The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[nick_z]

I'd have to think about it...looking at your list, one that I would have for sure that you don't have is Judas Be My Guide...one of my favorites out of those two albums and a hidden gem for me.

[MirrorMask]

Anyway, seems like tomorrow we might get the second single (Stratego).

...or maybe not, who knows!

[RodrigoAltaf]

Anyway, seems like tomorrow we might get the second single (Stratego).

...or maybe not, who knows!

Yes

[porcacultor]

In the words of Reggie Fils Aimé, "my body is ready".

[TAC]

No Prayer For The Dark (Fear Of The Dying)


Side 1
Be Quick Or Be Dead
Run Silent Run Deep
Afraid To Shoot Strangers
Fear Is The Key
The Assassin
No Prayer For The Dying

Side 2
The Fugitive
Public Enema Number One
Wasting Love
Childhood's End
Judas Be My Guide
Fear Of The Dark

[cramx3]

I'll give it a shot...

Be Quick or Be Dead
From Here to Eternity
No Prayer for the Dying
Running Silent Running Deep
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Judas Be My Guide
Tailgunner
Wasting Love
Mother Russia
Childhood's End
Fear of the Dark

and if I'm being honest, this album would still rank fairly low compared to the rest of the albums.

[Dedalus]

I wouldn't necessarily pick the same ones, but if you take the best ten songs from both albums, they would be a pretty solid effort. "Fear of the Dying" would kick ass!!!

 

I'd have to think about it...looking at your list, one that I would have for sure that you don't have is Judas Be My Guide...one of my favorites out of those two albums and a hidden gem for me.

It's a cool song 

No Prayer For The Dark (Fear Of The Dying)


Side 1
Be Quick Or Be Dead
Run Silent Run Deep
Afraid To Shoot Strangers
Fear Is The Key
The Assassin
No Prayer For The Dying

Side 2
The Fugitive
Public Enema Number One
Wasting Love
Childhood's End
Judas Be My Guide
Fear Of The Dark

I'll give it a shot...

Be Quick or Be Dead
From Here to Eternity
No Prayer for the Dying
Running Silent Running Deep
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Judas Be My Guide
Tailgunner
Wasting Love
Mother Russia
Childhood's End
Fear of the Dark

and if I'm being honest, this album would still rank fairly low compared to the rest of the albums.

 It's nice to see your lists   

[Dedalus]

Anyway, seems like tomorrow we might get the second single (Stratego).

...or maybe not, who knows!

Daniel (the prophet) posted a picture of the Stratego game on twitter. 

https://twitter.com/Bels_Feast

[wolfking]

No Fear for the Dying Dark

1. Be Quick or Be Dead
2. Public Enema Number One
3. No Prayer for the Dying
4. Fates Warning
5. Childhoods End
6. The Fugitive
7. Run Silent Run Deep
8. Afraid to Shoot Strangers
9. Fear is the Key
10. Judas Be My Guide
11. Mother Russia
12. Fear of the Dark

[425]

The songs I would definitely keep:

No Prayer for the Dying
Public Enema Number One
Fates Warning
Run Silent Run Deep
Mother Russia

Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Judas Be My Guide
Fear of the Dark

If I ought to take about four more, I guess they would be:
Tailgunner
Be Quick or Be Dead
From Here to Eternity
Wasting Love

I don't know how much running order matters with these, to be honest. Be Quick or Be Dead is the obvious opener, and to me Mother Russia rather than Fear should be the closer.

Six from each makes sense seeing that I think of these two albums as both being around seven songs deep (so much the worse for FotD that it has 12 songs instead of 10).

[Lupton]

Fear Of No Prayer For The Dark Dying

1. Be Quick or Be Dead
2. Tailgunner
3. Afraid to Shoot Strangers
4. Public Enema Number One
5. Fear Is the Key
6. No Prayer for the Dying
7. Judas Be My Guide
8. The Assassin
9. The Fugitive
10. Run Silent Run Deep
11. Childhood's End
12. Fear of the Dark

[wolfking]

The Assassin just missed out for me.  As cheesy as it is, I love the atmosphere of it, and love Bruce on the chorus.  Great driving rhythm too.

[Mladen]

If I had to put the best songs from No prayer and Fear together in order to create one album, it would still be the worst Iron Maiden album. 

I'll give it a shot, though. These would probably be the songs, even though I'm not positive about the order. There is no song that would make a good opener. 

