Bruce and Adrian

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When Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden in the early 90s, there was an outcry among Maidenfans around the globe. When Blaze joined the band and released two great albums, people rejected Maiden because Bruce wasn't there. IMO anyway, TXF and VXI are two of Maiden's best albums.
When "the great reunion" happened in 1999, people hailed Bruce as a saviour from the doldrums of Blaze. When BNW was released, people hailed it as one of the best Maiden albums. I rate BNW lower than any Blaze material. If you delve into the music and study it, TXF beats BNW anyday. It's the same, but to a lesser extent true, for DOD.

My question here is, are Maiden any better with Bruce and Adrian? The live performances may well have improved but has the studio produced music?
 
Yes, it definitely has (in my opinion). I'm not saying the difference is huge, but I do think both BNW and DOD are better than TXF or VXI. I like Bruce's voice better, I like the 3-guitar arrangements, and I think BNW and DOD have more A-list songs. While there are a few Blaze-era A-list songs, most of those songs fall a bit short.
 
In my opinion, BNW is one of Maiden's finest albums...but so is TXF. For me it's hard to choose between them. Don't get me wrong. I love Blaze's voice, and I love some of the songs he did with the band. If Blaze was still in the band then I would still be happy. But I think I like Bruce better.
 
BNW TXF and VXI are all in my top 5 favorite albums from Maiden. I think that Adrian being in the band brought back a bit, and Bruce's on stage rants make the concert alot more entertaining too.
 
I must confess that I didnt but an IM album after 7th Son until BNW. I have heard NpFTD and FOTD but have heard no tracks from TXF or VXI. i am just a Bruce and Adrian slut and it just wasnt Maiden for me when they left
 
When I first started listening to Maiden, Adrian was my favourite soloist. Then when I came here, I felt kinda weird that so many people did too and the Smith cult existed, but I still feel the same way.

Adrian has written some of Maiden's biggest classics(if not thee biggest, which will always be a case of personal opinion or agony to choose), so I really think Maiden has gotten better with him. On DoD and BNW, my favourite solos are Adrian also.

I can't really comment on Bruce. I like his voice best, so I suppose its better he's come back. I like the songs he's taken part in too.

I think I'm just too use to the classic Maiden to tolerate any kind of change.
 
BNW is one of my favourite Maiden albums, and it will always be. Having said that, it does not beat The X Factor or VXI for me. I know many people have problems with VXI, and that is fine with me, but I really have to say I love that album. As for The X Factor, it has become my favourite album, not only of Iron Maiden. It is the only album I know, I repeat, the only one, with which I can't find any flaw at all.

Tastes differ. That's what makes our world interesting [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
The X-Factor is one of my favorite album and the songs on Virtual XI are great but there is a little something missing on that record. But I can't quite find it.

As for the last 2 albums, DoD had better good songs than BNW but it also had worst bad songs so if I do an average, they're pretty much the same.
 
I like Bruce much more than Blaze. (blaze is just not my style!) Don't get me wrong, the TXF is a great album with a couple of epic songs. But VXI I really can not listen to. I don't like it at all. Those crappy keyboard and the singing of Blaze is IMO too average (I think thats the right word!?!)

With BNW and DOD it's different. Both of them are really bood albums but IMO Maiden can do much more with the 3 guitar players!!!

Dutch Bruce
 
It would have been really interesting if Blaze had got the chance to do a third album with Maiden. It's generally agreed that TXF is a better album than VXI, so a third album might continue the slight downward trend, or it might have been the best yet as Blaze and the other band members got more used to each other's playing and writing style. Personally I would have loved to see more albums with Blaze, and while BNW is a very good album, I think that DOD as a whole is no better than average.
 
Bruce is far superior than Blaze when it comes to live performances, due to his rants and what not. I could say that both are kinda equal when it comes to studio work, but for some strange reason the songs on the Blaze albums will never be able to reach the Bruce or Paul songs, with one or two rare exceptions.
(My opinion)
 
[!--QuoteBegin-Panos the clansman+Oct 30 2005, 12:21 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Panos the clansman @ Oct 30 2005, 12:21 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--](My opinion)
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Good thing you said that, 'cause I tend to disagree. But it's only my opinion too. [!--emo&^_^--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/happy.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'happy.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
[!--QuoteBegin-national acrobat+Oct 30 2005, 09:27 AM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(national acrobat @ Oct 30 2005, 09:27 AM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]It would have been really interesting if Blaze had got the chance to do a third album with Maiden.
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This is hitting the right angle that the topic was supposed to cover. If Blaze had done BNW, would people have rejected it just because it was Blaze? I think it got more attention and undeserved credit just because it was Bruce. I know that Bruce and Adrian did some of the writing for it but if Blaze had done the vocals, would people have looked past the cover of the book and actually payed as much attention to the music?
 
