Odd discography vs even discography

Which one do you prefer?


  • Total voters
    14
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Black Bart

Ancient Mariner
Our collective taste for pointless votes and ranking, associated to our crave for sterile bickering has inspired me to come up with this new way to waste our time. :D
So, if Maiden's discography were to be split between albums 1, 3, 5... and albums 2, 4, 6..., which one would you prefer?

Reminder:

Odd discography: Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast, Powerslave, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Fear of the Dark, Virtual XI, Dance of Death, The Final Frontier and Senjutsu.

Even discography: Killers, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time, No Prayer for the Dying, The X Factor, Brave New World, A Matter of Life and Death and The Book of Souls.

The poll will be up until October 1st. :)
 
Our collective taste for pointless votes and ranking, associated to our crave for sterile bickering has inspired me to come up with this new way to waste our time. :D
So, if Maiden's discography were to be split between albums 1, 3, 5... and albums 2, 4, 6..., which one would you prefer?

Reminder:

Odd discography: Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast, Powerslave, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Fear of the Dark, Virtual XI, Dance of Death, The Final Frontier and Senjutsu.

Even discography: Killers, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time, No Prayer for the Dying, The X Factor, Brave New World, A Matter of Life and Death and The Book of Souls.

The poll will be up until October 1st. :)
Damn!!! This is a dangerous and pretty clever game LOL
My favorites Maiden albums are Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Powerslave and they are in the odd discography but Virtual XI, The Final Frontier and Senjutsu are there and I think I could live without them. Otherwise Classics like Iron Maiden and The Number of the Beast are included in this group. Fear of the Dark is a dark album. It has 5, 6 good songs on it but Fear of the Dark song is so overplayed…but at the same time Be quick or be dead is so fucking good and powerful song. I really enjoying with Dance of Death.

But… I think the even discography is more solid.
Killers, Piece of Mind and Somewhere in Time from the golden era … So fucking good albums…
I always enjoyed with No prayer for the dying. I can stand The X factor no problem at all.
Brave New World and A Matter of Life and Death are really great albums. Best albums since early 90s.
I can stand with Book of Souls although I really enjoyed with If eternity, Speed of Light and The instrumental part of The Red and the Black…the rest is a little bit boring.

EVEN DISCOGRAPHY for me.
 
My immediate reaction was the "even" one, because it has AMOLAD and The X Factor.

Then I thought about comparing the respective albums as they go

Iron Maiden > Killers - Odd
TNOTB < POM - Even
Powerslave > SIT - Odd
SSOASS > NPFTD - Odd
FOTD < The X Factor - Even
Virtual XI < BNW - Even
DOD < AMOLAD - Even
TFF > TBOS - Odd
Senjutsu ... ???


And I realised that with Senjutsu being the 17th album, the odd discography has advantage, because it has one (really good) album more. Even then the results are

Odd: 4 (5, if we include Senjutsu)
Even: 4

That looks about equal, right?

So I decided to use the Mosh method, take my ranking I sent to him (I don't think many has changed since - I used preference revealer then and I take it as it came out), add the appropriate amount of points (17 for the first album, 16 for the next etc.)

So:

1. A Matter of Life and Death
2. Powerslave
3. The Final Frontier
4. The X Factor
5. Senjutsu
6. Brave New World
7. The Book of Souls
8. Dance of Death
9. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
10. Fear of the Dark
11. Somewhere in Time
12. Piece of Mind
13. Virtual XI
14. The Number of the Beast
15. No Prayer for the Dying
16. Iron Maiden
17. Killers

means the points are as following:

Odd: 2 + 4 + 16 + 9 + 8 + 5 + 10 + 15 (+ 13 if we count Senjutsu) = 69 (+ 13 = 82)

Even: 1 + 6 + 7 + 3 + 14 + 12 + 17 + 11 = 71

Which is again very close and thrown off by the odd discography having one more album I rate very highly.

Which means - as it stands - I'm going to have to go with the Odd discography.

(which has my second and my third favourite album, whereas the even one has the first and the fourth - in general, of my top 5, odd discography has 3 - 2., 3. and 5. - and even 2 - 1. and 4.

Also, the odd discography lacks my least favourite and my third least favourite albums and has the second and the fourth least favourite albums instead - of my bottom 5, odd discography has 3 - 17., 15. and 13. and even 2 - 16. and 14.)
 
