Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by Iron Maiden. It was released on April 11, 1988, in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast (1982) and later Fear of the Dark (1992), The Final Frontier (2010), and The Book of Souls (2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single “Can I Play with Madness” was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
A concept album inspired by the novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, the record incorporates elements of progressive rock, seen in the length and complex structure of the title track. It was also the first Iron Maiden album to feature keyboards, after the band had introduced non-keyboard synth effects on their previous LP, Somewhere in Time (1986).
After his contributions were rejected for Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son features several songs co-written by lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who states that his enthusiasm for the band was renewed during the album’s production stages. It was Iron Maiden‘s last studio record to feature the 1982–1990 line-up, with guitarist Adrian Smith leaving the band in January 1990 after he did not approve of the direction the band were aiming for on their next album No Prayer for the Dying.
Following the album’s release, the band embarked on the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour in which Derek Riggs‘ cover artwork was recreated on stage. The band played over 100 shows, including the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park, and recorded the Maiden England video at Birmingham’s NEC. From 2012 to 2014, the band revisited the Seventh Son era on their Maiden England World Tour.
Tracklist:
Side One
- Moonchild
- Infinite Dreams
- Can I Play with Madness
- The Evil That Men Do
Side Two
- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
- The Prophecy
- The Clairvoyant
- Only the Good Die Young
Iron Maiden
Bruce Dickinson: vocals
Dave Murray: guitars
Adrian Smith: guitars, synthesiser
Steve Harris: bass, string synthesiser
Nicko McBrain: drums
Production
Martin “Disappearing Armchair” Birch – producer, engineer, mixing, tape operator
Stephane Wissner: engineer, assistant engineer
Bernd Maier: engineer, assistant engineer
George Marino: mastering engineer
Derek Riggs: sleeve illustrations
Ross Halfin: photography
Rod Smallwood: management, sleeve concept
Andy Taylor: management
Hugh Gilmour: reissue design (1998 edition)
