Deconstructing Eddie: My Iron Maiden Songs & Albums Countdown
- Thread starter valacirca
- Start date
Invader
Ancient Mariner
I just have to say that I disagree 100% with your assessment of The Alchemist. IMO this song beats the crap out of almost all 90s and 2000s rockers, including Be Quick or Be Dead, Montsegur, and Man on the Edge. The only better ones I can think of are The Wicker Man, Futureal, and maybe Lord of the Flies. What you said about being a token fast tune, I would say that more about Different World than The Alchemist. If there's a song that feels out of place on TFF, it's the obligatory war song, Mother of Mercy, and definitely not The Alchemist.
valacirca
Trooper
The other things are a matter of taste, so I guess it would be no use to argue that I disagree. But why do you feel that MoM feels out of place on TFF? I don't comprehend right now how being "the obligatory war song" would cause it to be out of place as opposed to The Alchemist which has quite the stylistic difference from most of the other tracks.
Invader
Ancient Mariner
valacirca said:
To me, Mother of Mercy feels like leftovers from AMOLAD. IMO it's by far the weakest track on the album, and the "war song" theme is really quite unnecessary since we just had almost an album dedicated to it. Don't get me wrong, AMOLAD is my favourite album and I like the theme, and I also like MoM. I hardly ever skip it, and it's probably one of the best weakest tracks on any Maiden album. As for The Alchemist being musically different, I don't find that bothering. Songs like this are what Maiden have always done, and at best they do it damn well.
So, to answer your question, it boils down to The Alchemist being (IMO) a better song.
Ranko
I'll shoot the gunner first!
I also think The Alchemist is one of the more refreshing tunes that the album needed and it doesn't feel like filler (as opposed to Different World, Wildest Dreams, New Frontier, to name a few).
As for MoM, it does feel like "we had this idea for AMOLAD, but didn't need it since we already had 10 songs, so let's do it now".
As for MoM, it does feel like "we had this idea for AMOLAD, but didn't need it since we already had 10 songs, so let's do it now".
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
Babo 91 said:
Yeah I'd give higher rankings on 'The Alchemist'. No TFF tune would be this low, but oh well, opinions differ.
I do like your rationale though, this is how I separate songs when everything else seems pretty equal.valacirca said:
Sorry if this seems redundant after what came above, but the Alchemist is probably the first time this ranking has gone off the rails.
There are far too many OK and solid songs to be ranked before we get into the good-to-great ones.
Even if you consider its fast pace kinda been-there, done-that (I don't) it has a killer melody and a very cool lyric that elevate it.
I'd be very surprised if this isn't in my top half or even top 50.
There are far too many OK and solid songs to be ranked before we get into the good-to-great ones.
Even if you consider its fast pace kinda been-there, done-that (I don't) it has a killer melody and a very cool lyric that elevate it.
I'd be very surprised if this isn't in my top half or even top 50.
Everything people have said about The Alchemist. I think it's a killer track.
Jeffmetal
Ancient Mariner
The Alchemist intro is one of my fave ever by Maiden, but the song is as good as The Apparition or Bring your Daughter...To The Slaughter. I'd place it on the bottom, too.
Well, this is no surprise, either, that the song is getting praised when songs like The Duellists, Back In The Village and Flash Of The Blade are considered 'fillers'.
Well, this is no surprise, either, that the song is getting praised when songs like The Duellists, Back In The Village and Flash Of The Blade are considered 'fillers'.
bornless1
Messiah Supreme. True Leader of Men.
As stated before almost unanimously, the Alchemist doesn't belong here yet. It is your list man, but I can't agree with you on this one. It DOES fit nicely on FF, and is a totally refreshing bang in the middle of the other songs. Really way to low...but Again, your list!!
valacirca
Trooper
Deconstructing Eddie: My Iron Maiden Songs & Albums Countdown - Album #13
Album #13 - Virtual XI
One good thing about Iron Maiden during the Blaze era is that they knew how to play to the strengths of their lineup, which was most evident in terms of the frontman they had at that time. Bruce was certainly the most skilled and talented vocalist the band ever had, but he didn't always perform like it. Blaze on the other hand, used his gurgling baritone extensively during his short stint to color songs with a gritty dark hue and complement the bleak, gloomy mood of that period. In doing so, he ended up helping the band reinvent its sound during that awkward phase in the 90's instead of trying to force himself into a style and image that Bruce had already established. Even though it was still not so graciously received by a lot of people, I believe things would have even been worse if he tried to be “the replacement for Bruce” instead of “the new vocalist.”
