Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
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Artist: Iron MaidenBrand: IRON MAIDEN
Edition: Music CD
Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2002-03-26
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Caught Somewhere in Time
- Wasted Years
- Sea of Madness
- Heaven Can Wait
- Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
- Stranger in a Strange Land
- D?j? Vu
- Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.)
Free Music Notes for Somewhere in Time
Free Music Review: To Boldly Go ...
Hit: 4 Stars
Maiden's 6th release of the 1980s followed hot on the heels of both the critically and commercially successful "Powerslave" and the triumphant "Live After Death". The monumental World Slavery Tour had cemented them as the premier metal band in the world at this point. In comparison to its illustrious predecessors, Somewhere in Time arrived to mixed reviews and left certain areas of the rabid fan base somewhat confused upon its release in the Autumn of 1986.
There are two main facts you need to know regarding this album: firstly, Maiden incorporated synthesisers in to their sound for the first time in their recording history. This rankled with the hardcore metal heads at the time, leaving many old school fans shocked and confused. With over a couple of decades hindsight, *most* of them have now gotten over this fact, but it's still a debate over whether the synths actually added anything to Maiden's sound. In my personal opinion, the inclusion of synths gives a darker, futuristic palette, fully in keeping with the overall mood of the album. Added to this were complaints from some quarters that producer Martin Birch had taken his eye off the ball for the first time, and the production of the album was not as good as on Maiden's previous releases.
The second, and perhaps more important, fact that you need to be armed with, is that this album contains no songs by Bruce Dickinson. What transpired, is that Bruce had pushed for a more acoustic, mellow feeling for the album. Bruce's songs were deemed suitably un-Maiden and were rejected out-hand by Harris, Birch et al. Fortunately, stepping up to the plate was Maiden's axe-slinger Adrian Smith, who weighed in with three compositions of his own. The remainder of the album was penned by the ever reliable Steve Harris, with one co-writing credit for Dave Murray.
OK so what about the songs? Well, coming off the back of the World Slavery Tour, Maiden were clearly on top of their game in terms of playing, and this album is probably at least as technically proficient as "Powerslave", if not more so. Of the eight songs on offer, the stand outs probably all belong to Adrian Smith. "Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" were both commercial hits for Maiden, and along with the third Adrian song, "Sea of Madness", tend to show a more melodic side to the band. The faithful need not have worried too much about these seemingly chart-bothering interests, as Steve Harris weighed in with some typical Maiden gallops. "Caught Somewhere in Time", is often cited as a highlight of the album, blasting off with an ominous synth intro, before taking the listener on an out of control time machine trip with a satanic Doctor Who (I kid you not!). The solos in this song are particular stand outs. Steve also contributed "Heaven Can Wait", which seems written with live concerts in mind due to its crowd sing-along section. Indeed, it was a regular in Maiden's live set for over a decade, and still makes the odd appearence these days (memorably on their "Somewhere Back in Time" world tour). The response to Steve's other songs were mixed - Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and Deja-vu are both typical Harris gallopers, which perhaps shows some lack of inspiration or fatigue in the band's writing (remember they had just completed an 18 month world tour!). The denouement, "Alexander The Great" pays tribute to one of history's greatest dictators by painstakingly listing everything he did. Ever. In chronological order. Depending on who you speak to this is either Maiden's unsung masterpiece or a failed attempt to recreate the glory of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". I tend towards the latter, but there's no denying that some of the music is very fine indeed.
No review of this album would be complete without mention of the cover art, which is perhaps the most intricate and well realised of all the Maiden artwork, containing hidden references to their past.
Indeed, the dark, futuristic artwork perfectly complements the overall sound and content of the album: time, time wasted, lost time ... those ominous booming synths. While this shouldn't be your first port of call as a new Maiden fan, and far from their most essential album, with hindsight, it stands well in the better half of Maiden albums. Would a Bruce Dickinson song or two have helped the album? It's hard to say. I don't think the world was ready for an acoustic Maiden in 1986, and Adrian Smith admirably filled the writing void left by Bruce. Maiden would go on to ever greater commercial success with their next release, and if nothing else, Somewhere in Time can be seen as a stepping stone for the band incorporating more technology in to their sound, for better or for worse.
Somewhere in Time Poster
No Description AvailableNo Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: IRON MAIDEN
Title: SOMEWHERE IN TIME
Street Release Date: 03/26/2002
Genre: HEAVY METAL
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