Yet ANOTHER best of - From Fear To Eternity

[mckindog]

I guess it's not surprising given the passion for the band, but I'm a little puzzled with the heat on this thread.
Greatest hits albums are for newbies and hardcore collectors.
The former are getting a lot of songs to choose from that may inspire them to look deeper into the albums they came from.
The latter are going to buy whatever the band puts out anyway.
I'd only have a problem with the money grab aspect if Maiden hadn't spent the past 10 years touring their asses off while putting out reams of incredible new music.
The only thing I have a twinge of emotion about here is a slight disappointment (but not surprise) over the fact there isn't any new material.
There isn't anything on this album that we haven't heard before.
And everyone with an iPod can make their own greatest hits compilation any time they want — with or without Blaze.
From Fear To Eternity...meh.

 

[bearfan]

Nicely put.

 

[Mosh]

I guess it's not surprising given the passion for the band, but I'm a little puzzled with the heat on this thread.
Greatest hits albums are for newbies and hardcore collectors.
The former are getting a lot of songs to choose from that may inspire them to look deeper into the albums they came from.
The latter are going to buy whatever the band puts out anyway.
I'd only have a problem with the money grab aspect if Maiden hadn't spent the past 10 years touring their asses off while putting out reams of incredible new music.
The only thing I have a twinge of emotion about here is a slight disappointment (but not surprise) over the fact there isn't any new material.
There isn't anything on this album that we haven't heard before.
And everyone with an iPod can make their own greatest hits compilation any time they want — with or without Blaze.
From Fear To Eternity...meh.

That's what I've been trying to say. I wish people could understand that it is for new fans, not us.

 

[Forostar]

That could be it. I just have a hard time seeing Different World on a "Best of" from Iron Maiden, when its nowhere near the best they've done in the last 20 years, far from it actually.

I thought the same.

Of course I realize that the short ones were singles but there is a reason why they are favoured instead of the longer ones from the albums they came from: I think it has to do with the length of a CD. They picked long tracks (some of them are at least as accessible as short ones) and they picked short ones as "fillers". Fillers because they had to fit on the CD. The long ones that were chosen were seen as better (or more accessible) than the long ones which didn't make it.

You know, seeing how they played the 2000s material last year, I somehow think that this next history tour could very well focus only on the '90s material from the compilation plus 6 or 7 classics:

DISC 1
2. Holy Smoke 3.49
6. Man On The Edge (LIVE) 4.40
10. Sign of the Cross (LIVE) 10.49
12. Fear Of The Dark (LIVE) 7.41

DISC 2
1. Be Quick Or Be Dead  3.24
2. Tailgunner 4.15
5. The Clansman (LIVE) 9.06
8. Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter 4.44
9. Afraid to Shoot Strangers 6.57

That's what I think as well. I think it might be difficult to do BQOBD with three guitarists (a bit full for three I'd say, but maybe I'm wrong), but I can certainly imagine the others.

That's what I've been trying to say. I wish people could understand that it is for new fans, not us.

Since no one (you included) had reacted to this yet, I gladly give it another try:

I think it's a very strange idea that a band should release a compilation serving as a blueprint of a setlist; (how predictable this all will be, very nice isn't it?) to let people learn the recent past of a band. Maybe some people are really scared that some of these songs are not good enough in concert, or that Americans don't explore the past of a band without having a guide? Are new Maiden fans in 2011 so helpless?

(Ranko reacted, and understands Maiden's tactics, but I'm curious why this is necessary)

The majority of new fans probably won't. But on the other hand they probably won't check out most of those 90's albums anyways. Or 2000's. Maybe TFF but that's about it.

Really? So new Maiden fans are helpless? Don't want to discover anything new themselves? Maybe there's a reason for that?

 

[rudolf1978]

One of the WORST cover that Iron Maiden has made.The have copy paste eddies and drawings from other covers.HORRIBLE!

I like the tracklist but i dont see the point of this compilation.

 

[Jupz]

Really? I love the cover and the way it represents all the albums it covers. I think its one of their best

 

[Perun]

I think it is one of the ugliest covers they ever had. I'd take Dance of Death over that any day.

 

[Jupz]

Wierd. I guess its just a matter of opinion I think its better then about 1/3rd or more of their album covers.

 

[Habberdasher]

Any compiliation that includes Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter cannot be considered a best of.

I would rather they release a live album that culls songs from both (all three*?) legs of the TFF tour.

* Perhaps they will change up the set for the summer European dates.

 

[Feverdog]

Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter is their greatest hit like it or not.

 

[Forostar]

I think it is one of the ugliest covers they ever had. I'd take Dance of Death over that any day.

Hehehe, that made me laugh. This cover is the Frankenstein of all Maiden covers. Stitched terribly and dirty.

 

[Mosh]

Since no one (you included) had reacted to this yet, I gladly give it another try:

(Ranko reacted, and understands Maiden's tactics, but I'm curious why this is necessary)

Really? So new Maiden fans are helpless? Don't want to discover anything new themselves? Maybe there's a reason for that?

I'm sorry I didn't notice that. I personally don't think it will be any indication for the next setlist. What misleads people is that this is the sequel to Somewhere Back in Time and that was close to the setlist for the tour. But if the difference is, the tour was announced already and the best of was used to show new fans what would be played. The one thing that I have to say about your quote is the part at the end. I think in some cases American fans won't look for material from the 90's. Besides us hardcore fans, many fans like to slag the 90's material and the new fans will hear that opinion more than ours. Let's face it, those albums are very disliked. Even on this forum sometimes.

