Author Topic: The TAC Top 50! v. Old guys talking about music! (Read 73210 times)

Mladen · « **Reply #315 on:** October 17, 2012, 01:51:47 PM »

You keep cheating with placing two albums at one spot. But you're always picking great albums.

Can't argue with those favorite songs neither.

TAC · « **Reply #316 on:** October 17, 2012, 02:01:24 PM »

Quote from: Scorpion on October 17, 2012, 01:25:24 PM

Wow. I wouldn't have expected TFF to be on your list, to be honest, I always thought that you were a bigger fan of the older Maiden stuff.

AMOLAD is awesome, btw, and was featured on my list as well. Incredible album.

Well, that's probably because I am an "older" Maiden fan. I just think the reunion albums have all been incredible. They have really challenged themselves to be relevant and it shows.
Now I am the biggest Maiden fan and I hold them in the highest regard, but even I did not think they had an album like AMOLAD in them. It's simply epic. And then they followed it up with an album that on its worst day is equal to it. TFF is a stunning album.

Quote from: Mladen on October 17, 2012, 01:51:47 PM

You keep cheating with placing two albums at one spot. But you're always picking great albums.

Yeah I said that I would do that at the beginning. I will do it 3 more times in my countdown.

Quote from: jingle.boy on October 17, 2012, 01:23:58 PM

I really should pick up TFF. AMOLAD is great, but of the reunion era albums, DoD is my preference.

Yes you should. I am glad you like DOD and AMOLAD, but TFF is colored a bit brighter, and I think that would appeal to you.

Lowdz · « **Reply #317 on:** October 17, 2012, 02:16:13 PM »

Won't argue with AMOLAD, a great Maiden album, but TFF is nowhere near as good and I'd pick just about anything on your list so far over it.

My opinion counts for little as I guess I'm not a huge Maiden fan. Love their early stuff to Live After Death but it's been slim pickings for me from there. Always though Maiden should sound better on album than they do.

LudwigVan · « **Reply #318 on:** October 17, 2012, 02:47:19 PM »

I originally found AMOLAD to be a chore to digest. The music maintains the same dark brooding timbre, song after song throughout the entire album. I've warmed up to it a bit more over time, but it ranks 3rd out of their 4 reunion-era albums.

The Final Frontier on the other hand has a lot more "color" as you say... more variety of tone and in the playing. I've mentioned it before, but I think TFF is where Maiden made a conscious effort to capture the sounds of 70's-era hard rock like Deep Purple, Cream, Hendrix, Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull, etc., sorta like what Opeth did with Heritage. It's not just straight-ahead heavy metal balls n' chunk anymore. This decision actually works to open up the music on TFF to a broader sound palette.

TAC · « **Reply #319 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:07:17 PM »

Yeah, LV, you can see how they built on what was laid down with AMOLAD.
Both album reach a level that even I did not think they were capable of. I really tried hard to not getting hopes up for TFF and it just blew me away.
You are also right that TFF manages to work in their 70's influence like no other album they have ever done. That is the great dichotomy of TFF. They have pushed their writing and playing as far as they ever have yet managed to include blatantly those 70's influences that were far more subtle in the past.

El Barto · « **Reply #320 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:39:52 PM »

Quote from: Lowdz on October 17, 2012, 02:16:13 PM

Won't argue with AMOLAD, a great Maiden album, but TFF is nowhere near as good and I'd pick just about anything on your list so far over it.

My opinion counts for little as I guess I'm not a huge Maiden fan.

Well, I am a huge Maiden fan, and I agree with your initial assessment there. AMoLaD is the best thing they've done since SSoaSS, but TFF didn't do much for me. Considering how unique S15 was to begin the album, I was really stoked, but most of what followed sounded like filler to me. WtWWB is a very good song, though.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #321 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:46:02 PM »

AMOLAD knocked my socks off. Right up there with all Maiden albums.

TFF is very good but just a shade below AMOLAD but it's amazing to see a band get better with age.

TAC · « **Reply #322 on:** October 17, 2012, 03:48:47 PM »

Quote from: El Barto on October 17, 2012, 03:39:52 PM

. Considering how unique S15 was to begin the album, I was really stoked, but most of what followed sounded like filler to me.

