What Iron Maiden albums do YOU consider to be part of their classic period?

Poor Blaze

 

1980-1988. I think most people would agree on that.

 

I like everything from the Soundhouse Tapes right up to Maiden England before they lost me.I think the debut album up until Live After Death is really the classic period.I even used this goofy name because I was listening some bass parts at the time!Seventh Son sounded kind of different but I still like that one just as much as the others.

 

Up to Seventh Son + LAD

 

The only maiden album I think is a stinker is dance of death. I like both blaze albums and liked no prayer even though everyone panned it.

My 2 favs are killers and live after death.

 

Only on the first 4 do I like everything on the record.

 

First 7 albums.

 

Killers is my fave. Great guitar tones and Harris's best bass tone. Killer (no pun intended) tunes, full of energy and still gets me every time. Live After Death - essential metal live album.

So it's up to Somewhere In Time for me. 7th Son I noticed the start of the decline, as that album didn't grab me in the same way as the previous six, six, six.

Also missing are Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. The best Maiden albums since Somewhere In Time! Yeah - I know they are Bruce solo album, but they have Adrian Smith on them - and they totally smash anything Maiden have done since Somewhere In Time. They make the reunion albums seem all bloated and full of long boring songs.

 

I agree about the Dickinson solo stuff with Adrian being awesome, Roy Z played a big hand in that also with his band or gypsies or whatever they were called.

I do like the proggy stuff maiden has done now like the legacy off matter of life and death and the legend of Benjamin breeg is awesome.

 

I saw them live during the Powerslave era so for me that is their peak.

 

Classic era: Debut up to and including Seventh Son, including LAD.

90s: Still some gems, and I very much include X Factor in this. The loss of Adrian and then Bruce as songwriters became more problematic with each departure.

Reunion era: One of the greatest second acts in rock history. For me the 4 albums from this era come very close to the 80s classic era, although I can understand the proggier aspects aren't universally liked by fans of the 80s material. If each album was curated to run to the ~45 min runtime of the 80s albums rather than the 'fill the CD' runtime that they are I think many would think of them as being practically on par with the 80s material. Having both Bruce & Adrian back as songwriters helps immeasurably.

 

My first record bought was Iron Maiden. Love it. But Killers kills. Such a step up in song writing and production. Up to and including seventh son is the classic period for me. I lost interest after Fear of the Dark. Still love listening to that period though.

 

Up to Seventh Son. Not a big fan of the albums that was relased after Fear of The Dark.
except for the brilliant Bruce Dickinson solo album Chemical Wedding.

 

I like Prog - just not Maiden's take on it! I just never recovered from the 1-2 blast of Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, so when Bruce and Adrian returned I thought we would have albums that had that fire and passion in them. Instead we get a limp wristed and stale version of the band. Roy Z clearly brought aot to those last Dickinson solo albums (even Tyranny Of Souls outweights reformed Maiden IMO).

Of course it could be the fact I hate Janick Gers with a passion that I can never make it through one Maiden album with him on it! Stick him back in the Eddie suit were he belongs! We only need Smith and Murray on stage.

 

I voted for the first 5, ending with Powerslave as their "classic period" as I see it. I still enjoy Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son but to my ears, the big change of direction was clearly announced on Somewhere In Time.

 

S/T through Seventh Son. I remember when Seventh Son came out, a lot of people felt that it was a disappointment, and that the "Classic Period" had ended with Somewhere In Time. I think many of those people have reassessed it and now feel Seventh Son is a classic too, but that isn't always how it was.

 

I went with the 80's albums, like a lot of you seem to have done, with my absolute faves being the two Di'Anno albums!

 

Actually, I think Dance of Death is not that bad at all. The mastering job on the CD is terrible but the songs, especially the first few ones are good. Also, the LP version, although a picture disc, sounds much better than the CD.

For me, The Final Frontier is the worst of the most recent material with Bruce.. I even think I never made it past the first couple of songs.

 

666 - 7th Son for me. Never got into the first two records, though I like those songs when Bruce sings them.

7th Son is my favorite of theirs.

 

To me Maiden went from one of the most exciting metal band of the 80's to absolute, total bore. Their modern opuses put me to sleep in no time. They sound like they're not even written by humans but by computer program - totally formulaic and predictable. Does every song have to start with a slow intro and last 8 minutes? Can't think of more jawdropping musical decline. Listening to this garbage I can't even figure out how the very same people once wrote all those 80's classics. Do you remember Invasion of Body Snatchers film? Can it be that case and Maiden members bodies are taken over by aliens and are nothing but lifeless and talentless zombies now?

 

I don't agree completely but because you mention Maiden and Zombies I gave you a like
I love AMOLAD and bits of Brave and Dance. The FF was a let down.
I like the Blaze records better then Prayer and Fear but these are all just ok.
The first 5 are legendary, only like Alexander of of SIT and about half of 7th

 

I consider their first 6 their 'classic' period, although I only really like the first 3.

 

For me, Iron Maiden is the first two albums. After that, Piece of Mind and Brave New World are their strongest output with Dickinson.

The Blaze stuff...geez...just awful.

Other than that; I think Maiden are good for two good songs an album. I hate to say I agree with antonkk, but they have reached a point of boredom. Steve Harris went from being this mind-blowing bassist to playing the exact same thing in every song.

The Number of the Beast: 2 good songs
Powerslave: 3 good songs
Somewhere In Time: 2 good songs
Seventh Son: 1 good song
No Prayer For The Dying: 2 good songs
Fear of the Dark: 1 good song
Dance of Death: 2 good songs
A Matter of Life and Death: 2 good songs
The Final Frontier: 2 good songs

 

Totally disagree on Somewhere in Time. I'm a huge fan of the first 3 albums, but after them SiT is my favorite. While I don't love some of the guitar synthy tones, I think from end to end it's very strong the whole way through, much more so than Powerslave or PoM, which have a few low points for me. It's become my go-to album when I'm not listening to S/T or Killers.

 

Up to Fear of The Dark for me as I think that album is really strong. I like it better than Somewhere In Time at least. I can see just doing up to Seventh Son as well. Either way for me.