Official top 75 Iron Maiden songs thread!! (Top 2 revealed on 07/15!!)

[nobloodyname]

And then look at the tracklist and notice that *you still have Starblind, The Talisman, The Man Who Would Be King and When the Wild Wind Blows after it on the album*.

And that's why it's the second 'worst' reunion album for me

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

If you ever want to know why The Final Frontier is my favorite Maiden album, just listen to this song. And then look at the tracklist and notice that *you still have Starblind, The Talisman, The Man Who Would Be King and When the Wild Wind Blows after it on the album*.

This echoes my sentiments of The Final Frontier perfectly. It's one of those albums that I wrote off almost immediately after it came out, but it has grown on me a ton over the years.

[The Realm]

52 Dream of Mirrors
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (nobloodyname)

51 Isle of Avalon
Appeared on 14 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 5 (425)

Dream of Mirrors - unranked by me. Really don’t like the start of this song but it has some good parts but some very jarring parts too and the sum of the whole thing doesn’t really work for me.

Isle of Avalon - also unranked by me. I really like this song but couldn’t get it in my top 75.

[Mladen]

That's a very cool placement of Isle of Avalon. I love that song, it's quite underrated. 

[KevShmev]

Today's update has for me two underrated major winners and a wtf.

50 Montsegur
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Elite)

I had to listen to this to remind myself what it sounded like, as I had zero recollection of it.  It finishing in the top 75 at all seems like a wtf to me, as it seems like one of those generic, disposable songs.


49 Lord of Light
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Shalev Amir)

Big fan of this one!  I had it at 33, but it could have been 10-15 spots higher had I locked in my final list a day earlier or later.  Killer song all-around.


48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (nick_z)

I have been pretty vocal about how good this song is, which is why I had it at 26. That intro alone makes it top 30 worthy.

[Stadler]

If you ever want to know why The Final Frontier is my favorite Maiden album, just listen to this song. And then look at the tracklist and notice that *you still have Starblind, The Talisman, The Man Who Would Be King and When the Wild Wind Blows after it on the album*.

This echoes my sentiments of The Final Frontier perfectly. It's one of those albums that I wrote off almost immediately after it came out, but it has grown on me a ton over the years.

It was right there from the start, but I'm with 425.  This is just a solid, solid record.  One of my favorites.

[Stadler]

Dream Of Mirrors: #15 -  One of the songs that always sort of stuck with me, but really elevated through my relisten.  I know, I know; frankly, I'm sort of done with the "Maiden repeats their choruses!" complaint (sorry TAC!).   Yeah, they do (Montesegur as well), but this one just sticks in your head.  I find myself singing the choruses all the time, out of the blue.  It's one of those songs...

Isle Of Avalon: #33 - Probably my favorite song that isn't my favorite song, if that makes sense.  I have two songs from TFF higher, but this was the one that hooked me into the album to start with, and it's still a strong favorite. 

Montsegur: 106 - this is starting to sound like a broken record, but yet another really good song amongst a field of GREAT songs.  This one I had higher and it slowly dropped down in the pack as other songs bubbled up.  I'm a huge fan of Dance Of Death anyway, and there are a number of songs that will show up later.  It's just a solid record with solid tunes.

Lord of Light: #28 - An album that took a LONG time to grow on me, but now that it has (Senjutsu I think helped in that regard), this is the song that stands out.  I LOVE this song.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner: #107 - Coincidentally, right after Montesegur.   I like this.  The guitars in it are GREAT, but the verses are weak and it's one of the few songs where the lyrics bug me.  For some reason, I don't usually care about lyrics, but I do have a preference for the epic.  This is just too mundane for me.

