Strange World

[Dave_Murray_rules]

Another song I never really paid attention to. It feels really weird to listen to Paul singing like this. I also don't like the softness of this song.

However, amazing solos raise my grade to 6/10.
In every Iron Maiden album up to Powerslave Dave delivers one beautiful emotional solo. This time, though, Stratton is the man!

The highlight: Stratton solo at 0:45 is out of this world.

6/10

I think Babo 91 is correct in saying the first solo (as well as the second) is by Dave. If you listen to live recordings from after H joined the band, H would do the first solo, yes, and Dave the second only. But listen to some versions of that solo, and you will hear that on many nights the second solo (Dave) sounds very much the same as the first solo does in the studio. The playing style, tone etc is also very Davey-like. I'm almost certain that Dave plays both solos on Strange World (both on The Soundhouse Tapes, obviously, but also on the debut album).

 

[Dave_Murray_rules]

The first solo is Dave is it not ?

Anyway, my review

I find this song something special, it has a unique atmosphere that maiden have never recreated. It all sounds very dream like. This is probably the only song on the album where the production doesn't negatively affect the song. Great solos as well. I give it 8.7/10 so that rounds up to a 9 for these polls

9/10

Best song on the album for me

I belive you are correct in that it is in fact Dave. And this live version definitely points to it. (Listen to the second solo, by Dave. That is almost a replica of the first solo on the album version.)

 

[Forostar]

Nope. Totally different solos. Totally.

 

[Dave_Murray_rules]

Nope. Totally different solos. Totally.

Just to make sure. Are we talking about the same solo here? I am talking about the second solo (from the live version) that starts around 3:20. I hear a lot of similarities here with the first solo from the original. I do agree that it's not the same solo, but if you listen closely, you'll hear that there's a lot of the same licks and it has the same vibe.

Now, I may be wrong, of course, but to me it sounds just way too similar to the original. So I am now convinced it is Dave doing both solos, the first solo has Dave's phrasing and note selection written all over it anyway (in my opinion, that is). Anyone else has any thoughts on this? I'd be interested to hear. ( I am just one of those people that HAS to know who plays every solo.)

 

[Forostar]

I thought you meant a later solo in that clip.

But there's something odd here. It looks like the uploader did something weird and that has confused you:

First intro solo is Adrian Smith, probably during the Killers tour. Then it changes at 2.32 to a different live recording, an earlier version. It starts from the beginning, with Dennis Stratton doing the first solo @ 3.16.

So yes, the 2nd solo of this clip sounds similar to the first solo of the album version, but in fact it is the first solo in the performance, the first solo of this song. Done by the same guy as on the studio version: Dennis Stratton.

 

[Dave_Murray_rules]

I thought you meant a later solo in that clip.

But there's something odd here. It looks like the uploader did something weird and that has confused you:

First intro solo is Adrian Smith, probably during the Killers tour. Then it changes at 2.32 to a different live recording, an earlier version. It starts from the beginning, with Dennis Stratton doing the first solo @ 3.16.

So yes, the 2nd solo of this clip sounds similar to the first solo of the album version, but in fact it is the first solo in the performance, the first solo of this song. Done by the same guy as on the studio version: Dennis Stratton.

You are in fact completely right. Wow, thanks for pointing that out, I do hear it now. It is in fact two different recordings. But how do you know that it is Stratton, anyway? (I'm just asking out of curiosity, not because I think I know, because honestly, I don't.) I actually have Stratton on Facebook and did message him about this solo, but he never replied back, which I took as a sign that he probably didn't do the solo, hence couldn't be bothered answering. However, that does not prove anything, of course. To me it sounds like Dave's style on both solos, but of course, I may be all wrong about that and it may be that I just WANT it to be Dave because it's such a good solo. In all fairness to Dennis Stratton, he was a very good guitar player and I have no doubt he could have come up with a solo like that.

 

[Forostar]

Well I hear parts that are not typically Dave. Some might be, but still I can hear it is not him. The fast parts are less fluently than Dave's playing.

What also may help is this: On the studio version, we may assume that the right channel guitars are done by Stratton. There's this particular melodic playing in the couplets (the beginning sounds a bit like pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... ). When Dave ends his solo (the last of the song) in this live clip, you hear Dennis starting this particular guitar part. Dave didn't do that. You don't hear it during the first live solo. He did other rhythm guitars.

 

[Dave_Murray_rules]

Well I hear parts that are not typically Dave. Some might be, but still I can hear it is not him. The fast parts are less fluently than Dave's playing.