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I'm not sure how much time I'll waste on this but I'm down for sterile bickering and I've already wasted some time changing my mind 3 or 4 times so I'll certainly withhold my vote.

Maybe I'll even make my own 10 song playlist from each grouping and see if that helps my decision.

My initial lean is towards Even but then I'm going against a grouping featuring Running Free, Phantom, Hallowed, Rime, Powerslave, Infinite Dreams, 7th Son, Evil, DOD, Hell on Earth, all songs that would have a good shout of being in my all time Top 10.

Great poll, great poll.
 
My top 5 consists of:

VXI, AMOLAD, SSOASS, FOTD, DOD

My bottom 5:
Killers, IM, TFF, TNOTB, POM

Though some of my least favorites are in the odd grouping, so are 4 of my top 5 albums, so: Sorry AMOLAD, but I have to go with odd.
 
I voted for Odd. Some of my favorite/most enjoyable albums are there (SJ, VXI, FOTD, SSOASS, DOD), some are in Even ofc (SIT, BNW, AMOLAD, TBOS), but Even has some of my ''least'' favorites as a whole piece, so. Not that easy of a choice though.
 
Iron Maiden > Killers
The Number of the Beast
< Piece of Mind
Powerslave
> Somewhere in Time
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
> No Prayer for the Dying
Fear of the Dark
< The X Factor
Virtual XI
< Brave New World
Dance of Death
> A Matter of Life and Death
The Final Frontier
< The Book of Souls
Senjutsu
> no extra album

So that's 5:4 in favor of Odd given that Senjutsu tags along as a freebie. Now let's weigh it up based on my last album ranking:

Odd:
Iron Maiden - 12
The Number of the Beast - 8
Powerslave - 1
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - 14
Fear of the Dark - 9
Virtual XI - 11
Dance of Death - 10
The Final Frontier - 16
Senjutsu - 5
Total: 86
Average: 9.56

Even:
Killers - 17
Piece of Mind - 6
Somewhere in Time - 3
No Prayer for the Dying - 15
The X Factor - 7
Brave New World - 2
A Matter of Life and Death - 13
The Book of Souls - 4
Total: 67
Average: 8.38
Adding the Senjutsu tax (18): 85, avg. 9.44

So that looks like we're swinging in favor of Even now. Damn, what do I vote for??? I guess I'll have to go through my most recent Top 50 and see how many songs come from Even vs. Odd.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Odd 1
The Parchment - Odd 2
Empire of the Clouds - Even 1
The Talisman - Odd 3
Aces High - Odd 4
For the Greater Good of God - Even 2
Alexander the Great - Even 3
Paschendale - Odd 5
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate - Even 4
Journeyman - Odd 6
Powerslave - Odd 7
Como Estais Amigos - Odd 8
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Odd 9
Judas Be My Guide - Odd 10
The Mercenary - Even 5
Still Life - Even 6
Lord of the Flies - Even 7
Dream of Mirrors - Even 8
The Duellists - Odd 11
Heaven Can Wait - Even 9
Sign of the Cross - Even 10
2 Minutes to Midnight - Odd 12
Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) - Odd 13
The Book of Souls - Even 11
Out of the Silent Planet - Even 12
Brave New World - Even 13
Hell on Earth - Odd 14
The Apparition - Odd 15
The Nomad - Even 14
Back in the Village - Odd 16
Wasted Years - Even 15
The Trooper - Even 16
Fear of the Dark - Odd 17
Flash of the Blade - Odd 18
Tears of a Clown - Even 17
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - Even 18
The Time Machine - Odd 19
Dance of Death - Odd 20
The Number of the Beast - Odd 21
Face in the Sand - Odd 22
Caught Somewhere in Time - Even 19
Isle of Avalon - Odd 23
Run to the Hills - Odd 24
Phantom of the Opera - Odd 25
Hallowed Be Thy Name - Odd 26
The Great Unknown - Even 20
Ghost of the Navigator - Even 21
Die With Your Boots On - Even 22
The Prisoner - Odd 27
The Writing on the Wall - Odd 28

So that's 28:22 in favor of Odd. I feel like I gotta be fair though and go through the clunkers, too. Since I like most of Maiden's songs, let's just do my bottom 25 and see how that fairs.

