Past couple of weeks Tricia and I have been discussing "Perfect Albums" albums which are so perfect that not a single track on it would be skipped or not worthy of listening to on it's own. I can name a good three or four of them off the top of my head and as hardcore of a Rush fan I am, there is only one song in their entire discography I would call perfect (sparring Live albums) and that is Permanent Waves, the 1979 album which preceeded the more commonly known Moving Pictures.
So to get some discussion going, list your perfect albums and why each track is, in your opinion, so great. If you can't say why a song on the album is great then the album is not perfect.
I'll start with Permanent Waves and then come back with my other ones later.
Track 1 - The Spirit Of Radio : The moment you start the album you are treated to a solid riff that kicks off one of the most memorable tracks in Rush's 35 year history. It is the first of a trend of cynical songs which disguise their less than stellar message with a happy tune, accusing the music industry of a total lack of integrity that it has gone on to prove in the 20 years since the song was first recorded. Polishing the end of the song is a loving homage to Simon and Garfunkle's "Sounds of Silence" and a musical interlude that ends the song with a 50's style Rock piano playing underneath the regular rocking of my three favorite Canadians. Also, thanks to the isolated guitar during the chorous and a moment of the track where a sample of a cheering crowd is playing, it has became a crowd warming and energetic song to play at any Rush concert. Some of my fondest memories of life are being part of an audience while this song was playing.
Track 2 - Freewill : Featuring the most technical composition any Rush song has ever featured, bearing at least 5 time signitures changed every ten or so seconds, it is a musical treat and also features one of the most self-indulgant interludes ever recorded by a pretentious rock band. Lyrically it muses over the many different religions and how a person has the choice to believe their actions are guided by destiny, an invisible puppet master or their own choices and though it is easier to give blame than accept it, owning up to your own failings is always the best choice. Slightly preachy and the first clear sign of Neil Peart's intollerance towards religion, it still features some thought provoking lines and some high notes sung by Geddy Lee which even he is unable to reproduce.
Track 3 - Jacob's Ladder : Originally billed as an instrumental, it includes two brief passages of vocals to help the listener invision what the music intones, harsh and grey thunderclouds with a low and heavy bass beat which angrily rumbles and tremors in the sky until a light and legato keyboard interlude reveals the sun splashing between the clouds leaving a bright and golden beam. As self-indlugent as the previous track but it makes absoloutely no excuses for itself. It has to be listened to with an open mind to understand, but if you close your eyes and listen to it, you can picture the scenes described just as vividly as a full orchestra attempting to paint a sunny morning at the start of spring.
Track 4 - Entre Nous : Relying more on keyboard playing than the rest of the album, it would be regarded as my weakest track on the album if it wasn't the most aired on radio of the 6 and also the one with the best lyrics. The short poem Peart has presented explains that no matter how close we get to another person, we will never see the world through their eyes and understand their entire history or perspective. All of this can be summed up in the two lines "We are strangers to eachother, each one's life a novel no one else has read", and the moral is to leave room for people to grow, for if we cannot understand another person's perspective, we should never limit them with our own. It preaches tollerance and understanding in such a pure and beautiful way. Perhaps it is very hypocritical to be on the same album as Freewill, though it is a good message to send. It's often regarded as a hidden gem in Rush's collection, and in no way brings down the rest of the album.
Track 5 - Different Strings : An accoustic song against all of the heavy rock and keyboard heavy songs which preceed it, this song is far more simple and soothing than the rest of the album. To mirror this it is a fairly intimate song lyrically, talking about "you and me" opposed to the rest of the album speaking to all of humanity or the entire record industry. Musically it feels like a step back to the earlier albums which appeals to fans, but perhaps not so much to non-fans. If any track were to jeapordize the perfection of the album it would be this.
Track 6 - Natural Science : Rush tend to change pace on their final song to lead in to the next album. In this case they originally intended an olde English ballade of kinds, but dropped the idea and in the course of a week, while in studio, produced Natural Science. The most hard rocking track on the album. Spanning 9 minutes and not letting up for a single one, it has recently become a concert staple and is one of my top 5 Rush songs of all time. All three band members get to shine with the second interlude of the song having a solo which was clearly improvised in studio meshing together to form great music and a nerve tingling guitar solo. Lyrically it simply speaks of how the forces of science and nature butt heads and also work in tandem. All perfect albums require a punching intro, such as the Spirit of Radio riff and a powerful ending, the armagedonish climax to the song certainly provides this and about the time the final guitar note fades away to the sounds of waves on the shore, you're all prepared to put in your next album and keep on rocking.
