Best Album Ever Survivor: Somewhere In Time wins

Vote for your least favourite album

  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
It does have a lot of weaker songs (Wildest Dreams, Gates of Tomorrow, Age of Innocence, New Frontier) and a one okay song (Montsegur) but it also has two masterpieces (Paschendale, Dance of Death), two great songs (Rainmaker, No More Lies), two good songs (Journeyman, Face in the Sand).

On the other hand, FOTD has a disturbing amount of weak songs (The Apparition, Weekend Warrior, Fear is the Key, The Fugitive, Chains of Misery, From Here to Eternity, Wasting Love), one masterpiece (Afraid to Shoot Strangers), one great song (Fear of the Dark), three good songs (Judas Be My Guide, Childhood's End, Be Quick or Be Dead)

Masterpiece : 2-1
Great : 2-1
Good : 2-3
Weak : 4-7

Dance of Death also has a better feel as an album despite the bad production. It's gonna get a vote from me soon, though.
 
Both No More Lies and Face in the Sand are repetitive as hell. Boring moments on a long album. What a difference with Burnt Offerings. *shakes head*
 
To me Wildest Dreams, Gates of Tomorrow and Age of Innocence are good songs. I like Montsegur, Rainmaker, No More Lies, Journeyman and Face in the Sand a lot. The only song I dislike is New Frontier. Compared to Fear of the Dark, Dance of Death is a much better album.
 
Wildest Dreams has the most terrible chorus of the catalogue. I also like Gates of Tomorrow (great chorus!) and Age of Innocence. My view on Journeyman is a bit meh compared to most love out here (not weak!) and Rainmaker is one of the best songs. Montsegur is still growing on me. Behind the unfitting happy melodies the song is heavy as fuck.

I have no problems with anything off Fear of the Dark, apart from Chains of Misery (I dislike Bruce here!)
Less stuff to be annoyed about makes for a better listening. Overall, I find many of the melodies strong and the atmosphere is quite special; it makes the album coherent.
 
I believe I gave my vote to No Prayer and Virtual in this round but Dance of Death is also extremely low on my list. Will vote for it soon enough :D
 
This is all a matter of opinion anyway and arguing that people are wrong or similar is rather dumb. Regardless of why people voted for what, the votes have been cast for a reason and if people enjoy an album or don't then that's all there is to it. No point in campaigning against peoples tastes.

Personally, I adore DoD as an album and there is no track on it that I don't enjoy - I'd put it 4th out of the current list I enjoy it that much - whereas FOTD I can't even remember half of it despite having listened to it a considerable amount, heck I prefer Virtual XI to FOTD. Not going to start a huge quest for fire to change minds however.
 
Crimson Idol said:
This is all a matter of opinion anyway and arguing that people are wrong or similar is rather dumb. Regardless of why people voted for what, the votes have been cast for a reason and if people enjoy an album or don't then that's all there is to it. No point in campaigning against peoples tastes.
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I think you're exaggerating a bit here, Crimson. First of all: I never said someone was wrong! What I and others are doing here is putting our own opinions next to the ones of others. That's what a forum is about. Maybe you are a bit touchy because this time we're criticizing Maiden albums in a negative way? I think it's very appropriate and interesting to do this, in this phase of the game, when they meet albums by other bands.
Crimson Idol said:
Personally, I adore DoD as an album and there is no track on it that I don't enjoy - I'd put it 4th out of the current list I enjoy it that much - whereas FOTD I can't even remember half of it despite having listened to it a considerable amount, heck I prefer Virtual XI to FOTD. Not going to start a huge quest for fire to change minds however.
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We're all different. I tolerate the way you want to discuss.
Every once in a while I do tend to throw some oil on the fire (e.g. when things are taken a bit too much for granted imo) and I am not planning to change that.
Mind you, I am not doing this every round. So, please don't get too angry too early.

Speaking of changing someone's mind:
If someone can point out good or bad things in a song or album (in their opinion) then they are entitled to do that. If it attracts someone's attention, if it triggers to put a song or album in a different light, or even affects someones taste somewhat (e.g. in the long run), then that's one of the most innocent things that can happen on this forum.
If it happens, than I actually find that a positive thing, not negative. Taste might feel as a sacred thing, but it isn't absolute, it isn't still. It can change.

