h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I is agreeing with you on most points. The bits I do not agree with you on, is the reason why I'm here

1. KILLERS
Am I the only person who really loves this album? *^_^*. First off, I can't believe what you say about Wrathchild - it's the best song on the album (just ahead of Killers)! It's hard, heavy, killer solo and vocals, and great to hear live. It's a live song, yes.
My other point was on Purgatory - like Twilight Zone, it's a strong emotive song. It can get feelings going (well, mine at least).

2. Di'Anno was sacked over musical differences, which were really "I keep drinking and drugging and fainting and it's ruining my gig" stuff.
I've already tackled you over The Number Of The Beast . I love that which you hate *^_^*

3. Tbh, I don't like Peice Of Mind that much. To me, it's where Maiden start to go soft album-wise. There are great songs on there, but there's great songs on every album too.

4. Back In The Vllage ranks lower than Losfer Words (Big Orra)? Blasphemy!
Yup, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is a killer song in all ways. I call it "Bruce Duckinson Sings Samuel Colridge Taylor" lol

5. Live After Death is a great live album, and I love hearing those songs which Maiden won't be playing in November . But I'm certain they DO have a sing-along in Running Free. They DO have the sing-along!

6. Just to pick about on Somewhere In Time...I love Heaven Can Wait! The backing vocals in the middle are sooooo cool...I love the backing vocals in Maiden songs!

7. The Clairvoyant desrerves 3 stars AT LEAST. Nice bass intro, killer riff, vocals that ear into you...but ruined by the ending
The Evil That Men Do deserves better too.
I feel it strange that Seventh Son is the concept album...to me, Killers and Fear Of The Dark are more worthy of 'concept' status...

8. Fear Of The Dark deserves a 9 rating, cos I think the songs are far too cool. I muchly disagree with what you says. Damn you, I hate you! Get outta my sight!
Only joking
Thassall there....oh yeah, one final note to say that Blaze Bayley's 6 years with Maiden is just slightly longer than Paul Di'Anno's. 6 years is a long time though, isn't it?

Keep up good work brother. Up the Irons!
*hopes he hasn't been -too- mean in his post*

Hehe - I have resigned myself to getting loads of flak over my ratings, and not just from you Maybe I was a little harsh on Wrathchild. I'll give it another star, just for you, and a slightly better comment. But in my opinion it's far from being the best song on the album - Killers and Prodigal Son tie for that position. I haven't heard Twilight Zone - I have the old version of the album and I'm not about to buy the new one on the strength of one song!

Thanks for the info about Paul Di'Anno. I'll amend what I said about his departure.

Yeah, I gathered you weren't keen on Piece of Mind. What you call soft I call 'polished'. I loved the sound on that album, particularly in songs like Where Eagles Dare and Revelations, which it suited very well indeed.

Hmm - I didn't much like Back in the Village. It had one or two good points, but generally I wasn't keen. Bit of a repetitive chorus. Losfer Words was cool - it's a shame Maiden don't do instrumentals any more.

The new edition of Live After Death may well have the sing-along in Running Free, I don't know. The old CD version certainly didn't.

Nah, just didn't like Heaven Can Wait. You're right, it did have a nice bit in the middle, but the rest of it was kind of lame I thought.

I'll have another listen to The Clairvoyant. The Evil That Men Do was all right, but it had a terribly repetitive chorus as I recall.

Killers a concept album? In what way...?

You'll never convince me of the merits of Fear of the Dark. The songs are dull, Bruce sounds as if he's being strangled most of the time, and the album as a whole has a tired, formulaic feel. I hate it with a passion.

Was it really six years that Blaze Bayley was with Maiden? I was not aware of that. I'll amend that, too.

Thanks for all your comments, even the bad ones Like I said at the start of the entry, opinions wildly differ on what is good and what is bad. You just have to check out the forums on their website to see that. Nobody (apart from yourself) could write a review of Iron Maiden's albums and not say something you disagree with

I've now added a review of The X Factor, which you might like to check out. I shall await the flak

Well, I'm in such a good mood today I don't think I'll pretend to hate your reviews of anything lol. You've got The X Factor spot-on there, methinks. Damn, those songs are addictive...

Twilight Zone wasn't originally on Killers? I should have noticed that...the first three albums have, on the enhanced re-issues, got a single added to the original lineup of songs. Iron Maiden's is Sanctuary, The Number Of The Beast's is Total Eclipse, and Killers is...

As I mentioned the re-issues, these are of course the enhanced CDs released in 1998. Every album up to (not including) The X Factor was enhanced. So that'll account for Live After Death...

