I don't care for is Hooks in You... kinda a bad last memory for Adrian to leave.

I totally agree with this.  So out of left field for H in regards to Maiden it just seems a bit weird all round.

[Art]

I really enjoy NPFTD, being one of the first Maiden albums i heard. The only track that i really don't like is The Assassin. I love hooks In You  . The title track, Tailgunner, Public Enema, Mother Russia are all amazing tracks.

[Grappler]

No Prayer is the one Maiden studio album that I don't own.  I never got around to buying it when I was getting into the band and buying all of their records nearly 20 years ago - I already had Bring Your Daughter on the Best of the Beast album and a few live versions on A Real Live One and Live at Donnington (both also include Tailgunner).

I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

I really liked No Prayer when it came out. Like most nerdy/introverted metal fans, I found comfort in Maiden's releases then, and I was halfway through high school when it came out. Since releases were quite delayed in Brazil at the time, I think Bruce's solo album was released there almost at the same time as No Prayer, so we were offered a double dose of Jannick. I was really surprised at Bruce's choice of singing style for those albums, but loved every detail of NPFTD. To this day I can whistle all solos in this album!!!

Out of curiosity: MTV started in Brazil in 1990, and the local version of Headbanger's Ball showed the "premiere" of Holy Smoke and Megadeth's Holy Wars on the same day!

I read Bruce's unnoficial bio where he says he was quite unhappy with the end result of No Prayer, and that to this day he considers Run Silent Run Deep to be the band's worst song.

That tour was good though, and had a great setlist, but I guess we'll focus on that later in the week, right?

[cramx3]

When I was discovering the IM discography and finally purchased this album, I had no idea it was going to sound like this.  I had heard Holy Smoke before and honestly find it to be one of the better songs on the album.  It's pretty basic, but I love that guitar solo in it.  Anyway, when I gave the album a full a listen I was really disappointed and confused.  Like how could a band that had sooo many amazing albums then release this?  I was not aware of the history or what was going on until reading up on it much later.  I was just confused. 

I kind of find the album to essentially be terrible.  There's some moments of awesomeness and I really like the title track.  I think it's the only song on the album that holds its own compared to the rest of the discography.

[Stadler]

Gotta agree - very well written Mosh!

For me personally, while like most fans, this is the beginning of the 90s decline of quality for the band, I would say this (IMO) is their best album of the decade. It's not great, but I'll take it over FotD and both Blaze albums without blinking an eye. Really, I think the album gets unfairly bashed a bit. For me, there's only 3 real clunkers on the album - ironically the 2 singles from the album, and Adrian's final contribution. All 3 are pure garbage to my ears - I can't stand listening to any of them and I can't understand how they thought it was a good idea to make the first 2 singles! Even The Assassin is better than these 3!

I don't think I've read a post here in recent memory that I agreed with so much and disagreed with so much, all in one!!

I agree with all of the above, wholeheartedly, with one (3?) exceptions.  It's the best of the 90's for me, by a long shot.   I think the album DOES get unfairly maligned, but I can understand that after Seventh Son.   There are only a handful of clunkers, agreed, but here's where we disagree:   My favorite three songs on the record are Tailgunner, Holy Smoke (that SOLO!) and Hooks In You. 

Not really a fan of The Assassin or Run Silent... I kind of like "Bring Your Daughter...", but most of the criticisms of "Hooks..." here I would apply to that.  Just doesn't sound like Maiden to me.   

Both the title track and Mother Russia sound like rehashes of older songs, but that doesn't phase me at all - I like 'em both. And really most of the other tracks, while not of the quality of their 80s output, was still pretty decent. In particular, I don't understand the hate for Public Enema Number One - I love the driving verses and both the chorus and solo section are perfectly fine.

Mother Russia is okay, but it sounds like a rehash, and is WAY too short.   Not that more of a rehash is better, but it just seems to get into gear, then Bruce sings the chorus and it's done!   I don't mind the song "PENO", but that title has to go.  Lame-o!

I'm surprised that Mosh didn't comment on them, but I gotta give it to the band for the 2 covers they chose for the Holy Smoke single; the A-side may have been pure unadulterated crap, but the 2 B-sides are among the best: All in Your Mind and Kill Me Ce Soir. I had gotten the CD single when it first came out and I remember listening to those 2 songs repeatedly. I wish more of their B-sides were of the same quality as these and the ones they did for SiT.

"All In Your Mind" is one of my favorite Maiden songs ever.   I LOVE that song, everything about it.  I love Bruce's vocals (showing that he COULD sing in the old style, just that he was making the - for me, unfortunate - stylistic choice).   I was already a fan of Golden Earring, so Kill Me Ce Soir was familiar to me, but I really like the Maiden version.  Not what you'd typically expect of the band and in a good way.

As for the cover art, I too was bummed when they decided to "reset" Eddie, and even more disappointed in seeing the revised version of the cover for the reissues. Don't understand why Rod Smallwood had such an issue with the undertaker in the picture.

I didn't have a problem with the cover, per se, but I did wonder why the cover art on this (and some subsequent releases) became such an issue.    It's not really a coincidence to me that once the controversy started, the "classic-ness" of the coevrs started to change.   Other than "Brave New World", I can't really imagine a poster on my wall of any of the post-No Prayer album covers like I can "Number..." or "Killers" or "Seventh Son...".   I REALLY was lost when Eddie started to look like Gollum, but I'm getting ahead....