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So. That's a perfect album reviewed. Any one want to post one of their own, or discuss the ones already posted? Maybe discussion will happen. Maybe it wont. Either way I got to spend 30 minutes verbally making love to a Rush album. I'm happy!
If I had more than ten minutes on my hand, I'd explain to everyone why Iron Maiden's "Brave New World" album falls under this category and its really sad that its underrated... but I'll get to it once I have the time necessary to elaborate, great topic idea Craig!
Oh wow! Very great topic idea. Sticky this immediately if it's not already. Once I get some time i'll be back to explain "Folklore" and maybe even "Heroes and Thieves" falls into my idea of a perfect album.
P.S. Have you seen I Love You, Man Craig? Lots of Rush in that movie. Immediately thought of you when I saw them in that movie.
I don't think I've ever found the perfect album for me - as much as I am a fan of Muse, Queen and Abba I don't think there are any albums where I don't skip a song. Muse are my favourite and are technical geniuses but tend to have a few slow (and so in my opinion boring) tracks on their albums. Shame really =/
Ah, maybe one day. Anyone with similar tastes got any suggestions maybe?
That beginning part of "Jacob's Ladder" is instrumental smex.
Many say Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon but personally I've always seen Wish You Were Here as their greatest. Also gonna throw in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Moody Blues' Days Of Future Passed, Incubus' Make Yourself (my life's soundtrack back in the nineties), Opeth's Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, and Still Life (yes, three, but Opeth is awesome), Rush's Grace Under Pressure (probably a bias b/c that's the first one I listened to all the way through). System Of A Down's Toxicity almost plays like one whole awesome song, and finally Yes' Close To The Edge.
Okay, now time for business. There are a few Iron Maiden albums I consider perfect (Though this may be a result of my IM fanboyism but whatever. As Craig's rules dictate, as long as I can say how every song is good, it counts.). The first is their classic album "The Number of the Beast". I have included youtube links for your reference, but these will be studio versions for you to judge yourself, since this is the album we're talking about, and I believe as Craig said, live doesn't count. Though Maiden is known for being ridiculously awesomely epic live, I'll have to stick to the studio versions (Which are still awesome, just not quite as epic. Its like the difference between a 10/10 rating and a OVER 9000/10 rating.)
The album starts us off with a great track, though not the best, there are several others that far outclass this track, but this is still definately a great track starters. It begins Bruce Dickinson's introduction into the band itself. I simply love the drum beats and BD's voice opening up to a track that starts off a classic album. Steve Harris' plays the bass like a beast, as always, no surprise there, a very fine opening track if I do say so myself.
Track Number Two - Children of the Damned
Oh. My. God. An absolutely incredible track, its a shame they don't play this live very much, its a rare occasion when they do. The slow opening sets up for Bruce's incredible vocals, as always, as the song is actually based on Village of the Damned and Children of the Damned, showing that Steve Harris (Their songwriter) has quite a collection of inspiration to draw from and they are more knowledgeable in literature than one would think.
Track Number Three - The Prisoner
I know what you're thinking, maybe. Yes, its based off of the show of the same name (Thank you wikipedia <3, and even has a sample bite of its opening sequence in it. As always, Bruce Dickinson's vocals are just incredible, I'm sorry, I don't see how Paul Di'anno compares (Their previous singer, if you didn't know.). I never really watched the show in question, but I'm a bit intrigued as of right now, so if anyone knows how the song compares to it, that would be nice info to have. I absolutely adore the solo in this around 4:05, just amazing. Though there are better tracks in this album, and we'll be getting to them very quickly...
Track Number Four - 22 Acacia Avenue
Another great song here, which is actually a continuation of the "Charlotte the Harlot" Saga, which was started in their first album "Iron Maiden", which talks about... well... *Ahem* a prostitute named Charlotte and the song questions her own lifestlye, though there are only two more songs that refer to her, though no direct reference is made. On a side note: the drumming in this song is absolutely amazing, too bad Clive Burr left, but his successor was definately more than competent drummer in my opinion. Not the best song on the album, but a very entertaining song indeed.
