Not the same band... Not the same music!

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Ok, probably I'll become famous on this forum for starting the most annoying (and maybe pointless :halo:) threads, but I've got an inquisitive mind and I just can't help it...
The fact is that I've seen many people on this forum stating that they enjoy equally albums from different "era" in Maiden discography...
I don't want to offend anyone, but do you think that's possible? Here I'm not talking about the quality of the composition, which is obviously fairly consistent, but about emotional attachment...
Different era mean different members, different styles, in a word, different music.
Each one of us must have its own preferences! It seems to me like some people just pretend there are no differences - maybe to preserve their own integrity as fans... or not?
 
I think that if you put a song off of Iron Maiden and a song off of A Matter of Life and Death next to a complete n00b, they'd definitely think..."Whoa, those are two completely different bands!"  I think that if you took the song I am listening to right now (The Mercenary) and put it next to say, Run to the Hills, people would hear similarities.  It all depends on the song and album in question.  Certainly someone would hear interesting corrolaries between Phantom of the Opera and Rime of the Ancient Mariner, between Killers and some of the Blaze-era songs, between Wasted Years and Wildest Dreams.

The music in many cases has evolved, but only rarely are they indistinguishable.  It does happen - who'd guess the the same guy who wrote Charlotte the Harlot also wrote The Nomad?  But the variety of songs is something that being a Maiden fan is about.  There's so much from so many different points of view and so many different talents.  But there is still a sound through most songs that is uniquely "Maiden".

It might have something to do with that Steve Harris bloke...
 
Of course we have our own preferences. As for me I like the "eras" pretty much the same way, however when it comes to albums, that's different. I like Brave New World the most, I also love Killers, don't care too much for X factor, but love the "risk" taken by the band with Blaze, it's different. So it is a little more complex than you think and for the sake of simplicity many here simply say they like it all rather than do what I just did here.
 
BuriedOnPlanetDune said:
Ok, probably I'll become famous on this forum for starting the most annoying (and maybe pointless :halo:) threads, but I've got an inquisitive mind and I just can't help it...
The fact is that I've seen many people on this forum stating that they enjoy equally albums from different "era" in Maiden discography...
I don't want to offend anyone, but do you think that's possible?
Click to expand...

I understand that it sounds unbelievable for an outsider, but this is one of the greatest strengths of Maiden.
A lot of people have a lot of different favourite albums. It's a good thing for a band to not have one or a few favourite album(s), much more favourite than other albums. After reading Perun's post about Deep Purple, I think that that band might suffer from that syndrome. Way more bands come to mind to be honest.
 
I think it's a quality unique to Maiden, Priest, and a small handful handful of other bands. There's an excellent variety and consistent quality between Maiden's albums, but I that's what it takes to stay influential, popular, and relevant for over 25 years. I have my favorite albums like anyone else here, but I think the variety helps make it more than just a passing phase. Just a month ago i gained a new appreciation for The X Factor, which I didn't like at first. Now I'm rediscovering Powerslave. I think if it weren't for the variety and different eras of Maiden I probably would have lost interest by now, but instead there's a song to fit nearly every mood and phase I've experienced so far. Also, you should know that this site is kind of an anomale among metal communities. Usually I see things more along the lines of "Bruce rocks Blaze sucks! Why can't they make another Powerslave? Get rid of Janick! H>Dave! UP THE IRONS!!! \m/" Not that there's anything wrong with the upping of irons, but it gets pretty annoying to see in nearly post online.
 
Yeah, I think that the Maiden-parallels to Bruce's solo work are in many cases unfounded. There are similarities in some places, but on the whole I think that Bruce very much did his own thing. Even on the later albums. And I think that a lot of people (apparently Nicko included :p) draw that parallel simply because it's Metal and it's Bruce.

Apart from a few songs (Road To Hell being the main offender, imo), most of it seems is very un-Maiden to me. Which is a good thing imo. There's nothing worse than solo-artists who continue to make the same music as when they were in a band.
 
Yeah, I've also wondered why people think of Bruce's solo albums as so Maiden-like.  The biggest connection to me is Bruce's voice.  If you compare The X Factor and Accident of Birth, you can clearly hear the Maiden sound on TXF but not Accident... . 

