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Powerslave

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This article is about the album by Iron Maiden. For the video game, see PowerSlave. For other uses, see Powerslave (disambiguation).

Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 1984 through EMI Records in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in North America. It was re-released by Sanctuary and Columbia Records in the United States in 2002.

Powerslave
Studio album by
Iron Maiden
Released3 September 1984 (1984-09-03)
RecordedFebruary–June 1984
StudioCompass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
GenreHeavy metal
Length51:12
LabelEMI
ProducerMartin Birch
Iron Maiden studio albums chronology
Piece of Mind
(1983) 		Powerslave
(1984) 		Somewhere in Time
(1986)
Singles from Powerslave
  1. "2 Minutes to Midnight"
    Released: 6 August 1984
  2. "Aces High"
    Released: 22 October 1984

The songs "2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Aces High" were released as singles. Its cover artwork is notable for its Ancient Egypt theme. That theme, taken from the title track, was carried over to the album's supporting tour, the World Slavery Tour. This began in Warsaw, Poland, on 9 August 1984; it is widely regarded as being the band's longest and most arduous tour to date, and led to the live album Live After Death.

The release contains a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the lyrics of which include some lines from the poem. At 13 minutes and 45 seconds in length, this was Iron Maiden's longest song for over 30 years until it was surpassed by the 18-minute "Empire of the Clouds" from the 2015 album The Book of Souls.

Powerslave is notable as the band's first album to feature the same personnel as their previous studio release. This lineup would remain intact for two further studio releases. It is also their last album to date to feature an instrumental piece, and the only one until Senjutsu (2021) in which longtime member and guitarist Dave Murray does not have a songwriting credit.[a]

Background, writing and recording

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Following the conclusion of their highly successful World Piece Tour in December 1983, during which Iron Maiden headlined large venues and arenas in the US for the first time in their career,[1] the band took three weeks off in January 1984, before regrouping at Le Chalet Hotel in Jersey where they rehearsed for six weeks.[2][3][b] As with Powerslave's predecessor Piece of Mind (1983), this was where most of the album's writing took place; the band then began recording it at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas.[5]

Once finished, the band undertook another short break while the album was mixed at Electric Lady Studios, New York, before reconvening in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to rehearse for the World Slavery Tour.[6] The tour began in Poland in August 1984 and ended in California in July 1985.[7] The stage set echoed the album cover, including monumental pedestals several stories high, atop which the musicians appeared at times during the show.[8] The set amply filled even the gigantic proscenium of Radio City Music Hall. The tour was the first time a heavy metal band had taken a full set behind the Iron Curtain, visiting Poland and Hungary, a landmark achievement at the time.[7] It continued into South America – the first time the band had toured there – where they played to an estimated audience of 350,000 at the inaugural Rock in Rio as special guests of the band Queen.[9] The Live After Death album and video, recorded over four nights at Long Beach Arena in LA and Hammersmith Odeon in London,[10] were also released; these respectively peaked at No. 2 and No. 1 in the UK charts.[11]

In total, the tour was eleven months long and touched 28 countries.[7] Powerslave debuted at No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart, as a result of their record company EMI's third Now That's What I Call Music! pop compilation.[7][11][12] Eventually, Iron Maiden's fifth studio album achieved No. 1 in the UK and No. 12 in US.[13]

Songs

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Main articles: Aces High (song) and 2 Minutes to Midnight

As with previous albums, the lyrics were inspired by movies and/or pieces of literature, as well as by historical events.

