Album rankings per person

I don't think I've ever posted a complete album ranking before. Going by a song-by-song average, this is what I came up with:

  1. Powerslave (9.125/10)
  2. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (9.125/10)
  3. A Matter of Life and Death (8.5/10)
  4. Piece of Mind (8.44/10)
  5. Senjutsu (8.1/10)
  6. The X Factor (8/10)
  7. The Book of Souls (8/10)
  8. Brave New World (7.9/10)
  9. The Final Frontier (7.8/10)
  10. Number of the Beast (7.77/10)
  11. Somewhere in Time (7.75/10)
  12. Dance of Death (7.72/10)
  13. Killers (7.63/10)
  14. No Prayer for the Dying (7.4/10)
  15. Fear of the Dark (7.3/10)
  16. Iron Maiden (7.22/10)
  17. Virtual XI (7.12/10)

Not entirely wrong, but not entirely accurate either. Albums like the debut, Killers and Fear of the Dark suffers a bit here from having my three least favourite Maiden-songs on them ("Remember Tomorrow", "Drifter" and "Chains of Misery), while other factors like overall flow, nostalgia and production doesn't weigh in at all. If I take these and more into consideration, I think a better ranking would be something like this:

  1. Powerslave
  2. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
  3. A Matter of Life and Death
  4. The X Factor
  5. The Book of Souls
  6. Piece of Mind
  7. Senjutsu
  8. Brave New World
  9. Number of the Beast
  10. Dance of Death
  11. Killers
  12. Somewhere in Time
  13. Fear of the Dark
  14. The Final Frontier
  15. Iron Maiden
  16. Virtual XI
  17. No Prayer for the Dying

Subject to change, obviously, especially since Senjutsu is still so fresh that it's difficult to place - right now, I might rank it everywhere from 4th to 7th.
 
I've relistened to all the albums since the release of Senjutsu, trying to find out how I rank them based on scores for all the individual songs.
These are the results based on average song scores (out of 10):

1. Somewhere In Time: 9.75

2. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son: 9.25
3. The Number Of The Beast: 8.75
4. The Book Of Souls: 8.64
5. The Final Frontier: 8.6

6. A Matter Of Life And Death: 8.3
7. Piece Of Mind: 8.2
8. Powerslave: 8.125
9. Senjutsu: 8.1
10. Dance Of Death: 7.91
11. Iron Maiden: 7.75
12. Brave New World: 7.6

13. The X Factor: 6.82

14. No Prayer For The Dying: 6.3
15. Killers: 6.2
16. Fear Of The Dark: 6
17. Virtual XI: 5.625

Even though I ranked it four places lower than The Number Of The Beast, I like to give Piece Of Mind a spin way more often, because the highs are higher there (and I just skip the lower lows). So to take that into account, I also ordered the albums based on most highest-rated songs, which led to different results:

1. Somewhere In Time: seven 10s

2. Piece Of Mind: six 10s

3. The Final Frontier: five 10s, one 9
4. The Number Of The Beast: five 10s, no 9

5. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son: four 10s

6. A Matter Of Life And Death: three 10s

7. Senjutsu: two 10s, four 9s
8. Dance Of Death: two 10s, three 9s, three 8s
9. Brave New World: two 10s, three 9s, one 8
10. Powerslave: two 10s, two 9s, two 8s
11. Iron Maiden: two 10s, two 9s, no 8

12. The Book Of Souls: one 10

13. No Prayer For The Dying: no 10, four 9s

14. Fear Of The Dark: no 10, two 9s, two 8s
15. The X Factor: no 10, two 9s, one 8

16. Virtual XI: no 10, one 9

17. Killers: no 10, no 9, three 8s

Apart from Somewhere In Time still being at the top spot and the positions of A Matter Of Life And Death and the debut album, all other albums have switched places.

Finally, I wanted to know how the albums fared when ranked according to least lowest-rated songs. If there is a tie, the album with the least number of the next highest score will be ranked higher.

1. Somewhere In Time: one 8

2. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son: two 8s

3. The Book Of Souls: five 8s

4. The Number Of The Beast: one 5
5. Powerslave: one 5, one 6
6. Iron Maiden: one 5, two 6s

7. The Final Frontier: one 4
8. Senjutsu: one 4, one 6

9. Brave New World: two 4s, one 6
10. Killers: two 4s, one 5, three 6s

11. A Matter Of Life And Death: one 3

12. Dance Of Death: one 2, one 6
13. The X Factor: one 2, two 6s
14. Piece Of Mind: one 2, one 4
15. Virtual XI: one 2, one 4, one 5

16. No Prayer For The Dying: one 1, one 2, one 4
17. Fear Of The Dark: one 1, one 2, one 4, two 5s

Again, this leads to many albums switching places compared to one of the previous ranking methods. However, my favourite album remains Somewhere In Time in all three rankings.
 