I haven't done this before, but I will now:
15   Dream of Mirrors
22   Still Life
25   Prodigal Son
26   Death of the Celts
28   Lord of Light
29   Afraid to Shoot Strangers
33   Isle of Avalon
34   If Eternity Should Fail
40   The Nomad
57   Killers
61   Deja-Vu
65   The Wicker Man
73   No Prayer for the Dying
75   Only the Good Die Young

Missed the cut:
76   Out of the Silent Planet
85   Brave New World
93   The Duelists
99   Heaven Can Wait
106   Montségur
107   The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
109   The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
114   Rainmaker
116   These Colours Don't Run
117   Wrathchild
127   Judas Be My Guide
130   Can I Play With Madness
134   Remember Tomorrow
145   The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg

[The Realm]

50 Montsegur
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Elite)

49 Lord of Light
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Shalev Amir)

48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (nick_z)

Montsegur- unranked by me and I am with Kev on this one, I can’t believe this song made the top 75 List. It’s one riff and idea that just goes on and on. It is catchy by gets tiresome pretty quickly.

Lord of Light - 20 for me. This is an awesome song and one of my favourite reunion era tracks. Love this one and thought it would have been higher.

Loneliness - 34 for me and really could have been much higher. Always loved this song. Sure the lyrics and the verses aren’t great but the rest is top notch and the solo after the bridge is one of my favourite moments on the album.

[nick_z]

Montsegur (#30)

I might have "over-ranked" this a bit, but it's a great song. The opening riff feels like it could be out of the Powerslave album, the band is on fire. It's all very urgent throughout and I love the ending, where the guitars sound like a mini-orchestra.

Lord of Light (not in my top 75)

Still in my top 100, this song tends to fly under my radar. I like it when it gets going, although Bruce is a little much in the verse. There's a lot happening in here, it just doesn't excite me as much as other songs, even on the same album.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (#9)

First-time highest ranker in this countdown! We have talked about this song at length even before we started...I just love it so much. The intro, the pace, the melodies, the solos. I don't disagree that the delivery of some of the vocals is a bit awkward at times, but that's not a first for Maiden...and for some reason it doesn't bother me here. Fantastic stuff.

[Mladen]

Three great songs right there. I do find it hard to imagine how high I would place them, though. There are almost one hundred Iron Maiden songs that I consider pretty much equally amazing, so number 30 doesn't sound much different to number 80 for me.

[devieira73]

Dream of Mirrors (-)
Almost made my cut. In the end, I thought it had enough of BNW in my list. Interesting that the intro always reminds me the intro of MSG's Lost Horizons.

Isle of Avalon (-)
I should like this song much more than I do, but I think, by the time of TFF's release, I was becoming a bit tired of modern Maiden's approach on lengthier songs. Anyway, this one is the best of them on TFF, no doubt.

Montségur (#27)
Amazing song. A lost Powerslave song sneaked on DOD!

Lord of Light (-)
Another one that almost made my cut. Really cool song, very proggy! The beginning of the guitar solo at 5:15 is a Holy Sh*t! moment.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (#22)
Incredible song from beginning to end and maybe the heaviest on SIT.

[Dream Team]

50 Montsegur
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Elite)

49 Lord of Light
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Shalev Amir)

48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (nick_z)

Montsegur- unranked by me and I am with Kev on this one, I can’t believe this song made the top 75 List. It’s one riff and idea that just goes on and on. It is catchy by gets tiresome pretty quickly.

Lord of Light - 20 for me. This is an awesome song and one of my favourite reunion era tracks. Love this one and thought it would have been higher.

Loneliness - 34 for me and really could have been much higher. Always loved this song. Sure the lyrics and the verses aren’t great but the rest is top notch and the solo after the bridge is one of my favourite moments on the album.

What you said about Montsegur applies to a lot of Janick songs frankly. Apparently we've come full circle and now it's controversial to say he's my least favorite songwriter,  but it's true.

Isle of Avalon is the only 1 of these 3 that made my list and it competes with WTWWB as my fave of the album.

[nobloodyname]

10 Dream of Mirrors - Others don't like the way it builds. Me, I love the way it builds. Yes, the chorus is repetitive but, as with so many other songs on this album, I never really noticed. Happy to be the owner of the highest rank

151 Isle of Avalon - Better than 151st in my list. But I always feel like the song doesn't go anywhere, something in common with...

