Forostar's Top 50 Iron Maiden songs

Re: Forostar's Top 50 Iron Maiden songs: #17

Forostar said:
Quote from: CriedWhenBrucieLeft on Yesterday at 08:52:35 pm
Still a fine Top 50 so far Forostar!
   
Thank you! I agree!  :)

But.. :( BotWH... it ain't that good Forostar. It just canny be better than HBTN. I won't have it!  :p

Quote within a quote --check how shit that looks.
 
No. 16 - Prowler (see first post for 50-16)
(Harris, 1980 -> on stage-status: last time in 2005)

Prowler is a very special one. The song that got me hooked into Maiden. In 1991 I bought the Live After Death LP-set (2nd hand of course), plus the Sanctuary 12" vinyl single, which I chose because Prowler was the B-side on it. I bought these items after having heard a recorded cassette of the Iron Maiden album.

I have never been so addicted to new music after hearing this stuff in my walkman. I was completely in another world. It was 11 years after its release but the debut album made an unbelievable impact and Prowler contributed to that immensely. It opened basically my "Metal Windows". The only hard rock I knew and appreciated before that was some Queen (I Want It All), Guns'n'Roses (Appetite For Destruction), Kiss (Alive II) and even Bon Jovi (You Give Love A Bad Name in particular), and Beat It by Michael Jackson. Yes, laugh, but I really think that Beat It is a great old school Hard Rock song! Great riffs and vocals, hehe! Alright, back to Maiden!
Actually I knew a few Maiden songs, before 1991, such as Holy Smoke and Can I Play with Madness but these certainly did not have the same effect. The urge to get into this band.

Prowler is one of Maidens heaviest and most aggressive songs. Such thrilling energy and power. That mid piece is so fucking awesome, Clive banging the shit out of his kit at full speed and Dave's roaring solo on top of it. Classic Maiden, best song with Di'Anno on vocals.

I saw Paul Di´Anno about 6 years ago (maybe earlier, I forgot) and he was backed by a really strong Maiden cover band who opened the set without Paul (only post-Di'anno-era material), and then Paul joined. Naturally I went bananas during Prowler. His voice was fucked up because of a cold, but I liked the way he was into it. After the gig Paul signed the Sanctuary single.
 
No. 15 - Afraid to Shoot Strangers (see first post for 50-15)
(Harris, 1992 -> on stage-status: last time in 1998)

If there's one song I have an emotional connection with, it's got to be this one.

Due to some personal issues I couldn't see Bruce's farewell tour in 1993. It was going to be my second concert and I was very disappointed, because I thought I'd never see Maiden with Bruce again. I remember that I played A Real Live One a lot around that time, and sometimes, this live version recorded in Stockholm even brought tears in my eyes.

When I hear it, it brings me back to 2 September 1992 when I witnessed this song for the first time, in concert. After Bruce ends with No trust, no reasoning, no more to say, the song's melodies are so powerful, piercing straight through my heart. Steve's bass and Nicko's drums carry the whole thing with immense force, and I remember Bruce kept us busy during this section. He stimulated the wave of v-shaped arms in the air. Thousands of arms making the same moves, while this enchanting music took away my breath.

It was and still is the best song from the first new album I bought since I was a fan (I became a fan in 1991). It's in the same league of the best material that came out since, but it made a bigger impression than most of that stuff.

Actually, with this song Maiden tried out something new, namely a rhythmic and calm beginning, built around a bass pattern, in which the role for Nicko was nihil or minimal. This was done on various later songs as well, e.g. on The X-Factor, check out Fortunes of War for instance. This song is not only important in this development.

Listen to the part which starts at 2.44, where we hear a certain style, where Steve and Nicko follow eachother smoothly, and Steve does a certain bass pattern and the guitars play the same(!) melody (no harmony, no rhythm guitars). This was done later as well, on various occasions. E.g. take Look For The Truth, take When The Wild Wind Blows:

Afraid To Shoot Strangers is written all over these instrumental sections.

This song is trademark Steve Harris writing, and it represents the sound of post-No Prayer Maiden, and therefore its relevance is easily recognized.

I hope that this song will return, one day, and I am curious if it will have the same effect.

Since I expect that some people will say that Blaze did it better, I'd like to encourage them to take another listen:

Blaze did it well, but not necessarily better than Bruce. I'll point out some bad Blaze moments during his version of ATSS:

I wipe (0:42)
visualize (0:57)
finish (we've got a winner: that was a cringing, rotten moment: 1:34)
ourselves (1:52)

I find Bruce's A Real Live One and the Donington version better, and the studio version as well.

I think Bruce puts more drama into it. And he makes less mistakes. He simply can handle it better. More feel, a more natural performance.





