Battle of the unsingable choruses

[Ruflux]

Can I vote for both? Mother of Mercy is a track I mostly skip since it just sounds bad, it's full of clumsy lyrics and musically it's okay but not anything special. Lightning Strikes Twice is easily one of the worst tracks on the band's worst album with an atrocious chorus. I'd rather not remember either one exists, frankly, and most of the time I don't, very similarly to how I don't remember the vast majority of FotD's songs.

 

[LooseCannon]

I quite like Lightning Strikes Twice. I don't think it's a great song but it's perfectly fine. Mother of Mercy is a bottom 10 Iron Maiden song for me.

 

[Perun]

When I first heard Mother of Mercy, my initial reaction was: "I'm starting to think this album isn't going to be as good as AMOLAD".

 

[Kalata]

Bruce should’ve just done a couple more takes.

We can say that about the album as a whole (like TMP), right. It's very strange, Bruce was brutal live during this period. Btw, he also writes such high choruses for his songs.

Mother of Mercy is one of my least favourite Maiden tunes, one of the few I dislike from the reunion era. Maiden by numbers, lyrics that seem leftover from the previous album, with an incomprehendible 'studio magic' chorus.

Maiden by numbers is perfect to describe it. Btw, the ''studio magic'' chorus of Greater Good, the latter part of it is not sounding cool. And yes, a chorus can ruin a song. I think one way to compensate all these longer songs and quiet and sometimes longer intros is to put more faster longer songs. And in some songs in the early Reunion era they didn't add melodic passages because of that, methinks. Now Mercy's vibe is perfect for the song and much more welcomed for me than King, but imagine what Bruce could have done with his heavy solo approach back then. One of Adrian's heaviest songs, it reminds me of his heavier solo material (more riff-y, intro melody, short solo). TFF album has its oddities with intros.

All in all, Mercy is a unique song to say in Maiden's discography and I wouldn't want to lose it.

Whereas Lightning Strikes twice has a brilliant show-stopping Janick solo, as chaotically electric as the theme. I much prefer that song.

Well said.

11 votes for Lightning....coming from Virtual XI

It seems Mercy is a very unpopular Reunion song, the music material on VXI was never as bad as some fans think.

 

[naranja]

We can say that about the album as a whole (like TMP), right. It's very strange, Bruce was brutal live during this period. Btw, he also writes such high choruses for his songs.

Maiden by numbers is perfect to describe it. Btw, the ''studio magic'' chorus of Greater Good, the latter part of it is not sounding cool. And yes, a chorus can ruin a song. I think one way to compensate all these longer songs and quiet and sometimes longer intros is to put more faster longer songs. And in some songs in the early Reunion era they didn't add melodic passages because of that, methinks. Now Mercy's vibe is perfect for the song and much more welcomed for me than King, but imagine what Bruce could have done with his heavy solo approach back then. One of Adrian's heaviest songs, it reminds me of his heavier solo material (more riff-y, intro melody, short solo). TFF album has its oddities with intros.

All in all, Mercy is a unique song to say in Maiden's discography and I wouldn't want to lose it.

Well said.

It seems Mercy is a very unpopular Reunion song, the music material on VXI was never as bad as some fans think.

Virtual XI has some lovely melodies, instrumental sections and solos.

Just Nicko phoned it in, Harry needed reigning in with the choruses and repetition on lots of the album, and Blaze needed a few more takes on some of the songs.

Blaze has said that whilst the X Factor production dragged for a year, with Virtual they rushed through it without polishing it.

 

[Kalata]

Blaze has said that whilst the X Factor production dragged for a year, with Virtual they rushed through it without polishing it.

The album was rushed like No Prayer, but the musical ideas are strong and more interesting for me. It's really curious why they decided to release again an album with 8 songs since the 80's. The ideas and written material weren't a few for sure, they had a whole year free. Like for the previous album, but a whole year for production is wow.

 

[Spaldy]

Blaze has the audience sing the strikes twice part live nowadays

I don't know why Steve didn't just sing that part live. It's in his wheelhouse since all he has to do is shout.

 

[Spaldy]

The album was rushed like No Prayer, but the musical ideas are strong and more interesting for me. It's really curious why they decided to release again an album with 8 songs since the 80's. The ideas and written material weren't a few for sure, they had a whole year free. Like for the previous album, but a whole year for production is wow.

Steve needed a whole year to record his drum parts

 

[naranja]

Steve needed a whole year to record his drum parts

"Kin hell 'Arry, you finished my drum parts yet or what?"

 

[Randalf]

Btw, Lightning is cool live and I think Mercy would have been better live if they had played it. Bruce would have done a better job with the chorus in 2011.

I agree that Mother of Mercy would've probably sounded a lot more dynamic & exciting live, but given that 2011 was one of Bruce's more inconsistent & weaker runs ever since 1999, I don't think the chorus would've sounded particularly strong...

I mean yeah, he had some fantastic nights and a strong streak altogether for the first (Ed-Force 1) leg of the 2011 tour, but the summer leg 2011 had pretty fried Bruce.