Maiden Japan
| Maiden Japan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by Iron Maiden | ||||
| Released | 14 September 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 23 May 1981 | |||
| Venue | Kosei Nenkin Hall, Nagoya, Japan | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 16:38[1] | |||
| Label | EMI,[1] Harvest[2] | |||
| Producer | Iron Maiden, Doug Hall | |||
| Iron Maiden EPs chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Alternate "Venezuelan" cover |
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10[4] |
Maiden Japan, also known as Heavy Metal Army, is a live EP by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The title is a pun of Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan.
There are at least two different versions of this EP; all tracks were recorded in Kosei Nenkin Hall in Nagoya on 23 May 1981. It was lead singer Paul Di'Anno's final recording with the band, and features a maximum of 5 tracks. The original Japanese pressing features only 4 tracks and the record speed is 45RPM. It was never the band's intention to release this album, but Toshiba-EMI wanted a live album.
Cover Art
The original cover depicted the band's mascot, Eddie, holding the severed head of singer Paul Di'Anno.[5] The replacement cover was done on very short notice after Iron Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood, received a proof for review, and became agitated at Di'Anno's depiction because the band were looking to replace him. Maiden Japan was released in Venezuela in 1987 with the original cover and has become a collector's item
Track listing
Standard edition
| Side One | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Running Free" | Steve Harris, Paul Di'Anno | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Remember Tomorrow" | Harris, Di'Anno | 5:27 |
| Side Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Killers" | Harris, Di'Anno | 4:39 |
| 2. | "Innocent Exile" | Harris | 3:44 |
Total length: |
16:38 | ||
US, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil pressings
| Side One | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Running Free" | Steve Harris, Paul Di'Anno | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Remember Tomorrow" | Harris, Di'Anno | 5:27 |
| Side Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Wrathchild" | Harris | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Killers" | Harris, Di'Anno | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Innocent Exile" | Harris | 3:44 |
Total length: |
19:30 | ||
Credits
Production and performance credits are adapted from the EP liner notes.[1][2]
- Iron Maiden
- Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
- Dave Murray – guitar
- Adrian Smith – guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
- Clive Burr – drums
- Production
- Doug Hall – producer, engineer
- Hiro Ohno – photography
- Rod Smallwood – management, photography
Chart performance
| Title | Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Maiden Japan" | UK Singles Chart | 43[6] |
| Title | Chart (1990) | Peak position |
| "Purgatory / Maiden Japan" | UK Albums Chart[note 1] | 5[7] |
Notes
- ↑ Re-release of both titles as part of "The First Ten Years" box set. Exceeded the length limit of the UK Singles chart.
References
- 1 2 3 Maiden Japan (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 14 September 1981.
- 1 2 Maiden Japan (Media notes). Iron Maiden. Harvest Records. 14 September 1981.
- ↑ Book, John. Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (2006). Run For Cover: The Art Of Derek Riggs. Aardvark Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 1-4276-0538-6.
- ↑ "Iron Maiden- UK Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ↑ "UK Albums Archive- 10 March 1990". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