And to be frank I've never been fully comfortable with the production on Bruce's solo work.  I don't know what it is about it, but I just don't like it sometimes.  But the songs are very good.
 
Invader said:
Yeah, I've also wondered why people think of Bruce's solo albums as so Maiden-like.  The biggest connection to me is Bruce's voice.  If you compare The X Factor and Accident of Birth, you can clearly hear the Maiden sound on TXF but not Accident... . 

And to be frank I've never been fully comfortable with the production on Bruce's solo work.  I don't know what it is about it, but I just don't like it sometimes.  But the songs are very good.
Click to expand...

It's probably the dirty production you're thinking of, which comes more from the fact that Roy Z uses guitars tuned to drop-D quite a bit.  There's an interesting interview with Adrian, where he explains how he had such difficulty learning the riffs Roy sent him (on tape), then saw Roy playing them and went, 'What the fuck?!'...now, he plays in Drop-D for songs like 'The Number Of The Beast' and 'Fear Of The Dark' with Maiden.

Kids, this is an example of how to use drop-D tuning WITHOUT resorting to mindless stop-start riffing!  Remember, just because it's easier to play like Slipknot doesn't mean it's better!
 
I think Bruce's solo work sort of sounds like Maiden, with (as stated above) songs like Road to Hell, The Tower, etc. that have a sort of "Maiden groove".  But I like the different songs too as well as the production.  Roy Z is a killer song writer, and The Chemical Wedding is an album equal to any of the best Maiden's put out.
 
The "maiden feel" in Bruce's work might be do to the fact that he did right songs for Maiden, hence contributing to the "Maiden sound", thus some of his solo work will undoubtedly sound like some Maiden material for that reason, but also, he was in that band for a LONG time, some of it was bound to rub off on him.

It is a breath of fresh air when an artist solo work is different from the stuff they've done with their respective bands, like Russel Allen's Atomic soul (Symphony X's singer), unfortunately Kotipelto's work (from Stratovarius) is still very power metal, not as cheesy as Stratovarious, but around those lines. I haven't listened to other solo projects so my observations end here. [/observations] :p
 
Raven said:
It's probably the dirty production you're thinking of, which comes more from the fact that Roy Z uses guitars tuned to drop-D quite a bit.  There's an interesting interview with Adrian, where he explains how he had such difficulty learning the riffs Roy sent him (on tape), then saw Roy playing them and went, 'What the fuck?!'...now, he plays in Drop-D for songs like 'The Number Of The Beast' and 'Fear Of The Dark' with Maiden.

Kids, this is an example of how to use drop-D tuning WITHOUT resorting to mindless stop-start riffing!  Remember, just because it's easier to play like Slipknot doesn't mean it's better!
Click to expand...

Ironically, the "cleanness" of some of Maiden's albums is one of my pet peeves. I don't have any clue as to what exactly it's about, whether it's to do with Drop-D (which means more or less nothing to me :p), or something about the way it's recorded and mixed, but some of the albums feel too clean compared to the live-versions. Especially X Factor and Dance of Death for some reason. I always felt that Bruce's stuff was more to my liking. Particularly Balls To Picasso and Chemical Wedding.

Ever since I got into his solo stuff, I've wanted to know what a Roy Z-produced Maiden-album would sound like. Not giving up Shirley for good, but just trying something new for the next one. On the other hand, I've also wanted to know what a 4-guitar line-up with Roy Z would sound like, and that's about as likely to happen :p
 
I think the closest parallel to Maiden/ Bruce solo is HammerFall/ Joacim solo.  Singers doing solo albums that are in some ways similar but different... if you catch my drift, I think they are "the same distance apart" from their records in their respective bands, for want of a better phrase.
 
Raven said:
... [Adrian Smith] plays in Drop-D for songs like 'The Number Of The Beast' ...
Click to expand...

This makes sense, since TNOTB is in the key of D.

However, does anyone know when he started doing this?

I ask because Adrian plays parts of that song on the Classic Albums "The Number Of The Beast" DVD - and he is clearly playing in standard tuning there, not dropped-D.*

I'm also too lazy right now to look up when that DVD was made, but I'm pretty sure it was post-reunion at least.


