The Angel and the Gambler

How good is The Angel and the Gambler on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    36
I want to begin by expressing my admiration for Blaze, but I'm curious about your perspective on management decisions. Is it considered a sound management practice to replace arguably one of the most technically proficient singers globally with... Blaze Bayley? Additionally, after three years, facing substantial criticism from both media and the fanbase, is it prudent to predominantly perform material from the least popular decade during live shows, reaching an 85% ratio? When comparing these choices to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, it seems their decisions regarding replacement vocalists and song selection were more successful. Steve's and Rod's decisions and management during that period nearly led to the demise of the band.
It is precisely because they stuck with him (at least for two album/tour cycles) and were still careful about their releases (Best of the Beast is a nice object, despite its advertising for the non-existent "Melt" video game), and having some kind of consistency (i.e actually touring the new album songs) that I think the management has managed to keep Maiden alive.

At the time, JP had lost momentum by spending too long to release a follow-up to Painkiller (though the compilation Metal Works was good) and Jugulator was more of a dud than The X Factor. Careerwise, Black Sabbath had been a disaster since Dio left (multiple line-up changes, Iommi solo album passed as a BS album, uneffective introduction of rap bits on Forbidden, ...). I was following all those releases closely in the 90s and I think BS only started to put its head above water with Reunion in 1998 (though they only played material from the 70s) while Priest had to wait until Firepower (2018!) to really regain their status.

In other words, although Ripper compared much more favourably to Halforf as a singer than Blaze did to Bruce (Tony Martin to RJD too, but unfortunately nobody cared), Maiden still tried to be relevant artistically, despite having a lesser singer, while the other two struggled just to rest on their laurels. Of course, this is just my opinion. ;)
 
It is precisely because they stuck with him (at least for two album/tour cycles) and were still careful about their releases (Best of the Beast is a nice object, despite its advertising for the non-existent "Melt" video game), and having some kind of consistency (i.e actually touring the new album songs) that I think the management has managed to keep Maiden alive.
I'm sure with the right management strategies the reunion with Bruce could have happended much erlier. Bruce was back into metal by 1997. Just to think that The Chemical Wedding + Futureal and The Clansman could have been the 12th Iron Maiden album!

Maiden still tried to be relevant artistically, despite having a lesser singer, while the other two struggled just to rest on their laurels. Of course, this is just my opinion. ;)
The timeless allure of albums such as Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, and Cross Purposes resonates on a par with the artistic prowess showcased in The X Factor. This collection of works stands as a testament to the creative brilliance embodied by the collaboration of Tony Martin and Cozy Powell. Their synergy not only contributed significantly to these albums but also solidified their enduring relevance in the realm of musical innovation.
 
They already did it on french TV in 1986.


Wasted Years makes sense, but it's kind of funny seeing Run to the Hills there, given that Nicko is essentially impersonating Clive's playing there and even the tone of Bruce's voice changed slightly during those four years. :D

This just popped in my brain for some reason. If Steve wrote TAATG today how much longer would the song be and how many more times we might hear "Don't you think"?

I'm a bit late to the party, but I'd imagine that the song starts with a similar section that is the calm, build-up part in the existing song. Maybe we'd get another repeat or two in the added calm outro too.

[/steve-intro-outro-joke]
 
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