No. 14 - Mother Russia (see first post for 50-14)
(Harris, 1990 -> on stage-status: never played)

I really love this song. At various moments in its music I hear the echo of the title track of the previous album, style wise (check the rhythms under the solos) and when I compare the atmosphere (intro Mother Russia / calm mid piece 7th Son).

At the same time I like the lyrics. The line "Can you be happy now you're people are free" is dead on, and 20 years later, we can still ask this. We can even wonder how free the people are. Currently Russia sees its largest anti-government demonstrations in history.

Let's focus again at the music: the intro has a nice melody and the beginning of the instrumental mid piece uses the same figure, with some awesome keyboards and distortion guitars reminiscent of black metal(!) in the background.

There are different moods. One of the more emotional parts are the dramatic guitar lines right before the solos.
A very majestic song, suited well for three guitars.
 
Hmm. ATSS has a beautiful intro, but I don't like the faster section of the song.

Mother Russia is great, but it isn't one I ever go out of my way to listen to.
 
Catching up here:
Prowler: Great energy and really suited to the raw sound. Enjoyable, but not outstanding. (102)
ATSS: This one is special and a legitimate top 20 contender. (32)
Mother Russia: Good song that pales in comparison to similar tracks in the catalogue — an epic that isn't as epic as many (106)
 
Afraid to Shoot Strangers is a great choice, although I agree with Mosh and think that the faster section is not as good as the soft one (but this one is undoubtedly a masterpiece). It's good to see Mother Russia in such a high position. This song is often dispised and it deserves more credit. Prowler is obviously great, but I think all the songs of the first album are obscured by Phantom of the Opera, which is great and original.
 
Both ATSS and MR have some fine high points, but I'm not sure I'd have them this high.

I'm, personally, far more of a riff, rather than a chord fan, when it comes to rhythm guitar. Therefore, when the fast section kicks in on ATSS, I'm never that impressed --as it's just a couple of chords & doesn't, to be honest, sound that impressive. Yes, it's got energy. And, yes, simple things can sound good & be more effective than something more complicated. But, I feel, not in this case. However, both the leads (very different) are very good. Dave's lead (quite like in The Clairvoyant) is just a simple melody (no real guitar "tricks") --but is phenomenally quick, and clean. Always like listening to it. Like many Maiden "war" songs however, I do not sympathise or empathise with the lyrical themes. Sure, this does not in any way glorify war (as you could argue others do), but I can't say I agree with it's sentiments.

MR? It's not the best, by far, of the epics, in my opinion. But fair enough if you like it.
 
The fast part in ATSS isn't my favourite part either. The spellbinding stuff comes right before and right after it. :)
 
Agreed. I also agree with your earlier analysis of ATSS. The stripped down writing (& sound), looking back at it now, is very representative of the era. When it works, it's very good --but when it doesn't, for me, (either in individual songs, or in parts of songs) it really doesn't. I can't get past a lot of it on XF and VIX --but I'm slowly breaking down my low opinion of these two...
 
Great to see Mother Russia so high! Its that high for me too. ATSS is an amazing song, it only wasnt in my top 50 because the intro drags a bit for me, but those guitar melodies are amazing, definitely one of my faves to play on guitar :)
 
No. 15 - Afraid to Shoot Strangers (see first post for 50-15)
(Harris, 1992 -> on stage-status: last time in 1998)

Since I expect that some people will say that Blaze did it better, I'd like to encourage them to take another listen:

Blaze did it well, but not necessarily better than Bruce. I'll point out some bad Blaze moments during his version of ATSS:

I wipe (0:42)
visualize (0:57)
finish (we've got a winner: that was a cringing, rotten moment: 1:34)
ourselves (1:52)

I find Bruce's A Real Live One and the Donington version better, and the studio version as well.

I think Bruce puts more drama into it. And he makes less mistakes. He simply can handle it better. More feel, a more natural performance.

I agree that these moments that you mention, weigh down an otherwise very good rendition of the song. I think much of the "Blaze did it better" sentiments comes from the fact that many have a strong dislike for Bruce's voice during the FOTD period - including the live albums you mention. I'm inclined to like the studio version more, but I like Blaze's effort (except for those false notes - he really had too many of those).

Bruce definitely had more control over this song than Blaze did, but I'm not too happy with his sound at the time. What I'd really like to hear, is how Bruce would handle it now! I share your warm feelings for the song itself. That, combined with this desire to hear what Bruce can do to it with his current voice, makes this song a natural item on a wish-list for the next tour, whenever it will be :)
 
Nope, that would be 1993.