29 Montsegur - ...no, not this one! This one's great. A swashbuckling Iron Maiden drinking song! I can literally see the tankards of foaming ale being swung about and I can almost feel their contents showering me, too! (I am aware the song isn't about being at sea, it just conjures that image.)

112 Lord of Light - ...this one! It's seven minutes of... well, not much of anything. Should have ranked it lower. Guitar solo's okay, though.

47 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - love it when this track comes on when I'm on my bike. Good tune from an excellent album.

[pg1067]

Loneliness is the only one of the most recent five that I ranked - at #19.  The frenetic pace of most of the song and the shifting tempos make it stand out.  My #3 song on SIT.

[Shalev Amir]

#118 Remember Tomorrow - I became less fascinated by it lately, but it's a great song. I love the explosive ending of the verses.

#35 Killers - this is such a well written song and my favourite from the first two albums. The intro going into the main riff harmonics is easily one of the greatest moments in a Maiden song. Maybe the best Di'Anno performance too.

#153 The Thin Line Between Love and Hate - sorry, but this is one of the few Maiden songs I straight up dislike. The layered vocals are uncanny valley and the song is just awkward imo (reminds me of The Man Who Would Be King in this regard). It actually clicked with me one time, but then it just fell back.

#13 Dream of Mirrors - between this and Out of the Silent Planet, I guess I'm just a sucker for double time choruses . Seriously though, this one starts up beautifully and slowly morphs into an epic track. The opening isn't the best but it's only a couple of bars,  and the chorus is repetitive, but we wouldn't be here if that was such a big issue right?

#6 Isle of Avalon - another very high ranking song for me, and very cool that I wasn't the highest ranker! I love the atmospheric verses and the choruses are great. Memorable lyrics. The solo section is incredible, and then that little soloing before the altered first chorus? Incredible song.

I'll have some reading to do, but I briefed over 425 and Puppies praising TFF wanted to join! I remember the first time I heard it, I thought the first half and the production are underwhelming but that the second half completely redeemed it. I lately realized the first half is great as well and I have some songs from it in my list. It has its flaws, and it's the furthest away from the 80's sound they ever went (scratch that, Senjutsu is even less 80's), but it's very underrated imo.

[Elite]

Updating.. lots of songs I didn't have unfortunately, but that's okay. They're probably good tracks anyway.

52 Dream of Mirrors
As far as songs on Brave New World go, I think there's better ones there, which is why this did not get selected for the 75 songs I ranked and thus doesn't appear on my list. Not a bad track at all.

51 Isle of Avalon
I struggle to recall how this one goes, but it might be due to The Final Frontier getting the least time out of all the reunion albums. Doesn't mean I don't have songs fro this records on my ist though, but they might be odd picks for all I know.

50 Montségur
I'm the highest ranker for this? Wow! This is my favourite on Dance of Death by a small margin. I really enjoy the chorus, it's epic in an Iron Maiden way that they don't manage to replicate with every song they write. I think the description of 'Powerslave on DoD' is pretty apt as well.

49 Lord of Light
Eh, I hold AMOLAD in high regard, but not this song in particular. Didn't make my list.

48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
I never really got the appeal for this song to be honest. This would probably be my least favourite on Somewhere in Time.

---

With the way the countdown is going there's a ton from my top 75 not going to make the final cut

#71 Only the Good Die Young
#67 Killers
#66 The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
#63 Brave New World
#61 No Prayer for the Dying
#59 Wrathchild
#57 Death of the Celts
#55 If Eternity Should Fail
#46 These Colours Don't Run
#42 The Nomad
#31 Rainmaker
#28 Heaven Can Wait
#22 Can I Play With Madness
#17 Out of the Silent Planet
#12 Montségur
#7 The Wicker Man

Unranked on my list:

The Duellists
Deja Vu
Judas be my Guide
Prodigal Son
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Still Life
Remember Tomorrow
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Dream of Mirrors
Isle of Avalon
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

[TAC]

50 Montsegur
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Elite)

49 Lord of Light
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Shalev Amir)

48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (nick_z)

Kev, how is Montesegur a WTF? 17 people had it on their list. Only one song so far was supported by 18 lists so it's hardly a WTF.


