Tailgunner

How good is Tailgunner on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    13
'tailgunner'

That too....it's the same principle. Start a fire so hot, it sucks the oxygen from elsewhere. [!--emo&B)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/cool.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'cool.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'tailgunner'

Now you can read other visitors' comments on 'Tailgunner' as well as post your own. Any contribution to the commentary will be much appreciated, may it be cultural references relevant to the song (links to related websites, interpretations that may have been overlooked in the Commentary, and the like) or personal essays related to the topic of the song. Just be aware that messages that are either off-topic or too wacky may be deleted.
 
'tailgunner'

[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Climb into the sky never wonder why – Tailgunner, you're a Tailgunner[/quote]

If you could cross the music and mood of Aces High with the basic ideas behind this song you'd have a perfect WWII aeroplane song.

I must say however that I'm quite surprised by the choice of cities in this song. Dresden is good to mention, but Berlin and Hamburg both suffered from heavier bombing than Cologne and Frankfurt.
On the other hand, most big German cities suffered from heavy bombing. But Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne were extreme.
 
'tailgunner'

Cologne was the first town to suffer "carpet bombing" (and invention of Arthur "Bomber" Harris) in 1942 and Dresden was the last in 1945.

The bombing of Dresden was apparently meaningless, but thousands of German civilians lost their lives so America could show its might to the advancing Soviets... [!--emo&:huh:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/huh.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'huh.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

Anyway, this could be why these two towns are mentioned...
 
'tailgunner'

Maybe my memory escapes me there, but I think Hamburg was before Cologne. Anyway, the greatest parts of Hamburg was destroyed by a firestorm.
 
'tailgunner'

The background of the song has been talked about pretty much, so I'm only commenting the song. One should not compare it to Aces High (which is one of the best songs they ever did), there are quite some good parts in the song. However, the chorus doesn't belong to these parts... All in all, above average, but still far away from being great.
 
Re: 'tailgunner'

I know it is kind of a dead horse, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of ... rld_War_II has much information about the raid for those curious. It also figures in extenuating factors that had some effect on the decision to bomb it; ironically, the article suggests that the raid was aimed to assist the Soviets, not frighten them. But regardless, there it is.
 
Daily Song: Tailgunner

Welcome to the Daily Vote Thread! Rules are here.

Remember, only a decent review will count towards the contest.

Today's song: Tailgunner

Yesterday's song remains open for voting! You can find it here.

And so we get to NPFTD. Should be interesting to see what people think of this album. As for Tailgunner, it loses a point for Bruce, who sings horribly here. However, the riff and music is quite cool, if a little raw. It gets a solid 6 out of me, but could have been a 7 or 8 with better singing.
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

Musically, this is a 7/8 in my book. It has some good hooks, and apart from the "tailgunner, you're a tailgunner" lines the chorus is really nice. The solos are raw compared to the more refined solos from the previous albums.

However: By the standard set by Bruce on the five preceding albums, the singing in this song is, like you wrote, just plain horrible. First it's the sound of Bruce's voice. Except for the "Climb into the sky, never wonder why" line, which sounds good, the rest makes me think Bruce is trying to be a different type of singer. But even worse: The song's lyrics are dead serious. I mean, they tell about bombing Germany to pieces. I don't think the bomber pilots thought their job was fun. Neither do I believe the tailgunners were enjoying themselves much. But the way especially the second verse is sung, it sounds more like a teenager playing Combat Flight Simulator on his computer. Singing style and lyrics are on collision course.

The result is a weak 6 which could easily be a 5 if I was in a bad mood. Worst opener of any Maiden album.
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

Listened to NP today, so this should be easy.
I give it a 7. A little high, but it's a great song, with Bruce taking it down from a 7.5.
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

I can't imagine clean/higher vocals instead of the rough ones, as they are. Wouldn't fit in this context. I have accepted these kind of vocals as an integral contribution of the early nineties albums. Of course, I prefer Bruce singing higher (and cleaner), but against the backdrop of rough music there's not a single hair on my head having any problem with this at all.

This song itself has an interesting intro. We hear two distorted rhythm guitars instead of one solo, a harmony, or (a) cleaner guitar(s). The guitars are doing different things, something which I always appreciate.

There are quite some fast breaks. We get some evil riffing in our face, and Steve is menacing with his bass playing.
I love the live sound of this whole album, and on this track the aggression of both the sound and the playing fits well to the lyrics. Some nice sudden changes in the instrumental part. I reckon it's a challenging song to play.
I was lucky to see it live and I hope it will get another chance one day.

I'll give something between 7,5 and 8, so it's going to be

8
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

I agree with Loosey and EW. This song is quite exciting musically, but singing and lyrics really drag it down for me. Nothing against anti-war irony, but this is an example on how not to do it.

7/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

I'm going to vote purely on emotion here and give this song a 10. 

Tailgunner was the very first Iron Maiden song I ever heard back in 1990.  This was my favorite song for a good 6 months (until I could afford Seventh Son that is).  I was absolutely gobsmacked enamored with this song.  It was an entire new universe of awesome for my ears.  I never knew music this awesome was possible before hearing this song.

Now, I'll admit the lyrics are kinda rough and the "Nail that Fokker" like is cringeworthy.  But to this day whenever I hear this song I can vividly remember being 12 years old and sitting in my parents living room and listening to this song on repeat.  And for that it warrants a strong emotional 10 from me.

I struggle to maintain any real objectivity with this song for that reason alone, so I apologize for skewing the poll results.

I'd like to see it return to the set lists as well even though I'm sure that won't happen. 
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

9/10. great song and a great opener. I love the vocals on this and how Bruce came from a very clean vocals to a more raspy sound. Also, this album heralded in  the change in Maiden's stage wear. Out went the spandex and in came the jeans.

Seriously, spandex was soooo 80's :D
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

never liked this song and always thought it was a bit wimpy/soft if i'm honest.

definitely a song i wouldn't wish to see recalled to any future live set.

a poor 5 for me - which is about the lowest I would rank any Maiden song.
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

Likewise I don't particularly like the singing style, nor lyrics, and while Bruce's earlier cleaner style might not have suited this song, that just underlines the absence of any real fondness I have for this track (in the scheme of all things Maiden). 3/10
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

Like with Sea of Madness in Somewhere in Time, don't ask why you'll make the lowest album judgement again. :p

*runs away from Nush towards East End London*
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

The intro brings Clairvoyant in mind. Quite similar construction and only 2 years of difference. I don't have any problem with Bruce's vocals (I had then) and I love the direction that Maiden took in the early 90s. But the quality of the songs can not be compared with the golden days and there's a general lack of inspiration. Tailgunner? I never liked it that much. The intro reminds Clairvoyant, the lyrics Aces High and Where Eagles Dare. The chorus is a meh, and some Bruce moments like 'he he ouuu' I can't dig them even after 20 years. 6/10
 
Re: Daily Song: Tailgunner

The chorus is nice, the music is good, but the lyrics (not so much Bruce's singing, I agree with Foro on this one) drag it down.  And, the song just lacks a certain energy, catchiness, or what have you that would put this song up there with most 80s rockers.  I remember when I was first getting into Maiden with a handful of MP3 songs that I listened to over and over, and this song (and a few others, e.g. Another Life) never caught me in the same way as most other Maiden songs.  Even Sun and Steel felt much more exciting then.  Since then it's grown on me a bit, but not enough.  I'd say a 7 is fair.

P.S. I'll be really interested seeing your opinions for all the individual songs for this album and the next, Foro, even though I might not agree with them always.  There are a few songs that you've "convinced" me to like more from this period, so a few more might be possible. :)
 
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