Drifter - Even 1
Purgatory - Even 2
Innocent Exile - Even 3
The Man Who Would Be King - Odd 1
Only the Good Die Young - Odd 2

The Assassin - Even 4
Out of the Shadows - Even 5
Childhood's End - Odd 3
Mother Russia - Even 6
The Alchemist - Odd 4
Mother of Mercy - Odd 5
Another Life - Even 7
Age of Innocence - Odd 6
Wildest Dreams - Odd 7
Quest for Fire - Even 8
Wasting Love - Odd 8
Sun and Steel - Even 9
Strange World - Odd 9
Gangland - Odd 10
The Longest Day - Even 10
Remember Tomorrow - Odd 11
Prodigal Son - Even 11
Montsegur - Odd 12
Running Free - Odd 13
The Educated Fool - Odd 14

So that's 14:11, with more clunkers coming from the Odds. How enlightening.

Well I guess it's time to look at live albums, then, because obviously they are only unlocked if you have their respective studio album companion in your list.

Odd:
Iron Maiden - none
The Number of the Beast - Beast over Hammersmith
Powerslave
- Live After Death, Flight 666
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
- Maiden England ('88)
Fear of the Dark
- Live at Donington, A Real Live One, A Real Dead One
Virtual XI
- none
Dance of Death - Death on the Road
The Final Frontier
- En Vivo!
Senjutsu
- none... so far

Even:
Killers - Live at the Rainbow
Piece of Mind
- none
Somewhere in Time - none... so far
No Prayer for the Dying - none
The X Factor - none
Brave New World - Rock in Rio
A Matter of Life and Death
- none
The Book of Souls - The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

Damn, losing Rock in Rio kills me, but overall this definitely swings in the Odd direction with so much more to choose from.

So that's 3:2 in favor of Odd. Thanks for joining me, folks, until next time when I try to compare apples with oranges on the banana scale.
 
My Top 10 Maiden records are equally divided between even and odd discographies, so 5:5 in that case. My top 5 between odd and even stands at 3:2, respectively. While odd has the giants - TNOTB, Powerslave, Seventh Son and to an extent even DoD and Iron Maiden but, for me, Somewhere In Time and AMOLAD are too hard to miss out and even Brave New World, Piece Of Mind, Killers and The X Factor seem like a better match than say, FOTD, Virtual XI, The Final Frontier or Senjutsu. Very tough but I will go with EVEN.

Iron Maiden > Killers - Odd
TNOTB < POM - Even
Powerslave > SIT - Odd
SSOASS > NPFTD - Odd
FOTD < The X Factor - Even
Virtual XI < BNW - Even
DOD < AMOLAD - Even
TFF > TBOS - Odd
Senjutsu ... ???
Iron Maiden > Killers
The Number of the Beast
< Piece of Mind
Powerslave
> Somewhere in Time
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
> No Prayer for the Dying
Fear of the Dark
< The X Factor
Virtual XI
< Brave New World
Dance of Death
> A Matter of Life and Death
The Final Frontier
< The Book of Souls
Senjutsu
> no extra album

I just don't get that criteria! How about Iron Maiden vs. AMOLAD or Somewhere In Time vs. Virtual XI?? Comparison can't be made just between chronologically released albums but overall.
 
I just don't get that criteria! How about Iron Maiden vs. AMOLAD or Somewhere In Time vs. Virtual XI?? Comparison can't be made just between chronologically released albums but overall.

Well, the very premise of this thread is about how the albums were released chronologically (which is itself an absurd criterion, sort of), so it makes sense to compare each "odd" vs. each "even" album. We consider their order? Okay, we consider their order.
 
We consider their order? Okay, we consider their order.
I don't think it is implied that albums be considered in order. I see it as two seperate groups going toe-to-toe against each other. But hey, we are at 'Can I Play With Madness' section and here we have only rule, that there are no rules LOL, so everything's fine!
 
Well, the very premise of this thread is about how the albums were released chronologically (which is itself an absurd criterion, sort of), so it makes sense to compare each "odd" vs. each "even" album. We consider their order? Okay, we consider their order.
I'm not seeing anything in the OP implying release order is important for the comparisons. It's purely about group A vs group B.
 
I'm not seeing anything in the OP implying release order is important for the comparisons. It's purely about group A vs group B.

And yet the release order was important for the selection of the groups, that's how they came to be. So why couldn't it be important for the comparisons?

Also

But hey, we are at 'Can I Play With Madness' section and here we have only rule, that there are no rules LOL, so everything's fine!

This.
 
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