With respect to this new sound, The X Factor certainly had much more of it and featured it better than this record. However, the bigger shortcoming of Virtual XI is how much it feels like a bunch of half-baked ideas that were painstakingly stretched out to their limits. And considering that this is a follow-up to what felt like an overabundance of ideas that were crammed into a single album, it just makes the flaws all the more pronounced.
If not for the short, quick and energetic album opener, the remaining songs on VXI actually end up averaging over seven minutes each: An average that's par for the course when it comes to post-rock and prog-rock bands, but not for a heavy metal band like Iron Maiden at that time. None of the reunion-era albums have averaged past seven minutes either – and those are the longest, most progressive albums that band has ever released, which is pretty much what I'm pertaining to when I talk about lengthy albums that are “filled with ideas.”
Ultimately though, for all of its weaknesses, it's a grossly underrated album. Many people consider it to be the band's worst album by a mile, but it actually has a little bit of everything that could have made it a good album: There are good melodies and clever use of dynamics with the calm moments and adrenaline-pumpers. It also features catchy riffs, enjoyable solos, the trademark gallops, and not even the people who hate it could deny that peaks that the album reaches rank among the highest highs that the band has reached in the studio. So really, the only thing it lacks is actual content. Without any excessive stretching and repetition, this album could have clocked in at a modestly lush and meaty 40 minutes. Instead, it's filled with a lot of sections that extend longer than they should have as well as loads and loads of repetitiveness.
Album #13 - Virtual XI
One good thing about Iron Maiden during the Blaze era is that they knew how to play to the strengths of their lineup, which was most evident in terms of the frontman they had at that time. Bruce was certainly the most skilled and talented vocalist the band ever had, but he didn't always perform like it. Blaze on the other hand, used his gurgling baritone extensively during his short stint to color songs with a gritty dark hue and complement the bleak, gloomy mood of that period. In doing so, he ended up helping the band reinvent its sound during that awkward phase in the 90's instead of trying to force himself into a style and image that Bruce had already established. Even though it was still not so graciously received by a lot of people, I believe things would have even been worse if he tried to be “the replacement for Bruce” instead of “the new vocalist.”
With respect to this new sound, The X Factor certainly had much more of it and featured it better than this record. However, the bigger shortcoming of Virtual XI is how much it feels like a bunch of half-baked ideas that were painstakingly stretched out to their limits. And considering that this is a follow-up to what felt like an overabundance of ideas that were crammed into a single album, it just makes the flaws all the more pronounced.
If not for the short, quick and energetic album opener, the remaining songs on VXI actually end up averaging over seven minutes each: An average that's par for the course when it comes to post-rock and prog-rock bands, but not for a heavy metal band like Iron Maiden at that time. None of the reunion-era albums have averaged past seven minutes either – and those are the longest, most progressive albums that band has ever released, which is pretty much what I'm pertaining to when I talk about lengthy albums that are “filled with ideas.”
Ultimately though, for all of its weaknesses, it's a grossly underrated album. Many people consider it to be the band's worst album by a mile, but it actually has a little bit of everything that could have made it a good album: There are good melodies and clever use of dynamics with the calm moments and adrenaline-pumpers. It also features catchy riffs, enjoyable solos, the trademark gallops, and not even the people who hate it could deny that peaks that the album reaches rank among the highest highs that the band has reached in the studio. So really, the only thing it lacks is actual content. Without any excessive stretching and repetition, this album could have clocked in at a modestly lush and meaty 40 minutes. Instead, it's filled with a lot of sections that extend longer than they should have as well as loads and loads of repetitiveness.
Robbiedbee
Trooper
As a compulsive listmaker myself, I love reading stuff like this. While I have totally disagreed with a good number of your early picks, I found your opinions valid and entertaining to read.
I really hope you finish this. I will refrain from wishing you luck until you get to the top 30 or so, because that is when you will seriously struggle!
I really hope you finish this. I will refrain from wishing you luck until you get to the top 30 or so, because that is when you will seriously struggle!
