Non Album Maiden Songs - The Complete List

23. Communication Breakdown
Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter B-Side
Overall: 5.54/10


As a Zeppelin fan, Maiden doing a cover of one of their songs sounds like it'll be awesome. The riff starts, the guitars sounds awesome, Bruce's "Heeeeeyyy gurl" isn't too bad... and then everything else falls flat. The "aaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" thing Bruce does near the end might just be the best example of "air raid siren" vocals in any Maiden song, but all it does is highlight his vibrato. Compare it to Aces High and some of the other classics and... yeah. It's not pretty. The NPFTD era gave us a great single - Holy Smoke has two awesome b-sides - but it also gave us a meh one - Bring Your Daughter's aren't worth much. If I had to wager a guess, the reason Communication Breakdown is all the way up at 23 is via the Zep connection. That's just my assumption. I need another voter to help figure it out. Final verdict: average cover.

Votes:
10 - 0
9 - 0
8 - 4
7 - 2
6 - 8
5 - 6
4 - 3
3 - 2
2 - 1
1 - 0

Overall:
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
22. Space Truckin'
Re-Machined: A Tribute To Deep Purple's Machine Head (track)
Overall: 5.79/10


There's little I can say about this track. It's a pretty cool cover, not the best in their discography, but the band is really on fire here and Bruce doesn't sound too bad. There is a scream of his where he overdoes it a bit but... yeah, not much else to say. It's an average song overall. Someone did give this a 10 though.

Votes:
10 - 1
9 - 0
8 - 1
7 - 4
6 - 5
5 - 5
4 - 2
3 - 0
2 - 0
1 - 1

Overall:
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
21. My Generation
Lord of the Flies B-Side
Overall: 5.84/10


OK so... the band is on fire with this cover of The Who classic. They definitely sound like they're having a blast, Blaze is in fine form, and... yeah. It's a decent cover. For me the problem lies in the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of the original and while it's enjoyable this version doesn't really do anything for me either. Dunno what the rest of y'all thought but that's just me. Yeah, not much else to say... about average.

Votes:
10 - 0
9 - 3
8 - 2
7 - 5
6 - 4
5 - 4
4 - 4
3 - 2
2 - 1
1 - 0

Overall:
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
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20. Mission From 'Arry
2 Minutes To Midnight B-Side
Overall: 5.96/10


Alright, my dear MaidenFans... whomst the fuck decided Mission From 'Arry was not deserving of the grand title of best non-album track ever? I've lost faith in you all. Alright, but seriously though, Mission is a really cool b-side that showcases the fact that even prestigious metal bands aren't always at their best but even so can laugh about their little moments afterwards. According to Maiden lore, Mission came about because Steve (AKA 'Arry)'s bass gear failed and he needed Nicko to extend a drum solo. The message came to Nicko badly and the poor guy ended up pissing 'imself and being fucked right up by it. An argument between 'Arry and Nicko was overheard by Brucie, he set up a tape recorded, and the rest is history. "Some cunt's recording this" is the best line in anything, ever. I can see why people wouldn't want it in the list, but why not go ahead and give it top marks since it's already there? #20 is too low, guys! As a side note, Mission tied with Bayswater for the most amount of 1s, but also got the most amount of 10s as well. Hence why it only got an average rank, and hence why it's so low. Sad. :(

Votes:
10 - 9
9 - 1
8 - 0
7 - 1
6 - 2
5 - 5
4 - 1
3 - 0
2 - 1
1 - 6

Overall:
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
19. I Live My Way
Man On The Edge B-Side
Overall: 6.08/10


It's interesting to note that of the six non-album tracks from the Blaze era, only two of them aren't in the Top 10. Yeah... who said Blaze sucked? I Live My Way is an anthem of sorts - it basically sums up the feelings of the band during the Blaze period, metalheads as a whole, and pretty much anyone who's decided not to care about what society thinks but focus solely on what makes them happy. It's not an attack on society, per se, though that song will be coming up later. It's a pretty good song, but, compared to the other four Blaze songs yet to come, it falls a bit short. Just to note - I Live My Way is the first song to be "above average" - in the sixes range.

Votes:
10 - 0
9 - 3
8 - 4
7 - 5
6 - 3
5 - 6
4 - 1
3 - 1
2 - 1
1 - 1

Overall:
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
18. Black Bart Blues
Can I Play With Madness B-Side
Overall: 6.12/10


The first 10 this song received - and in fact, the only 10 it received - came quite early on in the poll... shortly after this message was posted. Add to the fact the poster's username, if my suspicions are correct, we've got us a fan here. ;)

Black Bart Blues is one of those special kinds of Maiden b-sides - the goofy, fun ones that have the atmosphere and spirit of the album from which session they came from - in this case, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It's all there, the guitar sounds, Nicko's drumbeat (maybe even synth but I wasn't paying attention to that), but it's also got Bruce's goofball antics and of course... the ending. All due respect to Clive, but Nicko makes this band a lot more interesting. "It's Nicko here - hi." Amazing. Not to mention the "I can see you!" The Evil That Men Do's distorted opening, and all the laughter and ol' boots fucking, this is all fun, and honestly I myself would have wished it to get a higher placing than some of the others yet to be revealed. Sorry, @Black Bart ... maybe next time.

