Unknown One's top 25

Unknown One

Unknown One

I see the ghost of navigators.
Yeah, seems all the cool kids are doing it, so I might as well do my own top Maiden songs list. However, I'll only be doing the top 25 as I really don't want to drag it for too long (and that I don't have that much spare time). And before everyone sends in their hate mail for a certain song not being in the top 25, Yes, that's a good song too (unless it's the Apparition or something like that)!

Now onto the actual songs, I'll post 3 songs for today and 2 songs after today until I hit the top 10, where it turns into the standard 1 per day.

25. Moonchild
A real surprise that it was on the Somewhere Back in Time tour, but seeing it live was what really helped me really like this song. The soft acoustic intro with Bruce as both a song and album opener really stands out in the Maiden catalogue because they just don't open their albums like this. Then the keyboards kick in into their full blaze of glory. I for one don't really like keyboard use all that much, but this is definitely 1 song where the keyboards add something to the song. Bruce is spectacular like he normally is and Dave and Adrian playing some really nice riffs underneath. The solos are probably the weakest part of the song, but the bridge between them is awesome and the solos themselves are short enough to not really drag the song down at all.

24. Translyvania
No doubt that this is Maiden's best instrumental, this song just oozes enthusiasm by the then young band. This hard to spell (always getting it wrong, thank you spell checker!) rocker seems to be played with so much energy that is only surpassed on rare occasions. This song is so good that it doesn't even really need vocals. There's so much going on that the vocals could potentially just clutter up the song. The best part of the song is when the riff kicks up a notch in tempo but that's not to say that the first section of the song is bad. It helps build up the song to the fury that is the second half. Another plus point is how it fades into the next song Strange World. Another thing that isn't common by Maiden's standards.

23. Futureal
Probably not a surprise to most of you considering the above song, however this is one time where I think they exceed the energy from Transylvania, only 18 years later! This song has a very fast tempo, and keeps it for the entire song, chorus and solos included. The lyrics are the worst part of the song, but Blaze's voice does seem well suit for this style of song, much more than the majority of Virtual XI. This song is no doubt used as an opener to get the listener pumped for the rest of the album which it definitely does for me, it's just a shame that the the rest of the album (apart from a couple of exceptions) doesn't come close to matching this song.
 
All three are very good songs, but I think they won't enter my Top 50. I'll make my own thread in similar style in the next few weeks.
 
Id probably have a similar view to night prowler, all great songs but they drop a bit lower with me because my top 50 is packed with songs i love. These unfortunately are only great in my eyes  :lol:
Hopefully your countdown will divert attention from my more controversial part of mine  :ok:
 
Moonchild is a great song, but its very overrated for me. It would be around the 90 mark if I extended my list that far.
Transylvania is pretty close to where I had it, and Futureal is awesome too! Just missed my top 50.
 
Vap said:
25? Lazy bum.
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Well, like I said I don't have a huge amount of spare time to do a top 50 (although it wouldn't take that much longer to be honest). However, another reason I only did a top 25 is that the next 50 songs below my top 25 change every week. There's just that many songs all crammed together and so close together in ranking that those songs are constantly shuffling around.
 
Unknown One said:
24. Translyvania
No doubt that this is Maiden's best instrumental, this song just oozes enthusiasm by the then young band.
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Well, some doubt  :innocent: But then again, I'm a Khan-lover...
 
Moonchild is good but not that good. Won't enter my Top 50.
Transylvania is great. 26th in my book.
Futureal ? Wow. 124th in my book, sorry.

I shall update my rankings, it's been a long time.
 
The Flash said:
Moonchild is good but not that good. Won't enter my Top 50.
Transylvania is great. 26th in my book.
Futureal ? Wow. 124th in my book, sorry.

I shall update my rankings, it's been a long time.
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No problem, after all this is only my humble opinion on things. I mean if we all liked the same songs it would be a bit boring on here wouldn't it? :D

22.Virus
This song took some time for it to grow on me, but now I think this is an outstanding song. There is so much controlled anger in the first section of the song, alternating between the quiet subdued passages and the loud outbursts, really like if someone is struggling within himself (of course the song isn't about that but I'm just using an example). Anyway, after the first section, the song just explodes into one of Maiden's best sections ever. Blaze's voice is perfect for this style of the song, and the lyrics while extremely dark, are absolutely superb. Steve may be a bit hit and miss with political songs, but he's absolutely nailed it here.

21.Where Eagles Dare
One of the better openers in the Maiden catalogue and Nicko featured for the first time on a Maiden record and showed how good he really is. There's nothing wrong with Clive, but I think that Nicko is technically a better drummer so he gets my vote. Anyway the song starts off with a nice high tempo that keeps going throughout the whole song. The lyrics and vocal performance are decent if not spectacular (although Bruce's end note is really great)  but I find that the riffs are what make this song shine. The solos are extremely good with the added machinegun sound effects, however this is one flaw I feel with the song. The riff after the first chorus / before the solos and is also present after the solos does really drag on for too long. I think that one riff is repeated 16 times on either side of the solos and it really does make you somewhat bored by the end of it. If it had of been cut down to say 8 repeats then this song would be even better but I find that in it's current form it just drags down the song enough to stop it being in the upper echelons of Maiden's catalogue.
 
Where Eagles Dare is good but does get a bit repetive. It would be around #70 in my book. The vocals are amazing though. Virus would be even lower then that. Very nice writeups though! :)
 
your countdowns really interesting me, i havent included virus etc in my countdowm but so far i think thats the only one our countdowns would agree on. I only recently heard virus (january) and its got some really beautiful melodies and a surprising chorus. being so used to darker blaze maiden the light melodic guitar here really brought out the best of the lineup. for me the best blaze maiden song.
 
20.Ghost of the Navigator
A recent addition to these high rankings of songs, it just keeps getting better and better over time. The intro is beautiful, and had a sublime chorus which doesn't rely on the same line being repeated over and over, something that admittedly does happen too often I feel (the next song however, is one of the best in terms of this). The main riff is heavy enough to keep most heavier metal fans interested, while not being overly so. Solos are good if not brilliant, but they do their job to transition into the end of the song. Steve and Nicko are both excellent on this track and Bruce is his normal self. I'd say that his break (and Adrian's as well!) from Maiden really did help them get all enthusiastic about Maiden again.

19.Children of the Damned
Some of Maiden's best lyrics feature on a song with those spectacular haunting melodies. Bruce is at his stunning best and even the chorus, while just repeating the song name, are all sung at different pitches which makes the song even more haunting, if that is at all possible. When the song speeds up after the 2nd chorus, the song kicks up a notch towards those solos, which are astounding. Something played so fast but can still be so melodic at the same time. The drums post-solo are really good and Bruce's scream at the end is just hair-raising, to cap off an extremely moving song. Not the absolute best ever done by Maiden, but it is pretty close.

18.The Prisoner
Features one of my favourite intro riffs of all time. The lyrics and Bruce vocal performance may not be the best, but it's always fun to listen to and it does get you thinking like a Prisoner on the run. The chorus is extremely catchy and makes you want to sing along, although that's not sometime I'll ever be doing, because I know I am not a good singer. It's probably also the best part of the song, although there isn't any bad parts on the flip side. Can't really complain about the riffing in the song being too repetitive, because the riffs are extremely good and are more than enough to keep me hooked. The solos are great, but the song does lack something to stop it reaching higher.

17.Sea of Madness
This is my favourite "9" song, as in every song above this gets a 10. I really love the chaotic feel of the guitars during the verses, makes it sound like something is amiss with the song when there really isn't. The drums and bass just add to this sort of feeling to create a sort of mystical environment within the song. The guitars come clean for the chorus, which is the best part of the song and is quite moving for something that first appears to be catchy. I really love Bruce's vocals in the more subdued section then it's back off to the chaos of the verses again. The lyrics are excellent, especially in the chorus although there really isn't enough time for the verses to really kick in with their lyrics. Not even close to enough to ruin this song however.
 
Your list continues to intrigue me, i cant give too much away but the first one might be similarish to me however the others i feel are much lower in my ratings but still shouldnt be appearing in my countdown any time soon.
 
I agree this list intrigues me - for every one that I am so in disagreement with (Ghost of the Navigator), there's one that brings redemption (the Prisoner)... intriguing is exactly the right word. Carry on, unknown one!
 
16. Still Life
The lowest ranked song to be in my "10s", I really love the intro to this song (the actual guitar intro, not Nicko), the way it slowly starts and then how Bruce comes in with those lyrics. Then the song just kicks up a gear. Bruce almost sounds as if he's just speaking the first verse, but that just adds to the song concerning the subject matter of the lyrics and the way the song is meant to feel. Bruce is awesome on this track like he is on most tracks, especially where I said previously and in the chorus. Really love that "scaling" riff just before the solos, and the solos are first class as well. I think this is the best song that Dave has helped write, and that includes songs such as Virus, Rainmaker and Brave New World.

15. Killers
This would easily be my most improved song in the past 6 months (in terms of ranking). 6 Months ago it wasn't even in my top 75 songs, now it hangs on the coattails of the best of the best. Steve plays a phenomenal bass track for this song, and even Paul is on fire as well. I must say that this sort of song is much more suited to Paul than Bruce. The screams at the start of the suit are just awesome and I couldn't picture Bruce doing them and make them sound so creepy (just like it should be judging by the song title / lyrics). Then the riffing that kicks in is extremely good. Lyrics aren't the best but Paul delivers them in such a great way that it doesn't really matter that the lyrics aren't spectacular. The solos are good and help keep the tempo that is kept throughout the whole song.
 
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