Trollheart's all-time favourite albums ever (ever!)

Trollheart · 12-17-2013, 09:11 AM

OK then, my move is pawn --- they're the little knobbly ones down the front, right? ---

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Alright I'm gonna do this track by track just to spite you.

1. Invaders - Awesome opener. I wouldn't say it's one of their top songs, but it's still an awesome song that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of Maiden's career.

Spot on. Great opener, sets the scene, gets you rockin' right away.

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2. Children of the Damned - Why some bands decide to open with a belter and then follow it with a ballad I have no idea. It's a metal album. And not an "avant-garde" metal album either. It's just a straight up metal album. It needs to set the tone for such an album with more than one headbanger. It doesn't help that it's a rather dull song either.

What? How many bands do this? I know few albums that even use ballads near the beginning, which makes it a little unique in and of itself. Also, it's not a ballad: don't you hear it kicking up in the last few minutes? And it ends on a big "Woh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!" with killer guitar and a big scream from Brucey. Hardly "Strange world" now is it? Maiden don't really do ballads, and this is not what I would call a ballad.

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3. The Prisoner - More like it. Again, not one of their best songs, but it's enjoyable. Still, on any other Maiden album this would be within shouting distance of filler.

Love this song. Powerful, iconic, fast and heavy with such interesting subject matter. Never filler, in any world or galaxy.

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4. 22 Acacia Avenue - Why this is such a famous song I will never know. After you get over the lyrics you're left with a dull song.

See above. The boogie guitar near the end makes this song, but I love the way it chugs along and while it may not be the greatest Maiden song ever written, let's not forget that it's originally an Adrian Smith song, adapted for Maiden when he joined.

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5. The Number of the Beast - Love this song. Brilliant atmosphere, brilliant build up, and a "brilliant" music video.

6. Run to the Hills - One of those songs that's just quintessentially Maiden in all ways possibly to be quintessentially Maiden.

Nothing to add here. Agree 100 percent.

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7. Gangland - Filler. Not bad filler, but I wouldn't have missed it.

Or here. Weakest track on the album and closest it comes to filler.

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8. Hallowed By Thy Name - One of the best songs any band has ever done.

Not in any way an overstatement or hype. Simply one of the very best metal songs ever recorded and probably among the top ten best closers on any album. Has true classic written all over it even the first time you hear it.

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So, as far as I'm concerned we're left with three actual, honest-to-god classic songs ("The Number of the Beast", "Run to the Hills", and "Hallowed By Thy Name") a couple songs that show Maiden's progression and their potential without being the finished product ("The Prisoner" and "Gangland"), and two moderately crap songs ("Children of the Damned" and "22 Acacia Avenue"). And then of course there's "Invaders" which is, again, awesome, but not quite classic.

Bam. Your move.

Basically we don't disagree that much. I just think the tracks you see as potential filler are not, and CotD is not a ballad.

Trollheart · 12-16-2013, 12:18 PM

And while we're on the subject of girly music, well what's less girly than two mother****ing huge armies kicking the living **** out of each other? Oh yeah, forgot to mention: they're gods. Ragnarok? A mere disagreement. When you piss the Irish off you had better have your best running shoes on!

All of which leads us to this incredibly underrated, ignored and really hard to buy album released by two unknown musicians back in 1989. Based on the series of paintings by Celtic artist extraordinaire, Jim Fitzpatrick (he who made that iconic drawing of Che Guevara from the photograph), "Erinsaga" is a retelling of the wars between the Celtic gods and their arch-enemies, the Fo Moir, or frost giants, back when the world was, you know, new.

Erinsaga --- Ken Kiernan and Ger McDonald ---1989
With a mixture of progressive rock, Irish traditional, some ambient, drone and other influences, this album is full of great tracks which are alike and yet so unalike. Compare "I am Tuan", the opener, to "The dream of Nuada" or the instrumental "The last battle" to the title track. Each song, each piece of music tells a story that go together to form, well, a saga of Erin (Erin being Ireland, for those of you who don't know). I posted a track from this in the ill-fated "Weekly mixtape" run by Rezz a while back and was surprised how many people liked it. Not because it's not good, but because I thought few of you would get it.

