Maiden songs that fade out

bluehelmet

bluehelmet

Invader
just thinking aloud here really - probably a boring idea for a thread...

I can't think of many Maiden songs that just fade out at the end of the song.

The only ones that spring to mind immediately to me are Women in Uniform, Stranger In a Strange Land and The Prophecy.

Are there any other obvious ones I should be struck down immediately for forgetting ?
 
I have always appreciated this about Maiden, fading out seems like saying, "we could not find a way to end this song" and always sounds odd live when they try to come up with an ending.
 
The only one of those three songs I can think of which they have performed live is SIASL.

So how did they end this song live in concert ?

I am hoping they might include 'Stranger' as a wildcard song on a forthcoming tour (the next phase of the History of IM tours perhaps?), so I'll hopefully get to find out for myself one day !
 
This is a good point. Fade outs are a weak way to finish a song, it sounds as if the musicians couldn't figure out an ending so they fade it out, as bearfan mentioned. Maiden rarely ever do this, also they are first and foremost a live band, and you can't fade out songs live very well.
 
There have been great solos performed over fade-outs over the years, but generally they have always pissed me off. Why do they exist? Some corporate radio DJ tool?
 
Vortex said:
This is a good point. Fade outs are a weak way to finish a song, it sounds as if the musicians couldn't figure out an ending so they fade it out, as bearfan mentioned. Maiden rarely ever do this, also they are first and foremost a live band, and you can't fade out songs live very well.
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Agreed. That's why SIASL's end sounds a bit strange live, hehe. This is the only album song where the whole band continues to play, so the drummer also keeps on playing.

But in a way yeah: The Prophecy is also a fade out, but only guitar. And I never thought of Women in Uniform fading out. Good find!~ :ok:
 
I believe Stranger in a Strange Land and The Prophecy are the only (original) studio songs to fade out.

I hate fade outs.  They seem like a copout from bands who can't figure out how to end a song.
 
I will add that in "The Prophecy", there are in fact several fades : one with the electric guitars at the end of the "real" song and one with the acoustic guitars witch appear in a fade in and then fade out.

It's why I consider that 'Stranger...' is the only Maiden song (covers not include) that actually fade out.

I agree with all of you that fade out are awful. But the Prophecy's one is something artistic...
 
Donner said:
I hate fade outs.  They seem like a copout from bands who can't figure out how to end a song.
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Sometimes, maybe. But figuring out an ending isn't hard. I've never met a musician who had a problem coming up with an ending. (A good idea is another matter, but there's never a shortage of ideas.) I suspect that nearly all fadeouts are intentional choices with a purpose, and not a copout.

A fadeout, when used properly, is just another compositional tool. It's meant to imply that the fading-out bit would go on into infinity, if not for the confines of time and our mortal ears.

Think of Stargazer with an ending, instead of a fadeout. If that doesn't make you sad, nothing will.

The fadeout at the end of "Supper's Ready" by Genesis (their 23-minute epic, often considered their best song) is so integral to the song that Genesis performed it live that way. The only case I know of where the fadeout was played live. (Though I'm sure there are more, there can't be many.)

If you want to point to the thousands of pop songs that fade out, there's a point there too. Implant the hook in your memory. A fadeout is more likely to get a listener to continue hearing the music in their mind. (The well-known phenomenon: last song you heard on the radio is stuck in your head all day.) So it serves the purpose of pop music, which is selling records. And you may not like that purpose or that music, but it's silly to criticize a genre for fulfilling its purpose.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
If you want to point to the thousands of pop songs that fade out, there's a point there too. Implant the hook in your memory. A fadeout is more likely to get a listener to continue hearing the music in their mind. (The well-known phenomenon: last song you heard on the radio is stuck in your head all day.) So it serves the purpose of pop music, which is selling records. And you may not like that purpose or that music, but it's silly to criticize a genre for fulfilling its purpose.
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I get what you are saying, I still do not care for them in general (with some exceptions, the Genesis track you mentioned is a good example.  They always sound "wrong" when you see them live and that is my real problem with them.  For top 40-ish songs, I guess it is probably the way to go.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
Sometimes, maybe. But figuring out an ending isn't hard. I've never met a musician who had a problem coming up with an ending. (A good idea is another matter, but there's never a shortage of ideas.) I suspect that nearly all fadeouts are intentional choices with a purpose, and not a copout.

A fadeout, when used properly, is just another compositional tool. It's meant to imply that the fading-out bit would go on into infinity, if not for the confines of time and our mortal ears.
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Another example of a great fadeout is Metallica's Fade To Black. The live versions don't fade out, and I really think the ending sounds really forced on that song. The fadeout just feels right. The same with another dinosaur of a song, Comfortably Numb. Last year I and two friends used that song in a very little serious music competition for chemistry students at my university (the idea is - take a known melody and write your own lyrics). I played guitar. I had to come up with an actual ending to the song, as we were not allowed to fade it out, and it just felt awkward to compose a new ending to the solo. (Now it should be pointed out - I was only true to the original solo during the first few bars, then improvised the rest).

Travis_AKA_fonzbear2000 said:
Like The Prophecy, OOTSP isn't a traditional fade out.
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What do you mean, The Prophecy is not a traditional fadeout? It does repeat the same melody over and over while the volume goes down. How is that not a traditional fadeout?
 
Despite being anti-fade, I dug up a great argument on the "for" side.
The last minute of Michael Schenker group's On and On is sublime.
The trademark pure tone and precise speed of a Schenker solo over Cozy Powell rhythms...  :wub:
 
Crimson Mask said:
Maybe the best argument FOR fade-outs I've ever heard.
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He has his moments, SMX  :)
Some of my all time favorite posts here, are his! Some funny, some clever, some both.
 
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