What also may help is this: On the studio version, we may assume that the right channel guitars are done by Stratton. There's this particular playing in the couplets (it sounds a bit like pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... ). When Dave ends his solo (the last of the song) in this live clip, you hear Dennis starting this particular guitar. Dave didn't do that. He did other rhythm guitars.

Wow, thanks so much for clarifying this. You're pointing to stuff I didn't even think about. I think I can finally rest my (brief)case on this matter. After so many years of being in the dark. But yes, when you put it this way, I do see what you're talking about. Anyhow, it is one of MAiden's best solos ever. If Dennis Stratton was not to play a huge impact on Maiden's history (although important enough), at least he left his legacy with this incredible solo. It still ranks as one of my favorites.

While we're at it, how are the solos on Starblind, really? (I don't mean the fills under the vocals, because I can easily detect what's H and what's Dave.) But someone stated that they trade solos back and forth. To me, it's always sounded like it's one, gigantic H solo, bar for the part where it's very obviously Dave.

So: 4:16-4:43 H
4:43-4:53: Dave
4:53-5:03 H

Correct? (Okay, I probably should have posted this in TFF section.)

 

[Forostar]

You may find it interesting that this particular Stratton solo is the only one by him, left in the Tournament of Maiden Solos. But we're now in round 3 and we get more and more "cruel" battles with strong opponents.

On Starblind, correct. Everything by H apart from 4:43-4:53: Dave. There's a whole topic on TFF solos here:
http://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/guitar-solos-the-final-frontier.19980/

 

[Forostar]

Would you? Think about it really. Let's say Cairns says that he played the second solo on the Soundhouse Tapes version of SW. You'd believe that, because you're not convinced it sounds like Dave; that's what you've basically just said i.e. when they came to record Dave took the first solo & Cairns the second. That would be a typical thing for Maiden to do, right? (As opposed to Cairns doing both of them.) That means that the first solo is really a Dave solo originally, yes? Why then, when they came to record the first album, would Dave give the first solo to Stratton and do the second solo, that was originally by Cairns, himself? Why would he not just keep the first solo himself (since he played it on the Soundhouse Tapes) & have Stratton do the second solo, which was done by the guy he had just replaced? It doesn't make sense...

... unless on the first album both solos are by Dave; he kept the first solo & basically replaced the second solo, by Cairns, with another of his own. It's not like Dave would never play both solos in a track; he plays both the first & second solos on Phantom, despite Stratton being heavily involved in the recording session for that track.

Is it not possible that people are hearing Dave in that first solo of SW because some of it is Dave?

Plus, you didn't respond to this:

I have no decisive answers to why Stratton would play the first solo but I am convinced that it is him, as explained above. It is not that odd. A new album, the song was not released yet. The album version can be seen as an unfinished project. The solos are played over the same chord schemes, so order doesn't matter that much. I can imagine that Dave's wilder solo fitted better as a second in order to work towards a better climax. Calm beginning, calm 1st solo solo.

Plus, you didn't respond to this:

Could you explain this less cryptic? I am not sure what you mean. Perhaps with audio files. Are you talking about differences between original album and remastered version?

 

[CriedWhenBrucieLeft]

I have no decisive answers to why Stratton would play the first solo but I am convinced that it is him, as explained above.

So just to be clear (& I'm not picking on your opinion here, Foro; as you're in the majority in saying that this is Stratton playing the first solo), is there any evidence other than listening to the recording itself of who played which solo? Is there live footage of this track anywhere, where it can be seen that Stratton is playing the first solo?

Could you explain this less cryptic? I am not sure what you mean. Perhaps with audio files. Are you talking about differences between original album and remastered version?

I don't know if there are differences between the original release & the remaster, that wasn't really my point; I assume there is not, but just stated "remaster" so you knew what recording I was actually listening to...

But let's take the first solo section, using track times from the Remaster:

00:42 ~ 01:27
I'm just not sure that this sounds like one continuous guitar recording take. I don't know why, but I'm convinced I can hear breaks in the playing/recording. I think I'm imagining it though. (I was going to post the specific times where I think I can hear this, but have decided not to.) In terms of style: yes, the legato elements of the playing sound a little less fluid than one might imagine Dave doing them; so perhaps suggestive of Stratton. And the vibrato also is a little looser/wider than Dave's, which would again suggest Stratton. Problem is: other first album material, which is definitely Dave, is also not that smart sounding; I'm thinking in particular of the first Phantom solo where the pull-offs are quite un-smooth sounding for Murray. (His later live renditions of Phantom were far more fluid sounding.) And the production plays a part too, not just the playing. I'm just not convinced this section/solo isn't Murray. The sustain & bends sound very typically Murray-like; the style overall is very early-Murray Maiden; all-in, so typical sounding. But, if it's Stratton, it's Stratton.