Votes:
10 - 1
9 - 3
8 - 6
7 - 3
6 - 3
5 - 4
4 - 2
3 - 1
2 - 1
1 - 2

Overall:
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
Holy Smoke B-Side
Overall: 6.33/10


Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter had a couple of very meh covers, but Holy Smoke, on the other hand, had some fairly good ones. Kill Me Ce Soir is a cover of a Golden Earring song, and it's a pretty strong cover all told. Bruce's rasp is in full bloom here, and while it's not as good as what he sang on the actual NPFTD album (or Tattooed Millionaire, for that matter), it doesn't detract much from such a strong b-side. I'm actually surprised it's only 17. This one actually tied with the next song, but was slotted at 17 because it received no 1 votes, whereas 16 did get one.

Votes:
10 - 0
9 - 3
8 - 2
7 - 7
6 - 5
5 - 5
4 - 1
3 - 0
2 - 0
1 - 1

Overall:
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
16. Women In Uniform
Single
Overall: 6.33/10


Women In Uniform is, besides BYDTTS, the only cover Maiden ever released as a single. This Skyhooks jam is actually a solid song, and it and the music video are both pretty cool examples of early Maiden. Not much else to say... this is probably one of the most popular songs on this list for fans who haven't delved deep like we have into the non-album tracks. This one tied with Kill Me Ce Soir but beat it given that it actually received a vote for 10.

Votes:
10 - 1
9 - 2
8 - 7
7 - 5
6 - 4
5 - 3
4 - 2
3 - 1
2 - 0
1 - 2

Overall:
16. Women In Uniform
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
15. Burning Ambition
Running Free B-Side
Overall: 6.42/10


Talking of good examples of early Maiden, let's not forget the b-side to the band's first single, Running Free. Burning Ambition is a short, simple song, features some simple lyrics, and definitely shows that Steve had a bit of a ways to go before he truly became the songwriting master he's known for today. That said, this is apparently the first song he ever wrote, and as far as that goes, he did a pretty stellar job for a first. Burning Ambition paved the way for the future classics Maiden would release, including Phantom, Hallowed, Rime, the list goes on. The song even ended up on UltimateClassicRock's Top 10 Maiden Songs list. They had a flawed list, but hey, nice to see this thing get some recognition. I'd advocate it to be a little higher on here, but then again it's not really my list, so... "I ain't like those other men." Maiden ain't like those other bands, too. Epic stuff.

Votes:
10 - 1
9 - 3
8 - 5
7 - 5
6 - 4
5 - 4
4 - 1
3 - 1
2 - 2
1 - 0

Overall:
15. Burning Ambition
16. Women In Uniform
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
Welsh Phantom said:
If I remember correctly, Burning Ambition also has Doug Sampson on drums, with only Dave Murray on guitar. I am sure I read that somewhere :)
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, while this is an established fact now, does the original 7'' sleeve mention it anywhere?
 
14. I've Got The Fire
Flight Of Icarus B-Side
Overall: 6.5/10


There's actually two versions of this Montrose cover, one of which is on the Sanctuary single taken from a live recording with Paul Di'Anno. The other is the b-side to Flight of Icarus and features Bruce Bruce doing the vocalities. The latter is the one I was focusing on, but if your vote was swayed by the first Paul I've got no issues. Classic Maiden guitars here, but I personally don't really think it's a great performance from Mr. Dickinson. Still, we did cross over into the classic non-album tracks around #17 and I can't say I'm surprised where this one ranked. It actually tied with #13, but received no votes for 10, hence the tie-breaker.

Votes:
10 - 0
9 - 3
8 - 5
7 - 5
6 - 6
5 - 3
4 - 4
3 - 0
2 - 0
1 - 0

Overall:
14. I've Got The Fire
15. Burning Ambition
16. Women In Uniform
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
13. Sheriff of Huddersfield
Wasted Years B-Side
Overall: 6.5/10


"We're on a mission from Rod!" If I recall correctly, this was the first b-side I heard from the boys, and it's a bloody-well done one too. Part 1 of Bruce doing Rod and probably the best in the book, if this list is anything to go by. It's a joke track but has that Somewhere In Time feel, which gives it props. Definitely a classic track. Tied with I've Got The Fire but beat it via the 10 votes.

Votes:
10 - 1
9 - 4
8 - 6
7 - 4
6 - 1
5 - 4
4 - 3
3 - 1
2 - 2
1 - 2

Overall:
13. Sheriff of Huddersfield
14. I've Got The Fire
15. Burning Ambition
16. Women In Uniform
17. Kill Me Ce Soir
18. Black Bart Blues
19. I Live My Way
20. Mission From 'Arry
21. My Generation
22. Space Truckin'
23. Communication Breakdown
24. Space Station No. 5
25. Hocus Pocus
26. Invasion
27. I'm A Mover
28. I Can't See My Feelings
29. Roll Over Vic Vella
30. Bayswater Ain't A Bad Place To Be
31. Pass The Jam
32. More Tea Vicar
33. Nodding Donkey Blues
 
Diesel 11 said:
Tied with I've Got The Fire but beat it via the 10 votes.
Click to expand...
Well... "I've Got the Fire" received no 10's, but also didn't receive any 1's, 2's or 3's. The voting on it also seems more consistent than on "Sheriff". To me, it would make more sense the other way around.

Edit: same goes for "Women In Uniform" and "Kill Me Ce Soir".
 
I've just going the easy way out, sorry. The averages came up the same so I just needed a way to break the tie. I am glad I'm keeping you all on your toes though. :ok:
 
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