Killers, Side A
Stu and Ed discuss Side A of Iron Maiden’s second studio album, Killers!
First, they discuss Iron Maiden’s cover of the song, “Women in Uniform,” by Australia’s Skyhooks. The song debuted on Nov. 1980 at #52, spending four weeks on the UK charts and peaking at #35. The band learned a valuable lesson about succumbing to record company pressures and maintaining control over their output. This song led to the band’s first music video.
Killers was released on February 2, 1981, debuting at its peak position at #12 and spending a total of 12 weeks on the UK charts. (The album would also go on to reach #78 in the US after debuting in June 1981 at #179)
Killers was the band’s first album with producer Martin Birch, who would produce the next eight Iron Maiden albums (through Fear of the Dark). Killers was also the first album with long-time guitarist Adrian Smith, who had played with Dave Murray in another band, Stone Free. It was also the last album with singer Paul Di’Anno, who was fired due to stage performance issues.
Side A
1. The Ides of March (Instrumental)
2. Wrathchild
3. Murders in the Rue Morgue
4. Another Life
5. Genghis Khan (Instrumental)
6. Innocent Exile
Killers Album Personnel
Paul Di’Anno – vox
Dave Murray – guitars
Adrian Smith – guitars
Steve Harris – bass guitar
Clive Burr – drums
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Check out Stu’s other podcast, Vintage RPG, and follow Vintage RPG on Instagram for an in-depth dive into the art & history of tabletop roleplaying games, and check out unwinnable.com for the best cultural commentary around.
The Maiden Voyage illustration is by Shafer Brown. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Maiden Voyage is a Hamfisted Production and is researched and edited by Ed Coleman.
Theme music composed by Sam Retzer, under license from SmartSound.
This podcast is a labor of love based on decades of devoted fandom. We strongly encourage listeners to buy Iron Maiden’s albums or listen to them using your favorite streaming music service to support these heavy metal legends. To check out the cover art for the band’s albums and singles, visit the band’s excellent website.
