- French Release from 1984
A rare 1984 French twist on Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes To Midnight." This 12-inch single pressed in France offered the title track, a staple from their "Powerslave" album. But the real intrigue lies on the B-side. Did it include the face-melting "Aces High" or something else? This mystery adds to the collectability for Iron Maiden fans. Classic Maiden with a unique twist, perfect for cranking up in French style.
The album back cover lists the detailed tour dates of IRON MAIDEN 1984 Tour in France
"2 Minutes to Midnight" is the second track from British h eavy metal band Iron Maiden's fifth album Powerslave. It was released as the band's tenth single on August 6, 1984 and rose to number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and number 25 on Billboard Top Album Tracks. The song was written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson. The song has references to the Doomsday Clock, the symbolic clock used by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In September 1953 the clock reached 23:58, the closest the clock ever got to midnight. This occurred when the United States and Soviet Union tested H-bombs within nine months of one another. The first guitar solo is played by Dave Murray followed by a guitar solo played by Adrian Smith. The first B-side is a cover of British progressive rock band Beckett's "Rainbow's Gold". Another B-side, titled "Mission from 'Arry", is a recording of an argument between bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain. The argument happened after a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania during the band's World Piece Tour, and occurred due to a misunderstanding on stage between the two due to technical issues with Harris' bass, which had led to McBrain's drum solo going wrong. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson
) was recording the argument with a concealed tape recorder. Because Harris' bass was not working, he asked a light rigger to tell McBrain to extend the solo. Rather than following proper procedure, the man started shouting to McBrain. Angry that he messed up his solo, McBrain had a confrontation with the man (it is unclear if anything physical happened) that Harris felt was unnecessary. Allegedly the argument had calmed down before Dickinson started recording it and riled the two men up again by asking Nicko what he would have wanted the man to do had he been trying to tell him that the lighting truss above his drum kit was about to fall down, to which he replied "Well, I guess someone would've had to pull me out the fucking way or I'm dead!". The video of the song is featured on the 2003 video collection Visions of the Beast. On the bonus disc of the 2008 DVD release of Live After Death, Bruce Dickinson said of the scene in the video of the soldiers in the apartment, "They came to us with the location and said, 'We've got the perfect location. It's this dingy, grotty East End tenement on the Isle of Dogs. It's all boarded up and there's cat piss everywhere and it's just really foul'. And I looked at this thing and I'm like 'That's Roffy House, on the Isle of Dogs. I used to live there!'"
In Brief:
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| NWOBHM New Wave of British Heavy Metal |
Album Production Information: The album: "IRON MAIDEN - 2 Minutes 2 Midnight" was produced by: Martin "Jah" Birch Treat Martin Birch like the invisible band member: you don’t see him on the sleeve, but you sure hear him in the punch, the bite, and that “turn it up” clarity. His run is legendary—starting as an engineer in the late 1960s, sharpening the sound with Deep Purple in the early 1970s, helping Rainbow hit that dramatic hard-rock stride in the mid-to-late 1970s, powering the Dio-era Black Sabbath in 1980–1981, then basically going exclusive with Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1992 before he bowed out. Read more... Martin Birch, to my ears, is the guy who made heavy records feel both massive and surgical—tight low end, bright attack, and a midrange that cuts like fresh steel without turning into ear-pain. He built long relationships instead of quick drive-bys: Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and then that famous Iron Maiden stretch from "Killers" (1981) through "Fear of the Dark" (1992), after which he retired. That’s not just a resume, that’s a whole era with his fingerprints on it. Sound/Recording Engineer(s): Frankie Gibson, Bruce Dickinson Frankie Gibson one of the sound engineer's of the "Iron Maiden" albums "Piece of Mind" and "Powerslave". Bruce Dickinson was responsible for the engineering of the track "Mission from 'Arry'" George Marion - Mastering Engineer When my site brain goes full 1980s metal mode, his name keeps showing up like a hidden signature in the dead wax. Read more... George Marino is one of those behind-the-glass legends who made heavy music feel larger than the room it was playing in. Before the mastering console became his throne, he was a Bronx guitarist doing the NYC band grind in the 1960s with groups like The Chancellors and The New Sounds Ltd. Then he went pro for real: starting at Capitol Studios in New York (1967), and eventually becoming a long-running force at Sterling Sound (from 1973 onward). For a collector like me—living in that sweet spot where 1980s heavy metal, hard rock, and a dash of prog-minded ambition collide—Marino’s credits read like a stack of essential sleeves: Holy Diver (Dio), Tooth and Nail (Dokken), Stay Hard (Raven), Master of Puppets (Metallica), Somewhere in Time (Iron Maiden), Among the Living (Anthrax), Appetite for Destruction (Guns N’ Roses), Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi), and Blow Up Your Video (AC/DC). That’s the kind of resume that doesn’t just “master” records—it weaponizes them, but with taste. George Marino Wiki Album cover Photo: Ross Halfin Album cover Illustration: Derek Riggs |
| Record Label: EMI 1549346 |
| 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: xxx gram |
| 1984 Made in France |
Complete Track Listing of: IRON MAIDEN 2 Minutes to Midnight 12" Maxi-Single |
The Song/tracks on "IRON MAIDEN 2 Minutes to Midnight 12" Maxi-Single" are
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Album Cover Photo Gallery of: IRON MAIDEN 2 Minutes to Midnight France 12" Maxi-Single |
Back cover of 2 Minutes 2 Midnight with a photo of the blind-folded band-members.
Close-up photo of the 45T Record Label "2 Minutes 2 Midnight"
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| Note: the above pictures are actual photos of the album and allow you to judge the quality of cover. Slight differences in color may exist due to the use of the camera's flash. |