No Prayer for the Dying
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| No Prayer for the Dying | ||
 |
||
| Studio album by Iron Maiden | ||
| Released | 1 October 1990 | |
| Recorded | Barnyard Studios, Essex, England, 1989-90 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 43:57 | |
| Label | EMI (U.K.) Epic Records (U.S. original) Sanctuary/Columbia (U.S. reissue) |
|
| Producer(s) | Martin Birch | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iron Maiden chronology | ||
| Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988) |
No Prayer for the Dying (1990) |
Fear of the Dark (1992) |
| Alternate cover | ||
 |
||
| Original cover | ||
No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the first album recorded since the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith from the band after the 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (though he co-wrote one of the songs on this album). The album ushered in a change of vocal style for Bruce Dickinson from the operatic sound of the '80s to a raspier way of singing, and also produced Maiden's only number one single to date, "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter".
Smith was replaced by Janick Gers who had assisted Bruce in the recording of his first solo-album, Tattooed Millionaire, which he was inspired to make when asked to write the song "Bring Your Daughter... ...To the Slaughter" and was released the same year. The song however was not included in the album (though it did feature amongst the bonus-material in the 2005 expanded edition) so Iron Maiden recorded a new version of it.
No Prayer for the Dying is the only Iron Maiden studio album to date without a song exceeding six minutes in length. Excluding the closing song "Mother Russia", every song on this album is shorter than the shortest song ("Déjà Vu") on their past album Somewhere in Time, and shorter than all but one song on their future albums The X Factor ("Man on the Edge"), Virtual XI ("Futureal"), and A Matter of Life and Death ("Different World").
"Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" were released as singles, with the latter reaching the #1 position in the UK charts.
Following Bruce Dickinson's departure from Iron Maiden in 1993, songs off of "No Prayer for the Dying" have been largely ignored at live performances. Only "Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter" has survived in concerts since, but it was only included on a nightly basis in setlists from May-July 2003.
Two versions of the cover exist. The original 1990 version has Eddie burst from his grave and grab the grave-digger by the neck. The cover was altered for the 1998 re-release. In this version the gravedigger is absent; the original cover can still be seen on the disc's label, however. Additionally an inscription was added to the plaque on the tomb, which reads After the Daylight, The Night of Pain, That is not Dead, Which Can Rise Again.
[edit] Track listing
- "Tailgunner" (Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris) – 4:15
- "Holy Smoke" (Dickinson, Harris) – 3:49
- "No Prayer for the Dying" (Harris) – 4:23
- "Public Enema Number One" (Dickinson, Dave Murray) – 4:13
- "Fates Warning" (Harris, Murray) – 4:12
- "The Assassin" (Harris) – 4:35
- "Run Silent Run Deep" (Dickinson, Harris) – 4:35
- "Hooks in You" (Dickinson, Adrian Smith) – 4:08
- "Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter" (Dickinson) – 4:45
- "Mother Russia" (Harris) – 5:32
[edit] 1995 Reissue Bonus CD
- "All In Your Mind"
- "Kill Me Ce Soir"
- "I'm A Mover"
- "Communication Breakdown"
[edit] Credits
- Bruce Dickinson – vocals
- Dave Murray – guitar
- Janick Gers – guitar
- Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nicko McBrain – drums
with
- Michael Kenney - Keyboards
