Your favourite 5 Maiden album opening tracks.....

- Caught Somewhere in Time
- If Eternity Should Fail
- Where Eagles Dare
- Moonchild
- Aces High

Sign of the Cross is my 2nd favorite Maiden song, but I only listen to the RiR version. I'm not counting it.
 
Sea of Madness said:
And ROTAM is a rocker, just not short. Being long doesn't make the song progressive. ROTAM is still pretty straight forward.
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Just because it rocks doesn't make it a rocker. Phantom was highly progressive for its time, almost unheard of in the scheme of metal, and so was To Tame a Land (which, in some ways, sounds like it belongs on significantly later albums). I even didn't choose SSOASS, which is far more prototypically-proggy. But yeah, Maiden is proggier now, and they certainly tried to answer those critiques with a series of non-prog, short songs on their recent albums. Maybe the ratio of longer to shorter has changed, but I wonder what early Maiden might have sounded like without a vinyl-base to start with.
 
Sea of Madness said:
And ROTAM is a rocker, just not short. Being long doesn't make the song progressive. ROTAM is still pretty straight forward.
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Well by that criteria TBOS, Shadows of the Valley, IESF, TRATB, The Talisman, and WTWWB are all rockers too. In fact, I'd argue that Maiden only go "full prog" once or twice on an album.
 
LooseCannon said:
Just because it rocks doesn't make it a rocker. Phantom was highly progressive for its time, almost unheard of in the scheme of metal, and so was To Tame a Land (which, in some ways, sounds like it belongs on significantly later albums). I even didn't choose SSOASS, which is far more prototypically-proggy. But yeah, Maiden is proggier now, and they certainly tried to answer those critiques with a series of non-prog, short songs on their recent albums. Maybe the ratio of longer to shorter has changed, but I wonder what early Maiden might have sounded like without a vinyl-base to start with.
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I think we mostly agree. I think Maiden was always superb at taking progressive elements and adding them to hard rock/metal, rather than being hellbent on being a prog band. I hate that word, "prog". It just sounds like such an awful, gross, chick-repellent form of music. Maiden is METAL! Pure and simple. They write EPIC songs, not prog songs. lol
 
Man I'm seeing a lot of "If eternity should fail"s on here. Wow. to each their own of course. But to me this song has no business opening an album. Especially this album. Speed of light blows its doors off as an opener, IMO.
Its almost like they had the concert in mind and visions of the "here's the soul of a man" bit kicking it off. Again SOL opening riff booming as they hit the stage, and the Bruce scream getting the concert off would have been better as well...imo..
 
bornless1 said:
Man I'm seeing a lot of "If eternity should fail"s on here. Wow. to each their own of course. But to me this song has no business opening an album. Especially this album. Speed of light blows its doors off as an opener, IMO.
Its almost like they had the concert in mind and visions of the "here's the soul of a man" bit kicking it off. Again SOL opening riff booming as they hit the stage, and the Bruce scream getting the concert off would have been better as well...imo..
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I somewhat agree. However, I was very surprised with how awesome If Eternity Should Fail was as a concert opener.
 
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Moonchild
3. Aces High
4. Sign Of The Cross/Caught Somewhere In Time
5. The Wicker Man
 
bornless1 said:
Man I'm seeing a lot of "If eternity should fail"s on here. Wow. to each their own of course. But to me this song has no business opening an album. Especially this album. Speed of light blows its doors off as an opener, IMO.
Its almost like they had the concert in mind and visions of the "here's the soul of a man" bit kicking it off. Again SOL opening riff booming as they hit the stage, and the Bruce scream getting the concert off would have been better as well...imo..
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I agree. But then again, the show opening with Bruce over the foggy cauldron is pretty much iconic now.
 
This is about the first song on the album, no? Who cares if SOL would have worked better as the opener in concert. I really like the "different" openers from the past 2 albums, which try to set a mood/tone, rather than the hey let's make the 4-minute rocker track 1 like on most other albums.
 
Meh. Six of one half dozen of another. Book of souls would have set the tone of the album best if that's the criteria of an opener. And no, It isn't a prerequisite to be a short rocker to open an album, or a concert for that matter.
This is all opinion driven. Bruce is my favorite singer for my favorite band ever, and iesf is his song, it just doesn't feel right starting either entity in my ears. Opinion.
SOL just has an awesome intro and the early scream just feels like the beginning of something awesome about to be experienced. Wheather that an album or a concert. IESF just doesn't feel like an opener. again opinion.
 
TBH, I can't decide which of the songs is better as an opener. IESF was a cool beginning, slowly building up as the record begins before exploding into your typical Iron Maiden number. Speed of Light, on the other hand, is more of an Aces High / Wicker Man type thing, a bang into the album, showing you that this one will rock.

SOL is the better song, but don't ask me what the better opener is.
 
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