The Angel and the Gambler
Encyclopedia
"The Angel and the Gambler" is a single from the Iron Maiden
album Virtual XI
, released in 1998. It was released two weeks before Virtual XI hit stores. It is the first Iron Maiden single to feature a video as a B-side ("Afraid to Shoot Strangers" live footage from Israel
, but the audio is actually from Kåren, Gothenburg, November 1, 1995). The single also includes two audio tracks recorded live at the Kåren, Gothenburg, on November 1, 1995, at The X Factour, in support of The X-Factor
.
The CD single was released in two parts. Part 1 contains a poster, with the "Virtual XI Fixture List 1998" on one side and the band posing in Maiden football gear with some of their favourite players on the other side. Part 2 contains three double-sided cards with the musicians posing in Maiden football gear. Part 2 also has a shortened version of "The Angel and the Gambler".
To support the single with more airplay, the band also released a music video
, which featured the shortened version of the song. In an almost Star Wars
fashion, the video features an entirely computer-generated
world filled with alien
s of varying quality. The concept for the video, particularly Blaze walking in to the bar with a brown hat and a long jacket were taken from concept art
designed for the Somewhere in Time album, specifically the single "Stranger in a Strange Land
".
The song itself is controversial amongst fans and often criticized for being overlong and repetitive , with the main chorus repeated, in all, 22 times. The music-video version is considerably shorter, a little over three minutes.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
album Virtual XI
Virtual XI
Virtual XI was met with mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic commented that "on the surface, there's nothing terribly wrong with the record, as it delivers all the crunching riffs and demonic horror of their best records. The problem is that there's nothing memorable about the hooks, riffs, or...
, released in 1998. It was released two weeks before Virtual XI hit stores. It is the first Iron Maiden single to feature a video as a B-side ("Afraid to Shoot Strangers" live footage from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, but the audio is actually from Kåren, Gothenburg, November 1, 1995). The single also includes two audio tracks recorded live at the Kåren, Gothenburg, on November 1, 1995, at The X Factour, in support of The X-Factor
The X Factor (album)
Initially, The X Factor was met with lukewarm responses from critics. Allmusic rated the album two stars out of five, stating that "suffering from a lack of powerful riffs and tightly written songs, The X Factor is a lackluster latter-day album from Iron Maiden...
.
The CD single was released in two parts. Part 1 contains a poster, with the "Virtual XI Fixture List 1998" on one side and the band posing in Maiden football gear with some of their favourite players on the other side. Part 2 contains three double-sided cards with the musicians posing in Maiden football gear. Part 2 also has a shortened version of "The Angel and the Gambler".
To support the single with more airplay, the band also released a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which featured the shortened version of the song. In an almost Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fashion, the video features an entirely computer-generated
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
world filled with alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s of varying quality. The concept for the video, particularly Blaze walking in to the bar with a brown hat and a long jacket were taken from concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
designed for the Somewhere in Time album, specifically the single "Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land (song)
"Stranger in a Strange Land" is the second single by Iron Maiden from their 1986 album Somewhere in Time. The song is unrelated to Robert A. Heinlein's novel by the same name. The lyrics are about an Arctic explorer who dies and is frozen in the ice. After a hundred years his body is found...
".
The song itself is controversial amongst fans and often criticized for being overlong and repetitive , with the main chorus repeated, in all, 22 times. The music-video version is considerably shorter, a little over three minutes.
Part 1
- "The Angel and the Gambler (full album version" (Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
) – 9:51 - "Blood on the World's Hands (live version)" (Harris) - 6:07
- "Afraid to Shoot Strangers (live video)" (Harris) – 6:52
Part 2
- "The Angel and the Gambler (shortened version)" (Harris) – 6:05
- "The Aftermath (Live at Kåren, Gothemburg, November 1st 1995)" (Blaze BayleyBlaze BayleyBlaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
, Janick GersJanick GersJanick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
, Harris) – 6:41 - "Man on the Edge (video)" (Bayley, Gers) – 4:11
Personnel
- Blaze BayleyBlaze BayleyBlaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
– vocals - Dave MurrayDave Murray (musician)David Michael Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.-Biography:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Janick GersJanick GersJanick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
– guitar, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Nicko McBrainNicko McBrainMichael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart performance
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "The Angel and the Gambler" | Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
52 | Virtual XI Virtual XI Virtual XI was met with mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic commented that "on the surface, there's nothing terribly wrong with the record, as it delivers all the crunching riffs and demonic horror of their best records. The problem is that there's nothing memorable about the hooks, riffs, or... |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 3 | |||
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
61 | |||
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
29 | |||
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
18 |