Best Tune on "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden

Powerslave



Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas, Feb-Jun 1984
Released 3 Sep 1984
Produced by Martin Birch

Tunes

Aces High
2 Minutes to Midnight
Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)
Flash of the Blade
The Duellists
Back in the Village
Powerslave
Rime of the Ancient Mariner

My absolute FAVORITE Maiden album and one of the most inspiring records in my musical history. There's not a weak spot here--not even the widely panned Back in the Village--and choosing a favorite is just killing me. I think I'm gonna have to go with Rime. It's a stunner collection of movements that are equally sinister and intriguing.

And I always find myself humming Losfer at the most random times. dodododododoDO DO DO...

Now we're talking! Tied with Seventh Son for my favorite Maiden album. I love every song (even Back in the Village) but the title track just owns everything.

"Two Minutes To Midnight"

"Rime Of The Ancient Mariner"

James B. wrote:

"Two Minutes To Midnight"

Funny thing about that song; I know it rips off a dozen other riffs prior, but no matter what it feels fresh, intense, and original. I'd even say the best of the bunch.

Can't be a contrarian in this situation. Voting "Powerslave" no matter how popular it is.

This is a tough one. Considering "Aces High," "2 Minutes To Midnight," and "Powerslave." Think I'll sleep on it.

Such a great album. Any of these songs I could pick. Powerslave, Flash of the Blade, 2 minutes. In the end I voted Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Just epic!

Obviously the first two and the last two tracks on the album are Maiden classics. But I love that trio of songs in the middle: Flash of the Blade, the Duellists, Back in the Village. It really puts the album over the top, and makes it their best.

I voted Back in the Village, though it could have been Aces High just as well.

The only track I don't like is Losfer Words.

Rime!

Every track on this is fantastic. This is a true metal classic in every sense of the word. Very hard to pick out favorite but I guess I'll go with Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, a 13 minute track that just flows along seamlessly.

So tempted to vote for Aces High.........



Rime of the Ancient Mariner, it is!

Aces High

The Duellists, just because of the twin lead break in the middle section of the song. Oh my god that slays me.

But the whole album is perfect.

Every song is worthy of a pick here, but "Rime" gets the vote b/c it's the first real epic Metal song I ever heard. It set Maiden apart as different from everyone else I was listening to at the time.

Lari wrote:

I voted Back in the Village, though it could have been Aces High just as well.

Great song! It was the first song I heard off Powerslave because I bought the used cassette from a classmate and it was rewound to the second side. As soon as I heard that opening riff, I was hooked!

Decided to go with "Powerslave." Such an awesome track and one I actually appreciate even more now than back in the day.

Wurthless wrote:

The Duellists, just because of the twin lead break in the middle section of the song. Oh my god that slays me.

But the whole album is perfect.

Yes, that has to be one of the top twin lead breaks of any Maiden number.

Tough call. I love every single track. But went for aces high.

Okay here goes!

I haven't really listened to this album in decades so I've had a couple of recent spins and it's an album of big positives and big negatives

The guitar solos are mind blowing throughout, I think Murray & Smith never sounded better than on this record.

It's the first Iron Maiden album where Bruce's voice starts to bother me.

I still can't listen to Aces High & Two Minutes to Midnight thanks to a relative that made me so completely and utterly sick of them that I really can't bare them 3 decades later. This is not the albums fault.

The songs for the most part are mediocre (there I said it! ) Losfer Words is the most boring instrumental I have heard from Maiden Back in the Village & The Duellists are also dull, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a fairly standard song interspersed with pointless diversions to justify the fact that it's three weeks long!

This leaves Flash of the Blade and Powerslave as the only songs that I genuinely like, out of which Powerslave is the clear winner because it's a great song.

Don't hurt me!

Boris2008 wrote:

Okay here goes!

I haven't really listened to this album in decades so I've had a couple of recent spins and it's an album of big positives and big negatives

The guitar solos are mind blowing throughout, I think Murray & Smith never sounded better than on this record.

It's the first Iron Maiden album where Bruce's voice starts to bother me.

I still can't listen to Aces High & Two Minutes to Midnight thanks to a relative that made me so completely and utterly sick of them that I really can't bare them 3 decades later. This is not the albums fault.

The songs for the most part are mediocre (there I said it! ) Losfer Words is the most boring instrumental I have heard from Maiden Back in the Village & The Duellists are also dull, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a fairly standard song interspersed with pointless diversions to justify the fact that it's three weeks long!

This leaves Flash of the Blade and Powerslave as the only songs that I genuinely like, out of which Powerslave is the clear winner because it's a great song.

Don't hurt me!

You actually have good points, believe it or not.

I had a good, long gap in my 20's where heavy metal just didn't exist anymore. When I revisited Powerslave, and album that fueled my youth, I thought a lot of what you're saying, especially with Rime. HOWEVER. I believe it's the power of what this album did to me in my youth that allows me to place this album above criticism. These things actually don't affect my ears, and it's still a beauty to behold. Kinda weird.

I just played it today. For me, it holds up better than any of the albums before it.

Voted for Powerslave, but Aces High is also a favorite tune for me too. And Rime... is my favorite epic of theirs!

I went with 2 Minutes To Midnight. But I could have easily chosen any track from this album.

2 min
Great album. Every song is great. Listening to this album is the soundtrack to my youth. I can't really separate the songs and the memories. Bought this the day of release and literally spent hours staring at the cover and listening over and over. Always thought it was super cool that the cover had a texture to it.