But you have to remember that a lot of BNW would be different, because Bruce and Adrian have their claws in on that quite firmly. But a few songs would be the same. Go take a listen to Dream of Mirrors. I think Blaze could have nailed that song. Then again, The Nomad? Probably not.
 
[!--QuoteBegin-Conor+Oct 30 2005, 02:05 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Conor @ Oct 30 2005, 02:05 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]If Blaze had done BNW, would people have rejected it just because it was Blaze?
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Yes.
Bruce stated in an interview done in the mid-nineties that the material on The X Factor was similar to what they would have written if he was still in the band. I doubt that can be taken as face value, but there might be some truth to that statement.

People just hate(d) Blaze. A bit like people rejected the "new" Doors after Jim Morrison died, without ever noticing that the chief musicians have always been Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger (OK, that may be going a bit too far).
 
I think this is a very interesting topic and I would tend to agree. TXF is much better than Maidens last two studio albums though Dance of Death was a step in the right direction at least. I do prefer Bruces voice and I do prefer "the idea" of 3 guitar harmonies though I'm yet to actually hear any evidence of it. VXI in my opinion was lame but I think it was an effort to be more popular in Europe as it was much more accessible and euro-metal than TXF. Fact is, the fans got Bruce and Adrian back not the band.
 
When it was announced that Bruce and Adrian were rejoigning the band in 1998, I was in an ecstatic mood. In 1992, I had a T-shirt printed out as a tribute to Bruce Shows how much attached I was to him in Maiden.

But, back then, I wasn't prepare to get a slap in face: in 1995, The X-Factor was a complete shock to me. It was and still is a unique album. It stands out. I can't compare this album to any other.

Since that day of October 1995 I have a special bond with this album. Hence with Blaze.

I was kinda dissapointed with Virtual XI, but, honestly, I don't know if making a masterpiece again was even possible.

So, in the end, it's maybe better this way: I got the album of a lifetime and then, Maiden got back to its trademark sound with Adrian & Bruce rejoingning.

BNW was brilliant (the title song is as close to a masterpiece you can get). DOD has some taste of masterpieces. Now, I'm just hoping the band can pull out an album in the same vein as 'Seventh Son...' before they call it quits.


Cheers



PS: you can call me an heretic for loving TXF that much, but I've always been an heretic in my music taste: my other favorite band is Pink Floyd and guess which album I do prefer ? The Division Bell, the other masterpiece of my lifetime [!--emo&:D--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
[!--QuoteBegin-The Saint+Nov 5 2005, 05:08 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(The Saint @ Nov 5 2005, 05:08 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]So, in the end, it's maybe better this way: I got the album of a lifetime and then, Maiden got back to its trademark sound with Adrian & Bruce rejoingning.
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Have Maiden really got their trademark sound back? That is really the question. For me it's hard to define their trademark sound. They can mix fast songs, slow songs, pop-cultured songs and great concert sing-a-longs. I don't think that Maiden have produced anything of a really high standard since the Blaze era, before that, 7th son.
All we can really hope for is a classic album next year, something to match 7th son. That would redeem Maiden in modern times and cement Bruce and Adrian as two of the greatest heavy metal musicians of all time.
 
I think that BNW was better than DOD, I think BNW has a slight edge over TXF, but not a big one at all. I think VXI was really good, but not as good as TXF. There, my opinion all summed up!



PS. I know this is sorta off topic, but I think it would be cool if Maiden did a world tour with Blaze. Maybe they could have Blaze on stage for some TXF and VXI songs.
 
Yeah, maybe the crowd would have a more positive attitude towards Blaze. If they did TXF, they should also get My Dying Bride to support like they did last time because it helps the mood. And they bloody well rule as well.
 
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