Released: 13th April 1992
1. Be Quick Or Be Dead (Dickinson, Gers)
2. Nodding Donkey Blues (Dickinson, Harris, Murray, McBrain, Gers)
3. Space Station No. 5 (Montrose, Hagar)
Be Quick Or Be Dead is the first single from the Fear Of The Dark album. The cover is a Riggs painting of Eddie strangling a character who bear an uncanny ressemblance to Robert Maxwell, a press tycoon who was at the time involved in a financial scandal, with a collage of newspaper clippings in the background. All of the clippings appear to be related to various scandals and corruption, which matches the topic of the song.
Robert Maxwell Robert Maxwell (19231991) had taken a vast amount of money from two of his public companies and from employee pension funds in order to try and prevent his business empire from collapsing. At the time of the release of the single, Maxwell had recently died in mysterious circumstances, his body having been recovered from the sea off the Canary Islands after he had been reported missing from his private yacht. These causes of his death remain a mystery to this day was it murder? Suicide? No conclusive evidence seems to have been found. In any case, he was a rotten businessman and the symbol of financial corruption and misdemeanour, and this is probably the reason why Riggs and Maiden chose to put his image on the front cover of a single whose A-side song deals with this very topic.
Be Quick Or Be Dead (Dickinson, Gers)
There are many pople that say that This is the same version as the one that appears on the Fear Of The Dark album. But actually it has Quite different arrangment than the original
Nodding Donkey Blues (Dickinson, Harris, Murray, McBrain, Gers)
As its name suggests, this is a blues-metal song. It is also another of Maiden's non-serious joking type of songs, in the same vein as 'Sheriff Of Huddersfield' and 'Black Bart Blues'. This one is about an enormously fat woman in a bar somewhere, describing all of her huge attributes in detail pretty much in the same style as AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. It's obviously not a serious song and was recorded simply for the fun of it. A question arises, though: who was playing the piano?
The band played some pub gigs as The Nodding Donkeys as a pseudonym before touring. We'd get a false name like Nodding Donkey and go and do some low key gigs just to get ready for the tour. Nodding Donkey Blues was a fun song spawned around that idea.
Rod Smallwood
Space Station No. 5 (Montrose, Hagar)
This is another Ronnie Montrose song from his 1973 self-titled album. It is a fast-paced song with driving guitar chords, an excellent rocker to be covered by Maiden.
The most interesting part of the song is at the very end, where Maiden has added some weirdness of their own. Some of it is unintelligible, and Bruce seems to be pretending to be the announcer for some kind of horse race...
"And at the finish it's prick followed by the wanker followed by cunt with arsehole finishing a close fourth!".
What follows is quite hilarious, as Bruce does his impression of Rod Smallwood like he'd already done in 'Sheriff Of Huddersfield' and launches himself into some ravings with a Yorkshire accent. I have heard that this particular part was actually titled 'Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be'.
Again a tribute to Montrose a cracking song from their first album 'Montrose'. Maiden regarded it as a classic album of the time.
Rod Smallwood
Released: 29th June 1992
1. From Here To Eternity (Harris)
2. Roll Over Vic Vella (Berry)
3. Public Enema Number One (live) (Murray, Dickinson)
4. No Prayer For The Dying (live) (Harris)
From Here To Eternity was the second single from the Fear Of The Dark album and reached number 21 in the U.K. charts. The cover picture is taken from the song's video and is one of very few Maiden singles with a photograph as a cover picture.
Rod Smallwood's comments are taken from the Best Of The B'Sides album booklet included in the Eddie's Archive box.
From Here To Eternity (Harris)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the Fear Of The Dark album.
Roll Over Vic Vella (Berry)
This song is originally by the legendary Chuck Berry and was entitled 'Roll Over Beethoven'. Iron Maiden's version is quite strange it opens with just over a minute of spoken dialogue which has the same pocket-recorded feel as 'Mission From 'Arry'. The song itself has completely different lyrics (written by Steve Harris) than the original and also has more of the spoken dialogue mixed into multiple places in the song. The whole track revolves around a conversation between Steve Harris and Vic about a roadie who ended up stuck quite literally in a shit hole. This conversation is difficult to understand, mostly for those who are not familiar with English, not only because of the thick Cockney accent, but also because Vic mostly speaks while munching on crisps!
In any case this song seems to be sort of a joke on Vic Vella in the same spirit as 'Sheriff Of Huddersfield'. The end has this hilarious Derek and Clive feel, mostly when you hear the infamous "fucking cunt" sentence mumbled by Vic Vella. The song itself has the speed and energy of the original Chuck Berry version and whoever likes rock'n'roll oldies style will enjoy this track.