Track Number Five - The Number of the Beast
Ah, the title song from the album, an absolutely legendary peice of music to me. And no, the song IS NOT satanic, it merely describes a terrible dream that appears so real that its frightening. That just goes to show you the songwriting ability of Steve Harris, to make the song seem so real, but be a dream at the same time (And it shows the fact that the media likes to judge a book by its cover.). Also, I love the lyrical dissonance, considering the nature of the lyrics and the upbeat tempo of the song itself (And as always, the solo's are just godly) and not to mention Bruce Dickinson's scream at 1:18 is simply awesome, I have to imagine that training for that type of thing without hurting your voice must be insanely difficult. The lyrical dissonance is also continued in the melodiac vocalization of BD, even though the song is about a nightmare of sorts. I find that kind of thing really interesting. *Shrug*
Track Number Six - Run To The Hills
Being 1/8th Cherokee myself, I find this song really interesting and I love how Iron Maiden gives a history lesson while still being metal at the same token. The song is about the pilgrims coming over to The New World and taking over the lands that once belong to the Native Americans, and its done in incredible fashion. The lyrics at the beginning portray the position of the Native Americans, while it shifts to the new pilgrims in the next verse, justifying their own actions while the third verse seems to portray the after effects of what exactly they did to them in the end. The galloping drumming style personifies why this song is often considered one of the greatest Heavy Metal songs of all time (Its somewhere in the 20's, not sure where exactly on the list though), and not to mention later in 2002 after the drummer for this album left, Clive Burr developed MS and with growing medical bills appeared unable to pay for them, and in response the group re-released the single back in an attempt to raise money to pay for the man's medical bills and even did a few live shows to raise a trust fund exactly for that. As far as I know, his bills were successfully paid. I don't care if you don't like Iron Maiden or not, that shows just how awesome they are, most bands wouldn't take care of former members like that. Anyway incredible song, 2nd best on the album in my opinion, with only the ending track beating it out...
Now, second to last track on this epic album, we have Gangland. It starts off with some extremely aggressive drumming intro, makes me said that Burr didn't stay on with Maiden, but he left with good terms, and his replacement was definately more than competent (I really can't compare the two though, that's like apples and oranges, both are awesome <3 ). The lyrics seem to tell a tale of someone who's escaped from prison (Or perhaps some terrible act, prison could simply be a metaphor) and running from everything, but it becomes apparent that he won't be able to escape forever, and will eventually have to face with what's going to happen to him. I love Bruce's voice back then, though its still awesome now, he was able to hit those notes with passion (Not to say he doesn't still sing with passion, that's the main reason I love the dude's voice. Watch him live and tell me he doesn't sing with passion.). That's my opinion, one of the lesser songs on the album, but that doesn't mean its bad, considering this is one of the best Heavy Metal albums ever. And now for the finale...
Track Number Eight - Hallowed Be Thy Name
Even if you don't like the others songs on this track, this is definately one of their finest works. Simply beautiful song that speaks the question "What if faith betrayed you in your final moments? Not faith in god... just faith in general,". The acoustic opening with the Church Bells is simply creepy yet beautiful at the same time, which is a reflection of the song itself. In my opinion, this is probably their best song ever. Only Fear of the Dark, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Blood Brothers, and Dream of Mirrors can rival this song in the emotion that is placed forth in it. Best song on the album though, no doubt. The song describes what appears to be a person on death row, and thinking about his last moments and and acts all calm and fine, as if he is going to ascend to the afterlife, but in his thoughts he is scared out of his mind, wondering if what he thought is really true, then comes to peace thinking he'll see what happens when he gets there. The meaning I set forth is merely my interpretation, but the song is rather ambigous in my opinion in its true meaning, several interpretations can be made from it. And Bruce Dickinson's vocalisation make this song a classic. It give the impression, to me at least, of a tragic opera in a sense, I get that feeling when hearing him singing it. And in my opinion, no cover done of it can do it justice, Cradle of Filth's version was just trash to me, sorry. The shrieking vocals contradict what the song was to be about, in my opinion. Iced Earth's was okay, but nothing compares to the original.
Anyway, best song by far on the album, all the songs I would definately list on my mp3 player, and if you're looking to get into traditional heavy metal or New Wave of British Heavy Metal (The technical genre of metal that Maiden is listed under), this is a great place to start. So much emotion placed in it. That is all, until I decide to do the few others that I feel are also perfect, just songs like these illistrate why I believe IM is the greatest Heavy Metal band ever, better than Megadeth, better than Metallica, better than anything else.