One thing the reunion albums have lacked has been great openers. I might actually prefer the 4 reunion albums to PoM through 7th Son, but compare the openers:
Where Eagles Dare....The Wicker Man
Aces High...Wildest Dreams
Caught Somewhere In Time...Different World
Moonchild...TFF

A clean sweep for the 80's albums. I thought the build up of S15 was completely let down by TFF, not that I don't like the song, but it is misplaced on the album. Maiden needed an Aces High/Moonchild type burner after S15. That would be my biggest critique of TFF, and the reunion albums in general.

jjrock88 · « **Reply #323 on:** October 17, 2012, 07:36:05 PM »

All of the reunion albums are awesome, but you need to listen to them a number of times to digest everything. Might be a chore, but it should click. AMOLAD and Brave New World are neck and neck for me.

wolfking · « **Reply #324 on:** October 18, 2012, 03:47:14 AM »

Interesting to see TFF on your list, it's good and definitely was a grower for me, but I love it a lot though.

kirksnosehair · « **Reply #325 on:** October 18, 2012, 05:07:12 AM »

Of the comeback albums I very strongly prefer AMOLAD, and I thought Dance of Death was really weak. The other two are...OK

TAC · « **Reply #326 on:** October 18, 2012, 07:26:24 AM »

Hey it's all good. AMOLAD was surely an album that would be difficult to follow. I consider AMOLAD to be a landmark album in Maiden's career. So while I really appreciate AMOLAD, I really enjoy TFF.

Anyway, we are now about to enter the Top 15. This is some rarefied air in the TAC collection. These albums are really the most important and enjoyable albums in my musical life.
So..speaking of Iron Maiden:

15. Iron Maiden- Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988)

I have been a Maiden fan my whole musical listening life. I have never been more of one in 1987-88. They had just released Somewhere In Time, an album I loved, and the tour still remains as one of my all time favorite conerts. So I was primed when Seventh Son came out. It was near the end on my sophomore year in college. I had nothing to do but listen to music. I fell instantly in love with 7th Son. Might not be crazy about CIPWM, but the rest of the album is fantastic. Starts off killer with Moonchild and moves right into Infinite Dreams, which remains a Top 5 Maiden song for me. The album has been rehashed here a tousand times, but to me, it it one of THE feel good albums in my collection. A time in my life when I was old enough to enjoy the hell out it and the tour, but young enough to have nothing to do but take it all in.

Fave tracks: Infinite Dreams, SSOASS, Moonchild, and yes..The Prophecy

jjrock88 · « **Reply #327 on:** October 18, 2012, 07:28:43 AM »

SomeoneLikeHim · « **Reply #328 on:** October 18, 2012, 08:55:52 AM »

Quote from: jjrock88 on October 18, 2012, 07:28:43 AM

My favorite Maiden album

jingle.boy · « **Reply #329 on:** October 18, 2012, 09:03:51 AM »

First Maiden disc I ever bought. While CIPWM is pretty poppy, I've always dug it. I guess since I was still fairly fresh into my musical transformation from radio-friendly pop music to rock/metal in 88, it had it's appeal to me.

And thus started the 12 year decline for IM. Sorry, but I just have no love for the 90s, including Blaze's.

TAC · « **Reply #330 on:** October 18, 2012, 09:07:51 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on October 18, 2012, 09:03:51 AM

And thus started the 12 year decline for IM. Sorry, but I just have no love for the 90s, including Blaze's.

That is certainly understandable. Fear Of The Dark is pretty good though.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #331 on:** October 18, 2012, 09:11:55 AM »

The song? Yeah. The album? Meh.

TAC · « **Reply #332 on:** October 18, 2012, 09:48:19 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on October 18, 2012, 09:11:55 AM

The song? Yeah. The album? Meh.

The album is easily 6 songs deep and on its best day it is 8 songs deep.

wkiml · « **Reply #333 on:** October 18, 2012, 10:10:49 AM »

Maiden lost me as a die hard after Powerslave.....the albums that followed became all to "samey" for me , The Blaze albums IMO were abysmal and the reunion albums although good just didn't grab my interest..Still find myself listening to the Di'anno albums and NOTB quite often

Scorpion · « **Reply #334 on:** October 18, 2012, 10:22:24 AM »

SSoaSS is fantastic. I ranked it even higher.

