Tournament of Iron Maiden Solos: 2nd poll (qualification stage)

Which solo do you like the most? (pick your favourite)

  • 01. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1st solo (see 1st link)

    Votes: 3 60.0%

  • 02. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 2nd solo (see 2nd link)

    Votes: 1 20.0%

  • 03. Mother Russia (see 3rd link)

    Votes: 1 20.0%

  • 04. The Educated Fool (see 4th link)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    5
  • Poll closed .
The Flash said:
I did know there was a trill in The Trooper but I guess I don't know what I'm doing while playing that melody. :D
Click to expand...
Indeed, we're just discussing terminology here though. You're probably doing loads of stuff that you don't know the proper name(s) for. I'm not saying it matters, but I can't help being a pedant & pointing it out. Adrian is ceratinly not tapping at the beggining of his Wasted Years lead. Hell, there's not even hammering. It's a pull-off sequence.
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Indeed, we're just discussing terminology here though. You're probably doing loads of stuff that you don't know the proper name(s) for. I'm not saying it matters, but I can't help being a pedant & pointing it out. Adrian is ceratinly not tapping at the beggining of his Wasted Years lead. Hell, there's not even hammering. It's a pull-off sequence.
Click to expand...

It's okay to point them out, you're doing people a favor by doing so.
 
1) Sea of Madness (2:37-)
Not only is SoM my fifth favourite Maiden song but contains what for me is the best lead Adrian Smith has ever summoned from his guitar. The song takes a turn from awesome to unbelievable when the harmony kicks in. It's similar to the one between the Powerslave solos (contains the same notes) and just as great. The only negative thing I could possibly say about the solo is that it's short, I would like to listen to such divinity for minutes. But Mr. Smith can do incredibly lot in these 17 seconds. The way he stacks one perfectly fitting note against another creates a bomb of speedy and passionate melody. The pattern also sounds different, the voices in which his axe laughs and cries has a special something to it that I don't hear in other compositions. As Forostar pointed out when reviewing the solo, Adrian played it with great ease in '86. The movement of his fingers is remarkable and the emotion he is able to release in such a brief time makes one forget everything else, even Bruce's vocals in that concert :P. What an uplifting and prodigiously technical opus!


10. Alexander the Great (5:49-)
9. Different World (2:40-)
8. Heaven Can Wait (4:26-)
7. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (7:57-)
6. Caught Somewhere in Time (4:05-)
5. Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Flight 666) (9:41-)
4. Wicker Man (2:14-)
3. Powerslave (3:52-)
2. Wasted Years (3:13-)
1. Sea of Madness (2:37-)

Next up: Janick Gers!
I do have listening and ranking to do before I can start, probably at the weekend.
 
Saapanael said:
[...] the voices in which his axe laughs and cries has a special something to it that I don't hear in other compositions.
Click to expand...
That's SiT for you!
Saapanael said:
As Forostar pointed out when reviewing the solo, Adrian played it with great ease in '86. The movement of his fingers is remarkable and the emotion he is able to release in such a brief time makes one forget everything else...
Click to expand...
As has been said before, he really did seem to be one fire back then. Live, he totally nailed it too.
Saapanael said:
One hand tapping is just how I like to call it.
Click to expand...
Well, just stop calling it that! :p
 
Janick Gers

10) Hallowed be thy Name (Rock in Rio) (4:55-)
Mister Janick Gers comes to Rio! The first of two entries I'm going to include in Rio by this spectacular showman. Some of his later adaptations of the originally-Adrian solo are not very good in my eyes but this one shakes the ground with such high amounts of energy released. That era was overall a very good time for the man in my opinion, this show is a fine proof. He doesn't get too deep with beautifying the lead but concentrates mainly on speed. Instead of bending out-of-key notes, he shreds, and he shreds darn good. Sure, it's not very clean, the notes are chopped etc but it fits perfectly in this example. A high-tempo build up in Maiden's best song performed to an awesome audience is where Janick's rapid plying up and down the neck is very welcome. He uses an interesting, as always, but idoneous combination of notes and doesn't slow down once (well, maybe once). At the end, he even uses parts similar to the original solo, executing them in a different manner, and gives over to the next rhythm riff very smoothly.
 
In my top 10 too. I love this Janick lead. And he pretty much nails it on this recording. Although, he annoyingly continues to employ the exact same technique/lick at the end of loads of (live) solos, to (usually) poorer effect.
 
Do you guys remember how he played that solo from 1990-1998? I haven't it exactly in my head, but -since you guys select live versions- did you two check older live versions you're aware of? Maybe he did it better in the often overlooked nineties. Maybe not, just wondering if you guys wanted/needed to check it out or not.
 
Forostar said:
Do you guys remember how he played that solo from 1990-1998? I haven't it exactly in my head, but -since you guys select live versions- did you two check older live versions you're aware of? Maybe he did it better in the often overlooked nineties. Maybe not, just wondering if you guys wanted/needed to check it out or not.
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, I listened to a few live versions (Live at Donington 1992 & A Real Live One; & perhaps a few others) of Hallowed. He didn't used to extend the lead so much (in the 90's), kind of finishing on a wailing bend, rather than the (extended) RiR effort. In later live releases you can hear him attempting the same thing (the same finish), but it he doesn't quite pull it off like it did at RiR; timing wise. In fact if you watch Donington (it's quite a while since I have, so I may have recalled this incorrectly) there's no way he could have finished the lead like he did at RiR (guitar pointing skyward, sitting on his hip) --as he was running around behind Nicko's kit & jumping down the stairs while playing. You've got to love the guy.
 
Yes, did listen. In most cases he tries to do a lot with bends and doesn't keep the playing as tight as in RiR.
 
Great thread friends, it has inspired me to go back and re-appreciate the incredible art of Dave, H and Janick. Rather than try to explain why these solos are so incredible i have mixed my selection into a single track so they can all be savoured as one. Solos are in chronological order, plenty of Somewhere in Time of course.

http://thewhicheverowl.bandcamp.com/track/3-amigos-top-10-solos-1-bonus-solo-each

Enjoy!

Adrian - Invaders, Number of the Beast, The Duellists, Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Flight 666), Caught Somewhere in Time, Sea of Madness (1st solo), Stranger in a Strange Land, The Evil That Men Do, Dance of Death, These Colours Don't Run, When The Wild Wind Blows

Dave - Number of the Beast, Powerslave x 2, Caught Somewhere in Time, Alexander the Great, Blood Brothers, Dance of Death, The Longest Day, Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, El Dorado, Starblind

Janick - The Fugitive, Fear of the Dark, Lord of the Flies, Ghost of the Navigator, Blood Brothers, No More Lies, Dance of Death, Paschendale, For the Greater Good of God, The Alchemist, When The Wild a Wind Blows
 
Last edited:
The Mid-Distance Runner, that's nice! If not too much to ask and there's no rush, but when you have time would you also list the solos here, because that would make it a bit easier for me to collect the solos when I will do an Iron Maiden guitar solo survivor game, somewhere in 2014. Cheers!
 
Last edited:
I just realized that too..maybe it was subliminal but more likely I cannot count.:innocent:
Rounding down to 10 each - Invaders & Rime are relegated for H, El Dorado for Dave and The Fugitive for Janick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top