Your Maiden blasphemy

Fallen Angel is one of the best tracks on BNW and better then The Wicker Man

Live At Donnington is better then Live After Death

If I were to kick out one guitarist and go back to 2 guitarist Murray would have to go.
 
Number 6 said:
while still complaining about some weaker spots here and there (some of them quite blasphemous, like preferring both "Gates of Tomorrow" and "New Frontier" over "Paschendale", which he nearly despised)
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Okay, I'm probably "blasphemous" as well, but I never really got the universal popularity of Paschendale. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good song, but: 1.) Maiden have come to the war-themed well way too often for it to be only the lyrics, 2.) the intro tapping is cool, but I'd appreciate a different tone - like I've already said many times over, this way it sounds like a 90's Nokia ringphone - novel, true, but hard for me to go crazy about, 3.) it is a bit repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere; the "home, far away" section is beautiful, but does it really stand out in their whole discography, full of such beautiful moments? 4.) the studio version has a rather muddy sound, courtesy of DoD production.
Though I'd never rate it above GoT and NF, which are both mostly cac.

Also, and this is probably going to be really controversial - despite what I might have said in jest before, I don't think any of the three amigos is among the "best guitarists", whichever way I try to assess it. Maiden have some really awesome solos (and I'll even give to H-fanatics that my favourite is still probably the one in Different World, at least I've been thinking so for the last two years), some truly beautiful harmonies and sometimes cool riffs, but they are not very riff-based in general and they're not the band I'd go to for inspiration guitar-wise. I mean, from time to time I almost think the Skynyrd used their three guitars better, if you know what I mean. Every now and then a killer Maiden riff pops up in me mind (Sea of Madness, Wicker Man, you know how it goes), but there surely could have been more of that. On TBOS there were amazing guitar parts, but sometimes they were buried after literal minutes of Whoahs (TRATB ) or reusing older ideas (SOTV) or whatever. I love the band as is, but none of the three would ever be in my top list of guitarists. Maiden are great, but to me it's more the sum of the parts than any single element particularly standing out. Okay, maybe Nicko really stands out as a drummer to me.

And despite my prog inclinations I've demonstrated in the past, let me tell you this is in no way about technicality - just as I love Trucci, Romeo, Vai or Abasi, I also love eg. Clapton, Hazel, Gorham/Robertson, Kath, Perry, Blackmore, Iommi, Charlton, Gibbons, Gilmour, Knopfler, Taylor or even Fogerty or Davey Johnston very dearly, none of whom is generally thought of as prominently "technical", vague term as it is (I didn't include Beck or Moore, because anybody who's ever played fusion might be very debatable in that regard, same goes for Oldfield). It's just I have a hard time imagining somebody actually thinkin any of the three are the best ever - yet it happens. Sure, there's all that "H is god" bollocks, which I accept as an internal joke around here (though it's become really annoying with time), but there's a lot of love for them elevating them above other axe players and I'm kinda baffled whether it's because genuine enjoyment (no other guitarist speaks to me as much) or if it's a Maiden fanboyism extended (which might be a case for me - I certainly love all three in general and talk about them in superlatives they sometimes might not deserve, because they're parts of a band I've been listening to since I was wee and which accompanied me throughout my life, whether I want it or not).

But to each his own and IRYO, of course.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Maiden are great, but to me it's more the sum of the parts than any single element particularly standing out. Okay, maybe Nicko really stands out as a drummer to me.
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And Bruce as a singer. And Steve as a bassist.

Regarding the guitarists... I think you have a point. They're perhaps not all the greatest players technically, and I think they'd all be the first to admit that, but I really think they excel with their originality. Sure, their styles are pretty easy to copy, but how many people could use those styles and come out with something as good as the Amigos do?
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Okay, I'm probably "blasphemous" as well, but I never really got the universal popularity of Paschendale.
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You are not alone.
JudasMyGuide said:
Also, and this is probably going to be really controversial - despite what I might have said in jest before, I don't think any of the three amigos is among the "best guitarists", whichever way I try to assess it. Maiden have some really awesome solos (and I'll even give to H-fanatics that my favourite is still probably the one in Different World, at least I've been thinking so for the last two years) [...] Every now and then a killer Maiden riff pops up in me mind (Sea of Madness, Wicker Man, you know how it goes)
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Just wanted to point out that everything you just cited as standing out as awesome was an H creation. :bigsmile:

I guess it really depends on what you value in a guitarist. For me, Adrian has always had such a clear, unique voice through his instrument -- an amazing sense of cool, bluesy finesse married to melodic metal fire. No one else sounds quite like him, and his sound is amazing. He really is one of my favorite songwriters and guitarists.

Dave is good, but doesn't stand out in the same sort of way to me. And Janick is a sloppy turd that occasionally gets polished enough to sound halfway decent. :innocent:
 
The Dissident said:
And finally, Moonchild is quite poor.
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I agree with this when it comes to the album version. I heard they did the entire thing in one take and it sure sounds like it. But the live versions are all great, especially Donington '88. I do also like the reunion era takes because the third guitar beefs up the song a bit (especially the chorus in the Maiden England tour version) but the drumming isn't quite as good as on the ones from 1988.
 
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