Contest: Mom's Maiden Mixtape (nice prize included)

pilau

pilau

Nomad
For more than 12 years I have been a huge Iron Maiden fan, and often have exhausted my speakers with intense Maiden sessions that time and again drew annoyed responses from fellow house-dwellers, i.e., mom and dad (brother is also a big fan) - eventually to the point I had to get my room soundproofed.

Today while driving with my mom in the car, I was singing "Wasted Years", which is the only Maiden song she knows and also happens to be a song she likes. Once done with the song my mom asked: "Can you make me a CD with Iron Maiden songs I could listen to when I drive? This way I could get to know your music better". Needless to say I was surprised, and thrilled at her request! It's not everyday your average 54 year old lady asks you to get her into Heavy Metal! Iron Maiden nonetheless!

So I shall abide by her will! And so, I invite you to join me on this quest to make mom a Maiden mixtape.

Please go ahead and suggest your track list for Mom's Maiden Mixtape. The winning track list of choice will earn you a delicious recipe courtesy of my mom! (oh, did I forgot to mention my mom is a renowned chef? :))

The rules are as follows:
- Your playlist must include Wasted Years
- You have to fill up the CD (i.e. get the closest you can to 80 minutes)
- You may only include the 'more mellow' (as far as that goes, huh?) songs of Maiden (my mom wouldn't last through 10 seconds of Back in the Village, for example, and I would prefer not to surprise her with El Dorado's crash and burn while she's doing 90 on the highway! Or she'll crash and burn with it! Okay, that was bad)
- Any album, any song counts (hint: B-Sides, too!)

Tips:
- A greater variety in your track list will be favored better!
- Try to surprise me.
- Less obvious song choices have better chances to win... ;)

I will choose the best 3 of all entries and my mom will eventually decide the winner, based on which mixtape she likes the most. Good luck and have fun! Let the contest begin :)

UPDATE
Contest will be closed on Sunday, 23:58 UTC - still plenty of time to post your list by tomorrow night! The 3 finalists will be announced on Tuesday Thursday - so stay tuned!

UPDATE
Contest is now closed for new entries. Subscribe to the thread and get notified when the finalists are announced!
 
Go, Pilau's mom!​
​
1. Out of the Shadows - a very mom-friendly track, which could set her in the mood for Maiden. (5:38)​
2. Wasting Love - another song that she can easily take (5:48)​
3. Strange World - no surprises here (5.35)​
4. Wasted Years - just by the time she gets to fall asleep, her favourite song blasts and makes her grin (5.00)​
5. Can I play With Madness? - something light-hearted comes next. By the time the song gets to the second chorus, she'll be singing along and drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. (3.38)​
6. The Evil that Men Do - she'll love it, I bet on that (4.50)​
7. Prodigal Son - time to bring the tempo down a bit (6:19)​
8. Still Life - an awesome song, I just hope she won't find the lyrics disturbing (4:54)​
9. The Man Who Could Be King - a great song, let's see if she can take something a bit more intricate(8:28)​
10. Stranger in a Strange Land - there's no way a mom remains indifferent to the tragedy of this song (5.48)​
11. Afraid to Shoot Strangers - same here (6:50)​
12. Hallowed... - there's no way a person can get into Maiden without listening to this song (8:00)​
​
That's about 73-75 minutes. I hope your mom will enjoy it. :)​
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pilau said:
Haha, yes, I do.:)
Click to expand...

Good. That makes the prize a lot more attractive. :p

Well, that is some challenge. What are the "more mellow" songs in Maiden's discography? Many start out soft, but do get pretty heavy later on. There are a handful of 'ballads' in the Maiden discography, but they don't stand very representative for the band's discography. But maybe, this is a good one for beginners:

Wasted Years
Look for the Truth
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Out of the Shadows
Children of the Damned
No Prayer for the Dying
To Tame a Land
Prodigal Son
Infinite Dreams
Still Life
Judgement of Heaven
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Starblind

It includes songs from every era (although the classic 80's period is curiously underrepresented) and I think it has a little bit of everything, showing both light and heavy sides, and venturing into the more complex areas (although The Fugitive, arguably the band's most complex song, is not included because it sucks). It clocks in at about 78 minutes.
 