You could say that Killers was a concept album in that the majority of the songs involve death. Let's see....Another Life, Genghis Kahn, Killers, Twilight Zone, Purgatory maybe? That's off the top of my head. Notice the connection?

Opinions are something we can't really change. You're entitled to yours, and I'm entitled to disagree with them lol

Finaly - I wanna say, I've never quite managed to understand the message board at the official website. Just how does it work? Hang on, I'll get back their first...

Glad you approve of my comments about The X Factor

I haven't got any of the re-issues unfortunately, except for Live After Death which I got so recently I haven't listened to it yet. However I do have the original 2-tape set so I imagine it's probably the same (apart from the visual stuff of course).

The majority of the songs on a *lot* of Maiden's albums deal with death in some regard or another - that's the band's style. Just look at Powerslave. But I guess I can see what you mean. The Killers album does have a kind of a concepty feel.

You have to register at the official website before you can post messages there, and you have to enter a password each time you post a message. Does kind of suck really. I don't tend to post much - just read what other people say. Most of the people who post messages there seem to be fairly fanatical and one-track-minded, and pretty intolerant of one another's opinions. Still, it makes for entertaining reading.

It does bug me with the fans who are so single-minded...these are the people who will instantly dismiss anything with Blaze's name on it, and worship Bruce as a diety. Grow up a bit, I say.

I am much impressed by anyone who has original copies of these albums

Death is a much-used sibject, yes, but on Killers it all seems to run in the same vein. Innocent men and small time killings, as opposed to the genocide of the Injuns and suchlike.

Keep On Growing.

When I bought them (1990-1993) there wasn't much choice. I'm just annoyed that I didn't get the 10th anniversary CDs - the ones with 5 or 6 tracks each that contained some singles, live versions of other songs, and some B-sides (including, probably, the likes of Sanctuary and Twilight Zone). They were all available when I was buying Maiden stuff, but I guess I figured I could always get them later when I had a bit more money to spare (I was a student then). Fool that I was.

Aaaaagh! After I listen to Seventh Son, the only Maiden material not to touch my ears will be B-sides. I guess MP3s are the answer...a while back, I downloaded a class number called Justice Of The Peace, which I assume is a Virus B-side. Hmmm, I could have bought Virus, back in March, but instead I chose The Angel And The Gambler *^_^*

Oh yeah, the B-side at the top of my hit list is Mission From 'Arry!!!

I don't know *any* of those songs - except for The Angel and the Gambler of course which I'm still getting to know. What puzzles me is why Virus isn't on any of the albums - or have I missed something?

Incidentally I listened to Virtual XI again last night (3rd time) and I must say I'm not impressed. Several of the songs suffer really badly from RCS (repetitive chorus syndrome), and at times got pretty damn annoying. I'll give it a couple more listenings before I review it, but I'm pretty sure my comments will be generally uncomplimentary.

I hear you brother. I've generally been quite supportive of Virtual XI, but I played it all the way through two days ago, and got a bit bored. There's great songs on there, but not great enough, and interspersed with mediocre ones. Well, not mediocre, but unmemorable, I guess. The songs are too long for their own good, so I end up getting bored waiting for the next one. Shame, that album had potential.

Virus is on Best Of The Beast. That's all *^_^* lol

Bugger. So you mean I've got to buy Best of the Beast on the strength of one song I haven't heard?? Is it a good song?

It is a very good song. The music is just fine, very good actually, but it's the lyrics that win me over . Some of them are on my homepage (after Powerslave).
I bought Best Of The Beast for about £7.50 out of my dad's Britannia music club thing, and it took a month to arrive. By which time I'd heard most of the songs on their. It's saving grace is that it's nice to have your favourite songs together on one CD.

Alternitively, you can buy the other Best Of The Beast album which is two-and-a-half hours long and costs £25!

Well I don't know - we'll see.
Anyway I just bought tickets to Maiden's concert in Manchester this November - yay! It'll be the first time I've ever seen them in the flesh. I can't wait.

Excuse me for intruding your conversation, just one thing: Maiden are a brilliant live act, you'll enjoy yourself!

Thanks - I'm sure I shall

You are a priviliged sod - A. As you know I saw Maiden in London in June, so when I heard about the Birmingham show I thought, "right, I'll buy tickets when they come out". So I get popping to and from the official site, not seeing anything about them going on sale. First thing I heard was on the message board, where hoardes of fans told each other about how the shows were just about to sell out...

AAAAAAAAAAAGH!

The day before I went on holiday for four-and-a-hlf-weeks. Here I am in a cyber-cafe. Hello Artica, hello Steffi. Enjoy the conversation...