Anyway...

I had Montesegur at #58. I love this song. The Dance Of Death album felt a bit wonky at first, but Montesegur jumped out at me right away. I think it's one of the Reunion Era's best short songs.

I had Lord Of Light at #15. I have only 5 Reunion songs ahead of it. One of their best latter day tracks.

I had The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner as Not Rated.  Sorry. Never cared for this from day 1. There's a brief cool moment in the solo section, but this is one of my least favorite Maiden tunes.


So far...


70 Afraid to Shoot Strangers
68 The Nomad
62 Judas Be My Guide
58 Montesegur
57 Still Life
48 Heaven Can Wait
43 Brave New World
42 The Thin Line Between Love And Hate
29 The Duellists
18  Remember Tomorrow
17 No Prayer for the Dying
15 Lord Of Light

-------------------

Not Ranked

83 Isle Of Avalon
87 Deja Vu
90 Rainmaker
92 If Eternity Should Fail
94 Only the Good Die Young
97 Dream Of Mirrors
101 The Wicker Man
105 Killers
106 Death of the Celts

NR These Colours Don't Run
NR Prodigal Son
NR Wratchchild
NR Can I Play with Madness
NR The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
NR Out of the Silent Planet
NR The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

[425]

50. Montségur
My ranking: #42

I'm shocked at some of the comments I'm seeing about this song, which, I agree with TAC, is one of the best short songs of the reunion era. It's anything but boring and generic. This is an exciting, energetic song with some great melodies. Vocally and lyrically, it's vintage storyteller Bruce. And I'd agree with Elite that this song is really epic despite coming in a relatively small package.

The instrumental section, especially after Janick's solo is awesome, a lot of nice guitar melodies going on there. My favorite part comes right after, when the lyrics to the chorus (? post-chorus?) change. It's again just one of those Maiden moments when the words sound really good sung: "As we kill them all so God will now his own / [now it's not the line you expected:] Laugh at the darkness and in God we trust / The eye of the triangle smiling with sin / No passover feast for the cursed within." Just great.


49. Lord of Light
My ranking: #15 (twins with TAC!)

I've always really loved this song, which is part of another truly elite run of epic reunion tracks (FtGGoG/LoL/Legacy). The quiet, mysterious sounding intro really sets quite a mood, and I love Bruce's softer approach to this part. Most of the rest of the song is not quite as good, but it doesn't disappoint, either. The following verses definitely have an epic feel, and I like Bruce transitioning into the chorus on the provocative line "Lucifer was just an angel led astray."

The other best part of the song, besides the intro, is the part following the first chorus. It's back to quiet, mysterious Bruce, and we get a really nice build-up from here to the solo section.

Side note: Given the way that this song begins, I've long thought of it as a sort of precursor to Starblind, and it's a very worthy one.


48. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
My ranking: Unranked (101-125 range)

I have a similar view about this one as Stadler does. There's some really great instrumentation here that enables me to enjoy it pretty much anytime it's on, but the vocal melodies are pretty weak and keep it well outside my top 75. I can take or leave the lyrics. They have a lot of better ones and a lot of worse ones, too.

The best parts here are definitely the intro, which has an epic feel that is only sort of carried out by the rest of the song, and the solo section, where we have another SiT Adrian solo.


My list so far (14/28):
66. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
63. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
59. These Colours Don't Run
53. Remember Tomorrow
50. Dream of Mirrors
48. Death of the Celts
47. The Nomad
43. Out of the Silent Planet
42. Montségur
28. Only the Good Die Young
25. If Eternity Should Fail
21. Afraid to Shoot Strangers
15. Lord of Light
5. Isle of Avalon

Looks like I've finally made it to 50% with this update... we'll see if my percentage continues to climb.

