This was my favourite off this disc. Wore this album out in the 80’s. Makes me smile to see your generation discovering the era of greatness that I wish you could have experienced. They were fun times to come of age. 🤟
Another great song on this album. This song's lyrics are rather archaic. Here Is an unpacking of the songs meaning as best I have seen written about. The song starts with the Hymnal from "Oh God of Earth and Alter", An excerpt of an English hymnal, written by G. K. Chesterton, written in the 19th century. The next two verses on the Hindu philosophy "Just a babe in a black abyss" alludes to Alister Crowley, the word "babe" corresponds to the human being and the "black abyss" means a hopeless world . "No reason for a place like this" shows the nonsense of man's existence on Earth if hope doesn't exist anymore. Then we come to "the secret of the hanged man" In popular Hindu beliefs the hanged man is a sign of good luck. This is why the song states that he has "a smile on his lips": this is what his secret is. In the third verse, the most important line is: "The venom that tears my spine". In Yoga, there is a snake called Kundalini who is supposed to live at the base of the spinal cord of every person. During orgasm or intense meditation, a spiritual entity is created, the "Samadhi, symbolizing the transcendental union with God. At that point, the Kundalini is set free and crawls up the spine up to the brain where he releases his venom. The union between the venom and the brain substance then promotes a union with God. The next verse, "The Eyes of the Nile are opening" imply then that a whole universe of possibilities is open as soon as the venom makes its way into the individual. Whereas the Bible considers the serpent to be evil incarnate, the Hindu philosophy associates it with creation and ecstasy. The serpent has therefore here a positive and constructive aspect.The Serpent's Kiss has also been the topic of many of Crowley's philosophical discussions. Then, "The Eye of the Sun" is mentioned, as the sun is the symbol of creation, representing the masculine side of life. The feminine side appears a bit further in the word "Moonlight", the moon being the symbol of femininity. The complete sentence, "Moonlight catches silver tears I cry", closes the full circle, as silver is the color of the sun. We find therefore here both male and female entities, and they cannot be separated.In fact, this philosophy considers the universe to be a dual, binary world where everything only exists because of its opposite. In other words, there is no Manichean dichotomy like in the christian school of thoughts where Good and Evil are kept apart and Evil should be eliminated. Only the christian system of values is monolithic, whereas all the other great philosophies are based on a duality of notions, like the Ying and the Yang in China, or the Jewish Kaballah. Bruce handles all these concepts efficiently and with caution because of their complexity.
This was one of Bruce Dickinson's first songwriting credits for Iron Maiden on the 'Piece of Mind' album in 1983... He did not get any songwriting credits on 'The number of the beast' ... because of contractual issues between Maiden and his previous band Samson... Iron Maiden had signed a 3-album deal w/ EMI Records in Europe when Paul Di'Anno was the singer, and he was out of the band after the 2nd album 'Killers'... Bruce Dickinson was signed to Samson at the time when he joined Iron Maiden, so it was a contractual complication. Thankfully, 'The number of the Beast' charted at #1 in the UK in 1982 and EMI re-signed Iron Maiden to a major contract for the rest of the 80's, and Bruce Dickinson was on the new contract... he and guitarist Adrian Smith would begin a strong co-writing partnership in Maiden.
Great reaction. Indeed hard rock and metal are cut from the same cloth (8:55) as there's unquestionably a fine line between the two. May I suggest listening to the live version of this track from "Live After Death" in 1985. The tempo is ever so slightly faster vs. the studio version you just heard. I personally prefer the slight uptick on L.A.D., not to mention you get to hear Bruce's interaction with the audience and a couple of vocal "adlibs".
This has always been one of my favourite Maiden songs. I love how the simplicity of the music leaves plenty of room for Bruce's vocals to shine before it kicks into high gear and the rest of the band get their chance to show off.
Hello my princess, you are beautiful as always,....what can I say about iron maiden? It is an extraordinary and very well coupled heavy metal band. I had the opportunity to see them twice live and what surprised me the most is that their interpretations are very similar both in studio and live, not all bands can do that, thanks for share your reaction princess
Thank you hun. I'll have to watch some of their concerts. That seems like a rock/metal thing where they are better live. But yes, thank you and be well.
Thank you for the observation about rock vs. metal. I've been into Maiden since 1980 and dropped the metal tag for them after the 2nd album when it increasingly didn't make sense. They're a progressive hard rock band and had started charting their direction before the new wave of British heavy metal category came about. Just look at all their primary musical influences -- none are heavy metal-oriented. Wishbone Ash, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, Thin Lizzy. If anything, they were striving at the start to try and do one better than Deep Purple.
Your right to call this hard rock! To me Iron maiden are niche. They are metal,especially first two/ three albums, then hard rock, some prog rock thrown in. Not solely a metal band. Which is what makes them awesome. After your journey with maiden. It will be interesting to see you rank their albums. PS you know, they are better live!
This was my favourite off this disc. Wore this album out in the 80’s. Makes me smile to see your generation discovering the era of greatness that I wish you could have experienced. They were fun times to come of age. 🤟
Love this track. Especially on Live After Death
Another great song on this album. This song's lyrics are rather archaic. Here Is an unpacking of the songs meaning as best I have seen written about.
The song starts with the Hymnal from "Oh God of Earth and Alter", An excerpt of an English hymnal, written by G. K. Chesterton, written in the 19th century.