If it doesn't change, it's no loss, because what's left is simply me wanting to explain how I feel about something. You also just did that when you explained why like an album and why you don't like it. That's not dumb. That's interesting.

And it is not my responsibility if someone else changes their taste. I have no power. The person in question decides (although this isn't entirely a rational question imo) what they appreciate, or how and when it changes (if it does).

If someone is afraid for having his opinion changed, they should put me on ignore. But beware, you'll miss the core of medal of boredom discussion. ;-)
 
You can criticise Maiden albums all you want, doesn't bother me :P There does seem to however be an air that it is okay to criticise SOME albums and not others.

And certainly you can attempt to change the way someone see's an album, but I think things go a bit far in this respect. Things like saying "That album/song is boring", it's entirely opinion and so can't really be used as an argument - "The song doesn't develop too much" or similar would be far more in the way of persuading someone than just bashing. There's not so much attempts at saying why an album should be given a second chance, than there is negativity towards albums that are chosen instead which is the wrong way to go about it.

If you wish to persuade me round give me something to look for in FOTD, instead of tell me that DoD is 'a wreck' or that songs are 'boring' ;)
 
To Foro's defense I would say he is usually pretty good at coming up with arguments (sometimes even too much) for why he thinks a song if good/bad etc...If not you can count on that he has written about x track/album before and will find the link for you :p
 
Fear of the Dark would get 1 star out of 5 from me too. The only song I really care for is Afraid To Shoot Strangers, the rest is pretty bad. Dance of Death on the other hand, has two masterpieces, an awesome rocker in Rainmaker, and a game changer with Journeyman. The rest of the album is tolerable, even the worst tracks are OK. It's definitely the worst of the reunion albums, but as a whole I suppose it's just average.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
To Foro's defense I would say he is usually pretty good at coming up with arguments (sometimes even too much) for why he thinks a song if good/bad etc...If not you can count on that he has written about x track/album before and will find the link for you :p
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Thank you. Actually, I think I can explain well why I (dis)like a song, simply because I know so well what I (dis)like about it. I feel it can be confronting for some others because sometimes I tend to focus on elements which they haven't noticed before (or preferred to leave out of their own posts for whatever reason). And I don't spare the negative moments, because they truly affect me. And apparently, I hear good things in a few Maiden songs that others do not (or hardly) affirm. When I listen to an album, and when I play this game, I don't skip weaker songs. I take the whole product as it is.
Crimson Idol said:
You can criticise Maiden albums all you want, doesn't bother me :p There does seem to however be an air that it is okay to criticise SOME albums and not others.

And certainly you can attempt to change the way someone see's an album, but I think things go a bit far in this respect. Things like saying "That album/song is boring", it's entirely opinion and so can't really be used as an argument - "The song doesn't develop too much" or similar would be far more in the way of persuading someone than just bashing.
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Actually, sometimes I am triggered by others to do this. This was started by Mosh who really did not explain much. He used a few words (train wreck) on Fear of the Dark. So, in the light of such tone, I thought it would be good to go against the grain vs the majority by aiming my arrows on Dance of Death.

I did not explain it to the fullest -nor did others in this topic- but that's because most of us have already done so in the past. Still, I did explain that some songs on DOD are very repetitive. Now, it's possible people don't mind this aspect, but it doesn't mean it is not the case. I for one will not ignore it, because I don't like it.
Crimson Idol said:
There's not so much attempts at saying why an album should be given a second chance, than there is negativity towards albums that are chosen instead which is the wrong way to go about it.

If you wish to persuade me round give me something to look for in FOTD, instead of tell me that DoD is 'a wreck' or that songs are 'boring' ;)
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To be honest, I already gave up on defending Fear of the Dark, because it has already so many votes (the same goes for No Prayer, an album I like more than FOTD). Still, in this topic I did explain what I liked about it. Not enough?