[Dave_Manchester]

Catching up...

Dream of Mirrors: didn't rank. Thought long and hard about it because once upon a time I liked the song a lot, but in the end it was a victim of what I've been saying for a while now: Maiden just have too many fantastic songs.

Isle of Avalon: didn't rank, for the reasons stated above.

Montsegur: #36. Fun little romp.

Lord of Light: didn't rank.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner: #15. I'd tweek the ending a bit to use the earlier (starting) riff to take us out, as it seems like it's going to towards the end, but other than that I love it.


My list so far in descending order:

#64: Only The Good Die Young
#63: Still Life
#56: These Colours Don't Run
#54: Can I Play With Madness
#53: Remember Tomorrow
#52: Judas Be My Guide
#41: Rainmaker
#36: Montsegur
#34: The Wicker Man
#22: Heaven Can Wait
#15: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
#6: No Prayer for the Dying
#1: Afraid To Shoot Strangers

Not ranked:

Death of the Celts
The Duellists
Out of the Silent Planet
The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
Deja-Vu
If Eternity Should Fail
Prodigal Son
Wrathchild
Brave New World
The Nomad
Killers
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Dream of Mirrors
Isle of Avalon
Lord of Light

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

50 Montsegur
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Elite)

I had to listen to this to remind myself what it sounded like, as I had zero recollection of it.  It finishing in the top 75 at all seems like a wtf to me, as it seems like one of those generic, disposable songs.


49 Lord of Light
Appeared on 17 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 2 (Shalev Amir)

Big fan of this one!  I had it at 33, but it could have been 10-15 spots higher had I locked in my final list a day earlier or later.  Killer song all-around.


48 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (nick_z)

I have been pretty vocal about how good this song is, which is why I had it at 26. That intro alone makes it top 30 worthy.

Montsegur - This is one of the better track on DoD, but still only finished at #97. I just don't care for this album much, my least favorite reunion album.

Lord of Light - This came in at number 30. And there are still 3 songs ahead of it from this album. I love this album and this song is one of many reasons why. If you couldn't tell already, I'm a sucker for moody intro buildups and this one is fantastic, plus the song has a great moody atmosphere throughout. And the riffs here really resonate with me.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - This finished at #39. This seems to be a very polarizing song among the participants. It's fairly different from the rest of its album and for that reason it stands out. Once again, I love the moody intro and subsequent buildup. This song really harkens back to the sound of Number of the Beast, which is probably why I like it so much. It has a lot of the same speedy aggression of the aforementioned album.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Also I realized I've been looking at my pre-edited list for my rankings since the countdown started, so I may have given the wrong rankings on some of my posts 

[KevShmev]

Kev, how is Montesegur a WTF? 17 people had it on their list. Only one song so far was supported by 18 lists so it's hardly a WTF.
 

That was clearly stated in my write-up on the song.

[wolfking]

Montsegur was 69 for me, great song, crushing riff and the key change from E minor to E major is very cool.  I love Janicks Born in '58 nugget after the solo.

Lord of Light was 71.  Bruce sounds great.  'Firebreathing lead the way!'  So good.  Classic Maiden riffing.

Runner was 15 for me.  Loved it from the get go.  Some of the best harmonies the band have ever done.  Brilliant tune, great chorus.

[TAC]

Montsegur was 69 for me, great song, crushing riff and the key change from E minor to E major is very cool.  I love Janicks Born in '58 nugget after the solo.

Born In '58 is probably my favorite Bruce solo tune. I'm going to have to listen for this.

[wolfking]

Montsegur was 69 for me, great song, crushing riff and the key change from E minor to E major is very cool.  I love Janicks Born in '58 nugget after the solo.

Born In '58 is probably my favorite Bruce solo tune. I'm going to have to listen for this.

