Description

Original Dutch 1983 pressing with thin cover and yellow labels

‘The Trooper’ was released as single on the 20th of June 1983, and it was their second from ‘Piece Of Mind’. It was one of only a few songs to get much radio airplay in the US, thus peaking at No. 28 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. It also achieved success in the UK, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Singles Charts as well as gaining a much better reception than the band’s previous single, ‘Flight of Icarus’. ‘The Trooper’ was written by bassist and founder-member Steve Harris and its based on the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava 1854, which took place during the Crimean War, and inspired by Lord Tennyson’s poem of the same name. The track has been the subject of much praise since its release, with Allmusic describing it as “an all-time genre classic that boasts [guitarists Dave Murray] and [Adrian Smith’s] most memorable harmonized lead riff, plus that trademark galloping rhythm,” while Mick Wall comments that it is the song “which most Maiden fans from those days still recall first when you mention the Piece of Mind album.”

Track list:
1. The Trooper
2. Cross-Eyed Mary-Jethro Tull cover