So, did I do it right Craig? <_<
Dang Hukos...I really wish I could do mine the way you did yours, but that would take me like...an hour or something. Anywho...here we go:
I'll begin by saying Nelly Furtado's second album is such a departure from her first you wouldn't know it was her...if it wasn't for her unique voice. =P Folkore contains 12 songs, the same as the number of tracks in Whoa Nelly! Out of those 12 about 3 of them are fast paced. 4 if you count the acapella song, Saturdays. The other three, Forca(Portuguese for keep going), Explode and Fresh Off the Boat, are very upbeat and remind you of the Nelly F. you remember from songs like Schick on the Radio and Hey Man from her debut. The first single, Powerless, is a song you can easily enjoy and quickly grow to love. Explode, is a song about how teenagers get caught up in the bad and unhealthy things around them unknowingly. Excellant song. One of personal favorites from the album is Build You Up, it is simply put...sensational. Childhood Dreams and Picture Perfect are ideally Nelly Furtado at her poetic best. The two longest songs on the album, deliver vivid and intriging lyrics that you'll be singing to yourself for days. < ---excerpt from my myspace blog. Now for a track by track break down.
Track 1 - One Trick Pony - Nelly's starter song. Usually for me one of the most important songs in an album. This song has to keep your attention and make you want to listen to the rest, but not outshine the other songs. Very catchy chorus and nice rhythem. Rather lengthy, but definitely a definitive 1st tracker, in my book. Nice segway into...
Track 2 - Powerless(Say What You Want) - First single from this sophmore album of Nelly's and it's wonderful. So very catchy and a really neat video. Lyrics ranging from, "Paint my face in your magazines...make it look whiter than it seems...paint me over with your dreams, shove away my ethnicity..." to "Cause this life, is too short, to live it, just...for...you, but when you feel so powerless, wha are you gonna do...say what you want". Surely one of my favorites from Nelly ever. 
Track 3 - Explode - Upon listening through the album the first couple of times, this song wasn't anything great. But after getting the lyrics and watching the awesome video this is another of my favorites from Nelly. "Then getting drunk in the bushes by road outside the K-Mart...rolling around in them..." Love that stanza. Unfortunately it seems to be a fairly accurate depiction of teenage life in the fast lane. =/
Track 4 - Try - Slower ballad type song. When I got this album, I wasn't into slower paced songs as much, so this one would've been a skip for the first few listen throughs. But oh my gosh. Nelly...please forgive for not loving this song right away. XD! Wonderfully constructed and sung out. Her second single of Folklore, I believe and it's a favorite among many Nelly fans. I haven't listened to it in awhile...I think I will later.
Track 5 - Fresh Off the Boat - Nelly's pride in her portuguese heritage is displayed here. While the term "Fresh off the boat" is usually offensive when used to refer to immigrants, Nelly makes it something to be proud of. Very upbeat and fast. Fun track to sing to.
Track 6 - Forca - Futbol! Soccer! Yea! This song was used at the 2004 European Football Championship series. Not a very big song in America, but Nelly's 3rd single from Folklore and it went over very well overseas and Nelly has a few portuguese lines in this one. Very poetic and crisp. Wonderful song.
Track 7 - The Grass is Green - This song while not a single or anything has this sound to it, that I just love. Doesn't seem to be one of her most popular, but it's honestly like my third or so favorite on this album. "Oh yea the grass is green, but I think I stained my jeans and now everybody can tell that i've been in it...". Haha, Nelly's lines are always so...down to Earth, yet very strong to me atleast. Easy to understand and meaningful. Listening to this right now as I type it, actually. =)
Track 8 - Picture Perfect - Originally my all time favorite Nelly song the moment I heard it[up until AGT on her Loose album]. So easy listening and simple, this song is. I definitely had a dream as a child of a picture perfect life/world/etc and I love how Nelly presents different type of scenarios and lifestyles that seem so normal and regular, but the simple things you do everyday and the simple things you understand are so rewarding in their own regards. And the very end of the song is one of my favorites in a song.
"Please bring me along, please take me away, I don't want to stay...and I want to see everything you have to offer me[x 4], I want to see everything the world has to offer me[x 2] and I want to show everything I have to offer it [x 2] now."
Man...so great.
Track 9 - Saturdays - Acoustic song and this was my most skipped song on the album for a really long time. XD! It's actually a very very good song, I just wasn't really feeling that type of sound it had up until a few years ago. Must've been a one time recording, because you can her laughing and goofing off in the song. Very authentic.
