Iron Maiden Remasters

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by old school, Mar 11, 2012.

  1. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    But see heres the thing. I dont care;)

    Stranger and Loneliness are two of the most underrated SiT tracks in my opinion. What about Piece of Mind? Imo Quest is the only real weak track. Its not even that bad.
     
  2. Rockhead

    Rockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    On point! A perfect explanation of Maiden's greatness :agree: There's some undeniable synergy on their albums. Somewhere in Time, while not as fantastic as Seventh Son, is a good example of a work that should be judged as a whole. I like it a lot.

    I don't think it's a question of burnout. Every time I see Maiden live, they seem to be absolutely dedicated to their music, old and new as well.
    In my opinion the problem with their post-reunion albums (though I like'em all anyway) lies in several factors:

    1. Too much material.
    They're determined to deliver 70+ minutes of music, which is absolutely unnecassary. Quality over quantity is always the right approach. 40 - 45 minutes would be enough to make a great album, like in the old days. Additional stuff? Outtakes? That's what the B-sides were meant for.

    2. Overblown compositions.
    An acoustic intro, a balladic beginning, then a full metal blast, 1st guitar solo, 2nd guitar solo, 3rd guitar solo, a balladic ending, an acoustic outro... And let's not forget about the chorus: "a Brave New World, in a Brave New World, a Brave New World, in a Brave New World, in a Brave New World, a Brave New World!" repeated at least 38 times, to make sure a listener is able to memorize it ;) It's a scheme they seem to love and overuse.

    3. Bad mixing/mastering decisions.
    Kevin Shirley, whatever we think of his abilities, is just an employee. He does what he's told by Mr. Harris. Iron Maiden is a legendary band, while Kevin is just one of many producers and not a star among them. With Martin Birch it was a completely different situation: he'd had impressive legacy when he started to work with Maiden, who were still beginners in music business at the time. So in a way, he was their boss, their guide, their teacher. Martin made Bruce such a great vocalist, Martin helped the band achieve their signature sound. Those days are gone, as we all know. No other producer or engineer in today's record industry has enough authority to force his way on Maiden/Steve Harris. And with 'Arry being as stubborn as he is, we get earbleeders with no detail as albums.
     
  3. Greenalishi

    Greenalishi Birds Aren’t Real

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Too me later Maiden is thought out more. More of a right brain thing rather than the heart.
     
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  4. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    Heaven can wait is a abomination.
     
  5. Rockhead

    Rockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Not in my world. It's a good song with a nice "sing along" part for the audience. Works perfect not only at concerts.

    In June 2000 I traveled by train to see Maiden's gig. The train was full of metalheads and at some point dozens of them started singing that "oooooooh" part from Heaven Can Wait. The rest of the passengers seemed a little intimidated :laugh:
     
  6. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    You just made me hate it even more.
    :laugh:
     
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  7. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    don’t really understand the hate for this track. It’s on my running playlist and I always enjoy it when it comes on. It’s far from the worst track on Somewhere in Time in my view.
     
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  8. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    It just comes off as a lightweight kiddie tune to me. If you like it more power to you. People like what they like , You do and I don't. Carry on.
     
  9. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Fair enough. I’ll take it over Alexander The Great every day but as you say, horses for courses. There’s more than enough Maiden for everyone.
     
  10. JCRW

    JCRW Forum Resident

    I think you hit the nail on the head with this post. The only other item to add is the general laziness of the band to compile an album. Every album from 'Dance Of Death' to 'Book Of Souls' has that feeling of being stuck in pre-production/demo territory. You already pointed out that the choruses are repetitive and lazy and Bruce does not want anyone telling him what to do while he is on the mic so he is playing it safe and comfortable. Nicko is still a fantastic drummer but every song sounds like he did one take and said good enough. How many times has he offered the excuse of his aching bones getting to him and being unable to play the fast numbers, we get these 10 minute boring plodders instead.

    I get the same 'one take' impression with Smith & Murray, they just don't seem to want to really work and refine their solos and create something memorable that gels with the whole song. I don't even want to talk about Gers anymore, if they canned him it would be one problem solved by giving the tracks more room to breathe and save us 2 minutes of a solo in the process. Harris' constant need of wanting the band to sound raw and live has become boring and predictable. Having a producer who would have the guts to speak their mind would solve all these issues but I'm guessing they would be immediately fired by the band. No one to blame but themselves. Must be the easiest job in the world for Shirley and a nice paycheck for minimal effort.
     
  11. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I don’t disagree with your assessment but for me what makes it even more disappointing is that they are still bringing the songs. Book of Souls with some editing and a little more care could have been on a par with their best in my view. I think they are still writing at a very high level but they’ve got a little bit lazy in delivery.
     
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  12. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    Listen to Alexander again. The intricate rhythm and guitar solo bit is excellent and worth 100 Heaven's. Its those bits scattered through out the album that make it phenomenal.
    I used to hate SIT. When it came out It was a shock. Now I think its some of their most sophisticated playing.
     