I'm sure I've mentioned it in the past.  Its the main lead melody in '58 where a solo would normally be and the section right after the solo in Montsegur.

[KevShmev]

Moving forward...

47 Starblind
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (425)

I had this at 20, and that feels about right.  Great, great song all-around.  Incredible use of keys in this one, and I was shocked this one didn't get more love.


46 The Book of Souls
Appeared on 20 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (DTA)

This was a late entry, coming it at 75 for me.  Feels like one of their songs that could have been one of the true greats with good production, but the mud makes it hard for it to shine as much as it should. 


45 Murders in the Rue Morgue
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)

Good tune, one I had at 58. Feels like one of those early hard rockers that has 80s written all over it, in a good way.

[The Realm]

Three songs I ranked today.

Starblind - 61 for me. This is a really good song and I think it’s ultimate placing is about right. Has a bit of a different feel to the rest of the songs on The Final Frontier and it took me a while to warm to it but it now has clicked with me.

The Book of Souls - 59 for me and is definitely one of the few songs on the album that has stood the test of time. Some really great heavy riffs and vibe about this one.

Murders in the Rue Morgue - 26 for me. All time classic, just love this song. Love the studio version but I think my favourite version is the Beast over Hammersmith live version with Bruce in peak form.

[Dave_Manchester]

Starblind: #21: 3rd favourite off The Final Frontier, due mainly to the fantastic chorus (and the subtle guitar leads going on beneath it).

The Book of Souls: didn't rank, though it's a very good song.

Murders in the Rue Morgue: didn't rank, though it's a very good Poe story.


My list so far in descending order:

#64: Only The Good Die Young
#63: Still Life
#56: These Colours Don't Run
#54: Can I Play With Madness
#53: Remember Tomorrow
#52: Judas Be My Guide
#41: Rainmaker
#36: Montsegur
#34: The Wicker Man
#22: Heaven Can Wait
#21: Starblind
#15: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
#6: No Prayer for the Dying
#1: Afraid To Shoot Strangers

Not ranked:

Death of the Celts
The Duellists
Out of the Silent Planet
The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
Deja-Vu
If Eternity Should Fail
Prodigal Son
Wrathchild
Brave New World
The Nomad
Killers
The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Dream of Mirrors
Isle of Avalon
Lord of Light
The Book of Souls
Murders in the Rue Morgue

[Stadler]

Starblind: #72 - My love for TFF should be evident by now.  I just love the way the second half of the record unfolds and this (and Avalon) are a big reason why.   TFF is such a big "Harris - Smith" record, I see a lot of similarities with this record and SiT, at least in terms of some of the sounds.   TFF is very different in style and arrangement, but there are certainly moments that harken back for me.

The Book Of Souls: #92 - A song that has grown on me over the years, but hasn't quite grown enough to get on the big board.  I think "Side One" of the album is the far better side and I think I have others in my top 75, this just didn't make the cut.

Murders In The Rue Morgue: #10 - My first high ranker (in this countdown)!  YAY!  It was the opener when I saw Maiden open for Priest in '82 (though to be fair, I remember NOTHING about it) and it's a song that always stood out to me.  I love this song.

10   Murders In The Rue Morgue
15   Dream of Mirrors
22   Still Life
25   Prodigal Son
26   Death of the Celts
28   Lord of Light
29   Afraid to Shoot Strangers
33   Isle of Avalon
34   If Eternity Should Fail
40   The Nomad
57   Killers
61   Deja-Vu
65   The Wicker Man
72   Starblind
73   No Prayer for the Dying
75   Only the Good Die Young

Missed the cut:
76   Out of the Silent Planet
85   Brave New World
92   The Book Of Souls
93   The Duelists
99   Heaven Can Wait
106   Montségur
107   The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
109   The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
114   Rainmaker
116   These Colours Don't Run
117   Wrathchild
127   Judas Be My Guide
130   Can I Play With Madness
134   Remember Tomorrow
145   The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg

[Dream Team]

I thought I might be the highest ranker of Murders in the Rue Morgue at 23 but I guess not (way to go Stads). Love the Beast Over Hammersmith video of that song, you really get the impact of Clive's power.