DJMayes said:
Initial thoughts on the ranking with Senjutsu added:

17 - The X Factor
16 - No Prayer For The Dying
15 - A Matter Of Life And Death
14 - Killers
13 - Virtual XI
12 - Iron Maiden
11 - Piece Of Mind
10 - Brave New World
09 - The Final Frontier
08 - Senjutsu
07 - Powerslave
06 - Fear Of The Dark
05 - The Number Of The Beast
04 - Somewhere In Time
03 - Dance Of Death
02 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
01 - The Book Of Souls
Click to expand...
Revisiting this now that some time has passed since the release of the album:

17 - The X Factor - I have major issues with the direction and sound of the album. SOTC, JOH and TEOD are worth the price of admission though.
16 - No Prayer For The Dying - Uneven but enjoyable. The title track and BYDTTS are great; I also have a huge soft spot for HIY.
15 - A Matter Of Life And Death - I still don't "get" it. A lot of enjoyable songs but none hit the heights of other albums and a couple miss the mark.
14 - Killers - Consistently enjoyable. Blends together a bit in places. The title track is an all time classic.
13 - Piece Of Mind - Amazing first five songs, but I rarely have motivation to listen to the second half. Would be higher if arranged better.
12 - Iron Maiden - Rough around the edges but a ton of great songs.
11 - Virtual XI - I really like TAATG and DLTTEOAS. Fun, energetic album.
10 - Brave New World - Big hits (TWM, BB, TFA) and big misses (The Mercenary, The Nomad).
09 - Fear Of The Dark - I like every song except BQOBD. Lots of good stuff and a couple of obvious hits.
08 - The Final Frontier - Huge soft spot for the title track. Lots of various other good songs. Still don't get Starblind.
07 - Powerslave - Slightly uneven but with massive highs.
06 - The Number Of The Beast - Very similar to the above.
05 - Senjutsu - I get The Parchment now. Very consistent album with some amazing songs.
04 - Somewhere In Time - See above.
03 - Dance Of Death - Not quite as consistent as the pair above, but with greater highs for me.
02 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - The most consistently excellent album.
01 - The Book Of Souls - Contains several of my favourite songs, with notable soft spots for some more controversial tracks (DOG, TOAC, SOTV). Not a single song I dislike.
 
You guys can actually justify this and maintain the same rankings? I can’t. That’s how great Maiden are. There9s always something to come back to and rediscover, and it can skew my rankings from listen to listen.
So, that said. Here is my ranking for today only.
17. Virtual XI - Futureal’s great, as are Lightning Strikes Twice, Clansman and The Educated Fool. But then, Angel and the Gambler, Eyes of a Stranger… It’s such an uneven album, coz t some of these songs are so great, but then these that aren’t really aren’t.
16. Fear of the Dark - So many bland songs on this one for my taste. The first 3 songs kick off great, and I am a massive fan of The Fugitive, but the title track itself doesn’t really sound good unless it’s live.
15. The Final Frontier - This one falls more and more often. There’s nothing that I straight out dislike, but nothing really stays with me for too long either. Kind of a jam album to my mind, if I’m honest, rather than a songs album.
14 No Prayer for the Dying - I give this one a pass. Some real underrated gems in the rough on this album, but also some that aren’t so shiny.
13. Iron Maiden - This album is awesome. The mix isn’t. The songs are a bit juvenile compared to a lot of what comes after. But then you’ve also got Phantom of the Opera, so…
12. Dance of Death - Overlong, a little destroyed by the unfinished production, but also packed with solid songs! To not call attention to songs like Paschendale and the title track would be just wromg, but then there’s Age of Innocence which has never been that great to me.
11. The Number of the Beast - I’m about to get so much unbridled hate! Yes, this album has Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills and The Number of the Beast. Great. It also has Invaders and Gangland. It’s a huge album in their history, but not one that I go back to all that often. Sorry to everyone that just got really offended.
10. The X Factor - Alright, Deadeye’s lost his mind. The X Factor is such a deeply underrated album. Sure, I can’t stand behind the dull mix, but I also can’t not love an album with Sign of the Cross, Man on the Edge and Blood on the World’s Hands!
9. The Book of Souls - This album is fun, lots of great songs, but some real clunky moments (eh, Necropolis?). Glad this wasn’t their last album, but also would’ve been ok if it was because it’s a strong album.
8. Piece of Mind - Extremely great side A, a few clunkers in side B though. Gotta love To Tame a Land though.
7. Killers - This album has just such a great attitude to it. Favourite of the two Di’Annos for sure.
6. Senjutsu - Is this recency bias? I think it’s actually just that good. Takes some real guts to spend half an hour on just 3 songs. Do wish that the vocals were a little louder, but Nicko is an absolute star here!
5. Powerslave - While people seem to see a classic trilogy being Beast, Piece and then ending with this one, I think this is merely the beginning of their best run of 3. From the amazing high of Aces High to the amazing retelling of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, this whole thing is awesome! Just wish they’d do another instrumental since Losfer Words is an amazing demonstration of the four guys without Bruce.
4. Somewhere in Time - Proggy and peso close to perfect. A change of sound that was well deserved and leaves a huge impact.
3. Brave New World - I’d be very hard pressed to pick a better reunion album. Forged in the fires of Virtual XI, and yet so much more than that album ever was. The Wicker Man says we’re back in business, and The Thin Line Between Love and Hate’s blooper outro really tells that the relationship is stronger than it ever was.
2. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - We all know this is amazing. Quite easily my favourite of the classic era. It makes sense that the sound needed to change after this album, because I don’t know they could’ve done better from here.
1. A Matter of Life and Death - This album, for me, is just absolute perfection. I can’t justify it, I’m not going to try, but for me this is a massive favourite!
 