The leading single "2 Minutes to Midnight", written by vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, was inspired by the Doomsday Clock ticking at, precisely, two minutes to midnight following the increasing tensions caused by the Cold War, and specifically by Ronald Reagan's anti-Soviet speech "Evil Empire";[14] according to Smith, it took him and Dickinson about twenty minutes to write the song.[15] Steve Harris wrote the other single (and album opener) "Aces High" inspired by the Battle of Britain and possibly by the 1976 British war film of the same name.[16] In the official video as well as in all live performances, the song was introduced by Winston Churchill's 1940 speech "We shall fight on the beaches".[17]

"Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" was Iron Maiden's fourth instrumental track and the first they released after "Genghis Khan" (from Killers, 1981); it also was their first instrumental track released since both Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain joined the band. As it happened with "Transylvania", the band originally intended to write lyrics for it, but could not find any fitting theme; after having listened to the music, they agreed upon leaving it as it was, and gave it its title as a pun.[18][19]

Dickinson's "Flash of the Blade" was inspired by his passion for fencing,[20] while the closing track of Side A, "The Duellists", was inspired to Harris by the 1977 British historical drama film of the same name.[16] "Back in the Village", written by Smith and Dickinson, is a sequel to the 1982 song "The Prisoner" and is based on the British science fiction TV series The Prisoner.[20] The album title track, "Powerslave", is narrated from the point of view of an Egyptian pharaoh wondering why he has to die, he who was considered a god by his people, and was written by Dickinson as a partial allegory of his life as a rock-star.[14] The track was chosen as the album's title track and provided the theme for both the cover artwork and the stage decorations.[14]

The album's closer and longest track, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", is an abridgment of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem of the same name.[20] Bassist and songwriter Steve Harris recalled how, under time pressure, the piece was written in a relatively short space of time.[9] Drawing heavily from Coleridge's 1815–16 gloss to his own poem,[8] the song directly quotes two passages, the former including the famous lines: "Water, water everywhere – nor any drop to drink".[21] At over thirteen minutes long, the track contains several distinct sections with differing moods and would become a fan favourite.[22] During the 2008–09 Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, guitarist Dave Murray, Dickinson and Harris cited the song as their favourite to play live.[23]

Reception and legacy

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [22]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[24]
The Daily VaultA[25]
MusicHound Rock     [26]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [27]
Sputnikmusic     [28]

Powerslave received favorable reviews and accolades and was ranked at number 38 on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" in 2017.[29] According to both Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith, Powerslave began making Iron Maiden famous "very fast, very quickly", such as in Brazil, where hundreds of fans waited outside hotels and restaurants for the band.[9]

In 2024, Iron Maiden celebrated the album's 40th anniversary with a limited edition Zoetrope vinyl.[30]

In other media

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The song "Flash of the Blade" was included on the soundtrack of Dario Argento's 1985 horror film Phenomena, and was covered by the American band Avenged Sevenfold on their double live album/DVD Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough (and was later featured on their greatest hits album). Rhapsody of Fire have also recorded a cover of the song that is featured on the deluxe edition of their album From Chaos to Eternity.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aces High"Steve Harris4:31
2."2 Minutes to Midnight"
6:04
3."Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" (instrumental)Harris4:15
4."Flash of the Blade"Dickinson4:05
5."The Duellists"Harris6:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Back in the Village"
  • Smith
  • Dickinson
5:02
7."Powerslave"Dickinson7:12
8."Rime of the Ancient Mariner"Harris13:45
Total length:51:12
1995 reissue bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rainbow's Gold" (Beckett cover)
4:57
2."Mission from 'Arry"
6:42
3."King of Twilight" (Nektar cover)
  • Roye Albrighton
  • Mick Brockett
  • Allan Freeman
  • Ron Howden
  • Derek "Mo" Moore
4:53
4."The Number of the Beast" (live)Harris4:57
Total length:21:29
  • It was re-released in 1998 with an extra multimedia section, which featured the music videos for "Aces High" and "2 Minutes to Midnight".
  • In this same version, the intro of "Powerslave" was moved to the end of "Back in the Village".
  • "King of Twilight" incorporates elements of "Crying in the Dark", another song by the same band, taken from their 1972 album A Tab in the Ocean.

