Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
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Free Music Notes for Somewhere in Time
Free Music Review: My favorite Maiden album and one of the best
Hit: 5 Stars
Maiden was big in the 80s. "Live After Death" became their best live effort to date and the band's going strong in what is now considered their "classic" line-up. With brand new guitar synthesizers out in 1986, the band decided to experiment with them and bring about a slightly more progressed but musically sophisticated album.This and "Powerslave" were the albums that got me hooked to Maiden and this one forever remains my favorite. It may not be their best (many labeled "Seventh Son" or "Number of the Beast"), but it has a lot of good material that should not be forgotten.
Caught Somewhere in Time - a GREAT OPENING track. Almost an epic but a solid rocker as well. Solid instrumentation. The chorus is infectious as well, even if it is redundant somewhat.
Wasted Years - My ALL TIME FAVORITE SONG FROM THIS BAND. Adrian Smith is a musical genius and you can see why Smith's leaving hurt the band. Great instrumentation, vocals, everything. The guitar synth really adds to this.
Sea of Madness - Probably the weakest on the album, but still great by all means.
Heaven Can Wait - The synth boosts this one up quite well. The chorus pulls itself off in a minor way but becomes a great chorus anyways. I really like the bassline in this one.
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - An epic-toned song. Pretty good song. Doesn't really stand on its own quite as well as the others, but this is still noteworthy Maiden.
Stranger in a Stranger Land - Great song. A Maiden classic! The guitarwork is extroadinary. The synthesized background provides a great backdrop for this tale.
Deja Vu - Largely underrated by fans, this one of the first songs to get me hooked into this great metal band. The lyrics are just astounding and the solo trade-off is just brilliant. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR FIRST-TIME MAIDEN LISTENERS TO GIVE THIS SONG A SHOT.
Alexander the Great - An 8-minute epic about the great conqueror. The guitarwork and vocals are simply brilliant here and I'm saddened that they don't play this one live (Steve Harris said in an interview that "Adrian Smith forgot how to play it," or something along those lines. Whatever the case may be, this song is too brilliant to be ignored in a live setting). I wouldn't compare this to Rime of the Ancient Mariner; both are simply brilliant.
Overall, I highly recommend any metalhead to give this one a shot. Many were put off by its progressive sound and the fact that they used synthesizers (GUITAR synthesizers), but that just shows ignorance. This is a metal milestone and it should not be forgotten.
Free Music Review: Synths of Madness
Hit: 5 Stars
For their 6th release, Maiden opted to expand their musical soundscape with synthesizers, which were actually all the rage in the 80s. The idea made many fans feared an over-commercialization of their sound; that the band was selling out. 1986's "Somewhere in Time" proved the fears wrong, and the merging between true Heavy Metal and synthesizers was a great success.
The first song and title track "Cought Somewhere in Time" was a powerful 7- minute Epic that serves to sum up the album. Next is the hit single, and one of my favourites, "Wasted Years" a melancholic Adrian Smith-penned power ballad. "Sea of Madness" is a very heavy song, probably the heaviest in the album. Following it is the "short" epic Heaven Can Wait, a concert favourite and shout-along anthem that will stay in your head for days. "Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner" is an obvious throw-back at 70s-Prog-Rock Gods Yes's "Long Distance Runaround". While the lyrics are very weak, the upbeat solo, great intro and solid chorus save the song. The album's other single "Stranger in a Strange Land" is another slow melancholic song, but much heavier than Wasted Years and just as intense. "De Ja Vu" is a light, fast rocker of the album, good concept too and great intro. Like nearly all Maiden Closers, the last song on this album is the epic "Alexander The Great", a powerful finish to the album, displaying spoken word intros and a marital-pace clean-guitar intro before kicking into the historical biographic Epic.
The production is very different from any other, and the guitars are pushed back and very fuzzy, yet the synths don't take over the sound either, while Bruce also sounds distant. If it doesn't read well, don't worry, the effect makes for a very interest sound that is increadibly "epic" and surprisingly fresh. The sound would be similar in the next album, but not as drastically different.
While Somewhere in Time does not surpass the increadible and straight-forward "Powerslave" nor it's own synth-laden follow-up "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", it is nonetheless one of the quintessential Maiden releases that features many great songs plus a side to Maiden that is different from any other of their albums.
Caught Somewhere in Time- 10/10
Wasted Years- 10/10
Sea of Madness- 8.5/10
Heaven Can Wait- 10/10
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner- 9/10
Stranger in a Strange Land- 9/10
De Ja Vu- 9/10
Alexander the Great- 8.5/10
Free Music Review: You never forget your first time
Hit: 5 Stars
Somewhere in Time will forever be my absolute favorite Iron Maiden album. Deep down I know that The Number of the Beast is probably a better album, and along with Killers and their self-titled debut are more important, but Somewhere in Time was my first exposure to Iron Maiden, and we all know that you never forget your first time.