Thanks, Ariana! I will avoid commenting on the song selection to not make it too easy for everyone, but you sure did set a high standard for the rest with this contest opener!
 
I wasn't really sure how to interpret mellow, so I basically stayed away from anything that sounds evil (like not 666 or El Dorado) or anything that is especially fast (like not Be Quick or Back In the Village). So here's what I came up with:

1. The Angel and the Gambler (SHORT VERSION) - 6:01
2. Revelations - 6:49
3. Wasted Years - 5:07
4. Infinite Dreams - 6:09
5. Remember Tomorrow - 5:29
6. Coming Home - 5:53
7. Stranger In a Stranger Land - 5:45
8. Afraid to Shoot Stranges - 6:56
9. No Prayer for the Dying - 4:24
10. Hallowed Be Thy Name - 7:13
11. Still Life - 4:54
12. Twilight Zone - 2:34
13. When the Wild Wind Blows - 11:02
Total: 78:16

Brief explanation of why on each one

1. Definitely an unorthodox choice, but the arena rock style and keyboards have, in my experience, gone over well with the older crowd. The short version is less repetitive, obviously, and saves more space for other songs. Plus, some people are apparently annoyed by the repetition (I'm not :p)
2. A very melodic song, and a very "Bruce" song
3. Required by the rules. Transitions well out of Revelations.
4. One of the more psychological songs, hopefully the scream won't be alarming, but it's really just a sublime bit of music
5. A good representative of the Di'Anno era. I chose this over Strange World because SW is hardly typical Maiden
6. Some of Bruce's really great lyrics, melodic guitars and stuff. One of the heavier songs on here but still a relatively low-key one
7. We had a really Bruce song, a bunch of really Steve songs, here's a pure H one. Not too heavy, and some really great music
8. Also one of the ones with heavier parts, but the intro is too good to pass up. A nice taste of Maiden's war-related lyrics
9. In general a good representative for the early 90s, a fairly melodic song
10. Maybe this is a little heavy, but come on. It's a Maiden compilation. As Ariana said, this is an essential.
11. Now a Davey song. Obviously the lyrics are a little... Out there, but this is really the Daviest of all Davey songs and the music is not too heavy or anything
12. Definitely an unorthodox choice here, mostly stemming off of I had around 4.5 minutes left, but also this shows an interesting side of Maiden (and metal in general), the side I can only describe as having a groove.
13. This the song that got me into Maiden, so I'm biased in favor of it, but even my metal-hating sister says the likes the intro. I think it's a great choice, though maybe an unorthodox one.

This is also fairly evenly spread across eras:
IM: 1
Killers: 1
TNotB: 1
PoM: 2
Powerslave: 0
SiT: 2
SSoaSS: 1
NPftD: 1
FotD: 1
TXF: 0
VXI: 1
BNW: 0
DoD: 0
AMoLaD: 0
TFF: 2

Oh, and guys? I like The Fugitive, and considered putting it on there to troll you, but decided y'all will be scandalized enough about The Angel And The Gambler.
 
This was fun, even though you gave us no context of what your mom likes.
I filtered it through my kids, who love Maiden, but generally listen mostly to pop, and my wife, who's a dozen years younger than your mom and claims to hate metal, even though we've caught her humming Maiden tracks several times.
It is nowhere near a best of Maiden, or a good cross-section of what they are capable of.
This is a list of songs I thought a 54-year-old non-metal fan had the best chance of liking.
I basically looked for three things, beyond the requested "not too heavy":
1) Catchy vocal melodies — Maiden that you find yourself singing along to. Pop is accessible for a reason.
2) Mainstream song structure — they didn't have to be short, but they shouldn't be overly complicated (thus no Fugitive).
3) Obvious '70s references — Maiden and your Mom are the same age. I looked for things that could be compared to the '70s rock stylings she may have been familiar with in her younger days: Bad Company, Zep, Kiss, etc.
Consider these the gateway drug.
If we can get her hooked with these, she'll be banging her head to Be Quick or Be Dead in no time. :D