New maidenfans aren't helpless but they might not want to discover this 90's material for themselves. And there is a reason for that. Those albums are constantly insulted. It's sad that they won't give them a try to see if they do like them, but it is reality and this compilation will hopefully help those albums to sell better. Maybe that is the point of the compilation, not as a companion to this ever speculated "90's Tour".

 

[Perun]

Hehehe, that made me laugh. This cover is the Frankenstein of all Maiden covers. Stitched terribly and dirty.

The cover has several problems. For a start, you can't convince me for a heartbeat that the Eddie in the foreground, the tank in the middle and the wicker man in the background are part of the same scene. I don't know if it's the proportions or shading that don't make it work, but it just doesn't look right.
But the worst part is Eddie. It looks like a Melvyn Grant painting, and don't get me wrong - he is a great artist. Fear of the Dark, Death on the Road and Benjamin Breeg look amazing as paintings. But the problem is that his Eddies lack any kind of personality. They just look like random zombies. Riggs had a basic Eddie design that he would toy around with, making each of his Eddies look unique and still recognisable. Why? Because you could strip him down to his very basic features and you would still instantly recognise him:

It's no surprise that the "logo" Eddie used in the A Matter of Life and Death context looked more like Rigg's Eddie than like the one on the album cover. You can't strip down Grant's Eddie that way because he doesn't have any special, unique features (except those fangs - when the hell did Eddie grow fangs? And why?).


There you go, a useless rant about a pointless subject.

 

[Jupz]

The deeper I look into it the worse it gets. I know all the stuff didn't fit into one scene, I just like all the colours and flames and stuff

 

[deslock]

Meh.  I'd swap out 11 of the 23 songs:

Remove everything from NPFTD, everything from FOTD except the title track, Blood Brothers, Rainmaker, No More Lies, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, These Colours Don’t Run, and Coming Home.

Add Running Silent Running Deep, Fortunes of War, Futureal (live '99), Lightning Strikes Twice, The Fallen Angel, Montsegur, Lord of Light, The Legacy, Starblind, and The Talisman (one less song since my choices are longer)

Album representation:

Theirs:

3 NPFTD
3 FOTD
2 TXF
1 VXI
3 BNW
4 DOD
4 AMOLAD
3 TFF

Mine:

1 NPFTD
1 FOTD
3 TXF
3 VXI
3 BNW
3 DOD
4 AMOLAD
4 TFF

 

[Dr. Eddies Wingman]

I love Different World, its a very underrated opener and one of my fave Maiden openers. I dislike Holy Smoke though.

It has a great solo, but the rest has "heard it all before" written all over it.

 

[Forostar]

The one thing that I have to say about your quote is the part at the end. I think in some cases American fans won't look for material from the 90's. Besides us hardcore fans, many fans like to slag the 90's material and the new fans will hear that opinion more than ours. Let's face it, those albums are very disliked. Even on this forum sometimes.

So, "dedicated" fans still like to make negative propaganda to people who haven't heard a note from this era?
That's a shame. It's as bad as telling to a kid: "Go listen to this radio station, because I like it" or "Don't try out that music because I don't like it." Pathetic and unfair isn't it?

Exposing own bias can restrict free will of kids, when they should decide themselves how they plan their journey of discovery.

New maidenfans aren't helpless but they might not want to discover this 90's material for themselves.

As explained: if that is the case, then you live in a culture which restricts freedom of choice. Young people can be influenced easily (they are vulnerable to criticism by adults), and in some cases one shouldn't do that: music, an innocent but strong form of art, joy and companionship.

And there is a reason for that. Those albums are constantly insulted.

We live in 2011, an era in which (at least) TXF is not constantly insulted.

It's sad that they won't give them a try to see if they do like them,

New fans might give them a chance but not when older fans can't stand it when new fans will like something they don't like themselves.

but it is reality and this compilation will hopefully help those albums to sell better.

I doubt it, everything looks like a "look what we'll play on the next big tour, hope you like it, pretty please" campaign.

Maybe that is the point of the compilation,

It should be the point of "a" compilation, but the last couple of Maiden compilations served other goals (as well).

not as a companion to this ever speculated "90's Tour".

Maybe there won't be a 90s tour, but there will be a tour with more 90s material, in the setlist, for sure. I think that Ranko's post is pretty realistic.

The cover has several problems. ..... ..

*agrees entirely*

 

[Wästed The Great]

So, "dedicated" fans still like to make negative propaganda to people who haven't heard a note from this era?
That's a shame. It's as bad as telling to a kid: "Go listen to this radio station, because I like it" or "Don't try out that music because I don't like it." Pathetic and unfair isn't it?

Exposing own bias can restrict free will of kids, when they should decide themselves how they plan their journey of discovery.

As explained: if that is the case, then you live in a culture which restricts freedom of choice. Young people can be influenced easily (they are vulnerable to criticism by adults), and in some cases one shouldn't do that: music, an innocent but strong form of art, joy and companionship.

OK, so my question to you, Foro, is why would you bother to critique an album/song, or why do you participate in the 'song of the day' listing?  If you are ranking a song, saying it is a 7, instead of a 10, isn't that the same thing?  How many people will find our forum and look through those songs and see your score and decide to bail on a song that doesn't rate high enough?

If we are 'experts' on Maiden, because we have listened to them for 20-30 years, then we should have an opinion, and should feel free to share it with someone who asks.  I'm not going to say "nah, I won't tell you what is good, you figure it out".  They could run across a dozen songs they don't like and give up.

 

[Alex Anghel]

Like it or not, by judging from the pattern of the previous compilation releases, it seems pretty obvious that the whole thing is written in their contract.

 

[Habberdasher]

Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter is their greatest hit like it or not.

Fear of the Dark went number 1 in the UK when it was released. Are you now going to tell me that it's one of their 3 best albums?