Diesel 11's Maiden Rankings

#143: Coming Home
The Final Frontier 3/10
I had already started posting this list and this one was at #175. Relistening to it I realized it had to be higher, and thus bumped it up. Hopefully I don't do that too often here. At any rate, I like this song, it's a cool ballad, but it's not really my kind of thing. Nice for a change from the usual but I'm glad they don't do it too often.

#142: The Mercenary
Brave New World 1/10
First song off of BNW and even I'm surprised it's The Mercenary. Somewhat surprised. I love this song, I really do, but the goddamn repetition in that chorus drives me nuts. I don't mind it in the final chorus because that usually works there, but in the first two - no. Twice at the most, not four fucking times, jesus christ. Other than that, I do really like this song, though I'm not sure I see the connection between it and The Trooper, outside of the title similarities. Ah well.
 
#141: Ghost of the Navigator
Brave New World 2/10
This song has such a cool title, I was really hyped the first time I heard it. That hype was short lived. It's got a chugging riff that seems to be cool, but then the chorus and everything else - this song is part of why BNW took forever to grow on me. I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but it's certainly better now than I first thought.

#140: Wasting Love
Fear of the Dark 1/10
Is it one of the greatest power ballads of all time? Yes. When it comes to Maiden's other songs though, it's good, but not the greatest thing ever. I like the song's concept, but I feel it could have been executed a little better lyrically. Chorus is great though. Also, this is the lowest song off of FOTD. I too am surprised, but what can I say? It's a good album.
 
#139: The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls 2/10
This song seems to be fairly popular, even my dad likes it. I do too, just not as much as most of the rest of the album. Cool guitar and stuff though.

#138: Strange World
Iron Maiden 4/9
For a while this song was just... there. Then a few nights ago it really connected with me. It's still not my favorite, but I do really enjoy this one now. Cool song, different from most, and certainly better than Remember Tomorrow and Prodigal Son.
 
#137: The Assassin
No Prayer For The Dying 2/10
Wow, a lot of hatred for this song. It's actually kind of catchy, though the repetition in the chorus is definitely a bit too much. That said, unlike in others, it doesn't ruin the song. Cool little number.

#136: Wildest Dreams
Dance of Death 3/11
Fuck does that music video suck. Other than that, Wildest Dreams is a pretty cool rocker. Great opening for DOD, but as far as openers go, it didn't triumph over The Wicker Man and it got it's ass kicked again by Different World. Still, nice song.
 
#135: The Edge of Darkness
The X Factor 1/11
This is the worst song on TXF, but in no way is it actually a bad song. My big issue with it is that requoting lines from a movie doesn't make for the greatest of lyrics, but the song itself is quite nice. Blaze's angry scream when he sings "and now I understand" are a little out of place, but that's outweighed by the emotional impact of it. It cuts to the heart. Anyways, good song.

#134: Burning Ambition
N/A 23/32
What can I say? I love this song. Not as much as I love the next 133 but, love this. Apparently it's the first song Steve ever wrote. He did a mighty fine job at any rate. Short but catchy. Lovely stuff.
 
#133: The Fugitive
Fear of the Dark 2/12
I know there are some who would kill me to see this one at 133, but what the hell. It's my list. I've pissed off enough people as it is, what's a few more? At any rate, cool song, just misses something to pump it higher.

#132: Black Bart Blues
N/A 24/32
Black Bart Blues is a comedy featuring two brilliant comedic personas - Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain. The first half of the song is a cool number that sounds definitely from the SSOASS sessions. The second half features Nicko sounded like he's out of his bloody mind and got into the recording studio when no one was around when he wasn't supposed to and did some fucking stuff. Both halves are great. Really great. Brilliance!
 
#131: When The River Runs Deep
The Book Of Souls 3/11
When I first heard the title, I thought this would be more in the line of When The Wild Wind Blows. It's not. It is, however, a very nice rocker that fits in well with the rest of the album. Cool stuff.

#130: Hooks In You
No Prayer For The Dying 3/10
Funny how a song from our Lord and Savior Adrian Smith could be so criticized. I like this song, the lyrics aren't the greatest, but it's catchy and the guitarwork is very fine. Charlotte songs: 2 down, 2 to go.
 
#129: Weekend Warrior
Fear of the Dark 3/10
People really hate this song, it's usually in the top 5 of worst lists. I guess I can understand, the concept is stupid and the execution isn't that great either. Still, I can't help liking this song. Just like I can't help liking the entirety of Fear of the Dark. Underrated album, underrated song.

#128: The Prophecy
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 1/8
The concept album enters the countdown! The Prophecy is that one song that I keep wondering if it really exists. It feels like it shouldn't, and yet it does. Huh. Nice opening, nice closing, guitars are in fine form, and I can tell you from experience that this isn't the easiest song to sing. That said, it's definitely the weakest track off of SSOASS. Shouldn't be that surprising but yeah.
 
#127: Childhood's End
Fear of the Dark 4/12
This used to be one of my favorite songs off of FOTD. And somehow... it's really taken a plummet. I love the beginning, but once the verse kicks in... eh. I don't think the lyrics are that great for starters, and the song would benefit from a different vocal style. Or something. I dunno. I hope it rises again, but I doubt it will. Sigh.

