The Angel and the Gambler

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

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As many have pointed out, the keyboard in the intro is awful. Worst moment in Maidens discography, and the chorus is also repeated too many times. However there are lots of good parts in the song, in particular I like the "angel on one side, the devil the other" part.

All in all.. A 7/10..
 
The song is, in my opinion, not THAT awful, but on the other hand it's far from a great song either. It's definitely way too long and repetitive and musically, nothing really happens (except for the great solo section). For me, Dave's blistering solo is the clear highlight of this song. Janick's solo is pretty good too. I don't mind listening to it now and then, but it's not a song that I really NEED to hear (unlike most Maiden songs).
 
I don't think this song is terrible, they've done worse. It has a repetition problem but I think another song on this album is more flawed in that regard. This song at least has some positive qualities: The organ is cool and different, the guitar solos are really awesome, and it at least has a good drive to it. The pedestrian drumming and horrible production sucks the energy out of the song, but you can tell 'Arry was going for something that would be a live favorite. I think it's interesting that he essentially revisited the same lyrical and musical concept years later with TRATB, because it's a much more fully realized and successful attempt.

6
 
Terrible intro in an era of actually good intros. Pedestrian tempo, lacklustre vocals and the lame chord progression and structure. The chorus is actually ok and this might have saved the song were it not for the fact it is ridiculously long for what it is.

5
 
Some people hate this song. I am not one of them. I enjoy it for what it is, even if it is very repetitive. Sometimes that's not so bad, when it's a song that just feels like a long highway drive. I have put this song on during long highway drives and 9 minutes slips away in a flash - that's a certain kind of magic.

7/10.
 
I have just registered here 10 days ago, but I had been reading some stuff from here way before that. This thread was one I read in its entirety just last month, and I must thank most of you who commented positively on this song here (especially SinisterMinisterX).

Just until last month, I couldn't stand listening to this song. It wasn't just because of the 22-time repeating chorus, it was the whole thing: it sounded weird and so non-Maiden to my ears. However, I was doing some research on Maiden a few weeks ago and I came across this very thread. I read it. I laughed at it. "How can anyone enjoy this monstrosity?", I thought.

Then, I gave this song another shot.

And another.

And another.

Before I knew it, I was listening to it on repeat.

It's catchy. It tells a pretty cool story. It sounds so awesome.

So, yes, if it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't be able to appreciate it as I do now. It has really grown on me, and while it may no be the best Maiden song ever ("Rime of the Ancient Mariner" will always hold that title for me), it is a great song on its own.

Thank you again.
 
LooseCannon said:
Some people hate this song. I am not one of them. I enjoy it for what it is, even if it is very repetitive. Sometimes that's not so bad, when it's a song that just feels like a long highway drive. I have put this song on during long highway drives and 9 minutes slips away in a flash - that's a certain kind of magic.

7/10.
Click to expand...
With all the other 9+ minute Maiden songs to choose from, this is the one that has that effect for you while driving? Interesting.

Thanks NP, but all that does for me is end the torture that much sooner. :lol: Still a 1/10.
 
I think the intro.and the solos are kind of cool. However I think the rest of it is just a torture with no end. I can on the other hand understand that the clear and dynamic production can be quite enjoyable after the muddy productions of the last two albums.
 
So popular opinion is that The Apparition and The Angel and the Gambler are Maiden's two worst songs. Regarding the latter... I don't see it. It's a pretty good song. I do admit, Blaze overdoes the "do you think I could save" part, but that said, it honestly doesn't bother me and doesn't detract from the rest of the song. 7.8/10
 
During my band's practice I got around the intro riff to TAATG. We jammed on in for a minute or two. Kind of cool riff, but still when I tried to listen to the studio version after that.....still unbearable for me after almost 20 years
 
1/10

The joy of Futureal immediately wears off within the first thirty seconds of The Angel and the Gambler. Steve Harris plays a Casio keyboard stuck on a ridiculous string section patch over bland AOR riffs and it only goes downhill from there. Blaze recounts the tale of a gambler and the angel trying to save him by repeating the words, “Don’t you think I’m a savior, don’t you think I can save ya, don’t you think I can save your life?” literally 22 times. Twenty-two times. Think about that. It’s endless. The song is nearly ten minutes long and I despise every second of it. It’s ill-conceived, poorly recorded, and just a boring mess of nothingness. And to make matters worse, this was the first single from the album! As a musician, even if you really liked this song (for some unknown reason) and fought to keep it on the album, how could you, in good conscience, ever release it as a single, much less your lead-off single, the track meant to lure people into the album? It boggles my mind. Hands down, The Angel and the Gambler is the worst thing Iron Maiden has ever done. It is the musical equivalent of chronic diarrhea.
 
Great vocals. I happen to like the repetative lyrics, it feels as if the line works as a riff. First Iron Maiden song I heard, at 8. Later heard Relevations and Childhoods End which secured me as a fan.
 
7/10

I think the overall hatred is a bit undeserved. It's actually a solid hard rock song that's much longer than it should have been, but... I think I've read Foro write this somewhere, but despite the (at first) mind-numbing repetition, try to notice the subtle differences in each chorus. They really make it shine, by trying different approach, vocal- and instrumental-wise. I rarely skip the track (when I listen to VXI at all, that is), which I could not say about Eyes of the Stranger. Now that's a repetition not done even remotely right. Leave TAATG alone.
 
And hey, has anyone ever tried to sing this song? It's actually surprisingly a lot of fun repeating the same line over and over. Strange but true, a nice way to waste ten minutes of your life. :D
 
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