 

[TAC]

47 Starblind
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 3 (425)

46 The Book of Souls
Appeared on 20 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (DTA)

45 Murders in the Rue Morgue
Appeared on 15 of 27 entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (Stadler)

Along with Lord Of Light, I thought two of these songs would net me the Highest Ranker. Guess I'll just have to settle for Highest Ranker when we get to #1!


I had Starblind at #77. Just missed the actual countdown. It's a great song from a band with too many great songs. Such a quality track. Happy to see it place so well.

I had The Book Of Souls at #13. I am generally not a fan of mid tempo stuff, but this song has such a great pocket for the verses. And the instrumental part where it picks up and then Bruce join is one of my favorite parts in any Maiden song. Janick crushes this song. And Bruce is so strong on this. To me, it's one of his best performances.
Also the first song that made 20 lists!

I had Murders In The Rue Morgue at #21. I only have two Dianno Era tracks rated higher. This is one of my favorite Clive performances as well.


So far...

70 Afraid to Shoot Strangers
68 The Nomad
62 Judas Be My Guide
58 Montesegur
57 Still Life
48 Heaven Can Wait
43 Brave New World
42 The Thin Line Between Love And Hate
29 The Duellists
21 Murders In The Rue Morgue
18 Remember Tomorrow
17 No Prayer for the Dying
15 Lord Of Light
13 The Book Of Souls

-------------------

Not Ranked

77 Starblind
83 Isle Of Avalon
87 Deja Vu
90 Rainmaker
92 If Eternity Should Fail
94 Only the Good Die Young
97 Dream Of Mirrors
101 The Wicker Man
105 Killers
106 Death of the Celts

NR These Colours Don't Run
NR Prodigal Son
NR Wratchchild
NR Can I Play with Madness
NR The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
NR Out of the Silent Planet
NR The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

[nobloodyname]

153 Starblind - I hate to be so reductive but... meh. Sorry.

109 The Book of Souls - Should have been so much more than it is. Which is a bit boring.

101 Murders in the Rue Morgue - Should have ranked this higher. Always thought it would be a good live opener. I'm guessing they must have opened with it at some point.

[Stadler]

101 Murders in the Rue Morgue - Should have ranked this higher. Always thought it would be a good live opener. I'm guessing they must have opened with it at some point.

This was the setlist for the US leg of The Number Of The Beast tour in 1982:

1. Murders in the Rue Morgue
2. Wrathchild
3. Run to the Hills
4. Children of the Damned
5. The Number of the Beast
6. 22 Acacia Avenue
7. Hallowed Be Thy Name
8. Iron Maiden
9. Drifter

I know they used it in Japan later on that tour, and for some of the England shows before they came to the States (it's the opener on "The Beast Over Hammersmith"). It was not the opener on the handful of Italian shows Bruce did after joining but before "Number..." was recorded.

[nick_z]

Starblind (#64)

Such a cool, and different, song. I think the guitar work on this one is fantastic, between the chord progressions and the leads scattered everywhere. Love the instrumental break around the 5-minute mark.

The Book of Souls (#49)

Close to the aggregate ranking with this one. Pretty typical Gers intro, then a great riff (and a great beat from Nicko!). More great riffage kicking off the instrumental section, and beautiful melodies to follow. Definitely one of the highlights on this album.

Murders in the Rue Morgue (#41)

A big favorite of mine from the Di'Anno albums. Perfect moody intro, then BAM! those verses. Just a great song all-around.

[Elite]

Of this batch I had The Book of Souls on my list, though I think the album has some better (and worse) tracks than it's title-track as far as I'm concerned. It ended at #73. I also had Murders in the Rue Morgue at #51. My highest rated (and last) song from Killers, not yet the highest Di'Anno song on my list.

Starblind is one of those songs I don't really get, so this one didn't make the cut.