#126: The Alchemist
The Final Frontier 4/10
First impression is that this is Be Quick Or Be Dead part II, but this song is much more than that. A great rocker on such a progressive album, it's catchy, the chorus is great, but the line "this was my house" is kinda weird. Ah well, good shit.
 
#125: Revelations
Piece of Mind 2/11
Sue me, Revelations isn't a masterpiece. It's a highly overrated piece of music that's good, but not as great as everything says. It took me forever to get it, and I still haven't gotten it as much as other people apparently. Fuck this, I'm stickin' with Still Life.

#124: Blood on the World's Hands
The X Factor 2/11
God, I love The X Factor. This song isn't exactly a masterpiece, but it flows in with the rest of the album. It's anger-fueled, a decry of war - something Maiden is really fucking good at - and... yeah. Good stuff.

#123: Man on the Edge
The X Factor 3/11
To say that The X Factor has few good songs and bring up this as one of the good ones is... wtf. No. Stop it! I do like Man on the Edge, the chorus is great, and it fits in with the album, though I see more connections between it and its B-sides than The X Factor as a whole. Still, nice rocker, not sure if the album needed it, but what the hell, it exists, I enjoy it.
 
#122: Look for the Truth
The X Factor 4/11
The chorus isn't the greatest. The rest of this song is spot-on. The intro, the build-up, and then the oooooOOOOoooHH! It's fuckin' great! I wanna sing this shit with him, goddamn fuck.

#121: 2 A.M.
The X Factor 5/11
The lyrics aren't the greatest, but the song is a good summary of something we've all felt before - lonely, wondering why we're here, wishing our lives away, etc. The solo is one of the best on the album. Good song, emotional and tight.
 
#120: The Fallen Angel
Brave New World 3/10
The other rocker on BNW, The Fallen Angel, unlike The Mercenary, doesn't have that annoying repetition I dislike in the other song. Instead, it's just a really cool number. It makes you feel powerful listening to it. Cuz I am the chosen one! Yeah.
 
Dude, if you're just going to post all the songs without giving people a chance to read and discuss, why not just do it?
 
Operations666 said:
Keep going fast, please. No need to artificially drag out threads like these.
Click to expand...
Whelp. Shall I set up a poll for this? :P

#119: Out of the Shadows
A Matter of Life and Death 4/10
OOTS has a lot of nice moments; the verses, the chorus, the opening, the instrumental section, it all works together quite nicely. It just isn't the kind of song I go back to all that often. On occasion, but not all the time, kind of like most of AMOLAD.

#118: Gangland
The Number of the Beast 1/9
First song off of the legendary TNOTB. Lots of people think it should have been left off in favor of Total Eclipse. I disagree, I prefer the latter but this song fits in with the rest of the album quite well and I'm glad it's on there. Clive is awesome on here, and Bruce keeps it interesting as well.
 
#117: Blood Brothers
Brave New World 4/10
Blood Brothers is a moody piece, emotional, thought-provoking and very symphonic for a Maiden song. It's been hailed as a modern classic by a lot of people, and I can see why, but I don't think I've ever loved this much more than at an 'average' level.

#116: The Nomad
Brave New World 5/10
Maiden & Beckett Pt. II. Apparently the band lifted an entire piece of music from a Beckett song to use in The Nomad. Well, it might not be too original but the song exists, so I'll enjoy it. The lyrics are pretty stupid, but the music makes up for that, and with a runtime of 9 minutes, you can really get lost in this song. That wasn't what I thought when I first heard it, but I do now. Another score on BNW's goal of winning me over.
 
#115: Lightning Strikes Twice
Virtual XI 3/8
This song is definitely a well put-together track, nicely done. I do think they could have left out "it takes me back to my childhood again", because the way it's in the song it seems... unnecessary and more prose-y. Still, I really enjoy this song and it does bring up visions of storms and lightning and thunder. Some dislike the chorus, but I myself think it fits in well and is a highlight on a track that's already a highlight. Yes, I'm saying that the third 'worst' song on VXI and the 115th out of 185 songs Maiden-wise is a highlight. I can't help that 90% of Maiden's songs are highlights. :P

#114: Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger
Virtual XI 4/8
After The Angel and the Gambler, this song is probably the most hated one on VXI. I guess I can see it.........no I can't. If I had one issue it's that the solo is repetitive, but even that's really small. I love this song's intro, build-up, the verses are full with sweat and heart-pounding, and what everyone dislikes - Blaze and his "don't look to, don't look to, don't look to" - I really love. As a matter of fact, I just listened to this song and I literally teared up at it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm tired or if I just really love that part. I'm gonna hope it's the latter. Anyways, does not deserve the hate it gets.
 
#113: The Unbeliever
The X Factor 6/11
Final track on TXF and it's a good closer. It doesn't seem to offer much at the beginning, but that quickly changes once the song gets going. Blaze is at his best here, filled with emotion, and it's another thought-provoking song. Highly good.

#112: Running Free
Iron Maiden 5/9
More Di'Anno. This is a live classic and a fun one to sing, but it's not the best in the whole discography. Still, I do love the mid-section, with that chug. Love it. That could have been a song all on its own TBH. But it isn't. Still, the rest of Running Free is great too. Just not great enough to be higher than 112.
 
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