1. Fear of the dark
2. From here to eternity
3. No prayer for the dying
4. Fear is the key
5. Fates warning
6. Wasting love
7. Run silent run deep
8. Afraid to shoot strangers

[MirrorMask]

It's official, we're getting Stratego this evening! (when it's evening in Europe, 19:00 in Italy for example) 

[Zydar]

Indeed!

https://www.facebook.com/ironmaiden/posts/380578723434481

[DoctorAction]

Maybe just an EP:

Judas Be My Guide
Public Enema Number One
No Prayer For The Dying
Run Silent Run Deep
Fear Of The Dark

ATSStrangers almost made it but it's similar to NPFTD, imo, but doesn't repeat the name of the song over and over, which annoys me and, in this case, I don't enjoy the phrase. Also, NPFTD has a really raucous lead section leaning into that "God give me the answer to my..." section, which is nice.

I just played this playlist on Spotify and it was rather smashing.

EDIT: OOF! Just seen the new single news. Awesome!

[soupytwist]

Looking at these Prayer/Fear mashups confirms my thoughts that I am truly the only Maiden fan who likes (actually loves) Hooks in You.....and I have a soft spot for Bring Your Daughter...

I actually really like 'No Prayer..' - it's a weaker Maiden album for sure, but that doesn't make it bad.   Fear of the Dark however is quite bad in general I'm not ever a fan of the title track to be honest.  It's an album on those rare occasions I do listen to it all the way though feels like a collection of B-Sides - not just in quality but also because it's the only Maiden album has very little flow and cohesion to it in my opinion.

[425]

I... like Hooks in You, but when I'm asked to sit down and look at the album I can't really class it among the stronger tracks there.

I might like Bring Your Daughter if it had different lyrics. As is I just cringe.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I listened to No Prayer and FOTD back to back recently. I still like No PRayer a lot, even though Bruce says he hated the final result. And to me, FOTD is Maiden's attempt at getting into a more mainstream sound without compromising their integrity, but I don't think they reached their objective. There are some VERY solid tracks in it though, but with some obvious turds like The Apparition and Weekend Warrior.

[soupytwist]

I... like Hooks in You, but when I'm asked to sit down and look at the album I can't really class it among the stronger tracks there.

I might like Bring Your Daughter if it had different lyrics. As is I just cringe.

It always amuses me it ended up as a Number One in the UK - The only time Maiden topped the singles charts.

[MirrorMask]

And to me, FOTD is Maiden's attempt at getting into a more mainstream sound without compromising their integrity, but I don't think they reached their objective.

Yeah, I can agree with this. Fear of the Dark was Maiden's answer to the Black Album, in a sense. But while Metallica went all in with the precise operation to break into the mainstream, Maiden made a bit of a mish mash of everything: their own style + some more accessible songs + that weird time when Bruce sang in a weird way.

Metallica had Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven, Maiden had... what, Wasting Love and Fear of the Dark? as awesome as the title track is, it's no Enter Sandman when it comes to immediately hooking up a non metal fan.

[Zydar]

Speaking of Iron Maiden and Metallica/TBA.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/bruce_dickinson_speaks_on_why_iron_maiden_failed_to_reach_massive_success_like_metallica_talks_what_his_band_lacked.html

[RodrigoAltaf]

And to me, FOTD is Maiden's attempt at getting into a more mainstream sound without compromising their integrity, but I don't think they reached their objective.

Yeah, I can agree with this. Fear of the Dark was Maiden's answer to the Black Album, in a sense. But while Metallica went all in with the precise operation to break into the mainstream, Maiden made a bit of a mish mash of everything: their own style + some more accessible songs + that weird time when Bruce sang in a weird way.

Metallica had Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven, Maiden had... what, Wasting Love and Fear of the Dark? as awesome as the title track is, it's no Enter Sandman when it comes to immediately hooking up a non metal fan.

Agreed. And come to think of it, on NPFTD and FOTD, they changed the lyrics style, from fantasy themes to more "current affairs" stuff - televangelists, the downfall of Russia, the Gulf War, crooked politicians, AIDS etc. That to me is an obvious sign of them wanting to get into the mainstream, but they didn't go to the extreme that Metallica did, and at the same time didn't stick to their roots. No wonder Bruce left and adopted a completely modernized sound in his solo career.

