Drifter

How good is Drifter on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    25
It's a great closer, this would have been a better song than Running Free to close a show with. I like everything about this song. The solo at the end is extremely atmospheric and among Maidens best.
Don't kill me but 9/10

Killers Rankings:
1. Killers
2. Drifters
3. Prodigal Son
4. Murders in the Rue Morgue
5. Innocent Exile
6. Wrathchild
7. Purgatory
8. Ides
9. Another Life
10. Genghis Kahn
11. Twilight Zone
 
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A great live song. Not a great studio song.
To me it's the most disappointing last song on any maiden album, they shouldn't have recorded it at all and just have the live versions on the singles as the only versions of it, it certainly works better there. It's not a complete disaster of course but I often just skip and ignore it.
4/10
 
I don't understand how people can describe this as "boring". To me, it's quite an interesting track, with a few surprises if you haven't listened to it for a while. A good album closer, with a great solo at the end. Still, like most of Killers, it doesn't go beyond a 7/10.
 
How good is Drifter on scale 1 to 10? No good. Fail on an otherwise excellent album. 3 for good intro and some good solos and that's about it.

P.S. : whoops clicked 1 :D, so correct it to 3 please.
 
And I think this song is extremely underrated too. I seriously don't understand the hate. Sure the lyrics are kinda silly, but are the lyrics to Prowler that much better? Or Running Free?

Anyway, I love how upbeat and happy sounding this song is after such a dark album in general. It's a great way to really end it. Makes the album feel more conclusive than some other Maiden albums. There's a lot of very cool stuff happening in the guitar department as well.

8
 
10/10. This is my favorite Maiden song from the early days. Some of my very favorite solos on it. Of course the live performances are where this one comes to life, which I don't care if it's Paul or Bruce, both sound great on it!
 
5. A disappointment as some excellent instrumental bits are lost in an otherwise forgettable song.

Rankings:

1980 - Iron Maiden - 6.67

8 - Prowler
6 - Sanctuary
7 - Remember Tomorrow
6 - Running Free
9 - Phantom Of The Opera
7 - Transylvania
4 - Strange World
6 - Charlotte The Harlot
7 - Iron Maiden

1981 - Killers - 5.91

6 - The Ides Of March
6 - Wrathchild
6 - Murders In The Rue Morgue
5 - Another Life
5 - Genghis Khan
5 - Innocent Exile
8 - Killers
5 - Prodigal Son
8 - Purgatory
6 - Twilight Zone
5 - Drifter
 
I've been listening to Clive's drumming last days. I know Clive was a more jazz oriented drummer, Gangland is a perfect example of that. And Drifter...

Drifter is the only Maiden song you could actually dance, but more than a jazz, it is a swing, maybe the first metal swing in history. As a swing song, tells a swing story.

Just listen it again with that in mind, think about dancing this song and you will end up with a different opinion of it.

10/10 for creating a new metal subgenre
 
I didn't become a fan until I heard live versions from 2005 of it. Cool intro and it has great guitar solos. I'm surprised to see the low ratings. 8/10
 
the only thing which prevents me of giving it 2 stars is the live redention of it (back in the 80's) with the 'yo yo yo' thing which is really amusing to hear and enjoy (Listen to the Beast Over Hammersmith to listen what I'm talking about). 3 stars.

Better yet listen to the Sanctuary B-side version (which also has a killer Dave solo). I always felt that Bruce only did the audience participation part because the crowd expected it. Paul seemed to do it more earnestly (or fake it better).
 
Love the bass riff in this and quite nice chorus. Pretty run of the mill like much of the album in other respects though.

6
 
A fairly good song and an excellent closer for Killers. Only reason it's not an 8/10 is because that part that starts at 1:54 and ends at 2:19 just sounds weird and is almost annoying. It feels like circus music and, um, I dunno, circus music doesn't seem to fit Maiden's music very well. As it is, though, it's a strong 7/10.
 
Ooh fuck me, he's gotta sing his song! Good closer, not much else. That carnival music still grinds on me. 5/10
 
Great song musically, some nice melodies and good solos, but the lyrics come off as a bit ridiculous. 6.
 
A cool intro leads into a questionable vocal wail and a more typical rock feel in the verse. Intro reprise and we're back into the verse, then a nice interlude with a good solo and some nice vocal accents from Paul.

The musical break that follows has an unusual feel that gets stranger when it switches to double time, but soon we're back to the intro and verse and a pretty decent extended solo.

Not a fan of the repetitive vocals that follow, but before too long they give way to a final big rock ending with a pretty good final vocal from Paul.

There are some cool parts here, but there are also some mediocre and forgettable parts. 6/10.
 
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