If Iron Maiden were already on the road to worldwide stardom by the time "The Number of the Beast" came out in early 1982, there was no stopping them afterwards. More than steady, their growth rate became a geometric progression pointing to the heights: everybody wanted to buy their records, attend their concerts, wear their t-shirts, be part of their entourage and make any possible sort of business with them. That's how it goes when everybody knows you're going to make it big, I guess. The fact that Maiden managed to record so many amazing albums in a row is an astounding feat, you know, even moreso when you consider how fast things were moving inside the band's particular universe. In the latter months of 1982, drummer Clive Burr was out of the picture; in a matter of days, Nicko McBrain was recruited (it was so unexpected that the newcomer had to use an Eddie mask during his first appearance with the band, as there had been no time to explain Burr's departure to the press); and he had no more than a couple months before entering studio with his new bandmates, in order to get a new record done. You can't really achieve any sort of peace of mind under such a tight schedule, so I suppose the play of words that came to baptize "Piece of Mind" makes perfectly sense, when you take a closer look at it.
The circumstances around Clive Burr's escape (not-very-obvious pun intended) from the Iron Maiden orbit were never fully clarified, and the long-held notion that the drummer's spare time activities (e.g., drinking and substance use) had become too unprofessional to endure seems to have been unfair to him, at least to an extent. In fact, when you put all the pieces together, the most credible conclusion appears to be that Clive Burr and Steve Harris simply got weary of each other, and, as the bassist was the mastermind behind the group and would never ever step aside, then the drummer had to go. It was unfortunate for him, that's for sure, but I don't really think there's anyone to blame around here: it just happens, you know. Burr would have an eventful (if not immensely successful) career in later years, handling the drumsticks for acts as disparate as Elixir, Praying Mantis and Dee Snider's Desperado, as well as trying his own thing with Clive Burr's Escape, later rechristened as Stratus and that got as far as releasing a decent record named "Throwing Shapes" in 1985. As we all know, the sticksman sadly passed away in 2013 after a valiant battle against multiple sclerosis - and the fact that Iron Maiden would take great lengths in order to help paying his hospital bills speaks volumes about how all the altercations were water under the bridge by then (they're not that inclined to do the same for Paul Di'Anno, you know). RIP dude, and rest assured that your contribution to music will always be fondly remembered and acknowledged by all metal fans worldwide.
Nicko McBrain was a seasoned drummer with a number of allegiances to his name, having recording credits with Pat Travers, Goldon Giltrap and the Streetwalkers, among others. More recently, he was doing the rounds with Trust (a band I really like BTW, and that will hopefully appear on this space in the not-too-distant future), and rapidly proved himself to be yet another good choice for Maiden, as Steve Harris soon became good friends with him and both built a strong partnership that remains unscathed to this day. Though not as smooth and groovy as Burr's signature sound, Nicko's busy patterns and muscular, indefatigable delivery made a lot of difference when Maiden started to move towards even more technical and ambitious territories, consolidating the band's reputation as a seamless, unrelenting wall of sound.
The punkish vibe, still present in some corners of "The Number of the Beast", is totally absent on "Piece of Mind", and would be almost nowhere to be found from this point onwards: now Maiden present themselves as a much more serious entity, their ever-present focus now directed towards a newfound passion for storytelling and drama. They would sure perfect the formula in later years (and, in a sense, they are still doing it to this day), but this is a very important landmark "Piece of Mind" set for future releases, and it adds historical significance for a record that would already be very impressive if valued by musical merits alone. Describing this particular LP as pretentious would not be too far off the mark, but I wouldn't consider this to be too derisive a comment after all: Iron Maiden were indeed trying a bit too hard to be artsy and impressive, but it comes from a place of honesty, from a band that tries to expand on the avenues opened by "The Number of the Beast" rather than simply put a series of good songs together with a random Eddie on the front cover.