Track 10 - Build You Up - Grew to love this one more and more as I listened to it. Quite a sad song actually. Slow, but with a very interesting beat to it. Favorite line from this song: "Put your heart in my hands and I won't hurt you....put yout heart in my hands, I promise not to..."
Track 11 - Island of Wonder - Second most skipped track on this album. XD! I didn't like the fact that there was a guest singer on this song, and I stayed away from it...maybe even more than I did from Saturdays. But as the years went by and I would forget to skip this track, i'd hear the lyrics and find a way that they related. Became hooked. The chorus seems to stray a bit, but it's catchy.
Track 12 - Childhood Dreams - Being the very last track and with a very long intro this song was usually skipped my first times listening to the album. Although, I found myself looking through the lyrics book one night and they caught me. A poem with music. Such a magical song. Undeniably one of Nelly' best. First line of the song was all it took:
"I can't believe you need me- I never thought I would be needed for anything- I can't believe my shoulder would carry such important weight- as your head and your tears- I can't believe you chose me in all my fragility, me, It hurts so much when I love you, it makes me cry...every time..."
Alright...there we go. Didn't take all too long. Wish I had more to say about some of the songs though. I probably should've been listening to the album some prior to writing this. Oh well.
P.S. Fexus...give us a review dude!
I hate to say it, but almost all of Bad Religions albums I can just turn on and let play all the way through. As a matter of fact, I just put all their songs on shuffle on my iPod while driving and never skip a song.
I'd have to say the first one that comes to mind is "isolation" by Toto. The whole album just fits together nicely and wraps everything up neatly just like every other album have ever made. This one is a bit more hard rocking than the others, but still retains that studio perfection that Toto always show off on their albums.
1 - Carmen
Opener is very fast paced, and I think is the most perfect fusion of keyboards and guitar in a song ever. Vocal is also shared by Paich and Fergie, who became Toto's lead singer for this album. Switching between the keyboard/guitar and two distinct singers is just brilliantly done, and as the vocals are shared, it eases in the sound of the new vocalist quite nicely.
2 - Lion
This one deserves to be played loud, starts with the epic guitar riff, keyboards kick in and Fergie pretty much screams out the whole out of the song. You can definitely hear the jazz elements in this track in the percussion and horns which augment the keys in intervals. Might take a while for get used to Fergie's screaming voice, but you can appreciate the edge he brought to the album
3 - Stranger in town
An edgy, but more synth driven song, based on the musical "whistle down the wind". Paich takes lead vocals on this one, with everyone else joining in the chorus. Paich's haunting and deeper voice really suit the song, this is probably my favourite song on the album. Different, but still perfectly executed.
4 - Angel don't cry
Probably the hardest rocking song on the album. Fergie pretty much takes vocals all to himself, and sings in a key lower than any other song on the album, which seems to suit him more. Again, awesome Keyboard/Guitar solo.
5 - How does it feel
Luke's only vocal number on the album. I love that Toto have 3 singers that all take their turn on the albums, just adds so much more depth. This is the only slow ballad-esque number on the album too. There's a bit of an orchestral arrangement throughout this song in the percussion and keys. Again, more variety which never compromises the integrity of the album as a whole.
6 - Endless
The second half of the album has Fergie really stepping up after the mixed vocals of the first half. Endless doesn't really stand out as such, just fits nicely onto the album, and seems to build up to the screaming vocals at the end.
7 - Isolation
The title track. Light piano introduction and a distorted guitar sound song joins up nicely all the way through, as the song progresses, the synths kick in louder and louder, until after the second chorus, where the song slows down, and some steady singing and warm synth sounds really augment the loss depicted in the lyrics.
8 - Mr Friendly
The lead vocals are screaming and angry. The synth arrangements are very orchestral. When Luke does his little vocal bit followed by the synth solo about halfway through is awesome, and is really powerful combined with the fatalystic lyrics.
9 - Change of heart
Lyrically and musically very simple, just seems to be making noise in time. The orchestral/synth part (Which was augmented by the London symphony orchestra I believe) makes this whole song worthwhile.