  13. Rockhead

    Rockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I agree with most of what you wrote, I'm just probably a little more lenient towards them. For instance, I don't mind Janick. Actually, I like his soloing style and appreciate the fact that he co-wrote some good songs (e.g. Be Quick or Be Dead, The Talisman, The Book of Souls). His stage antics are silly and annoying though. He acts as if he was a 22-year-old guitarist for a hair metal band around 1985.

    As for production, there's no chance that we get a very good-sounding album with proper dynamics from Maiden in this day and age. Steve wants it loud, blasting, "in your face". It's probably appealing to younger audience, which he seems determined to maintain (admittedly with success). We all know that oldschool home stereo systems are not as relevant as they used to be. People use computer speakers, portable devices, earbuds, car stereos etc. The whole subject of loudness war has been discussed in these forums very thoroughly. So let's not hope for a sonic gem. However, it shouldn't be as bad as it has been for the last 20 years. If we can't get a satisfying dynamic range, we should at least expect a mix with an acceptable level of separation, detail and clarity. I think that Andy Sneap's work on Judas Priest's Firepower is a good example. DR values are terrifying and it's far from being an audiophile recording, but it sounds surprisingly decent. It is loud, of course, but doesn't make one's ears bleed and all the instruments are properly audible. That's the way I'd like Maiden to sound, knowing that I won't get another Powerslave anyway.

    I feel the same. They still have that special "something" about them. They have good ideas but are very sloppy when it comes to realization.

    But, as I mentioned before, I like post-reunion Maiden very much anyway. They're still my favourite band. I like all those albums despite their flaws. If it makes me look like an overenthusiastic fanboy, so be it :cool:
     
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  14. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Don’t disagree with you. Was out running the other morning and If Eternity Should Fail came on and it sounded awesome. Still one hell of a band and better than we have any right to expect forty years plus into their career.
     
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  15. john morris

    john morris Everybody's Favorite Quadron

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    Not really. Seventh Son Of Seventh Son did not do well in the US. Or should I say not as well as it did in the U.K.

    To quote Harris after their 1988 album didn't do so well in North America, "Bloody Americans....They don't understand us..."

    From, Iron Maiden: The Authorized Biography
     
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  16. john morris

    john morris Everybody's Favorite Quadron

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    Cool.
     
  17. john morris

    john morris Everybody's Favorite Quadron

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    The Book Of Souls is the WORST Iron Maiden album since X Factor.
     
  18. The Slipperman

    The Slipperman Forum Resident

    Agreed, The Red and the Black was cool live but was still too long, Book of Souls had all the excess but not the fundamental good songs of the other post-reunion albums. How many more fighter pilot songs do we need? And I'm one of the weirdos who loved all the 9-10 minute songs on The Final Frontier and thought it was some of their best work. Starblind and The Talisman are fantastic!
     
  19. john morris

    john morris Everybody's Favorite Quadron

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    The instrumental is boring and repetitive.
     
  20. Rockhead

    Rockhead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I assume we're all Maiden fans here in this thread, nevertheless our tastes vary. The Book of Souls is their best album since Dance of Death IMO. If it had been significantly trimmed, it would have probably been my favourite post-reunion work. I was disappointed with A Matter of Life and Death and even more so with The Final Frontier. It took me 10 years to get to like the latter at all.

    Here's how I rank the post-reunion stuff:

    1. Brave New World
    2. Dance of Death (it's a VERY close 2nd place)
    3. The Book of Souls
    4. A Matter of Life and Death
    5. The Final Frontier (though it may soon replace AMoLaD at No. 4 'cause I like it more with every listen)
     
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  21. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    For what its worth ...

    AMOLOD
    Book of Souls ( though I basically only like cd 1 and Empire)
    Final Frontier
    Brave
    Death.

    I rank them all higher than the previous 3 for comparisons sake. ;). I do like some of XFactor.
     
  22. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Yes. I thought they could have trimmed down the last 2 tracks of FF, but the last time I listened to it I listened to the whole thing though and found it enjoyable.
     
  23. coffeetime

    coffeetime Senior Member

    Location:
    Lancs, UK
    You’re not alone. Love the Final Frontier album, Starblind and isle of Avalon especially, but find the album worthwhile from beginning to end. The tour was none too shabby either.
     
  24. JCRW

    JCRW Forum Resident

    Brave New World and Dance Of Death are the two best post-reunion albums IMHO. The remainder are overdrawn, bloated and boring efforts. If Iron Maiden had one last album in them I would love a trimmed down 40-45 minute effort with the majority of the tracks having a classic uptempo vibe, 4-5 minute songs for the majority and maybe 1 or 2 "epic" tracks.
     
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  25. Gus Tomato

    Gus Tomato Stop dreamin’ and start drivin’ Stevie!

    Location:
    Cork
    Just because it wasn’t a hit in America doesn’t make it any less of an absolute classic Iron Maiden album.
     

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