BludBrutha
Ancient Mariner
Probably a lot of b sides you guys aren’t thinking of. I guess they’re more forgivable because it’s an admission of them not being good enough for the album.
What are the top 5 worst Maiden songs?
- Thread starter Prowler
- Start date
MindRuler
The Duellists and Hooks In You Defender
Because we want to forget them brotha!
Now pass the jam and gimme more tea.
I don't give a damn about b-sides.
I ranked every Iron Maiden song last year. Here's the bottom five, plus writeups:
166. The Apparition (Fear of the Dark, Harris/Gers) - overly simplistic with long rambling verses and no chorus. Nobody sounds happy to be performing this song, not Bruce, not the guitarists, even the bass is basic. Gers’s solo is probably the best part of the song, but this one stinks.
165. Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark, Dickinson/Murray) - Dave’s contributions to the band have a lower ceiling than anyone else. Just a putrid chorus, with this forced, happy sound. Is it supposed to be ironic? The pace is so slow as well. You can’t imagine anyone had fun with this song.
164. Age of Innocence (Dance of Death, Murray/Harris) - Musically a bunch of parts put together with Steve’s Toryisms layered on top. Maiden is best when it stays away from politics. Slow pace, weird Bruce tone where he sounds whiny (because he’s whining), or he tries to rap. Just shit.
163. Como Estais Amigos (Virtual XI, Gers/Bayley) - The idea of the song, an ode to friendship with Argentinians after the Falklands War, is a good one. But the slow pace, lackluster drumming, and naff lyrics completely overshadow an emotional Blaze’s vocals. Maiden’s just not great at ballads.
162. Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark, Harris/Gers) - Ugh, it’s a fucking song about football hooligans. The tone of the lyrics and vocals are so dissonant, like Bruce didn’t give a shit about what he was singing about. The music sucks and is incredibly basic for Maiden. It’s very blah.
I ranked every Iron Maiden song last year. Here's the bottom five, plus writeups:
166. The Apparition (Fear of the Dark, Harris/Gers) - overly simplistic with long rambling verses and no chorus. Nobody sounds happy to be performing this song, not Bruce, not the guitarists, even the bass is basic. Gers’s solo is probably the best part of the song, but this one stinks.
165. Chains of Misery (Fear of the Dark, Dickinson/Murray) - Dave’s contributions to the band have a lower ceiling than anyone else. Just a putrid chorus, with this forced, happy sound. Is it supposed to be ironic? The pace is so slow as well. You can’t imagine anyone had fun with this song.
164. Age of Innocence (Dance of Death, Murray/Harris) - Musically a bunch of parts put together with Steve’s Toryisms layered on top. Maiden is best when it stays away from politics. Slow pace, weird Bruce tone where he sounds whiny (because he’s whining), or he tries to rap. Just shit.
163. Como Estais Amigos (Virtual XI, Gers/Bayley) - The idea of the song, an ode to friendship with Argentinians after the Falklands War, is a good one. But the slow pace, lackluster drumming, and naff lyrics completely overshadow an emotional Blaze’s vocals. Maiden’s just not great at ballads.
162. Weekend Warrior (Fear of the Dark, Harris/Gers) - Ugh, it’s a fucking song about football hooligans. The tone of the lyrics and vocals are so dissonant, like Bruce didn’t give a shit about what he was singing about. The music sucks and is incredibly basic for Maiden. It’s very blah.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Didn't read that it was non BALZE!!111
Mother Russia
The Fugitive
Nomad
Mother of Mercy
Deja Vu
Eddie's Uncle
Educated Fool
These tracks are great. Deja-Vu even makes my personal top 10.
The hatred that Weekend Warrior gets is out of place. It is a good song. Great guitar leads, catchy and aggressive chorus. No masterpiece, and of course we can wonder why Maiden tried to be AC/DC here, but it is still much better than true crap like Angel And The Gambler, Tears of a Clown or El Dorado.
I could not really decide on my five biggest flops.
Final Frontier and Dance of Death are bad albums. They have some decent parts here and there, but no songs that are good from start to finish. And many of them are even very bad, or at least worse than the bad songs on FOTD or VXI. So I could probably name 5 random tracks from these albums.
Vaenyr
Ancient Mariner
I can give you another one as a bonus: Sea Of Madness. The only redeeming part of that song (imo of course) is the solo and the bridge right afterwards. I despise the main riff and verse, and the chorus isn't particularly fun either. Add to that the obnoxious amount of repeating the same line in the outro (I though y'all hated that on TAATG, despite there being tons of variation?
) and we end up with their weakest track of the second half of the 80s (imo, again).
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Dude, five repeats is not comparable to 2,223.Add to that the obnoxious amount of repeating the same line in the outro (I though y'all hated that on TAATG, despite there being tons of variation?
dickinson1978
Ancient Mariner
I think the same what a great riff tha starts the song very heavy,for jumping andt then what a fail of chorus and bridge. The same happens for me with montsegur.I can give you another one as a bonus: Sea Of Madness. The only redeeming part of that song (imo of course) is the solo and the bridge right afterwards. I despise the main riff and verse, and the chorus isn't particularly fun either. Add to that the obnoxious amount of repeating the same line in the outro (I though y'all hated that on TAATG, despite there being tons of variation?
Lost in a lost world
Trooper
1. Quest for Fire
2. Wildest Dreams
3. Public Enema Number One
4. The Angel and the Gambler
5. Prodigal Son
2. Wildest Dreams
3. Public Enema Number One
4. The Angel and the Gambler
5. Prodigal Son
Vaenyr
Ancient Mariner
Technically six
I suppose the quick repetition in succession of a part I don't enjoy make it feel like an eternity. There are some guitar licks at least, but it still feels monotonous to me. I'll take the ten minute version of TAATG any day over Sea of Madness.
Exactly! Montsegur starts out incredibly heavy. Super cool main riff and the verses are great. The normal chorus is nice as well, but then comes the section that sounds as if it is taken from a children's song or something. Total mood whiplash and almost ruins the song for me.
Lost in a lost world
Trooper
Sea of Madness. I don’t dislike it but also don’t revisit it much.Technically six
I suppose the quick repetition in succession of a part I don't enjoy make it feel like an eternity. There are some guitar licks at least, but it still feels monotonous to me. I'll take the ten minute version of TAATG any day over Sea of Madness.
Musically, Maiden and Rush sounded their most similar, IMO, around the time SIT and Rush’s Hold Your Fire were released.
For some reason, Sea of Madness and Rush’s Time Stand Still always sounded similar to me but not derivative of each other.
Lost in a lost world
Trooper
While not in my 5 worst, I 100% get what you’re saying.
My criticism of this song is that it’s too generically NWOBHM early 80’s metal.
I like portions of this song but think the chorus in particular is cheesy because it reminds me of the Munster’s theme a little bit.
I also think it’s overrated as a “lost” b-side that “should’ve been in the album instead of Gangland.”
IMO, Total Eclipse and Gangland are about the same caliber of song as each other and Invaders. Those three tracks from the TNOTB era are like the shed chrysalis husk of Maiden metamorphosing from their early sound to their more complex one.
What section you mean? I never thought of that. The "as we kill them all" part?
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Yeah, that part absolutely sucks.
Vaenyr
Ancient Mariner
Yeah, that part. It's obviously just my subjective experience, not making any factual statements. The change from E minor to E major in those sections sounds far too "happy-go-lucky" to me, for lack of a better term.