The next two verses on the Hindu philosophy "Just a babe in a black abyss" alludes to Alister Crowley, the word "babe" corresponds to the human being and the "black abyss" means a hopeless world . "No reason for a place like this" shows the nonsense of man's existence on Earth if hope doesn't exist anymore.
Then we come to "the secret of the hanged man" In popular Hindu beliefs the hanged man is a sign of good luck. This is why the song states that he has "a smile on his lips": this is what his secret is.
In the third verse, the most important line is: "The venom that tears my spine". In Yoga, there is a snake called Kundalini who is supposed to live at the base of the spinal cord of every person. During orgasm or intense meditation, a spiritual entity is created, the "Samadhi, symbolizing the transcendental union with God. At that point, the Kundalini is set free and crawls up the spine up to the brain where he releases his venom. The union between the venom and the brain substance then promotes a union with God.
The next verse, "The Eyes of the Nile are opening" imply then that a whole universe of possibilities is open as soon as the venom makes its way into the individual. Whereas the Bible considers the serpent to be evil incarnate, the Hindu philosophy associates it with creation and ecstasy. The serpent has therefore here a positive and constructive aspect.The Serpent's Kiss has also been the topic of many of Crowley's philosophical discussions. Then, "The Eye of the Sun" is mentioned, as the sun is the symbol of creation, representing the masculine side of life. The feminine side appears a bit further in the word "Moonlight", the moon being the symbol of femininity. The complete sentence, "Moonlight catches silver tears I cry", closes the full circle, as silver is the color of the sun. We find therefore here both male and female entities, and they cannot be separated.In fact, this philosophy considers the universe to be a dual, binary world where everything only exists because of its opposite. In other words, there is no Manichean dichotomy like in the christian school of thoughts where Good and Evil are kept apart and Evil should be eliminated. Only the christian system of values is monolithic, whereas all the other great philosophies are based on a duality of notions, like the Ying and the Yang in China, or the Jewish Kaballah. Bruce handles all these concepts efficiently and with caution because of their complexity.
The "hanged man" in Tarot is also smiling, if I remember correctly. It is not considered an "evil" card, but rather a positive one.
This was one of Bruce Dickinson's first songwriting credits for Iron Maiden on the 'Piece of Mind' album in 1983... He did not get any songwriting credits on 'The number of the beast' ... because of contractual issues between Maiden and his previous band Samson... Iron Maiden had signed a 3-album deal w/ EMI Records in Europe when Paul Di'Anno was the singer, and he was out of the band after the 2nd album 'Killers'... Bruce Dickinson was signed to Samson at the time when he joined Iron Maiden, so it was a contractual complication.
Thankfully, 'The number of the Beast' charted at #1 in the UK in 1982 and EMI re-signed Iron Maiden to a major contract for the rest of the 80's, and Bruce Dickinson was on the new contract... he and guitarist Adrian Smith would begin a strong co-writing partnership in Maiden.
Great reaction. Indeed hard rock and metal are cut from the same cloth (8:55) as there's unquestionably a fine line between the two. May I suggest listening to the live version of this track from "Live After Death" in 1985. The tempo is ever so slightly faster vs. the studio version you just heard. I personally prefer the slight uptick on L.A.D., not to mention you get to hear Bruce's interaction with the audience and a couple of vocal "adlibs".
classic 80s a decade of emotional power
Love seeing your emotions when you listen to what he sings. It is such a powerful and poignant song.
Live - Sydney concert 😃👍
Bruce's lyrics here are pure poetry. The lyrics are not actually from Revelations out of the Bible, but stem from Egyptian mythology.
quality track, nice steve bass throughout, bruce on point
🤘😎
This has always been one of my favourite Maiden songs. I love how the simplicity of the music leaves plenty of room for Bruce's vocals to shine before it kicks into high gear and the rest of the band get their chance to show off.
Hello my princess, you are beautiful as always,....what can I say about iron maiden? It is an extraordinary and very well coupled heavy metal band. I had the opportunity to see them twice live and what surprised me the most is that their interpretations are very similar both in studio and live, not all bands can do that, thanks for share your reaction princess
Thank you hun. I'll have to watch some of their concerts. That seems like a rock/metal thing where they are better live. But yes, thank you and be well.
Rime of the ancient mariner flight 666 live...te recomiendo saludos desde Chile
UP THE IRONS 🤘 try ALEXANDER THE GREAT by IRON MAIDEN
Best maiden album # 2 next to POWERSLAVE..THEIR BEST
Thank you for the observation about rock vs. metal. I've been into Maiden since 1980 and dropped the metal tag for them after the 2nd album when it increasingly didn't make sense. They're a progressive hard rock band and had started charting their direction before the new wave of British heavy metal category came about. Just look at all their primary musical influences -- none are heavy metal-oriented. Wishbone Ash, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, Thin Lizzy. If anything, they were striving at the start to try and do one better than Deep Purple.
Srara, Please react to KISS unplugged live....STILL LOVE YOU....iconic Paul STANLEY vocals in front of LIVE AUDIENCE....ENJOY AND THANK YOU!
Will do thank you for the suggestion. Much love.
Your right to call this hard rock! To me Iron maiden are niche. They are metal,especially first two/ three albums, then hard rock, some prog rock thrown in. Not solely a metal band. Which is what makes them awesome. After your journey with maiden. It will be interesting to see you rank their albums. PS you know, they are better live!
Pretty lips