Wasted Years
From Here to Eternity
Flight of Icarus
The Educated Fool
That Girl
Reach Out
Weekend Warrior
Angel and the Gambler
Blood Brothers
When the Wild Wind Blows
Running Free (extended LAD version if it fits, LAD radio edit if it doesn't)
Journeyman
Fear of the Dark
Como Estais Amigos

*For extra points*
You said Maiden, so I stuck to Maiden.
But if you include solo stuff, then Navigate the Seas of the Sun, Man of Sorrows and Change of Heart are musts.
 
That's awesome that your mom has taken a bit of an interest in Maiden! Which ever playlist she decides will be great! You guys have come up with some good ones already.

Here's what I came up with. Alot are what people have said already but with a few additions.

Hallowed Be Thy Name
Still Life
Remember Tomorrow
Strange World
Prodigal Son
Flight of Icarus (Maybe a tad heavy but catchy as hell chorus. Your mom will be singing it in no time!)
Total Eclipse
Infinite Dreams
Can I play with Madness
Stranger In A Strange Land
Journeyman
Coming Home
Reach Out (You can't have Wasted Years without it's b-side.)
Wasted Years

Clocks in at 72 minutes.
 
How could I forget about Journeyman and Coming Home? o_O
I also though about suggesting A.S.A.P. but we're sticking to Maiden only.

Oh, and no one ever said we don't like The Fugitive. ;)
 
Hi pilau, this was fun. Making such a compilation is a nice challenging thing to do, especially when we have some criteria. Without looking at previous lists I came up with this 75:24 set.

01 Brave New World 6:18
02 Wasted Years 5:06
03 Afraid to Shoot Strangers 6:56
04 Running Free 3:17
05 Infinite Dreams 6:09
06 Reach Out 3:31
07 The Educated Fool 6:44
08 Rainmaker 3:48
09 Strange World 5:45
10 Deja-Vu 4:56
11 Quest for Fire 3:41
12 Doctor Doctor 4:50
13 Prodigal Son 6:11
14 Judas be My Guide 3:08
15 That Girl 5:04

I took mellow not per se as soft only, so besides ballads I especially focused on melody. Maiden made some really great not too lengthy catchy songs, so you'll notice the high amount of 3 minute songs. A compilation is always lighter when there are enough short songs. Not too many lengthy ones and if there are some, don't put too many of them right after each other. This touches already the variation aspect. But there's more. Next to 10 Bruce-era songs I decided to do 3 songs with Di'Anno and 2 with Blaze on which they sound particularly strong (I know some better sounding ones by them but I esteemed them as too aggressive). Also I took your hint seriously and added some B-sides.

Since Wasted Years is the favourite song of the moment, I decided to do 3 more Somewhere in Time-era songs, and I've spread them well over the "tape", ending with a "tribute" to your mother. ;-)
 
mckindog said:
This is a list of songs I thought a 54-year-old non-metal fan had the best chance of liking.
Click to expand...
That's exactly the direction you should have taken :)

Outstanding song lists, everyone! I love your enthusiasm. It's going to be a tough one for me - for sure! And for the rest of you Maidenfans - contest is still open!
 
Forostar said:
Hi pilau, this was fun. Making such a compilation is a nice challenging thing to do, especially when we have some criteria. Without looking at previous lists I came up with this 75:24 set.

01 Brave New World 6:18
02 Wasted Years 5:06
03 Afraid to Shoot Strangers 6:56
04 Running Free 3:17
05 Infinite Dreams 6:09
06 Reach Out 3:31
07 The Educated Fool 6:44
08 Rainmaker 3:48
09 Strange World 5:45
10 Deja-Vu 4:56
11 Quest for Fire 3:41
12 Doctor Doctor 4:50
13 Prodigal Son 6:11
14 Judas be My Guide 3:08
15 That Girl 5:04

I took mellow not per se as soft only, so besides ballads I especially focused on melody.
Variation was at least as important. Next to 10 Bruce-era songs I decided to do 3 songs with Di'Anno and 2 with Blaze. Also I took your hint serious and added some B-sides.

