Ascendingthethrone
Ancient Mariner
Just recently, I finally finished my Maiden vinyl reissue collection. However, I had hardly listened to any of them all the way through or even got them out of the wrapping. Therefore I thought I would make good use of the winter evenings here in the UK.
My wife rehearses with her choir every Tuesday. So every Tuesday night for the last four months (some missed due to work) I have listened to and reviewed each album. It was a fun project as it got me truly listening to each song and trying to rate them as best I could.
Each song was ranked out of 10. As I listened, I made notes about each song. Now I know on this forum people rank each individual album and this has been posted multiple times. However, I added two extra categories: flow (does the album flow well and feel like a cohesive album?) and production (overall sound). These are two things that I consider essential when listening to a complete album. These categories were also ranked out of 10.
My final rankings.
1. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. 9.5
2. Somewhere in Time 9.35
3. Brave New World. 9.29
4. A Matter of Life and Death. 9.04
5. The X Factor 8.96
6. The Number of the Beat 8.9
7. Powerslave 8.8
8. Piece of Mind 8.77
9. The Final Frontier 8.54
10. Killers 8.45
11. The Book of Souls 8.42
12. Dance of Death 8.39
13. Virtual XI. 7.8
14. Fear of the Dark 7.6
15. Iron Maiden 7.35
16. No Prayer for the Dying. 6.95
There were a number of surprises once the final rankings were totaled up.
* I didn’t think I would rate the debut album, DOD and BOS so low (especially the debut album).
* I was surprised that Brave New World was one of my highest rated albums.
* It took me a long time to get into SSOASS. As much as I like it now, it is amazing to me that it is ranked at the top.
* I realised that Steve Harris is not my favourite lyricist in the band. Lots of criticisms came from songs where he had written the lyrics.
Any thoughts on these rankings?
Despite listening to these songs and albums hundred of times on CD and MP3, it was great to sit down and take them all in one vinyl. Thanks for reading. I know it is not an original project or idea but I thought I would share it with you.
My wife rehearses with her choir every Tuesday. So every Tuesday night for the last four months (some missed due to work) I have listened to and reviewed each album. It was a fun project as it got me truly listening to each song and trying to rate them as best I could.
Each song was ranked out of 10. As I listened, I made notes about each song. Now I know on this forum people rank each individual album and this has been posted multiple times. However, I added two extra categories: flow (does the album flow well and feel like a cohesive album?) and production (overall sound). These are two things that I consider essential when listening to a complete album. These categories were also ranked out of 10.
My final rankings.
1. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. 9.5
2. Somewhere in Time 9.35
3. Brave New World. 9.29
4. A Matter of Life and Death. 9.04
5. The X Factor 8.96
6. The Number of the Beat 8.9
7. Powerslave 8.8
8. Piece of Mind 8.77
9. The Final Frontier 8.54
10. Killers 8.45
11. The Book of Souls 8.42
12. Dance of Death 8.39
13. Virtual XI. 7.8
14. Fear of the Dark 7.6
15. Iron Maiden 7.35
16. No Prayer for the Dying. 6.95
There were a number of surprises once the final rankings were totaled up.
* I didn’t think I would rate the debut album, DOD and BOS so low (especially the debut album).
* I was surprised that Brave New World was one of my highest rated albums.
* It took me a long time to get into SSOASS. As much as I like it now, it is amazing to me that it is ranked at the top.
* I realised that Steve Harris is not my favourite lyricist in the band. Lots of criticisms came from songs where he had written the lyrics.
Any thoughts on these rankings?
Despite listening to these songs and albums hundred of times on CD and MP3, it was great to sit down and take them all in one vinyl. Thanks for reading. I know it is not an original project or idea but I thought I would share it with you.
Last edited: