''Maiden Japan'', released as ''Heavy Metal Army'' in Japan, is a live EP by the British heavy metal band

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

. The title is a pun of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

's live album '' Made in Japan''.

Release

There are at least two different versions of this EP; all tracks were recorded at the Aichi Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Chikusa-ku,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Aichi, Japan on 23 May 1981. It was lead singer

Paul Di'Anno Paul Andrews (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024), better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, was an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno ...

's final recording with the band. The original Japanese pressing features only 4 tracks and the record speed is 45RPM, but the other version has 5 tracks. It was never the band's intention to release this album, but Toshiba-EMI wanted a live album. The EP has been officially reissued on CD twice — the four-track version was included as part of the singles box set '' The First Ten Years'', released in 1990, while the five-track version was included on the bonus disc that came with the 1995 reissue of '' Killers'' in the US (the European release did not include the ''Maiden Japan'' tracks).

Cover art

The original cover depicted the band's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

, Eddie, holding the severed head of singer

. 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 was looking to replace him. ''Maiden Japan'' was released in Brazil (in 1981 & a 1985 re-issue) & Venezuela (in 1987) with the original cover and have become collector's items.

Accolades

The Rolling Stone Italia named ''Maiden Japan'' EP as "The most important and the best metal's live EPs ever". Ultimate Classic Rock placed ''Maiden Japan'' on Top 40 Best 1981 Albums List. Maiden Japan EP went platinum in Canada and made it to the charts in many other countries around the world.

Track listing

Production and performance credits are adapted from the EP liner notes.

European and Japanese edition

International edition

Personnel

– lead vocals * Dave Murray – guitar * Adrian Smith – guitar, backing vocals * Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals *

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1956 – 12 March 2013) was an English musician. He was the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the r ...

– drums

Production

* Doug Hall – producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Hiro Ohno – photography * Rod Smallwood – management, photography

Chart performance

Certifications

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maiden Japan 1981 EPs Live EPs Iron Maiden live albums Iron Maiden EPs 1981 live albums Live heavy metal albums