Lowdz · « **Reply #335 on:** October 18, 2012, 11:32:23 AM »

It's an ok album. Played it recently and it was ok. Some great songs (Moonchild, CIPWM, ID) and the rest is just average- and as a concept album it's lacking. I think the problem was that at the time I was into the Shrapnel guitarists and Maiden's guitarists just didn't cut it when compared to them. And as I've said before, I got it around the time I got Mindcrime and the two albums are poles apart for me. One pushed boundaries and one trod water.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #336 on:** October 18, 2012, 11:42:53 AM »

Quote from: wkiml on October 18, 2012, 10:10:49 AM

Maiden lost me as a die hard after Powerslave.....the albums that followed became all to "samey" for me , The Blaze albums IMO were abysmal and the reunion albums although good just didn't grab my interest..Still find myself listening to the Di'anno albums and NOTB quite often

They lost me after Somewhere In Time, but yeah - samey same, definitely agreed.

TAC · « **Reply #337 on:** October 18, 2012, 01:34:44 PM »

It is funny how on some band's albums, half the fans think they peaked and the other half feel the decline had started. Always such a fine line. Interesting.

Mladen · « **Reply #338 on:** October 18, 2012, 02:22:04 PM »

Quote from: TAC on October 18, 2012, 07:26:24 AM

Fave tracks: Infinite Dreams, SSOASS, Moonchild, and yes..The Prophecy

Well done, sir.

TAC · « **Reply #339 on:** October 18, 2012, 04:10:45 PM »

OK, since I won't have time in the morning before I go to work, here is tommorow's update:

14. Rush- Moving Pictures (1981)

This came out when I was in the 7th grade. I got into Rush with Moving Pictures and they would become one of my first favorite bands. I immedeately got the back catalog over the next year (Love the Columbia House Record And Tape Club!!). This album takes me away. Such vivid imagery (Red Barchetta, Witch Hunt) and such musicality (Tom Sawyer, YYZ). Rush would end up planting the seeds in my musical consciousness that would grow to become Dream Theater. Red Barchetta remains my favorite Rush song of all time. I still get goosebumps listening to it.

Fave tracks: Red Barchetta, Tom Sawyer, Limelight, The Camera Eye

jjrock88 · « **Reply #340 on:** October 18, 2012, 04:37:37 PM »

All Rush is great, but this is the best Rush.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #341 on:** October 18, 2012, 05:50:58 PM »

Columbia House!!!! My CD collection was built on the backs of that.

Excellent Rush... 2nd best for me.

jjrock88 · « **Reply #342 on:** October 18, 2012, 10:04:34 PM »

I think I still owe Columbia House 12 bucks from 1995

Mladen · « **Reply #343 on:** October 19, 2012, 01:12:42 AM »

Great Rush album.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #344 on:** October 19, 2012, 04:08:41 AM »

Quote from: jjrock88 on October 18, 2012, 10:04:34 PM

I think I still owe Columbia House 12 bucks from 1995

Don't we all?

GREAT album. Not my favorite, but in my Top 5 Rush albums for sure.

Zydar · « **Reply #345 on:** October 19, 2012, 04:45:45 AM »

Favourite Rush album

Ruba · « **Reply #346 on:** October 19, 2012, 05:03:10 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on October 17, 2012, 01:23:58 PM

Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

This.

Don't really care about AMOLAD or TFF. Overlong albums with a lack of decent musical ideas.

SSOASS is very good, and The Prophecy is a true gem. I have no idea why people doesn't like it.

Moving Pictures is excellent.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #347 on:** October 19, 2012, 06:49:24 AM »

Seventh Son was the last IM album I got deep into until Brave New World in 2000. Not that i didn't listen to No Prayer and Fear. It was a great tour and a very good album.

Now Moving Pictures was what also got me into Rush and I as well went back through their catalog but not through Columbia House, (my cousin did that)

I got archives next to own the 1st 3 albums and then I went nuts bying everything. Great album and top 20 for me.

Sir GuitarCozmo · « **Reply #348 on:** October 19, 2012, 06:59:34 AM »

Quote from: TAC on October 18, 2012, 04:10:45 PM

Red Barchetta remains my favorite Rush song of all time.

I assume you've heard the tribute version with JLB on vocals, right?

jingle.boy · « **Reply #349 on:** October 19, 2012, 07:50:36 AM »

Quote from: Sir GuitarCozmo on October 19, 2012, 06:59:34 AM

Quote from: TAC on October 18, 2012, 04:10:45 PM
Red Barchetta remains my favorite Rush song of all time.

I assume you've heard the tribute version with JLB on vocals, right?

Working Man is awesome. Particularly fond of Jacob's Ladder with Bach.

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Author Topic: The TAC Top 50! v. Old guys talking about music! (Read 73210 times)