Songs that should have been singles

soundwave

Educated Fool
I was listening to TXF on the way home from work today and realized that 2am would have made a really strong single. I think Blaze's lower/huskier register, the melancholy atmosphere (which wouldn't sound completely out of place on an Alice in Chains record), and the strong chorus would have resonated well with the 90s rock scene.

Any other candidates on other albums?
 
Not saying should, but these are fine candidates (and I bet some of them were, like The Fugitive since there was a promo single):

Prowler, Flash of the Blade, The Fugitive, Judas Be My Guide, When Lightning Strikes, The Alchemist, Death or Glory, Tears of a Clown.
 
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Not saying should, but these are fine candidates (and I bet some of them were, like The Fugitive since there was a promo single):

Prowler, Flash of the Blade, The Fugitive, Judas Be My Guide, When Lightning Strikes, The Alchemist, Death or Glory, Tears of a Clown.

Funny you mention Flash of the Blade. When I first heard Powerslave, I thought for sure FOTB would become a 'classic' (or at least be a set choice into the future). I'm surprised that it landed in Maiden's "back catalog bin of obscurity".
 
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Funny you mention Flash of the Blade. When I first heard Powerslave, I thought for sure FOTB would become a 'classic' (or at least be a set choice into the future). I'm surprised that it landed in Maiden's "back catalog bin of obscurity".
I listened to all of Powerslave last night, as I have so many times because it has a lot of great memories for me as all of Maiden's albums. Flash of the Blade is one of my favorite songs on Powerslave and yes, its a classic but it should've been at least played live and of course, it belongs on any Greatest Hits album and should've been a single as much as other great songs like Run to the Hills, Speed of Light, and Be Quick or Be Dead were over the years. Of course, Speed of Light isn't on a Greatest Hits album yet but its destined to be in the future.
 
"Die With Your Boots On"
"Journeyman" (though it was highlighted on the No More Lies EP in an electric version)
"The Final Frontier" (I think it got a digital release though, but that is not a real single then)
"Tears of a Clown"

That is a very small number indeed. I think Maiden have always made sensible choices of singles (this includes TATTG: not saying it is a great song, but it is definitely single material when we consider the VXI album)
 
Wrathchild was actually a single, but appeared as a "Double A-side" with Twilight Zone ;)



I guess I only really counted The Twlight Zone as the single and never realized Wratchild was on it, however it still deserved its own single.


A few more..
Children of the Damned
Die With Your Boots On
Flash of the Blade
Sea of Madness
Fates Warning
The Fugitive
The Fallen Angel
These Colours Don't Run
Coming Home
Death or Glory
Tears of a Clown
 
Wrathchild
The prisoner
Heaven can wait
Tailgunner
When two worlds collide
Blood brothers
Tears of a clown

I believe all these could have worked better as singles instead of other songs that became singles
 
I know that traditional singles are basically pointless nowadays, but I definitely thought the band would do a release (or at least a music video) for Tears of a Clown or Death or Glory.
 
The following list shows what singles Maiden released from their albums and what I think would have been the best singles. I did not include the live singles from LAD or ME. Some albums they nailed (NotB, PoM, 7th Son) some 'what were they thinking?" (Killers, Angel and Breeg as lead singles).

Iron Maiden:
Running Free
[Sanctuary] Remember Tomorrow

Killers:
[Twilight Zone] Wrathchild
[Purgatory] Killers

NotB:
Run to the Hills
Number of the Beast
(The Prisoner could have been a great 3rd single)

Piece of Mind:
Flight of Icarus
Trooper
(Still Life or Die With Your Boots on could have worked too)

Powerslave:
[2 Minutes] Flash of the Blade
Aces High (although Aces should have been the first single)

SiT:
Wasted Years
[Stranger in a Strange Land] Deja Vu

7th Son:
Can I Play With Madness
The Evil That Men Do

No Prayer:
[Holy Smoke] The Assassin
[Bring Your Daughter...] Run Silent Run Deep

Fear of the Dark:
Be Quick or Be Dead
[From Here to Eternity and Wasting Love] Fear of the Dark

X-Factor:
Man on the Edge
Lord of the Flies

Virtual XI:
[The Angel and the Gambler] Lightning Strikes Twice
Futureal (should have been lead single though)

Brave New World:
The Wicker Man
[Out of the Silent Planet] Brave New World

Dance of Death:
[Wildest Dreams] Face in the Sand
Rainmaker (lead single)

AMOLAD:
[Benjamin Breeg] The Pilgrim
Different World (lead single)

Final Frontier:
El Dorado
The Final Frontier

Book of Souls:
[Speed of Light] When the River Runs Deep
[Empire of the Clouds] Death or Glory
 
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