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Coinciding with the departure of long-term guitarist Adrian Smith and the recruitment of his replacement Janick Gers, (who had played on Bruce Dickinson’s solo work, as well as stints with Gillan and Fish), No Prayer For The Dying sought to expand an already extensive following by toning up a bit of instrumental flab via shorter tunes suited-up in some radio-friendly threads. The chief culprit is the title track which mixes ''Kayleigh'' with Van Halen’s spandex lope.
And where do you go when you’ve got to the top? Why, over the top of course, and they do just that big time with “Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter.” A soundtrack tie-in to the devalued Nightmare On Elm Street franchise, this is a dumbed-down romp that’s as camp as a row of tents. Remarkably enough, it got to number one when released as a single helped along no doubt by a credibility-restoring BBC ban.
Elsewhere it’s business as usual, with episodic prog -rock tones creeping through in the opening passages of “Fates Warning”, “The Assassin”, and the epic album closer, “Mother Russia.”
Having a pop at the religious right is meat and grist to rock bands of all shades and sizes but on “Holy Smoke” Bruce Dickinson has Jesus himself pointing the finger the hustlers and hypocrites. If it sounds a bit trite then the actual execution is better than you might think.
Similarly, “Tailgunner” pondering on the rights and wrongs of war that cheekily takes Biggles and Doctor Strangelove along for the ride, works unexpectedly well. A tight formation of terse basslines, sprightly solos, hooks, and last-minute precision twists that veer clear away off to the left field just when you think it’s about to collide head-on with a HM cliché.
They’re able to do this for the most part thanks to bassist Steve Harris’s writing, and though overall No Prayer For Dying lacks the consistency of some of their earlier albums, there’s more than a few worthwhile detours. --Sid Smith
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Cd > Popular Music > RockCD > POPULAR MUSIC > ROCK
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What makes this Maiden album special is that all the songs are so short but packed full of great ideas. The title track and 'Mother Russia' sound like epics but they're both only about 5 minutes long. There are great hooky tracks like 'Holy Smoke', 'Bring Your Daughter...' and 'Hooks in You'(which has some intentionally hilarious lyrics) alongside growers like 'The Assassin' and 'Run Silent Run Deep'. It's a fun rock album played with great energy and enthusiasm. It's a very different but most welcome addition to the Maiden discography.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Certainly not one of their best, and i used to hate this album. But as time has gone on and i've listened to it more, i've grown to appreciate this album, and realise it's quite good. Just dissapointing by Maidens astronomically high standards.
Tailgunner is a great opener, followed by Holy Smoke which i love as it rightly slaughters the frauds that are TV preachers. The title track is OK , maybe ruined for me by Bruce's vocal performance on it. Hooks In You and Mother Russia are both very good too.
Believe it or not though, my favorite song on the album is The Assasin. I know alot of people think this is one of Maidens worst, and i would think so too if it was meant to be taken seriously, but it isn't!. Think about it, do you really think the guy who bought us gems such as Hallowed Be Thy Name, Aces High, Infinite Dreams and Alexander The Great meant it when he wrote this song? no, he meant it to be funny/lighthearted. So take it that way, and you'll appreciate it more.
The other songs pretty much do nothing for me. I know Bring Your Daughter.. was meant to be a novelty song too. I suppose it's its popularity that puts me off, and i can't help but feel its trying to be a little more serious than The Assasin.
If you're new to Iron Maiden, by no means buy this album first. Start with Powerslave, Seventh Son, Number Of The Beast or Dance Of Death. Get this once you've established yourself as a fan ;)
Tailgunner is a great opener, followed by Holy Smoke which i love as it rightly slaughters the frauds that are TV preachers. The title track is OK , maybe ruined for me by Bruce's vocal performance on it. Hooks In You and Mother Russia are both very good too.
Believe it or not though, my favorite song on the album is The Assasin. I know alot of people think this is one of Maidens worst, and i would think so too if it was meant to be taken seriously, but it isn't!. Think about it, do you really think the guy who bought us gems such as Hallowed Be Thy Name, Aces High, Infinite Dreams and Alexander The Great meant it when he wrote this song? no, he meant it to be funny/lighthearted. So take it that way, and you'll appreciate it more.
The other songs pretty much do nothing for me. I know Bring Your Daughter.. was meant to be a novelty song too. I suppose it's its popularity that puts me off, and i can't help but feel its trying to be a little more serious than The Assasin.
If you're new to Iron Maiden, by no means buy this album first. Start with Powerslave, Seventh Son, Number Of The Beast or Dance Of Death. Get this once you've established yourself as a fan ;)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As a longtime Maiden enthusiast I have always been mystified by many fans' negativity towards this album, since it has been my favourite Bruce Dickinson-era release from the moment I first heard it.
No Prayer For The Dying dispenses with the keyboards and glossy production that IMO marred their previous two albums ('7th Son of A 7th Son' and 'Somewhere In Time') and gives the sound a more natural earthy feel, with plenty of gritty guitars and crystal clear drums.
And the songs are just great! With the possible exception of the slightly naff 'Assassin', there isn't a duff track on it. Personal faves include 'Public Enema No1', the title track and the awesome 'Run Silent Run Deep' (surely one of Maiden's finest songs to date?)
I would recommend this to anyone who has even the most casual interest in Maiden...seriously, give it a go...it's wonderful!
No Prayer For The Dying dispenses with the keyboards and glossy production that IMO marred their previous two albums ('7th Son of A 7th Son' and 'Somewhere In Time') and gives the sound a more natural earthy feel, with plenty of gritty guitars and crystal clear drums.
And the songs are just great! With the possible exception of the slightly naff 'Assassin', there isn't a duff track on it. Personal faves include 'Public Enema No1', the title track and the awesome 'Run Silent Run Deep' (surely one of Maiden's finest songs to date?)
I would recommend this to anyone who has even the most casual interest in Maiden...seriously, give it a go...it's wonderful!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Something Different from Iron Maiden...
If there's one single thing this album lacks, it's accessibility; it isn't easy to appreciate many of the tracks on first listen. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Richard Owen
What happened?
The great tragedy with this Maiden album is that it is let down by the production. The sound is poor, completely unlike all that came before it and much of their output since. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Mangetout
Underated and overlooked...
This was the last great Iron Maiden album before they lost track somewhat with 'Fear Of The Dark' and Bruce left the band. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr Nostalgia
Still Disappointing
I've not listened to this one in years. However I'm on a bit of a Maiden trip at the moment - so thought I'd re-visit.
It's still not very good. Read more
It's still not very good. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. MJ Hill
Best Ever
I too am mystified at the cool response to this album, as I think it is by far their best. Great riffs, creative lead guitar and intelligent lyrics. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Alan
Quick Reviews!
Maiden, like many metal and rock bands who found success in the eighties had problems continuing their form into the Nineties. Read more
Published 19 months ago by carlosnightman
Let her go! Let her go! Let her go!!!
Maiden took a darker direction with this album. SSOASS was itself darker, but they just pushed it further and further in the early 90's and Maiden make the first blunder of the... Read more
Published 21 months ago
The last of the classic Maiden albums from the good old days.
Okay, its not beast or slave, but it is one of the last albums that Maiden made before the 8 or 9 years of transition they went through. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Ike
Not A Prayer
The biggest reason why this is such a disappointing album is evident when listening to any of Maiden's previous 7. They are all so very, very good. Read more
Published 22 months ago by ratmonkey
Tired and jaded
The classic Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was always going to be hard to follow up. Normally Iron Maiden rise to the challange, but in this case they do not. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by maz
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