Fourth album by
Iron Maiden, released in
1983. At the end of the
Beast On The Road world tour, drummer
Clive Burr left Iron Maiden. They found a replacement for him in
Nicko McBrain, former drummer of
Trust.
The title of the album refers to a line in the song
Still Life: "
nightmares... will give me peace of mind", but changed a bit to add a bit of
humor.
The front cover shows
Eddie locked-up in a padded cell, with the metal plate on his shaven head because his brains were removed.
Line-up:
Bruce Dickinson: vocals
Dave Murray: guitars
Adrian Smith: guitars
Steve Harris: bass
Nicko McBrain: drums
Tracklisting:
1. Where Eagles Dare.
Written by Steve Harris. This song is based on a novel by Alistair Maclean, about the rescue of an American general from a Nazi camp, during WWII.
2. Revelations.
Written by Bruce Dickinson. What this song is about is still a clue to me. It does contain verses from a hymnal by G. K. Chesterton.
3. Flight Of Icarus.
Written by Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. A song about Icarus, a character from an ancient Greek myth. Icarus and his father Daedalus are trapped by king Minos on an island. They build wings out of feathers and wax to escape. They flew from the island, but Icarus few too close to the sun, which caused the wax to melt, and he fell into the sea. The artwork for the single shows Icarus falling into the seas of hell, after Eddie flew by with a blowtorch.
4. Die With Your Boots On.
Written by Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris. If you know the end is coming, why not go out in style.
5. The Trooper.
Written by Steve Harris. One of many Iron Maiden songs about war, this one is about the Crimean war (1853-1856). The artwork for the single shows Eddie going into war.
6. Still Life.
Written by Dave Murray and Steve Harris. The song opens with a backwards message, which is Nicko saying with a thick accent: "Hmm, Hmmm what ho sed de t'ing wid de t'ree bonce. Don't meddle wid t'ings you don't understand". The song itself is about someone who is being drawn to a pool. He has nightmares about it, and eventually jumps in.
7. Quest For Fire.
Written by Steve Harris. Considered one of Maiden's worst songs, it is based on the movie Quest For Fire from 1982, about a prehistoric tribe in its quest for fire.
8. Sun And Steel.
Written by Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. A song about Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi.
9. To Tame A Land.
Written by Steve Harris. This song is based on Frank Herbert's novel Dune, but he wouldn't allow them to name the song Dune because he hated heavy metal.