10 - Holyanna
No Toto album is complete without a song named after a woman, and this album starts and ends with one. Result. "Holyanna" is much more traditonal Toto, and much more pop driven. Written about a catholic schoolgirl, Paich takes lead vocals, with Fergie only really backing up a bit of the chorus. The performance is the tightest on the album. Jeff Porcaro on drums really drives this song, as well as Paich's loud piano playing, and bridged by Steve Porcaro's synths. Great to have that professional feel at the end of album rounds it off quite nicely.
Like Craig I consider "Permanent waves" by Rush a perfect album, as well as "Duke" by Genesis, but I don't feel like going into that now.
Nice OTB. I gotta say im not big into the rock scene. Toto does sound familiar though. Very familiar actually.
List of albums Hukos needs to remind himself to post in this thread
Powerslave - Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden
Brave New World - Iron Maiden
Holy Diver - Dio
Can't think of any other albums I can listen to start to end, and yeah, if you haven't noticed... Iron Maiden to me is as Rush is to Craig.
😛 Well come on! Get on it, Hukos!
Iron Maiden to me is as Rush is to Craig.
Ozric Tentacles to me is as Iron Maiden is to you and as Rush is to Craig. 
Okay, if "The Number of the Beast" was a perfect album, then "Powerslave" is a perfectly perfect metal album. If you're not into metal, it may be hard to see how, but you're like me, its a must-have. The album has power, emotion, magic, all represented by the Egyption Cover.
Track Number One - Aces High
The album starts out with an absouletely incredible opening number callled "Aces High". The song takes the perspective of a WWII British Royal Air Force Pilot during the battle of Britain, and when played live is often played with Churchill's Speech (Yes, that one. THe intro to the song goes PERFECTLY with it.). Given the theme of the song, the soaring vocals of Bruce Dickinson match just perfectly with this song <3 <3 <3
And the Chorus is catchy as hell to listen to
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die
Run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces High!
A pure Iron Maiden classic, I just flat out love the song <3
Not to mention the entire thing is catchy, not just the chorus.
Track Number Two - Two Minutes to Midnight
Here we go, one of my personal Maiden favorites (Though I adore almost any song by them >.> ), this song is about the Doomsday Clock actually (In September 1953, the clock reached 11:58, the closest the clock ever got to midnight (Which basically would be nuclear holocaust), which is where the title of the song comes from.). So in essence, its an anti-war song, a stark contrast from the album opener. There are also other references, such as in one verse:
The blind men shout "Let the creatures out
We'll show the unbelievers."
The napalm screams of human flames
For a prime time Belsen feast ... yeah!
As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy
We oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies.
The "Belsen" feast is a direct reference to the Burgen-Belsen war camps that Germany used in WWII..., which humanity itself should be ashamed even exists, and the "prime-time" to me says that even today we see similar things go on in the news in prime time, but we don't even bat an eye...
A very powerful song, at least to me. I also love the slow solo, which definately contrasts from the fast paced intro of the song.
Track Number Three - Losfer Words
An instrumental this time, and the last time Iron Maiden has ever done an instrumental at all. And it saddens me, I do rather love this song, even if it is far from the best on on the album (Which happens to be the last title on the album...), and this isn't even their best instrumental (Translvania takes that honor, from their self titled debut album). However, this is still a great song I would not skip, not at all. The riffs are great, even if no solo at all. All in all, a nice piece of work, though the title indicates that lyrics were orginally intended for the track, but didn't pan out. Also, I just looooooooooove the bass playing in this song, you can actually hear it! =O
Track Number Four - Flash of the Blade
A terribly underrated song, which also saddens me. This piece was never really played live, I would have loved to hear them play it. However, you cannot deny the awesomeness of the song, its about swords! How can you not love it? XD
This song, in all seriousness, is inspired by the lead vocalist's (Bruce Dickinson) passion for Fencing. And as with other Maiden songs, I just adore the chorus, I can't help but sing along to it (albiet very badly... >.>). The guitar solos help keep the song interesting and listenable, just as when you get ready to finish listening to it. I think it would have been better if they had shortened it, but oh well, still a great song.