I remember it well. Metal was pretty much off-limits in my house growing up, but through friends and furtive exposure to MTV I quickly became hooked on the stuff. I was at a neighbor's house watching MTV's Headbanger's Ball (another first for me) when the video for Wasted Years came on. I had heard of Maiden, and the band's shirts were ubiquitous at my school, but I got the impression they were some sort of ultra-Satanic band and tried to keep my distance (I know, I know, but I was a Stryper fan, so I didn't know any better). As soon as that intricate guitar opening hit my ears my jaw dropped. By the end of the video I knew that another door to the metal world had just been opened for me. This was far more complex, more intelligent, and yes more METAL than many of my favorite bands at the time, who would no longer qualify as metal in my eyes.
Through another friend I managed to score a copy of Somewhere in Time on cassette, and to my great pleasure the rest of the album was every bit as good as Wasted Years (OK, Déjà Vu kind of sucks, but the rest of the album is top notch.) I played this album over and over, amazed by the precision musicianship, melodies, powerful vocals, and sci-fi/fantasy lyrics. You just can't underestimate the impact of an album like that on my 12-year old psyche. I didn't grow up with Rush and Kansas like I should have, so an epic song like Alexander the Great seemed so exciting and groundbreaking to me, and to this day I can't listen to Stranger in a Strange Land without picturing myself as that doomed traveler.
So while there are certainly better Iron Maiden albums out there, none will ever outshine Somewhere in Time, at least in my eyes.
Free Music Review: brilliant work of art
Hit: 5 Stars
"Somewhere in Time" , coming after "Powerslave" and before the mind blowing "Seventh Son" album, continued the epic fantasy metal Maiden excelled in and took it to the next level. While most people rest this on the shoulders of the introduction of guitar synths that are omnipresent here, Maiden's sound had a more sweeping sound to it , if you will. The sounds seem to have a little more muscle than most of "Powerslave".The guitar syth defenatley did have a very important role in the album though , as the full on synthesizers are used beautifully on the next album, 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son".
I have absolutley no complaints about this masterful offering by my favorite band. Though technichly not a full on concept album, Adrian Smith's songwriting on this seems to mostly revolve around the subject of time and the whole thing has kind of a "spacey" feel to it. The romping , thundering openrer "Caught somewhere in time " grabs your immediate attention and keeps it for around 6: 30 I believe."Wasted years" sweeps you through its entirety, and the wrenching guitar solos on "Sea of Madness" are one of this albums best moments. Some very cool vocals in the midsection of "Heaven can wait". 'The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner" is probably the worst song on here , but that is by no means an indication of its quality. Soaring , epic, and awesome intro.You can feel the desolation of the soul lost in time somehere in "Stranger in a Strange Land", and "Deja Vu" pounds away furiously. One of the true overlooked Maiden gems, along with the album itself, is the closing epic "Alexander the Great". At over 8 minutes , i have never found myself bored with it. Just a small notch down from " Rime of the Ancient Mariner".
If you are a fan of Iron Maiden, metal ,rock, or good music period , go to your nearest Fred Meyer, Circuit City, Best Buy, Target or whatever emediatley, or just scroll up and click " Add to Cart". I am 17 years old and this was relaesed in 1986 , so that shows how well this music stands the test of time.Absolutley incredible, do your civic duty to your own happiness and buy it as soon as you can.
Free Music Review: Heaven Can Wait, buying this album can't wait
Hit: 5 Stars
Somewhere In Time is the first studio-album from Iron Maiden I have ever heard and it is still one of my favourite albums of all time. Somewhere In Time, released in 1986, was the first album on which Maiden uses guitar and bass synths. It gives the album a different vibe when comparing it to their earlier albums. The album starts out with "Caught Somewhere In Time", one of the most underrated Maiden songs of all time. This song always grabs me when the intro starts. "Wasted Years" is one of Maiden's more radio- friendly songs. In the Netherlands it was Maiden's greatest hit. It is a catchy rocker, written by Adrian Smith.
Although the guitars on Somewhere In Time do not sound heavy due to the synths, I would say that Somewhere In Time contains the fastest songs Maiden has ever released. Just listen to "Loneliness Of The Long Distant Runner" and "Heaven Can Wait." Fortunately there are also some slower song like "Stranger In A Strange Land" and "Alexander The Great". "Stranger In A Strange Land" is an atmospheric simple bass and drums based song, with an excellent solo. Therefore it is a pretty unusual song, but it is still great. "Alexander The Great" is a rather slow and epic song. This song probably contains the longest guitar-solo Maiden has ever played on an album. It is one of my favourite Maiden solos. "Sea Of Madness" is the heaviest (guitar-sound wise) song on the album. Check out the intro of "Sea Of Madness". I think that this song is also one of the must underrated Maiden songs.
I personally think that Somewhere In Time is one of Maiden's strongest albums. I really like the desolate atmosphere on the album. The whole sound on the album is totally different than on all of their other albums. Even Bruce Dickinson's vocals sound different. Although I am normally not a fan of high range vocals, the vocals on this album work perfectly. The songs are both catchy and complex (for Maiden standards). Although Somewhere In Time is not one of Maiden's easiest albums to get into, I highly recommend this album.