I am not sure if you have read my song reviews, but if you're interested, go to the Fear of the Dark topic on The Iron Maiden Commentary boards: http://forum.maidenfans.com/forums/fear-of-the-dark.40/

Here I'll give some views on songs which are mostly bashed or ignored by the rest of the forum (some were placed in the context of posts by others):
The Apparition:
The lyrics of this song are interesting when you put them in context of Maiden's career, because we hear a positive advise -uttered by some kind of ghost or spirit (which could even be Steve himself, advising himself- about life and the road one can take.

... Live your life with a passion
Everything you, do well
You only get out of life what you put in ...

and check this out:

... can the soul live on through space and time? ...

... You don't be alarmed now, if I try to contact you
If things go missing or get moved around ...

... We'll meet up again some place, some way ...

Some way indeed! When listening to The Final Frontier Steve's input shows a continuation of this positive message, but now in a more reflecting way.
Space and time return, plus an attempt of contact.

... I think of my life, reliving the past
There's nothing but wait 'til my time comes
I've had a good life, I'd do it again
Maybe I'll come back some time, my friends

For I have lived my life to the full
I have no regrets
But I wish I could talk to my family
To tell them one last goodbye ...

... If I could survive to live one more time
I wouldn't be changing a thing at all
Done more in my life than some do in ten
I'd go back and do it all over again ...

... There isn't much time, must say my last rites
Nobody is here to read them to me
Must say my goodbyes, if only a line
A message to tell them in case they might find ...

The perspective might be different, but I see The Apparition's lyrics as an integral part of the positive aura circling above the band, and its motivator, Steve Harris.
I think this is not portrayed so well (in this manner) in any other song. The circle is round with The Final Frontier.

A. In The Apparition an advice is told to someone
B. That someone lives his life
C. And in The Final Frontier he reflects on that life, and surely shows that he has followed the advice.
One might even imagine that this someone (which is Steve of course) has again contact with the same spirit, but now Steve talks, and the Apparition "listens".

So I do find the lyrics important, and very uplifting. I can imagine that they even can support people who have lost a friend or a dear family member.

Musically the band ventures into the realm of "hotspaces". We hear short sudden silences in the couplets, because all the musicians and Bruce, play and sing and stop in sync, and continue together again. There's more going on in those couplets than I first thought, and I now I can appreciate them.

When Bruce sings "it's true!", the song suddenly continues in a different key, and the synth comes in, creating a different mood (like a sudden realization of the message). I like the short solos and the way we get back to the couplets.

Also note the last chord which is chosen very well (I bet it's no coincidence), because the next song starts with the same chord. Another reason to never skip this track, because it makes me enjoy Judas Be My Guide even more.

During that moment Bruce sings his last line of the song, like he means to say: "to be continued!":
a prophetic line.

7
Weekend Warrior
Weekend Warrior. Nicko touches his toms more often on this track than on the whole VXI album so the drumming isn't that dull. Rhythmically, this song is not complicated so what do we expect?

The verses have some AC/DC touch, and there might be too many of them (maybe because 'Arry had to put his lyrics somewhere?) and I understand that the pre-chorus -> "what you're gonna do... on MON dayyyy" <- is hard to bear.

On the other hand, I like the message, I like the chorus, and most important: this track contains very sophisticated instrumentation. More often than in The Fugitive, we can hear beautiful acoustic guitars, together with electric rhythm guitars.

I always look forward to Dave's solo (worth alone to not skip this track!) which sounds constructed really well, as opposed to his often improvised solos he is famous for. Then follows a fine harmony accompanied with the returning acoustic guitars. Janick's solo does not sound as clear and melodic as Dave's but it fits well to the part.

Between 6,5 and 7
Wasting Love
Man of Sorrows was written for the film Chemical Wedding (source). I admit that I don't know when it was written, and when it was recorded (though I remember that I heard/read it was in 1992, like this YouTube page says), but it's likely that it was not done during the Tattoed Millonaire sessions. I can imagine that the film project came up later than 1989/1990, and the style -with keyboards etc.- is very different. Also a different sound engineer was used.

