Favorite Maiden Guitarist (2010 Edition, voting closed)

Who is your favorite Iron Maiden guitarist?

  • Dave Murray

    Votes: 47 32.2%

  • Adrian Smith

    Votes: 82 56.2%

  • Janick Gers

    Votes: 17 11.6%
  • Total voters
    146
  • Poll closed .
There is something so smooth and creamy in Murray's solos. One of my favourites are his solos in Fear of the Dark and Final frontier. Since his solos are not that well structured, it works to a certain advantage. It sounds so impromptu and plain awesome. Adrian is terrific too, but Dave is just one step ahead for me:shred:
 
1) No, Dave was my favourite already but AtG proved that 100%
2) I'm not sure, but the solo seemed so melodic and 1986 Adrian-y, it had to be him. I guess it had similarities with some other Adrian stuff. However, the tapping part in Adrian's solo (which I originally thought was Dave's) did seem suspicious, as there was a similar part in Adrian's Caught SiT solo.
3) Coincidentally, I started listing the solos today, I guess I can start revealing them in 2-3 days?
 
I voted for Dave. Not only his style and solos, but his songwriting too is made in heaven. He writes less songs than the other two, but maybe it's for the better - his contributions are always the "hidden gems" of any particular album (well, maybe not the debut).

He is the force of nature - completely natural, fluent and melodic, yet he kicks some serious ass. His solos in Powerslave or Paschendale are utterly stunning and he is also the man behind Deja-Vu, The Prophecy, Fates Warning, Judas Be My Guide, The Thin Line or The Nomad. His sound defines is an integral part to the sound of Maiden. We have seen Maiden without H, but the thought of Maiden without Davey is inconcievable, to quote William Goldman and his Princess Bride. :-D


Janick… what to say about Janick? I like that he's a Blackmore fan (and it shows), I like his tendency to improvise on stage (although it means "butchering" solos for other fans; me, I like some on-stage diversity, the feeling that something is unique), his songwriting (he just might be the most progressively thinking of the three) and his impossible-to-overlook stage presence. Even when it sometimes doesn't work/gel a bit, I don't mind. He's the most humane one to me. (Among only gods, you might feel lonely sometimes).


Surprisingly (and in contrast to most other posters), Adrian comes in third. Which is not to say he's not great; he is one absolutely stunning guitarist, with amazing ability to perform a solo and a lot of great songs under his belt. His influence on Somewhere in Time (still the best Maiden album!) is undeniable, as is his mind-blowingly brilliant performance on TFF.


It's just personal preferences - H is amazing, I love and respect him, it's just I have a little more love for those other two. It's more like I pretty much love all three the same anyway.

When my girlfriend asked me about them, I told her H is the superego, Dave's the ego and Janick's the id. Or, more precisely, H is the technician, Davey's the performer and Janick is that hyperactive, unpredictable, wild… thing.

Which will probably seem completely wrong to you and I fully expect it :p (heck, I almost expect to be drawn and quartered for the unmitigated audacity of putting Adrian in the third place :bigsmile:)
 
Yeah, Judas, you're a fine new poster. I agree with you on many things. Dave is the melodic mastermind behind some excellent songs. I love all the songs you named except Fates Warning but even that one includes a great harmony.
 
Definitely H. His more structured, thought-out style makes his solos integral parts of the songs, often picking up melody phrases and transposing them. I get the sense that he has continued to think more, and work more, as a player over the last 20 years than the other two, who are more intuitive guitarists. I love all three, and think this line-up is the best there's been, but H is the man.
 
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