Can't actually provide numbered rankings but this is my top to bottom:

1. A Matter of Life and Death
2. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
3. Somewhere in Time
4. Powerslave
5. Piece of Mind
6. Senjutsu
7. The Book of Souls
8. Iron Maiden
9. Brave New World
10. The Number of the Beast
11. Killers
12. The X Factor
13. The Final Frontier
14. Dance of Death
15. Fear of the Dark
16. Virtual XI
17. No Prayer for the Dying
 
Deadeye21 said:
11. The Number of the Beast - I’m about to get so much unbridled hate! Yes, this album has Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills and The Number of the Beast. Great. It also has Invaders and Gangland. It’s a huge album in their history, but not one that I go back to all that often. Sorry to everyone that just got really offended.
Click to expand...
I can’t think of a single person on here who considers this their favorite album. Someone probably does, but just about every other album has a more vocal fan than TNOTB lol.

Putting Killers any higher than 17th is the real offense. :ninja:
 
I get the sense that people who lived through The Number of the Beast are more likely to put it tops, and that's perfectly fine. I'll admit my first Maiden albums are still my top two. It's tough to move the emotion there, you know? TNOTB has warts, but sometimes when you love, you love warts and all.
 
My first loved Maiden albums were SSOASS and Powerslave. Both are still in my Top 5 now.
A Blaze album (TXF) was once in my Top 5 and found its way back again after a decade.
A reunion album never reached my Top 5....until Senjutsu.
 
New ranking after a year, now with Senjutsu!

17. Fear Of The Dark (15)
16. Dance Of Death (16)
15. Killers (11)
14. The Book Of Souls (12)
13. Virtual XI (14)
12. Iron Maiden (13)
11. The Number Of The Beast (06)
10. No Prayer For The Dying (10)
09. Brave New World (08)
08. The Final Frontier (09)
07. A Matter Of Life And Death (07)
06. Piece Of Mind (04)
05. The X Factor (05)
04. Senjutsu ( - )
03. Powerslave (02)
02. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (03)
01. Somewhere In Time (01)
 
Top 5 Maiden albums:

1. Brave New World (8.25)
2. The Number Of The Beast (8.25)
3. Piece Of Mind (8.25)
4. Somewhere In Time (8.25)
5. Powerslave (8.00)
 
Jer said:
2018 Rankings:

1. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son: 9.3 >
2. Powerslave: 8.8 >
3. A Matter Of Life And Death: 8.5 >
4. Somewhere In Time: 8.1 >
5. Piece Of Mind: 7.8 >
6. The Number Of The Beast: 7.8 >
7. The Book Of Souls: 7.6 >
8. Brave New World: 7.4 >
9. The Final Frontier: 7.0 >
10. No Prayer For The Dying: 7.0 >
11. Killers: 6.8 >
12. Dance Of Death: 6.7 >
13. Fear Of The Dark: 6.0 >
14. Iron Maiden: 5.8 >
15. The X Factor: 5.5 >
16. Virtual XI: 4.6 >
Click to expand...
2022 update to add Senjutsu, and to adjust my earlier album scores to use weighted averages of the song scores instead of plain averages. (This makes the contribution of each song’s score proportional to the song’s length, which should produce a more accurate overall value.)

1. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son: 9.2 >
2. Powerslave: 9.0 >
3. A Matter Of Life And Death: 8.6 >
Excellent​
4. Senjutsu: 8.2 >
5. Somewhere In Time: 8.2 >
6. The Number Of The Beast: 8.0 >
7. The Book Of Souls: 7.9 >
8. Piece Of Mind: 7.8 >
Great​
9. The Final Frontier: 7.3 >
10. Brave New World: 7.3 >
11. No Prayer For The Dying: 7.0 >
12. Killers: 6.9 >
13. Dance Of Death: 6.6 >
Good​
14. Iron Maiden: 5.9 >
15. Fear Of The Dark: 5.9 >
16. The X Factor: 5.5 >
OK​
17. Virtual XI: 4.4 >
Kinda stinky​

All of the scores above were rounded to the nearest tenth of a point, but none of them were actually ties. While I wasn’t surprised to see Senjutsu land as my second favorite reunion era album, I was surprised to see it end up in the top 5, just barely edging out Somewhere In Time.

Also, while switching the existing album scores to weighted averages didn’t move the overall scores by more than three tenths of a point, that was enough to change the order of some of the albums. The ones that moved around were:
  • The Number Of The Beast and The Book Of Souls both surpassed Piece Of Mind.
  • The Final Frontier edged past Brave New World.
  • Iron Maiden squeaked by Fear Of The Dark.
Also, both Powerslave and Seventh Son now have more than double the album score of Virtual XI, which sounds about right.

(Master review index >)
 
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