The Angel and the Gambler
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| "The Angel and the Gambler" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Iron Maiden | ||
| from the album Virtual XI | ||
| B-side(s) | Part 1 "Blood on the World's Hands (live)" "Afraid to Shoot Strangers (video)" Part 2 "The Aftermath (live)" "Man on the Edge (video)" |
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| Released | March 9, 1998 | |
| Format | CD single Picture disc |
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| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 9:51 (Part 1) 6:01 (Part 2) |
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| Label | EMI | |
| Writer(s) | Steve Harris | |
| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||
| "Virus" (1996) |
"The Angel and the Gambler" (1998) |
"Futureal" (1998) |
"The Angel and the Gambler" is a single from the Iron Maiden album Virtual XI, released in 1998. It was released two weeks before Virtual XI hit stores. It is the first Iron Maiden single to feature a video as a B-side ("Afraid to Shoot Strangers" live from Israel). The single also includes two audio tracks recorded live on the 1995-1996 tour in support of The X-Factor.
The CD single was released in two parts. Part 1 contains a poster, with the "Virtual XI Fixture List 1998" on one side and the band posing in Maiden football gear with some of their favourite players on the other side. Part 2 contains three double-sided cards with the musicians posing in Maiden football gear. Part 2 also has a shortened version of "The Angel and the Gambler". The song itself is one of the least popular Maiden single releases, with one of the criticisms being that the song's chorus is repeated 21 times and many felt this was too much. Probably due to its unpopularity, this track has not been used in recent tours with Bruce Dickinson on vocals.
To support the single with more airplay, the band also released a music video, which featured the shortened version of the song. In an almost Star Wars fashion, the video features an entirely computer-generated world filled with aliens of varying quality. The concept for the video, particularly Blaze walking in to the bar with a brown hat and a long jacket were taken from concept art designed for the Somewhere in Time album, specifically the single "Stranger in a Strange Land".
The Eddie on the front cover resembles the Eddie from the front cover of the Ed Hunter album, which is probably not a coincidence.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Part 1
- "The Angel and the Gambler" (Steve Harris) – 9:51
- "Blood on the World's Hands (live)" (Harris) – 6:05
- "Afraid to Shoot Strangers (live video)" (Harris) – 6:52
[edit] Part 2
- "The Angel and the Gambler (shortened version)" (Harris) – 6:01
- "The Aftermath (live)" (Blaze Bayley, Janick Gers, Harris) – 6:41
- "Man on the Edge (video)" (Bayley, Gers) – 4:11
[edit] Credits
- Blaze Bayley – vocals
- Dave Murray – guitar
- Janick Gers – guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nicko McBrain – drums
