Iron Maiden: individual album judgement by yours truly

Diesel 11 said:
IRON MAIDEN (1980)

1. Prowler - 8/10
Solid way to kick off the career. Band is out in full action and very energetic, the riff is good, and as dumb as the lyrics are, they work.

2. Remember Tomorrow - 6/10
Should’ve been better than it actually is. Paul isn’t great and never finishes his verse lines, and the instrumental section is a bit misplaced. Yet the riff and the music backing the verses is quite solid, so props for that.

3. Running Free - 8/10
A lot of fun. The opening drums and Paul’s energy are quite infectious. Sing along song of the album.

4. Phantom Of The Opera - 10/10
The album’s highlight. Maiden’s first epic and just so much fun. The guitars are awesome, Paul keeps reeling on the listener with the verses, just a great song all-round.

5. Transylvania - 9/10
The lack of lyrics helps make this song stand out among its peers. Another song that is just really fun to listen to.

6. Strange World - 8/10
The verses are awesome, but the music interludes run a tad too long for me.

7. Sanctuary - 9/10
Again: so much fun. From the riff through to the solos and chorus, it’s a great early metal song with a lot of kick.

8. Charlotte The Harlot - 6/10
Paul flubs the verses but keeps a hold on the chorus. The bridge is completely meaningless and should’ve been cut, but what this song lacks in quality, it makes up for with being another fun little song. But yeah, not a great example of early Maiden.

9. Iron Maiden - 10/10
Repetitive as all hell, but it’s a great eponymous song and just a fantastic listen. Another highlight.

A fun album with a lot of kick and a foreshadowing of the greatness the band was heading for.

Rating: 82%
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Wait..what happened to your ratings? They used to make no sense at all just a few months ago. :D
 
Beginning another relisten and here's my thoughts on the debut:

- The flow of the album actually benefits from the original tracklisting without Sanctuary included, but unfortunately, that makes it a weaker album. Sanctuary is the only great song on the back half of this album.
- The A side to the s/t is really fantastic.
- It's pretty ballsy for a metal band to come out of the gate with two big ballads on the album. I still don't love either RT or SW, but they are certainly standouts in the IM discography for being different.
- Each song here is rather unique. Sure, it's a debut, but it's pretty impressive in terms of songwriting scope.
- This album rose a half a percent in my rankings this year from 7.5 to 8.0/10.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Beginning another relisten and here's my thoughts on the debut:

- The flow of the album actually benefits from the original tracklisting without Sanctuary included, but unfortunately, that makes it a weaker album. Sanctuary is the only great song on the back half of this album.
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The back half being the b-side I reckon, now that is piss off the thistle. Transylvania, Strange World and The Harlot will have ya bobbin in chin fat ya flat prat.
 
My ratings

Prowler: 8,5
Sanctuary: 6,5
Remember Tomorrow: 8
Running Free: 7,5
Phantom Of The Opera: 10
Transylvania: 9,5
Strange World: 10
Charlotte The Harlot: 7
Iron Maiden: 8

Overall: 8,3
 
Prowler - 6
Sanctuary - 7
Remember Tomorrow - 7
Running Free - 7
Phantom of the Opera - 10
Transylvania - 8
Strange World - 7
Charlotte the Harlot - 7
Iron Maiden - 6
 
Forostar said:
O my, subjective matters on a forum! Looking forward to it Arturo!
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I'm not an english speaking native, so forgive me if i don't express my self correctly. I valuate both lyrics and rhytm, when i found that both excel my ranking goes from 9 -10. If both are good, 7-8. If some of them is good, but not the other, then i go 5-6. If i don't see any of them, 1-4. Rarely i gave those low rankings, causa Maiden use to take care of the songs.
Greetings.
 
When Maiden entered the studio to record their first album, how did they choose these 8 specific songs? They had already a large catalogue to choose from. Why Strange World and not Prodigal son for instance?
 
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