Personnel

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Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[31][32]

Iron Maiden

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Additional personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Powerslave
Chart (1984–1985) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[33] 26
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 15
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[35] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[36] 5
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[37] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 9
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[39] 21
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[40] 13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[41] 11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 2
US Billboard 200[46] 21
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42] 4
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[47] 64
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[48] 96
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[49] 64
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42] 25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 23
Chart (2019–2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[50] 188
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[51] 109
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[52] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[53] 81
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[48] 73
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[54] 8

Certifications

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Certifications for Powerslave
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[55] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Germany (BVMI)[56] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[57] Gold 100,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[58] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Murray has co-written bonus tracks on Killers (1981), The Number of the Beast (1982) and The X Factor (1995).
  2. ^ The History of Iron Maiden: Part 2 – Live After Death documentary erroneously lists the place as Guernsey.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 116. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
  2. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 124. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (3 September 2014). "IRON MAIDEN – Powerslave's 30th Birthday: "I Don't Know How I Did It, Because I Felt at Death's Door"". BraveWords. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018. The first time we played that was in Jersey, where we used to rehearse, in the Channel Islands.
  4. ^ "The History of Iron Maiden: Part 2 – Live After Death". Live After Death (DVD). EMI Records. 4 February 2008. Event occurs at 1:30. ASIN B0010X7TJ6. After a brief Christmas break, the band reconvened at le Chalet Hotel on Guernsey,
  5. ^ Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  6. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 125. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
  7. ^ a b c d Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 253. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  8. ^ a b Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 254. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
  9. ^ a b c "The History of Iron Maiden: Part 2 – Live After Death". Live After Death (DVD). EMI Records. 4 February 2008. ASIN B0010X7TJ6.
  10. ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. p. 130. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
  11. ^ a b "Iron Maiden UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  12. ^ "1984 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 15 September 1984". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Powerslave history revisited". loudersound.com. 13 April 2024. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Dickinson, Bruce (2017). "Powerslave". What Does This Button Do? An Autobiography. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-246815-4.
  15. ^ Haggard, Matthew Wilkening (6 August 2019). "How Iron Maiden Wrote '2 Minutes to Midnight' In Just 20 Minutes". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Iron Maiden: 10 songs by Steve Harris that were inspired by movies". Kerrang!. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  17. ^ Iron Maiden (7 August 2015). Iron Maiden - Aces High (Official Video). Retrieved 11 October 2024 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Dome, Malcolm (3 September 2024). ""I sing in pictures – as I sing I see myself standing on the deck of a bloody great boat in Rime Of The Ancient Mariner": How Powerslave pointed the way to Iron Maiden's epic future". louder. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  19. ^ @IronMaiden (12 February 2021). "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b c Gottlieb, Jed (23 September 2020). "Iron Maiden History Lessons: Songs About War, Religion and More". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Lyrics Freak. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  22. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Powerslave – Iron Maiden > Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  23. ^ Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn (directors) (2009). Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (documentary). EMI.
  24. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  25. ^ Rusk, Bruce (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews: Powerslave". dailyvault.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  26. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Iron Maiden". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  27. ^ "Iron Maiden: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. 2004. ISBN 9780743201698. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  28. ^ Stagno, Mike (17 May 2006). "Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  29. ^ Beaujour, Tom (21 June 2017). "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  30. ^ Sarah (10 September 2024). "Powerslave 40th Anniversary Zoetrope Vinyl". Iron Maiden. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  31. ^ Iron Maiden (3 September 1984). Powerslave (Media notes). EMI.
  32. ^ Iron Maiden (1998). Powerslave Remastered (Media notes). EMI.
  33. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Iron Maiden – Powerslave" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Iron Maiden – Powerslave" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  37. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iron Maiden – Powerslave" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  39. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Powerslave".
  40. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  41. ^ "Charts.nz – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  42. ^ a b c "Norwegiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Swedishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  46. ^ "Iron Maiden Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  47. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  48. ^ a b "Spanishcharts.com – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  49. ^ "Iron Maiden: Powerslave" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  50. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – Powerslave" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  51. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iron Maiden – Powerslave" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  52. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  53. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  54. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  55. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Music Canada. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  56. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Iron Maiden; 'Powerslave')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  57. ^ "Japanese Powerslave Gold Disc". Iron Maiden. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  58. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 918. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". British Phonographic Industry.
  60. ^ "American album certifications – Iron Maiden – Powerslave". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
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