Black Wizard's Top 50

Black Wizard said:
As I said previously, I don't think there is anything bad about 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' at all, I have just never connected with it as much as other songs, such as 'Look for the Truth'. Another way of looking at this is that I would rather listen to Sepultura than Mozart, but only a stupid person would say that Sepultura are better!





Agreed. I also love your placement of "The Man Who Would Be King' It is actually skyrocketing up my would-be list as well. I particularly love the up tempo mid-section and Nickos' top notch banging throughout the solos. TMWWBK is totally over looked on FF.
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bornless1 said:
TMWWBK is totally over looked on FF.
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Apparently it has had a bit of a hard time on this forum, but I can't possibly think why.


32. Aces High
One of Iron Maiden's classics and an excellent way to open an album. I'm really disappointed that I missed the Somewhere Back in Time show in London as I'd have loved to see them open a concert with Churchill's Speech and 'Aces High'. The reason it's such a good album and concert opener is that it is high-tempo and has a catchy chorus, that "Ruuuuun, liiiiive to flyyyyy" can go round in your head all day. Everything in 'Aces High' fits together seamlessly, such as the intensity of the verses and the build-up in the bridge leading into the chorus, so that 'Aces High' is a top-quality song that remains one of Iron Maiden's most popular to this day.

31. Die With Your Boots On
I think that 'Die With Your Boots On' is quite a silly song, yet when I was first getting into Iron Maiden this was one of the first songs on 'Piece of Mind' that really caught my attention and I still love it. Steve plays a tradional Steve Harris bass line underneath some pretty cool sounding riffs, and Bruce gives the song quite a fun sound to it despite the apocalyptic lyrics. It has a pretty catchy chorus and the pre-chorus with the cockney accents sounds a bit naff but that's all part of the fun (unfortunately the cockney accents didn't enhance the quality of 'The Assassin'). I still don't have a clue what the title means and why dying with ones boots on is important, but it is nevertheless a quality tune!

30. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
When this song was released before the release of the 'A Matter of Life and Death' album I wasn't all that into it, but it steadily grew on me and now I really enjoy it. I remember all the speculation about who Benjamin Breeg might be and it was actually pretty funny when it turned out that he was totally made-up! The song starts a quiet, reflective intro before moving into what I think is one of Iron Maiden's heaviest riffs (Kerrang! magazine would probably call it "bone-crushing"). I think it's a very powerful song with lyrics that are somewhat depressing and full of regret and desperation. The feeling of desperation is definitely conveyed most prominently in the chorus. To really make 'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' hit home, Bruce (as he so often does) comes up with the goods again to get the sound and mood just right (although I can actually imagine Blaze sounding great with this song as well). I certainly think that 'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' is more than worthy of a spot in my top 50.
 
Die with your boots on is an idiom which means fighting to death and never stepping back. Its importance comes from this, instead of running away from compelling things, one should fight them until one of them bite the dust.

Great song, too.
 
Black Wizard said:
32. Aces High
One of Iron Maiden's classics and an excellent way to open an album. I'm really disappointed that I missed the Somewhere Back in Time show in London as I'd have loved to see them open a concert with Churchill's Speech and 'Aces High'. The reason it's such a good album and concert opener is that it is high-tempo and has a catchy chorus, that "Ruuuuun, liiiiive to flyyyyy" can go round in your head all day. Everything in 'Aces High' fits together seamlessly, such as the intensity of the verses and the build-up in the bridge leading into the chorus, so that 'Aces High' is a top-quality song that remains one of Iron Maiden's most popular to this day.
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Nice coincidence. :) 32 is exactly the same spot I gave this song in my Top 50.
 
I have been very busy of late! Let the countdown resume!

29. The Longest Day
Here we have a dark and intense intro with highly illustrative lyrics such as "From paper soldiers to bodies on the beach". This sort of descriptiveness is continued throughout the song. The chorus is disappointingly repetitive with the same two lines being sung over and over again, but Bruce makes it sound great though. For me, the highlight of 'The Longest Day' is the bridge in which the graphic nature of the lyrics and Bruce's singing combine perfectly so that the message of the song really hits home. This is a song which, like others on 'A Matter of Life and Death' took a long time for me to fully appreciate but I am glad that 'The Longest Day' has managed to make such an impression on me.

28. Remember Tomorrow
This is one of my favourite songs from the Paul Di'Anno-era and I prefer the original with Paul on vocals to the live version with Bruce. The mood of 'Remember Tomorrow' is quite difficult to place I think, with parts possibly hinting at sadness and others that could be hinting at anger. The structure of 'Remember Tomorrow' has actually been very influential in the growth of Metal over the years, with Terrorizer magazine calling it the "original Thrash anthem" due to the low-tempo verses but faster and more agressive riffs later in the song. So perhaps if there was no 'Remember Tomorrow' then there'd be no 'Fade to Black'...

27. These Colours Don't Run
The infamous egging incident should not be discussed again, but "These Colours Don't Run" is what Bruce said that day and it was aimed at the devil's daughter Sharon Osbourne. Fortunately the song has nothing to do with that day but the sentiment clearly struck home and the title was applied to a different situation which is of course highly relevant today. The first and second verses of the song portray contrasting views of going off to war, one suggests that it is an epic adventure where fame and fortune will be found along the way but the other describes the harsh reality of war: "Paying for my freedom with your lonely unmarked graves". 'These Colours Don't Run' is a modern Iron Maiden classic and one of the most accessible songs on 'A Matter of Life and Death'.
 
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