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Originally posted by hott3028:
They almost achieved a POP aesthetic on that album with some great songs, awesome videos and a record jacket that you could stare at for hours and discover some neat stuff.

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I think it's that very pop aesthetic that you mentioned which is precisely what caused that album to be under-rated. Here's a little anecdote that I think will illustrate what I'm saying:

There was footage released on one of Maiden's old compilation VHS video packages in which Bruce is hanging out in a nightclub in Poland circa 1983 chatting with some fans. And one fan in particular tells Bruce that he wants to play heavy metal in a band on the synthesizer, to which Bruce responds "You can't play heavy metal with synthesizers." Lo and behold, 1986 rolls around, Somewhere In Time is released, and it's got synthesizers all over it.

I think many of the older Maiden fans were somewhat turned off by the pop vibe that was inherent in tracks like "Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land". The band was criticized as having lost their edge. From a guitarist's perspective, I'll also note that more than another other Maiden album to date, Somewhere In Time is absolutely drenched with the chorus effect on the guitars, an effect that really typifies the sound inherent in mainstream pop/rock at that point in the mid 1980s. So I'd say there was definitely some sort of conscious decision to broaden their scope and go a little more mainstream on that album.

Having said all that, I'll just sum up by saying that I personally love the Somewhere In Time album very much. In addition to loving 80s metal, I also love 80s pop/rock bands like Journey, and IMHO the vibe on Somewhere In Time sounds more like Journey than anything Maiden's ever done. I think it's a brilliant album, and for those who are lucky enough to own Maiden's singles, I'd strongly advise you to check out a song called "Reach Out" which was the B-side of the "Wasted Years" single. It's a phenomenal pop/rock song written by Adrian Smith and really stands out in my mind as one of the best pieces of crossover writing that Maiden's done.



Calico Jack

Posts: 10944 | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged | 

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Originally posted by hott3028:
Another good B-Side from that era was a song called "Juanita". I think it might be on the re-issue of "Somewhere In Time" or on a Bonus Disc.

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Yeah, that song was the B-side to "Stranger in a Strange Land". I've got it on 12".



Calico Jack

Posts: 10944 | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged |