Virtual XI appreciation

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I think harrisdevot is trying to make the point that, in the case of Maiden, when you avoid the "Blaze years" (or those non-Bruce albums, as another member recently called them), you're also avoiding/missing the musical output of Steve, Dave, Janick, & Nicko too. Put crudely, 80% of XF or VXI are by guys who are still in the band today. If you listen to them now, why would you ignore these albums where they contribute the lion's share in terms of parcticipation? Blaze was just one of five guys when he was in the band.

The point is applicable to the band (why would Steve, Dave, Janick & Nicko want to ignore their own output?) and to the fans.
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I agree with you and @harrisdevot then
 
Dityn DJ James said:
Angelo Sasso was a "drummer" that played on a string of Running Wild albums. Many people assumed it was just a drum computer.
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I thought the story was that someone called Angelo Sasso did play on earlier releases, but that on later albums it must have been a drum machine, or someone else, as Angelo Sasso had died? (Or maybe that's nonsense too.) I take it the drumming was so crap that people thought it was a drum machine in either case?
nuno_c said:
I agree with you and @harrisdevot then
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I didn't say I think that... :innocent:
 
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In all honesty i still don't quite get what Nicko was going for with the drums, or even why. But one thing's for sure: Virtual XI eventually became even more identifiable because of it.
 
nuno_c said:
Virtual XI eventually became even more identifiable because of it.
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Yes but more crappy too.
Unlike TXF, this album sounds much more like a "regular" Maiden album, that simply calls for regular Nicko drumming.
I think songs like TAATG would very much benefit from flamboyant drums. "The repetition" would be much less noticable, as there would be much more else going on
 
frus said:
Yes but more crappy too.
Unlike TXF, this album sounds much more like a "regular" Maiden album, that simply calls for regular Nicko drumming.
I think songs like TAATG would very much benefit from flamboyant drums. "The repetition" would be much less noticable, as there would be much more else going on
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I understand, @frus . To a lot of people the drumming actually makes the album worse, yet to some it can make it more interesting. But like i said, i think we can all agree that, regardless of personal taste, the drumming on that album was/is totally unique for Maiden, therefore making it unique as a whole as well.
 
nuno_c said:
In all honesty i still don't quite get what Nicko was going for with the drums, or even why. But one thing's for sure: Virtual XI eventually became even more identifiable because of it.
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I recently read an interview with Steve where he said that, sometimes, "less is more" for songs. He was talking about himself and bassplaying, but he added that if drummers used to write more songs, they would realize that too. Although he never mentionned Virtual XI in the discussion, it made me think about this album. Steve, was eager to release more music rapidly, wanted a more direct approach for the record and wanted to spend less time in the studio (something Blaze didn't agree with by the way). I think that this is the reason behind the more simple drum tracks.
 
harrisdevot said:
I recently read an interview with Steve where he said that, sometimes, "less is more" for songs. He was talking about himself and bassplaying, but he added that if drummers used to write more songs, they would realize that too. Although he never mentionned Virtual XI in the discussion, it made me think about this album. Steve, was eager to release more music rapidly, wanted a more direct approach for the record and wanted to spend less time in the studio (something Blaze didn't agree with by the way). I think that this is the reason behind the more simple drum tracks.
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So you don't think it was something Nicko himself chose to do?
 
nuno_c said:
So you don't think it was something Nicko himself chose to do?
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No, I don't think so. I'm convinced he was urged to do so by Harris, and maybe that he was reluctant to. I've got no real evidence, but the interview I've pointed to, and the kind of drumming he asks for in British Lion make me think that he is not always looking for something very complex and that he can opt for a more direct approach.
 
harrisdevot said:
No, I don't think so. I'm convinced he was urged to do so by Harris, and maybe that he was reluctant to. I've got no real evidence, but the interview I've pointed to, and the kind of drumming he asks for in British Lion make me think that he is not always looking for something very complex and that he can opt for a more direct approach.
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This really pisses me off, the fact that Nick can go on an interview and say only great things about something he probably does not like that much. Have you seen the Virtual XI EPK?
 
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