The backward-message features McBrain mimicking actor John Bird's impression of Idi Amin. This was a joke and intended as a poke in the eye towards the critics who had accused the band of being Satanic. The signature is not on the cd version, since part of the picture has been cut off.Īt the beginning of the sixth track, "Still Life", Iron Maiden included a hidden message that could only be understood by playing the song backward. It's on the back cover as part of a necklace held within a skeletal hand.
Rimmer's version of Icarus was used as a record label logo by Led Zeppelin. Derek Riggs depiction of Icarus resembles the figure in "Evening: Fall of Day," by William Rimmer. The picture on the sleeve is a parody of the original Icarus myth, which portrays a winged Eddie burning Icarus's wings with a flamethrower. Piece of Mind includes the successful singles "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus." The latter was particularly notable as one of the band's few songs to gain substantial airplay in the U.S. The song is written from both perspectives, covering the Natives' viewpoint in the first verse, and the Europeans' in the rest of the song. This references the song's subject matter, which documents the conflict between European settlers in the New World and Native American tribes during the days of colonization and the westward expansion. He was not permitted to add his name to any of the songwriting credits, but it is said that he helped with "Children of the Damned", "The Prisoner," and "Run to the Hills."Īccording to Riggs, the idea behind the original "Run to the Hills" cover was based around the idea of a "power struggle in hell" in which the band's mascot, Eddie, battles Satan with a tomahawk.
It subsequently became a Top Ten hit in many other countries as well.Īt the time of the album's release, Bruce Dickinson, the band's new singer, was in the middle of legal difficulties with his former band Samson's management. This album earned the band their first No. In 1982, Iron Maiden released their third album, The Number of the Beast. but the media got it wrong, as the song lyrics and picture on the girl's dressing table insinuate that Eddie is dead and contacting his lover Charlotte from beyond the grave, which makes this the band's first love song.ĭerek Riggs's Covers for Number of the Beast, 1982, and Its Single It was interpreted as "gratuitous sexism." The media were offended by what appeared to be the band's mascot, Eddie, spying on a young girl in her bedroom. Like the covers for their two previous singles, the artwork for "Twilight Zone" was subject to criticism in the press. The record was followed by the band's first world tour, dubbed "The Killer Tour," which included their debut performance in the United States, where they opened for Judas Priest at The Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas. Only two new songs were written for this record "Killers," which are "Prodigal Son" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue".Īs a result of the band being completely dissatisfied with the production on their debut album, they decided to hire veteran producer, Martin Birch, who would work with Iron Maiden until his retirement in 1992. The album is comprised of left-over material, which was all written prior to the band's debut album, Iron Maiden.
Released in 1981, Killers is the title of the second album by British Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden.
Derek Riggs's Covers for Killers, 1981, and Its Singles