Since Wasted Years is the favourite song of the moment, I decided to do 3 more Somewhere in Time-era songs, and I've spread them well over the "tape", ending with a "tribute" to your mother. ;-)
Click to expand...

Foro just set a really high bar you guys ;) New entries will have to stand out to set it even higher!
 
This was quite tough actually, cause like has been said, Maiden do love softer intros that kick up later (in both heaviness and speed) in the song although I think your mum would love a ton of Bruce solo tracks. I feel that about half of the songs will be basically the same on every list, just because Maiden just don't have that many songs that fit in the softer category.

1. The Evil That Men Do (4:36) - Standard Maiden "rocker" but a very very good one at that and also catchy enough and not too heavy overall.
2. Strange World (5:56) - I do agree with the sentiments about Remember Tomorrow, but I think the faster / louder sections would be too much. Sure Strange World isn't typical Maiden, but that's why it really is a great song. They were doing things differently even on their first album!
3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) (4:15) - Yep, an instrumental track! Even without the vocal melodies, there is still enough here to be catchy I think. The solo / post solo part might be reasonably heavy, but I think the rest of the song would be fine.
4. Fortunes of War (7:23) - Considered Como Estias Amigos but I feel that is too moody and depressing, not really a song you want to be listening to when driving. Noticed a bunch of other Blaze songs but I think most of them get too heavy in their heavier parts, although this definitely isn't the most varied song for a song of this length. In the heavier parts of this song there is alot of melodic work going on.
5. Wasted Years (5:07) - Don't need to explain anything I should think.
6. No Prayer For the Dying (4:23) - Considered Afraid to Shoot Strangers (which is the better song if I might add), but that sudden entrance into that fast solo section will be way too much I feel. At least the No Prayer one builds up so you can kinda see it coming.
7. Fear of the Dark (7:16) - Another standard "Maiden" rocker and not too heavy on the studio album although of course it is much better live (although much heavier).
8. Coming Home (5:52) - Shouldn't be too hard to see why it's on this list.
9. Running Free (3:27) - Another standard ""rocker"
10. Prodigal Son (6:22)- Mellow, melodic and perfect for this tape, also does showcase what Paul Di'Anno could do with softer songs.
11. Infinite Dreams (6:09) - Just a great song and like has been said, the scream is probably the most eye-opening thing on this song, but overall the song doesn't get really really heavy. Of course it does get faster and a bit heavier but it still should be ok.
12: Journeyman (7:07)- Obviously the softest song Maiden have ever done, this is definitely a sure thing for this tape, even if it isn't exactly typical for what Maiden do.
13. When the Wild Wind Blows (11:01)- A good representation of what Maiden have done later in their career with alot of their songs.

I think this playlist comes to a total of approximately 79 minutes.
 
Interesting and fun ... I'll go with this. I intentionally stuck with many shorter songs as they tend to be closer to "regular rock" tunes

Women In Uniform (4:21) --- Straight up rocker/cover song with a catchy chorus
Run To The Hills (3;50)-- My Mom liked this one
Stranger in a Strange Land (5:45) -- Steady rocker
From Here to Eternity (3:37) -- another steady rocker
Wasting Love (5:50) -- Nice Ballad
Journeyman (7:07) -- Another nice ballad, I would maybe go with the live version just to have a live song in here
Revelations (6:50) -- Excellent vocals
Sun and Steel (3:26) -- Catchy song
Wasted Years (5:07) -- required
Rainmaker (3:48) -- Beautiful song IMO
Man of Sorrows (5:20) -- went out on a limb here a bit with a non Maiden songs, but it really showcases Bruce's voice
Wrathchild (2:54) -- good straight up rocker, with a little punk edge
Judas Be My Guide (3:08) -- catchy chorus
Educated Fool (6:44) -- token Blaze song :) actually one of my favorites from him and I think a good all around song
Ghost of the Navigator (6:50) -- has nice elements of Maiden prog rock, and the chorus is quite catchy
 
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