A lot of it surely has to do with Bruce Dickinson. Now released from the all contract ties to his Samson days (a situation that prevented him from having a more decisive role in the songwriting process of the previous record), the vocalist brings a lot of ideas to the table this time around, and his determination to leave a personal mark brings some very important changes to Maiden's sound and spirit. Saying that Dickinson wanted to differentiate himself from Paul Di'Anno would tell just a part of the story: he also wanted Iron Maiden to become a slightly (but perceivably) different band, in order to fully accomodate his persona. He is an accomplished fencer, wrote satirical books around a character named Lord Iffy Boatrace, has a degree in History, worked for radio and television - and he's also a airplane flyer who got as far as to rescue some endangered turtles on occasion! A larger than life individual, if any of us ever saw one, and surely not one to do as he's told when in a band. Fortunately for all of us, Dickinson's ambition found a great songwriting partner in Adrian Smith, and was also in tune with the creative vision Steve Harris had for the band. Thank god these guys got together, and "Piece of Mind" is the first record to show this 'new Iron Maiden' in all its glory.
In fact, judging from the first six tracks, this could easily rank as one of the best metal albums ever. Both "Flight of Icarus" and "The Trooper" are immensely memorable singles, the latter showcasing perhaps the most iconic guitar work ever delivered by the band, while "Still Life", though often overlooked, is a remarkable piece of composition that conjures both tension and menace in a way few songwriters out there can (and oh yeah, I love Bruce's singing on this one). As for "Die with Your Boots On", it's something of an echo from Maiden's fast-and-furious early days, but done with such ferocity and skill that the results are simply exhilarating, one of the most headbanging-inducing songs ever penned by Maiden (think about it and I'm sure you'll agree). Half an hour of varied, confident and uncompromising genius, no less.
Unfortunately, the final three songs, though markedly superior to what nearly all competition could do at the time, are not in the same league of what precedes it, plain and simple. "Quest for Fire" sounds somewhat silly, both in subject matter and the melodies that go with it, to such an extent that it simply breaks some of the pensive, dead-serious atmosphere most of the album conjures. I always though it could have been a great B-side for a single under different circumstances, but its presence here is somewhat detrimental to the whole package, which is a shame really. "Sun and Steel" doesn't work much better, unfortunately, and its chorus (rhyming "steel", "ideal" and "wheel") is one of my least favorites from the entire '80s era of the band. Finally, "To Tame a Land" comes out as a ambitious retelling of Frank Herbert's impressive "Dune" saga, and it surely works to a great extent, with progressive intonations and a very Middle Eastern-ish guitar work. Still, I tend to think it's not that unbelievably good as most people seems convinced it is: it moves through its many different parts a bit too fast for my liking, and it ultimately sounds a bit aimless in places, like they were just trying to show how they could play some complex shit rather than putting their undeniable prowess to use in a well-crafted, naturally demanding song. I know tons of metalheads around the world will beg to differ, but I'm just being honest here, you know - and the fact that the band themselves never added this one to their setlists since 1984 is evidence that they agree with me, at least to an extent.
Saying that "Piece of Mind" is not that good would be downright stupid anyway: it's actually a monster of a record, an astounding feat of creative genius and a quintessential LP that you're simply not allowed to live without, no excuses. The fact that it is not mind-bogglingly good in all its parts is just a nuance, you see, and anyone who dwells too much on it should be regarded as something of a fool. The four-star rating is as close as a five-star as it could possibly be, and it only makes sense in comparison with other albums released by the same band. For nearly everyone else, "Piece of Mind" is like the summit of Everest: it's there, but most of us will never reach it, and many will die trying.
Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Adrian Smith (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D).
01. Where Eagles Dare (Harris) 6:08
02. Revelations (Dickinson) 6:51
03. Flight of Icarus (Smith/Dickinson) 3:49
04. Die with Your Boots On (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 5:22
05. The Trooper (Harris) 4:10
06. Still Life (Murray/Harris) 4:37
07. Quest for Fire (Harris) 3:40
08. Sun and Steel (Smith/Dickinson) 3:25
09. To Tame a Land (Harris) 7:26
Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!
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