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Originally Posted by The Batlord
Yeah, it really has no place on the album, and is possibly one of, if not the most inappropriate songs to start an album of all time, regardless of it being one of their best songs of all time (love that song so much). I see it as basically a cop out. I think the band was nervous about starting the album with a song as inaccessible as most of the rest of the songs on the album, so they chose a more user friendly song that was just completely confusing next to the rest of the album.
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But on the other hand everybody remembers this I guess as the track that doesn't belong on the album and what better place than to put if first, as most people remember best the opening track on albums they like.
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Totally agree. Honestly, I think Hail to England was a bit of a cop out as well (though it's still fantabulous). It was possibly their most solid album of all time -- Battle Hymns didn't really have much in the way of duds, but it also wasn't particularly inventive either, barring those two songs you mentioned -- but it also pulled back the reigns on the sound they'd put out with Into Glory Ride.
I understand why. I mean, they couldn't always pull off what they wanted with Into Glory Ride, so it makes sense that they would make a more accessible version of it that didn't require as much effort, but it makes Into Glory Ride the greatest gem in their crown, as they never really went all out like that again. Triumph of Steel was only half experimental, as the second half was a far safer bet, obviously meant to cater to the people who weren't picking up what they were putting down with "Achilles" (like me TBH).
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As you've said there was probably record label pressure to put out something accessible rather than self-indulgent and Hail to England and Into Glory Ride are prefect examples of this difference.