Let's take the second solo section, again from the Remaster:

02:59 ~ 03:20
Sounds Like Dave. But at ~03:20 listen to that overlap; that is two guitar parts. It's either an overdub (as the next one is, below) or is Dave finishing one solo take & starting another. Sounds like an overdub. And again at 03:29 ~ 03:32; there is unmistakably another guitar playing here. The whole thing still sounds like Dave; but it's clearly not just one guitar part. Having read what Stratton has said about harmonies, I think these are perhaps little overdubs by Stratton that were left in. They don't add anything to the second solo for me.

None of this has anything to do with the intrinsic qualities of the solo work. And I'm not, for the purposes of your tournament, making any suggestion about you not viewing each of these as one solo (i.e. the argument/discussion we had over H's AtG lead, if you recall.) But listen to them, there is definitely more going on here than just two start-to-finish solo recording takes.

 

[Forostar]

Cheers. I'll get to your second part later, but for now:

So just to be clear (& I'm not picking on your opinion here, Foro; as you're in the majority in saying that this is Stratton playing the first solo), is there any evidence other than listening to the recording itself of who played which solo? Is there live footage of this track anywhere, where it can be seen that Stratton is playing the first solo?

Unfortunately I haven't heard a live stereo bootleg on which Strange World is featured. Perhaps it is around. With stereo it's easier to distinguish who does what. Still:
On the studio version:

Well I hear parts that are not typically Dave. Some might be, but still I can hear it is not him. The fast parts are less fluently than Dave's playing.

On live:

What also may help is this: On the studio version, we may assume that the right channel guitars are done by Stratton. There's this particular melodic playing in the couplets (the beginning sounds a bit like pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... pwah, pwah, pwah, pwaaaah... ). When Dave ends his solo (the last of the song) in this live clip, you hear Dennis starting this particular guitar part. Dave didn't do that. You don't hear it during the first live solo. He did other rhythm guitars.

live clip: the clip Dave_Murray_rules posted. Can you clearly hear that this solo @3.16 is not Dave?

 

[Spaniard in the Works]

As for the solos, I think the first solo in this is the reason it got pulled from the EP release of the Soundhouse tapes.
Let's face it, the first solo in the Soundhouse version is TERRIBLE. It's beyond pitch-imperfect. It makes the pitch go so out of whack that actually if you listen you'll notice that Paul Di'Anno enters out of tune, possibly derailed by the solo, and has to correct himself quickly.
In fact, even if I realise Dave's pitch control was not as good back then as now, this solo is so much wonkier than anything he's done that I'm prepared to believe that Paul Cairns played it (which would give extra credit to the belief that the solo was later inherited by Dennis)

 

[Deleted member 7164]

Dave Murray is generally terrible until 1982 or so. He had the presence, fire and speed but his playing was god awful.
Paul Cairns played the second solo, the good(great) one, then.

 

[BeThyJames]

Fair play to them for going in a different direction. I do really like the guitar work but they came up with much better 'slow' songs in years to come.

5

 

[Forostar]

@lira has posted this on the Iron Maiden pub facebook page, and I thought it would be nice to share here as well:

(autotranslated from Portuguese, with some own "corrections")
Trivia:
Did you know that Paul Day wrote Strange World, based on a Sci-Fi Magazine called Strange Worlds? Today, the singer is still very interested in this theme and was never credited by Iron Maiden.

 

[matic22]

Strange World. Completely different athmosphere to the previous tracks. Can clearly hear the UFO influence on it, particulary Love To Love. Davey shines on this one. A good song.

7/10

 

[The Reverend]

A wonderfully atmospheric song that could do with a bit more direction.
Highlight: Guitarwork before the first verse.
Lowlight: It takes too long to end.
7/10

 

[Diesel 11]

A really weird song that leaves me confused. Is it good? Is it not good? Does it fit? I think if it was made by anyone else other than Maiden I might appreciate it more, but given it was released on their debut album, which is something of a punk / metal hybrid, I'm not sure if it fits all that well. It's a good song, but I'm not quite sure how exactly to rate it. It's fluctuating between 6 and 7 right now, so I'm just gonna park it at 6/10 for now and hope I made the best choice. On another note, however, I am happy to inform you that Paul Di'Anno can make a good John Lennon impression.

 

[Diesel 11]

I'm really surprised - this song is far better than I remembered it to be. Beautiful stuff, I'm floored. 9/10