Alright. But I assume the numbers could increase from now on. It looks like people get fed up with the fraud and corruption going on there. :)

I appreciate your enthusiasm bornless! Cool to see someone else focusing on Mother Russia.

Catching up here:
Prowler: Great energy and really suited to the raw sound. Enjoyable, but not outstanding. (102)
ATSS: This one is special and a legitimate top 20 contender. (32)
Mother Russia: Good song that pales in comparison to similar tracks in the catalogue — an epic that isn't as epic as many (106)

Wow, a few really low ratings here. I wonder how the upcoming songs will do.

Afraid to Shoot Strangers is a great choice, although I agree with Mosh and think that the faster section is not as good as the soft one (but this one is undoubtedly a masterpiece). It's good to see Mother Russia in such a high position. This song is often dispised and it deserves more credit. Prowler is obviously great, but I think all the songs of the first album are obscured by Phantom of the Opera, which is great and original.

I am afraid that indeed the Phantom throws a shadow over a few other quality songs from the debut. I try not to be distracted by its appearance and find a few others better. Just my two cents.

Agreed. I also agree with your earlier analysis of ATSS. The stripped down writing (& sound), looking back at it now, is very representative of the era. When it works, it's very good --but when it doesn't, for me, (either in individual songs, or in parts of songs) it really doesn't. I can't get past a lot of it on XF and VIX --but I'm slowly breaking down my low opinion of these two...

Well, that's nice to hear. If people will have a broader appreciation for Maiden, even if they know the band for years, that's great.

Great to see Mother Russia so high! Its that high for me too. ATSS is an amazing song, it only wasnt in my top 50 because the intro drags a bit for me, but those guitar melodies are amazing, definitely one of my faves to play on guitar :)

We'll speak again if Maiden might perform it in the future! :)

I agree that these moments that you mention, weigh down an otherwise very good rendition of the song. I think much of the "Blaze did it better" sentiments comes from the fact that many have a strong dislike for Bruce's voice during the FOTD period - including the live albums you mention. I'm inclined to like the studio version more, but I like Blaze's effort (except for those false notes - he really had too many of those).

Bruce definitely had more control over this song than Blaze did, but I'm not too happy with his sound at the time. What I'd really like to hear, is how Bruce would handle it now! I share your warm feelings for the song itself. That, combined with this desire to hear what Bruce can do to it with his current voice, makes this song a natural item on a wish-list for the next tour, whenever it will be :)

Agreed 100%! Let's hope Maiden will cast Fear of the Dark aside for once, or keep it in case someone in the band threatens to call it quits, but at least it wouldn't hurt if they'd try to focus on some other material from that era.


The positions of the next 3-4 songs are pretty much interchangeable. No use to go on forever, trying out which one I like better. It hardly works.
http://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/forostars-top-50-iron-maiden-songs.22023/

No. 13 - Caught Somewhere in Time (see first post for 50-13)
(Harris, 1986 -> on stage-status: last time in 1987)

I'll never forget the moment when I heard the intro, when I played my 12 Wasted Years video tape for the first time. I had bought this video together with The First 10 Years, and at that point I didn't possess any Maiden studio album yet. I only knew the first two, plus Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

So, this new sound totally grabbed me. I wanted to get this album as soon as could. And what an album. I love that intro, with its spellbinding harmony, Adrian going higher at some point, and Steve and Nicko serve some solid groove underneath. That drum sound is unmatched. Both solos are pretty cool. One of Dave’s better ones on Somewhere in Time. I like the way he runs on the neck of his guitar, covering most of it. Adrian does what he’s best: a nicely built-up melodic solo, ending so awesome, almost a flashback of the diving spitfire he did on LAD’s Aces High chorus.

There's something I am focusing on, now more than ever; Adrian almost constantly waves different patterns with his rhythm guitar. Such a treat to dig this via headphones. I have the idea that on this album his volume is louder than Dave's. I wonder how that decision was made and how Dave (and H himself!) must have experienced that.
 
CSiT is a fantastic song (like QfF :p). I don't have anything bad to say about anything on SiT, to be honest. I suppose some people might not like the whole (guitar) sound of CSiT/SiT; it's so big, and full sounding --very difficult to hear much of the detail. Very much a wall of rhythm guitar --but I love it. That aside, there is much good music here. Nice harmonies, great drive & rhythm, & nice lead work. And, it has that whole melancholy feel to it --something that seems to be more and more important to me as I get older...
 
I'm gonna disappoint you again here Foro — 84 on my chart.
It is a very good song and I know most Maidenfans will rank it higher.
There is a lot I love about it, but it gets knocked down on my list for being too repetitive.
 
Just gunna ignore the QfF love to say CSiT is growing on me as is the rest of its album... still not that high though. :D
 
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