Track Number Five - The Duelists
Another swordplay song, not quite as loud intro as the previous song, however I love the fact that you can hear the bass (Its so criminally underrused in most bands... ). I felt the vocals were off a bit on this one, however the stupidly ridiculous (This is a good thing) drum beat makes this still a song you don't want to skip over, at least I wouldn't =O
And the solo around 2 minutes in keeps things fresh, and its about swords! What's not to love? XD
Track Number Six - Back in the Village
Alright, here we go. The track preceding the title track, Back in the Village appears to be another song with references to the show "The Prisoner" (Just like the track from the last perfect album I posted XD), a shame this one doesn't get played either. So, with the old tv refrences aside, an enjoyable listen, not the greatest on the album, but definately sets us up for what is but the second best track on this album (Which says a lot, because the finale is just GODLY), but the vocals by Bruce make any song enjoyable just about lolz
Track Number Seven - Powerslave
Nearly everytime I listen to this song I just about crap myself. Holy crap is this track godly. Not only does it start with the creepy wolves howling in the background, we get treated to a tale of what appears to be an Ancient Egyption Pharoh whom abuses his power and causes a reign of terror on his people and questions why he must die, why can't he live on, as mentioned in this verse.
Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave
I don't wanna die, I'm a God,
Why can't I live on?
When the Life Giver dies,
All around is laid waste,
And in my last hour,
I'm a Slave to the Power of Death.
However, the "Powerslave" figures he's going to die anyway and treats his successor with "Blood and red wine" hoping to continue his tyrannical reign, feeling no shame from it at all.
What appears to be just a song about a pharoh who misused his power and eventually crumbled, is actually believed to be an allagory to Iron Maiden's pessimistic view on the Music Industry as a whole (Much akin to Rush's "The Spirit of Radio", and there are definately some progressive elements visible in this track), with the Pharoh itself being symbolic of the how the Music Industry misuses the talent it recieves and simply discards them like simple slaves, and simply craves more and more power, which would lead to their untimely demise. A brilliant track, indeed. Oh and the slow paced melodiac portion just makes me orgasm. Which leads us up to the final track...
Track Number Eight - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Part One
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Part Two
Yes, the final track IS based off of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's masterpiece poem of the same name. Basically, the song is a metal adaption that describes the at-sea nightmares the Mariner must travel through after he kills the albatross. The song is not nearly as complex as the poem in its lyrics (It takes a more straight-forward approach to it, which actually makes the poem much simpler to understand). This also is Iron Maiden's longest song to date, clocking in at 13:38 (They are heavy metal, but Steve Harris has always had some progressive influence in his songwriting, so that may have something to do with its length...). Not only that, the bass, the drums, everything in this song is just heavenly. And there are a few portions of the poem quoted in this song itself, for those who may know the poem well.
"Day after day, day after day,
we stuck nor breath nor motion
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
Water, water everywhere and
all the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink."
There, calls the mariner
there comes a ship over the line
But how can she sail with no wind
in her sails and no tide.
See... onward she comes
Onwards she nears, out of the sun
See... she has no crew
She has no life, wait but there's two
Death and she Life in Death,
they throw their dice for the crew
She wins the Mariner and he belongs to her now.
Then ... crew one by one
They drop down dead, two hundred men
She... She, Life in Death.
She lets him live, her chosen one.
"One after one by the star dogged moon,
too quick for groan or sigh
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang
and cursed me with his eye
Four times fifty living men
(and I heard nor sigh nor groan),
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
they dropped down one by one."
Also, you may be wondering, why would a metal adaption work here? Well, the riffs and everything else about the metal playing itself actually fits in well with the nightmares the Mariner must face on his way to redemption for the murder of the albotross, and as the pace picks up leading up to the death of his crew, you can really feel the danger and emotion from the poem that I believe Coleridge originally intended for you to feel. and Steve Harris did an excellent job in making a song like this. I personally think Coleridge would be proud of this work, myself. Now, just listen to the mid-section with the boat creaking and no vocals at night with no lights on... that's scary O_O
Lastly, the song finishes up with a more upbeat tune, as the Mariner comes closer and closer to redemption for his sins of killing the albatross, reflecting the meaning of the poem. Even if you absolutely detest heavy metal, you cannot say that they have no songwriting skill at all, and this illistrates thier literay influnce later indicated in their later works (Like "Brave New World" the album based off of the book by Aldulous Huxely).
All in all, Powerslave = Perfect. At least listen to the videos and give it a shot, even if you don't like metal. Who knows, it might turn you into a metalhead. m/
Sorry for double posting, but since none is posting another album, I'll do my next one. Here we go, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". As the title suggests, its about a seventh child of a person who was also a seventh son. In occult fiction, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter or a seventh son of a seventh son would gain special powers (This album was actually partially inspired by "Seventh Son" by Orson Scott Card). That is the case in what is to date, Iron Maiden's only concept album. The themes revolve around the struggle of good and evil whom both want to use it, the visions that occur to the father of the child, its birth, and its untimely death for various reasons. An extremely powerful and emotional work with undertones of Aliester Crowely prevelent in the themes of the song (Especially in the album opener, "Moonchild"). The lyrical depth is rivaled by very few albums in the world PERIOD.