* In case my statement is unclear:
The footage I'm talking about was new footage, filmed for that DVD - not archival footage of H from earlier days. So it would definitely be after he had been introduced to dropped-D by Roy Z.
 
Adrian's "heavy" guitars can especially be heard well during Dave's solo in RTTH. He started to play Maiden material in a different way since the reunion. He had to relearn some songs (I'm sure it's more than 2, though I can't figure which ones by heart). The cool thing is that not the whole band does it. Only Adrian. A great combo. Can't wait to hear these guys on "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" !!
 
Well, I notice the discussion diverted on Bruce solo career.
IMHO there`s no way an alternate tuning can affect the production of an album, I would say it could only affect the overall guitar sound (usually thicker) and the riffing style in general (it gives the possibilty to play guitar chords in a faster and easy way, even though if you look at Exhumed live you would see how a metal guitar player can proudly use traditional power chords at the speed of light seamlessly  :P).
The choice of a guitarist adopting this style of playing though, could be the result of the willingness to obtain a certain kind of sound in the first place.

I have downloaded all Bruce`s discography (Yes, I download, and listen very carefully before buying anything :ninja:) but since these days I`m really in a rush I don`t have much time for listening to every single song...
Would any of you be so kind to provide me with some direction/advice on what you think are the hot spots in Bruce`s solo production?
Maybe one or two songs from each album?
Thanking you in advance....
 
I find it difficult to give someone advice who doesn't even take time to listen to one single album. You didn't even have to walk to a record store, take your wallet out of your pocket, unpack the CD and put the disc in your stereo. You saved time already!

*shakes head in unbelief*

You do spend time on theoretical matters on this forum. So there must be time to play a record. 

There's also a chance that you won't buy anything at all. I don't want to be rude but I would appreciate a bit more dedication, before I'm willing to help.
 
Forostar said:
I find it difficult to give someone advice who doesn't even take time to listen to one single album. You didn't even have to walk to a record store, take your wallet out of your pocket, unpack the CD and put the disc in your stereo. You saved time already!

*shakes head in unbelief*

You do spend time on theoretical matters on this forum. So there must be time to play a record. 

There's also a chance that you won't buy anything at all. I don't want to be rude but I would appreciate a bit more dedication, before I'm willing to help.
Click to expand...

Of course there is chance I don`t buy anything at all!
I`m not a collector and I don`t buy records just for the sake of doing it...
For instance there are some Maiden albums I don`t own because I consider them not worthy.
I`m not a greedy leech (if that`s what you mean) but I`m happy to spend money on originals whenever I feel they are worth keeping for a lifetime.
I think we have the right to be a bit selective, and if that is possible, why not?
My spending time on theoretical matters on this forum is exactly the reason why I`m so busy - everyday I`m studying every single page (from University) as it`s the subject of my dissertation, as stated elsewhere  - and I can promise you it takes a lot of time  and effort...
I can also tell you that listening to music is what I enjoy doing most - not having time for it doesn`t make me happy at all!
I appreciate your principles but all I wanted is some opinions from people that know these record better that I.
I`m sure there will be someone who won`t mind typing a couple of song titles he/she loves in order to help this poor fellow...
I thank them in advance as I thank you Forostar for sharing your point of view and trying to foster my dedication :).
 
It's especially my unbelieve about not taking time to listen to a single album. I must have missed what your dissertation is about but if it's related to (Maiden or Bruce) music, it doesn't make sense without taking time to listen to (such) music. To not relate yourself with the material you're gonna write about is rediculous. If you want to save time, you might just as well stop reading and make it all up yourself.

My best advice is: Take time to listen to Bruce's music when you have time. In your opinion that is after your study. If not, you won't have a good view on it, nor will you enjoy it that much, being in a rush.
 
My study is - in a nuce - about what a fan website is about - therefore my opinion on music is (unfortunately) not relevant :(.
I can`t say that I`m new to Maiden as I`ve been listening to their music since 1989. Apart from that, I`ve never followed Bruce`s career - the only album I own is Tattoed Millionaire - but reading these pages woke up a personal curiosity. Probably I`ll have to satisfy it the hard way :innocent:
 
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