About Wasting Love, it's not very unlikely that -if it was written during the Tattoed Millionaire-sessions- they didn't use it, because the calm guitars in the beginning and the tempo are quite similar with Son of a Gun.

I have never disliked this song, but it isn't one of the highlights either. I find the guitar solo trademark Janick, because you can recognize a lot from this (imo he re-used it too much) when you play 2 A.M. and Como Estais Amigos.

When I saw Maiden live, for the first time, one(!) day after Jeff heard this song in the bathroom, I remember that acoustic guitars were brought on the set. First I thought "Hey, will they play Revelations?" and then Bruce introduced Wasting Love. A very moody song, with a powerful chorus and midsection.

Between 7 and 7,5 -> 7.
Childhood's End
The is the one but best track of side A. There's indeed really beautiful guitar work on it. Not only lead, I also dig the playing and sound of the rhythm guitars in the couplets. The atmosphere is enriched with the perfectly fitting keyboards. The chorus is a bit of an experiment with that fast bass riff and drum accompaniment, but it works fine.

The solo is a very special one in the catalogue: Dave and Janick tried to fool the listener.
At first, it sounds like one solo by one person, but in fact Janick starts and Dave takes over fluently (and not at a typical moment) and ends it.

This puzzled me for years but after reading an interview about this with Bruce I finally could analyze it well.

The "switch" takes place at around 3:04/3:05 in this clip:

A fat 8,5 -> 9
The Fugitive
Another shining track, I enjoy this one the most from side B. It's not only one of the strongest on this album, but strong in the whole catalogue, and unfortunately another one which is somewhat underestimated. I find it at least as good as Childhood's End and it has the same kind of atmosphere (the keyboards contribute in that aspect, blending very fine with the guitars), though more suspenseful instead of doomy. I see these two as the brother songs on the album.

Fine intro, but ater that it only gets better. Excellent build-up and bright solos (an exceptionally well prepared solo by Janick!), and nice pace overall in the whole track. It's a nice "moving" song for bus, car, train, bike or simply the point of the track: "on the run".

Last year I saw the film The Fugitive, and thought Harris was inspired by it, but then I found out that the film came out in 1993 (LC mentioned older TV series, which I didn't know about).

This song is the first example of acoustic guitars heard at the same time as electric rhythm guitars (3:37 in this clip), since Prodigal Son.

For me this is one of the last very good songs singlehandedly penned by Steve Harris: 8,5 -> 9
Perhaps things have changed slightly, but a few years ago Fear of the Dark was thirteenth on my list of Maiden albums,

1. Somewhere in Time 9,1
2. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 8,9
3. Powerslave 8,8
4. The Final Frontier 8,5
5. A Matter of Life and Death 8,4
6. No Prayer for the Dying 8,3
6. The X Factor 8,3
8. Iron Maiden 8,1
8. Piece of Mind 8,1
10. Brave New World 8,0
11. Killers 7,8
12. The Number of the Beast 7,7
13. Fear of the Dark 7,6
14. Virtual XI 7,4
15. Dance of Death 7,3

Even though it's low, I still appreciated it more than most others. More lists and background here -> Album rankings per person:
http://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/album-rankings-per-person.20822/
I certainly find it a good album compared to some by other bands (hence my first post in this playoff round).
 
A bit confusing. First I thought to know straightaway what to vote for, but suddenly I saw that new albums have been added as well. Does every round need to have a minimum of albums, mckindog? Like this there is less time to give all albums a certain amount of attention, compared to when you would wait a bit with adding new albums. On the other hand, I understand the progress you want to make.

Would you explain how the rest of game exactly works, from now on?

Need to give this a second thought before I vote.
 
The three new albums are the ones that advanced with three votes against.

Next come the twos — thirteen albums which will probably pull in next round.
The final ten playoff qualifiers will then be added when that group is whittled to between 15 and 20.
And the rest of the Maiden albums will be added when that group drops below 20.

When we get into the top 20 I will limit votes to a max of three.
Hope that's what you are looking for.

FYI: six of the 23 albums still to come are by Priest. Guess that's not a huge surprise.
 
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