Also, to note, the first and last songs begin and end respectfully with the following lines:
Seven deadly sins
Seven ways to win
Seven holy paths to hell
And your trip begins
Seven downward slopes
Seven bloodied hopes
Seven are your burning fires
Seven your desires....
With the opening number, as mentioned above, begins that that line. The song details what appears to be Satan (Referenced as Lucifer (Strangely enough, Lucifer means "Light Bringer" and is the Christian Equivilant of the Greek tale of Promethius, whom decided to give fire to the humans and was punished for it, strangely similar to how Satan gave humans knowledge. Both were punished for this deed who prefered to preside over sheep-like humans rather than independant free-thinkers they had become thanks to Lucifer/Promethius, but that's a discussion for another day.) or the "Bornless One" foretelling the birth of the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Also referenced in this song is "The Scarlet Whore" or the Whore of Babylon, who so happens to be a diety in Crowley's pantheon. It should be interesting to say, that Crowley also wrote a book called "Moonchild", where a young girl is chosen to choose between good and evil.
Crowley's Publisher was "The Mandrake Press", which is strange given the part of the song "Hear the Mandrake scream", though the mandrake has always been seen as a plant with special powers, and some rituals were thought to be necessary to pull the root of the earth, such as putting wax in one's ear, because the mandrake was believed to scream and would cause deafness in one's ear. The Mandrake root supposedly was for invulnerbility, for discovering treasures and as a charm for pregnancy (This would make sense given the context of the song, the mother of the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son).
Anyway, back to the song. Lucifer comes and visits the mother, telling her what is to come in the future, and she worries she may be giving birth to a monster, however he tells her that damnation awaits those who commit suicide, and if the child should be killed but she live, he threatens to make her live forever, so that she would always be alone. Its interesting that Satan himself, was also a Seventh Son, so is he the father? The later songs reveal that he isn't, but its still something interesting to look at. The song is simply incredible in not only its lyrical depth, just the music all around... ahh! Awesomeness! Now, onto the next track...
Track Number Two - Infinite Dreams
Now, we fastforward a bit, the father of the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is beginning to become tormented about future premonitions of his son, which will eventually make him mad. The lyrics explore the theme of ultimate reality and what exists beyond death, similar to "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (Which I did earlier in my first album I posted :P).
There's got to be just more to it
Than this
Or tell me why do we exist
I'd like to think that when I die
I'd get a chance another time
And to return and live again
Reincarnate, play the game
Again and again and again
However, unlike HBTN, this song suggests the possibility of reincarnation as an answer, and with multiple tune and rythm shifts, it is certainly something to marvel at.
Track Number Three - Can I play with madness
This one differs from the rest of the album in that it is seemingly more upbeat than the others in the dark, brooding themes of this album. A fairly catchy chorus makes up for it though. The tale continues as the father seeks out a prophet to tell him what will happen with his future son, wondering what entails him in the future. However, he does not like what the prophet tells him and ends up going mad, like a crazed animal ontowards the end. The happy-ness of this contridicts the lyrics, which is strange to me, but as I said, I like catchy choruses, so I guess it works. Onto the next chapter!
Track Number Four - The Evil That Men Do
First off, the title is indeed a reference to the Shakespearean play "Julius Ceaser", if you were wondering.
NOT DONE WILL FINISH LATER.
Not a huge Jackson fan but Thriller is indeed deserving to be called one of those perfect albums. You already know the major hits (Everything except Baby be Mine and Human Nature) but even those two are still pretty decent songs. Of course you can't forget the titular song to the album, which still sounds good but you also got Beat It, Billy Jean and PYT. Let's not forget his duet with Beatles Boy (McCartney) on the Girl is Mine either.
...if only Prince had gone ahead and sang a duet with Michael for Bad, that would have been my choice for absolute perfection.
Ha! *high fives* Thriller was a killer album indeed. I absolutely love Human Nature, though. Not sure why it wasn't as big. =/ But man if Prince had done a duet...the world would've exploded. For sure. And good gosh...Hukos...settle down. XD!
