Somewhere in Time

Lord of Wolves 78

Educated Fool
This album is the album that got me into Iron Maiden in first place back in 1990. For me this album is just a pure masterpiece from start to finish with no filler and all killer. All the songs are fantastic and all the songs are a 10 for except for De Ja Vu which is a 9.5/9.6. The riffs and melodies are very impressive and stick in your head long after the album is over. What also gets to me is that people go on and on and on about both NoTB and Powerslave, and yet never ever talk or give much praise to this album. Don't get me wrong, I do like those albums, but Somewhere in Time will aways be my absolute favourite album alongside Killers, Piece of Mind, Seventh Son and even Fear of The Dark. It's sad and pity that the band may never play much of this album apart from Wasted Years and Heaven Can Wait.

Derek's artwork is just unbelievable, there is so much detail to see and lots of hidden messages. You definitely need to own this album on vinyl and not CD. The new 2014 or 2015 release's artwork is actually not as clear as the original 1986 version. Get the original on amazon or ebay instead. I'm sure some other diehard Derek Rigg's/Maiden fans spotted this. I know that Steve won't play Stranger in a Strange Land, because his father died around that time. Also what annoys me is that Maiden never recorded the live show/s of Somewhere in Time. I don't blame Steve for being annoyed at Rod Smallwood to this day. Thankfully it does get a lot more love these days especially by a lot of the people on Metal Archives and both Downfall Network and Ragaholic on youtube. So does anybody else share my love of this awesome album?
 
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Yes. I love the feel of the album, the synth really shines. All of the songs are favorites. My favorite Maiden album fluctuates between Powerslave and this one, but Somewhere In Time is truly an amazing record.
 
Absolutely - this was my introduction to the band back in the 80s. I love everything about it. The pace, the storytelling, the ethereal/reverb-y production, the artwork, the solos,. It's an awesome record. I consider this the apex of the 'holy trinity' period (Powerslave/SIT/SSOASS).
 
I know that Steve won't play Stranger in a Strange Land, because his father died around that time.
Aren't you confusing this with Adrian Smith's father? When he died in 1999, Maiden never played the song afterwards. Not saying that it is per se because of the death, but this is what happened somewhere in time.

On the album: Yes Sir! I feel the same. I got into Maiden in 1991 and with this album, in the beginning I was especially spellbound by CSIT, WY, Loneliness and Alexander the Great and later Sea of Madness and Deja-Vu climbed up in my favourites. I wrote this 10 and a half years ago on the Commentary forum, go have a look out there, you might like it:

....the first Iron Maiden studio-albums, I owned, were Piece Of Mind and Somewhere In Time. But Somewhere In Time was really the one I was going for.

The “12 Wasted Years” video accelerated everything. The funny playback-show of “Wasted Years” from German TV and the short clip of “Caught Somewhere In Time” in Japan made me very eager to check out this product. Adrian brought the best out of himself. He delivered three excellent tracks, which had more of a melancholic feel than most other Maiden songs. In the beginning I had to get used to the riffs of “Sea Of Madness”, and still I am not that fond of the vocal melody in the “Stranger In A Strange Land” chorus. The only other weak point of the album is the vocal melody in “Heaven Can Wait”, but for the rest I love it all very much! “Déja-Vu” is a dynamic up-tempo gem.

The sound on this album really does it for me. What I like about the production is the drum sound which seems to blend so well with ‘Arry bass and the rest of the music. There’s a big chance that Nicko’s playing and his drum sound might influence my total appreciation for Somewhere in Time. Again, like on Powerslave we can hear that Adrian does a lot of different things than Dave. There’s so much melody on this album and the production fits perfectly to that.

All studio versions of these songs I like better than all the live versions I have ever heard. This says enough about how special this album is, doesn't it?
 
This was also the very first Maiden album I listened to in full and the very first album that got me into Maiden! :edmetal: Its also my very favorite Maiden album and I felt like I was transported into the artwork when I first heard The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner for the very first time in mid February, 1996. I also welcome you to the forum! :welcome:
 
Aren't you confusing this with Adrian Smith's father? When he died in 1999, Maiden never played the song afterwards. Not saying that it is per se because of the death, but this is what happened somewhere in time.

On the album: Yes Sir! I feel the same. I got into Maiden in 1991 and with this album, in the beginning I was especially spellbound by CSIT, WY, Loneliness and Alexander the Great and later Sea of Madness and Deja-Vu climbed up in my favourites. I wrote this 10 and a half years ago on the Commentary forum, go have a look out there, you might like it:

Sorry about that Forostar, I thought for years it was Steve's father. I was 12 in 1990 when I got into this album, so I just gave away my age. Great review also Forostar. I must say people on this forum are a lot nicer than on the english Metal Hammer forum. It's really fantastic to see that a lot people love this album too.
 
just love this album it's maybe the best thing that they have done remember i said maybe, great cover the production is amazing and bruce sounds fantastic got the original vinyl release as well as the japanese version with the 7"interview single
 
A great album but.... best thing they’ve ever done. Er no... not in my opinion anyway.

Never will understand the fanboy gushing love this album gets.
 
A great album but.... best thing they’ve ever done. Er no... not in my opinion anyway.

Never will understand the fanboy gushing love this album gets.

I'll never understand why Powerslave and the Number of the Beast get overpraised, when Piece of Mind, Killers and Somewhere in Time are better.
Piece of Mind has the best guitar tone and Bruce's best vocal performance.
 
I'll be fully honest and say part of my gushing is nostalgia. SIT was the first one that I really listened to. I was also a budding sci-fi nerd, so the Blade Runner/Terminator-esque cover, combined with the ethereal production appealed to me thematically (still does). I also was a kid in elementary school when I listened to it, so SIT also ties back into the childhood era for me and brings back all sorts of memories (happy days). I think those ancillary factors always end up elevating albums in peoples minds.

Having said all of that, I still think on it's actual merits alone, it is a great record.

I remember getting a SIT shirt for Christmas in 86 and shocking my teacher with it when I wore it after we got back from winter break. I got sent to the principal's office because it was too "graphic". How times have changed...
 
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