Sanctuary

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How good is Sanctuary on a scale of 1-10

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    17
Better than the opener. A very energetic song, and Steve does a lot of cool stuff with his bass. Also like the riffs and guitar solos. Also excellent live. 8/10
 
I was playing it on the guitar the other day, using the A Real Dead One tab book I think. Since the main riff is a bit reminiscent of "Matchbox" (the Carl Perkins song covered by the Beatles) I automatically played it with a tiny bit of swing like I'm used to with these kind of riffs. Then a lightbulb lit up above my head: this is a metallized rockabilly song in disguise. Playing the rest of the song with swing sounds perfect, and playing a 50s rock'n'roll type solo on it is awesome. (In fact, I got used so quickly yo playing it like that that now the rhythm in the original Maiden version feels a bit stiff).

Now I have an idea for a "surprising" cover version. Thanks, Maiden!

PS: I forgot to say that my favourite version is not the single, nor any of the Bruce versions, but the BBC version from 1979. Now that's an energetic Sanctuary for you. The worst version however is the Metal for Muthas version. It's amazing how a recording studio environment can intimidate a band into playing it meek...
 
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Not a fan of this. Good energy and the chorus gives you hope it's going somewhere but it's just quite a bit below the standard of later Maiden stuff and even the standard of this album.

5
 
Sanctuary...
During this listen it didn't seem on par with Prowler. It seemed like a filler. Still great solos on this one.

Filler.
6/10
 
Repetitively energetic stop-start rocker with some good solos.
Highlight: The instrumental section
Lowlight: The mid-song restarts
6/10
 
A pretty good song, not the greatest ever, but I love the raw feel, and it's the kinda thing I'd expect to hear on a classic rock station. 7/10
 
Decent rocker. Good solo, once again. Nothing too special about it in the studio version, quite good live (especially as a closer). 7/10
 
This one gets a 7 from me. Quite enjoyable, although live versions are better (Rock In Rio's is gorgeous, especially Janick's improvised solo that leads right in to the crowd interaction bit). Nonetheless, a very good song which would have been a nice addition to the album's original track listing. It's a shame it didn't make it.
 
A brain-dead but catchy riff carries us through a serviceable verse, building up to a good cliffhanger pre-chorus. Another round of the same, and then we get a pretty flat and boring chorus.

A solid solo section follows, then a so-so musical break, pre-chorus, and another round of verse, pre-chorus (with very odd vocal accents and some botched delivery), and chorus before some guitar harmonies build to a quick ending.

I'm not a fan of this one. Some mild positives and negatives with a lot of mediocrity. 5/10.
 
Sanctuary was one of my least favorite Maiden songs for a while. I think it's grown on me, though. I often find myself humming it out of nowhere. Not a perfect Maiden song, but for the early days, it's a nice example of their draw. Catchy and fun. Di'Anno sounds great. Also love the siren utilized here.

6/10; not very special but enjoyable to listen to.
 
A pretty fun song, but it works far better live. Di'Anno doesn't sound too great in studio and unfortunately brings the song down. It's still above average though, all things considered. 6
 
A fantastic short rocker. Superb riff and tempo, both solos are great too. I quite like the verses and the chorus is fun. Beautiful harmonies through it. Live, the song is even better. Essential song for the band. Should have been on the debut album. 10/10.
 
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Jer said:
A brain-dead but catchy riff carries us through a serviceable verse, building up to a good cliffhanger pre-chorus. Another round of the same, and then we get a pretty flat and boring chorus.

A solid solo section follows, then a so-so musical break, pre-chorus, and another round of verse, pre-chorus (with very odd vocal accents and some botched delivery), and chorus before some guitar harmonies build to a quick ending.

I'm not a fan of this one. Some mild positives and negatives with a lot of mediocrity. 5/10.
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Diesel 11 said:
Sanctuary was one of my least favorite Maiden songs for a while. I think it's grown on me, though. I often find myself humming it out of nowhere. Not a perfect Maiden song, but for the early days, it's a nice example of their draw. Catchy and fun. Di'Anno sounds great. Also love the siren utilized here.

6/10; not very special but enjoyable to listen to.
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I'm with you. It's an enjoyable rocker from the early days and while I can understand and appreciate the "live-value" it has, I still think it's one of the more unnecessary setlist additions over the years, especially on the more recent tours.
 
Randalf said:
I'm with you. It's an enjoyable rocker from the early days and while I can understand and appreciate the "live-value" it has, I still think it's one of the more unnecessary setlist additions over the years, especially on the more recent tours.
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Actually I like “Sanctuary” live and I’d take it over a lot of other songs. Studio version is kinda so-so though.
 
This song has one of my favourite solos of all time and is an absolute classic in my opinion. Songs like this gel with me very quickly since I grew up with a lot of hardcore punk as a kid. It's just a little too simple for Maiden standards though, which is why it is a 9/10 for me.
 
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