When I first met the band in mid 1979 Vic was the tour manager, the security guy, the sound engineer, roadie he did everything. He worked for us for quite a few years then he retired about mid eighties but he's still very much in touch with everybody and he does a lot of work for Steve at his home. Roll Over Vic Vella is a tribute to one of our greatest supporters and friends ever. Thanks Vic!!
Rod Smallwood
Public Enema Number One (live) (Murray, Dickinson)
This live version of 'Public Enema Number One' was recorded at the Wembley Arena on 17th December 1990 during the No Prayer On The Road world tour.
No Prayer For The Dying (live) (Harris)
This live version of 'No Prayer For The Dying' was recorded at the Wembley Arena on 17th December 1990 during the No Prayer On The Road world tour.
Released: 29th June 1992
1. From Here To Eternity (Harris)
2. Roll Over Vic Vella (Berry)
3. No Prayer For The Dying (live) (Harris)
4. I Can't See My Feelings (Shelley, Bourge)
The 12" poster-sleeve LP version of the single has a different cover picture than the CD and is missing a track from the CD version, although there is an extra track to replace it. This is probably the most complex of Maiden's very few photograph cover pictures, taken from the video. It appears to be hell, with a fat naked devil on a Harley surrounded by voluptuous female demons. Bikers and their bikes line the walls of the chamber, suggesting a medevial court with nobles surrounding the king. Perhaps this picture is somewhat of a parody on the theme of 'From Here To Eternity'. The chorus "Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity" would seem to conflict with the semi-traditional biker-hell that is portrayed in the picture. What has become of the eternity metaphor?
Rod Smallwood's comments are taken from the Best Of The B'Sides album booklet included in the Eddie's Archive box.
From Here To Eternity (Harris)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the Fear Of The Dark album.
Roll Over Vic Vella (Berry)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the CD release of the single.
I Can't See My Feelings (Shelley, Bourge)
'I Can't See My Feelings' is a cover song which originally appeared on Budgie's 1975 album Bandolier. Budgie is a Welsh band originating from Cardiff (and not Birmingham, as Rod says) that is great for providing cover material to modern day metal artists – particularly with Metallica’s incredible covers of 'Breadfan' and 'Crash Course in Brain Surgery'.
It is rumoured that Nicko once claimed in an interview that he'd never heard of this song! Certainly many Maiden fans have not heard of it since Maiden's version was first available only on the B-side of the From Here To Eternity picture disc before it was made available on the Best Of The B'Sides release in 2002. Although this version is somewhat shorter than the original, it seems to be one of the better cover songs that Maiden recorded in the early 90s.
Just a good solid track from a great Birmingham metal band who Maiden saw play live a few times.
No Prayer For The Dying (live) (Harris)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the CD release of the single.
Излиза на 1 Септември 1992
1. Wasting Love (Dickinson, Gers)
2. Tailgunner (live) (Harris, Dickinson)
3. Holy Smoke (live) (Harris, Dickinson)
4. The Assassin (live) (Harris)
Wasting Love е ттретият сингъл от албума Fear Of The Dark. Не е издаден в Англия и Европа (освен Холандия) и не се появява в компилацията Best Of The Beast. Това го прави доста рядко и търсено издание. Обложката е снимка от видео клипа и представлява близък кадър на мъж, който си прави татуировка с името "SALLY". Самия видо клип показва един мъж който си прави татуировка със името на всяка своя любима , която в последствие го изоставя. Това го превръща в самотен и отчаян мъж с тяло покрито с татуировки. Не претендирам, че знам целия замисъл на картинката, но вероятно изразява иронията в това да се смесват чувствата с направата на татуировка повлияна от любов.
Wasting Love (Dickinson, Gers)
Въпреки че навсякъде се твърди че това е същата версия на песента която се появява и в албума Fear Of The Dark, мнозина са забелязали че версията в сингъла е с различен миксинг на инструментите и звучи доста по-рзлично от албумната версия
Tailgunner (live) (Harris, Dickinson)
Това е концертен вариант на песента 'Tailgunner' която е записана на Wembley Arena на 17-ти Декември 1990 по време на турнето No Prayer On The Road world tour
Holy Smoke (live) (Harris, Dickinson)
Това е концертен вариант на песента 'Holy Smoke' която е записана на Wembley Arena на 17-ти Декември 1990 по време на турнето No Prayer On The Road world tour
The Assassin (live) (Harris)
Това е концертен вариант на песента 'The която е записана на Wembley Arena на 17-ти Декември 1990 по време на турнето No Prayer On The Road world tour