[DoctorAction]

Looking at these Prayer/Fear mashups confirms my thoughts that I am truly the only Maiden fan who likes (actually loves) Hooks in You.....and I have a soft spot for Bring Your Daughter...

I actually really like 'No Prayer..' - it's a weaker Maiden album for sure, but that doesn't make it bad.   Fear of the Dark however is quite bad in general I'm not ever a fan of the title track to be honest.  It's an album on those rare occasions I do listen to it all the way though feels like a collection of B-Sides - not just in quality but also because it's the only Maiden album has very little flow and cohesion to it in my opinion.

Hooks In You has an AMAZING riff. It's the lyrics that put it in the stinky box, imo, but that riff is great. Don't mind most of NPFTD but I don't love it. The sound is really good and I prefer it to TBOS. Controversial, possibly.

FOTD is pretty much unlistenable to me. The sound is weak, and Bruce is still doing that stupid raspy shit he started doing in NPFTD too.

[cramx3]

If someone forced me to put one more song on my list, Hooks in You or Holy Smoke were my next choices.  I do like Hooks in You a bit, but yeah, like DoctoerAction said, the lyrics aren't very good.  I think the lyrics really ruin quite a bit of the songs on those two albums.

Also, seems we should be getting the release of Stratego soon! 

[soupytwist]

Don't mind most of NPFTD but I don't love it. The sound is really good and I prefer it to TBOS. Controversial, possibly.

Wouldn't put it over TBOS.....but (also controversial) I'd put NPFTD over A Matter of Life and Death (the weakest of the reunion albums for me).

[425]

If someone forced me to put one more song on my list, Hooks in You or Holy Smoke were my next choices.  I do like Hooks in You a bit, but yeah, like DoctoerAction said, the lyrics aren't very good.  I think the lyrics really ruin quite a bit of the songs on those two albums.

I fully agree with this, right down to HIY and HS being the first choice out from my list. I don't think it's entirely an accident that a lot of my favorite songs from those two albums are ones with better lyrics.

[Stadler]

Side 1
"Tailgunner"
"Holy Smoke"   
"No Prayer for the Dying"
"Public Enema Number One"   
"Run Silent Run Deep"   
"Hooks in You"   

Side 2
"From Here to Eternity"
"Afraid to Shoot Strangers"
"Fear Is the Key"   
"Wasting Love"   
"The Fugitive"
"Fear of the Dark"

Japanese Bonus Tracks
"All in Your Mind"
"Kill Me Ce Soir"

Last song cut: "Childhood's End"

[bobzor]

Seems fun, I'll bite!

Top 10 of No Prayer/Fear:

1. Fear of The Dark
2. Judas be My Guide
3. Public Enema Number One
4. Fates Warning
5. Afraid to Shoot Strangers
6. Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter
7. Hooks in You (!!!!)
8. The Fugitive
9. Chains of Misery
10. Childhood's End

I actually like both albums a lot. Especially No Prayer for the Dying has been growing on me, but so has sides B and C of Fear of the Dark. There are some turds there as well, no doubt, but overall quality stuff.

[nobloodyname]

Don't mind most of NPFTD but I don't love it. The sound is really good and I prefer it to TBOS. Controversial, possibly.

Wouldn't put it over TBOS.....but (also controversial) I'd put NPFTD over A Matter of Life and Death (the weakest of the reunion albums for me).

Finally! A kindred spirit!

[Lupton]

Don't mind most of NPFTD but I don't love it. The sound is really good and I prefer it to TBOS. Controversial, possibly.

Wouldn't put it over TBOS.....but (also controversial) I'd put NPFTD over A Matter of Life and Death (the weakest of the reunion albums for me).

Finally! A kindred spirit!

Add me to the list as well. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpuwr9fF7kw

[cramx3]

This sounds more like typical IM, very good song on first listen.  Love the melody of the chorus.  Galloping horse beat.  Interesting use of synths. 

[DoctorAction]

Don't mind most of NPFTD but I don't love it. The sound is really good and I prefer it to TBOS. Controversial, possibly.

Wouldn't put it over TBOS.....but (also controversial) I'd put NPFTD over A Matter of Life and Death (the weakest of the reunion albums for me).

*gasps*

The new single makes me very comfortable. 

[Zook]

The verses sound similar to the chorus of Megadeth's Angry Again. Not a bad song though. Modern Maiden doesn't really do it for me though, sadly.