EDDIE'S ESSENTIALS 2/6: Piece of Mind (3/5) Die With Yout Boots On is another live favourite from the album and the first official result of the co-operation between three dominant songwriters Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson. It is one of those songs that really come alive in the concert setting and it wouldn't hurt to give it another go in some of the future sets. The Trooper, an all-time classic, opens the side B of the record, if you're listening to the vinyl version, obviously. The pacing of the album is brilliant indeed: Where Eagles Dare and Revelations really take you into with a more "sophisticated" approach it and then you got three more straightforward, unrelenting songs to keep things fresh. It tells a lot about the overall quality of the record that the first five songs have been played several times live on subsequent tours following the Piece of Mind tour. I wish this was the case with Still Life (Murray/Harris) too. Opening with the famous Idi Amin imitation by Nicko McBrain, Still Life is definitely one of the saddest setlist omissions ever since the original Piece of Mind tour; it returned for a couple of shows for Seventh Tour and there's a brilliant live version of it in Maiden England concert video, but after that... nothing. It's one of those songs that arguably should have been featured on Eddie Rips Up the World or Maiden England tour setlist. Quest for Fire and Sun and Steel are the only songs on the record that have never been played live. On another album, Sun and Steel might have made it to the set, for it's a great little rocker with catchy chorus, it's just often outshadowed by the outstanding quality of the other songs on the record – except Quest for Fire, which is clearly the weakest link here. It's not abysmal song, but the lyrics are pretty poor and it just doesn't live up to what the rest of the album is. In other words, it's pretty much the "Gangland" of this album. #ironmaiden #pieceofmind #nwobhm #brucedickinson #steveharris #nickomcbrain #cliveburr #adriansmith #davemurray #janickgers #thenumberofthebeast #whereeaglesdare #revelations #therooper #dune #heavymetal