You don't have to be into mythology, Irish or otherwise, to enjoy this album, but it does help if you know your legends. Mind you, it's almost a myth itself, virtually deleted from the independent label's catalogue, and for a long time the only way I could hear it was on vinyl. I couldn't buy a CD for love or money. Finally my chance came and I got it, so for anyone wanting to experience the album I uploaded it two years ago to YouTube, and to my knowledge it's still there.

If you're looking for something different, something to maybe surprise you and make you think, you could do worse than this album. It really is the best kept secret in Irish music: if you search "Erinsaga" you'll find a lot about Jim Fitz, but barely anything about this album, which is a real pity, as it's a total credit to Irish musicianship and storytelling.

Another one I regularly play, and forget how great it is. Have to be in my top ten all time favourite albums, if I ever ranked them.

TRACKLISTING

1. I am Tuan
2. The Vision
3. Belgatan (Our will is strong)
4. Tailltu's lament
5. Crom Cruach
6. The dream of Nuada
7. Battle-frenzy
8. My love is yours
9. The last battle (Moytura)
10. Erinsaga

Plankton · 12-16-2013, 12:22 PM

Quote:

"doesn't flow" or "has weak tracks"

Who? Who said this? Tell me who it is and I shall smite them!

doesn't flow... weak tracks my ass.

grumble

Unknown Soldier · 12-16-2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plankton

Who? Who said this? Tell me who it is and I shall smite them!

doesn't flow... weak tracks my ass.

grumble

I for one, it's one of the most disjointed classic albums ever recorded.

Plankton · 12-16-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

I for one, it's one of the most disjointed classic albums ever recorded.

You have been smote.

For the given time, and what they were during that time, it was revolutionary (for me).

Trollheart · 12-16-2013, 05:42 PM

You can all think I'm kissing ass here but I'm bloody serious! I started listening to this for review purposes, at his request, but it easily deserves a spot here, and as time goes on I'm going to find myself returning to this album more and more.

(Plus, someday it may be worth a pile of cash!)

Krill --- Plankton's Odyssey --- 2013
There's just one word to describe this album: amazing. Everything on it is composed, played and produced by our man Plankton (okay, some keyboard parts apparently excepted but come on!) and it's easily, easily the equal of anything you can buy in your local record store or on itunes. From hard-hitting metal anthems to laidback guitar etudes, this album has it all. It's entirely instrumental, and therefore even more of a surprise that it didn't lose me along the way. Let me put it like this: I listened to the solo album by Neal Schon of Journey for this same year and I was bored to tears by about track three. I couldn't stop listening to this and I know all the tracks by heart now (by which I mean I can hum along with them, as I couldn't play a geetar to save my life!).

If you haven't heard his work yet get ye to Home - Planktons Odyssey and download the album, then just sit back and shake your head in amazement at the talent this guy has. I truly expect him to be discovered some time in the next few years and to rise to great heights. If not, there is no justice in this world. Tracks like "Lights of an unknown city", the scorching "Son of soothsayer", the frankly manic "Screaming at an empty canvas" all sit alongside gentle ballads like "Canadian mist" and "Fields of youth". Oh yeah, then there's the title track, both parts of it.

Stunning stuff. Incredible to think I know someone with this level of talent and creativity. I just hope he gets something new out next year, otherwise this file is going to end up getting corrupted from too much playing! Which reminds me: better make a backup!

TRACKLISTING

1. Flustraxion
2. Waiting impatiently
3. Shoveled
4. Lights of an unknown city
5. Canadian mist
6. Son of soothsayer
7. Here we go again
8. Xphereblotish
9. Screaming at an empty canvas
10. Krill part 1
11. Krill part 2
12. Fields of youth

Trollheart · 12-17-2013, 07:14 PM

I love how Batty made out this was going to be 12 pages of girly music, and the last two pages have been a raging argument about Iron Maiden!

The Batlord · 12-18-2013, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I love how Batty made out this was going to be 12 pages of girly music, and the last two pages have been a raging argument about Iron Maiden!

You can't fool me. You just bowed to my peer pressure and posted a metal album to "show me".

Trollheart · 12-18-2013, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

You can't fool me. You just bowed to my peer pressure and posted a metal album to "show me".

I'm not sure one person can exert peer pressure by themselves but anyway ... leaving your (OOOF! It's bloody heeeeavvvyyy!!!! THUMP!) ... ego aside for the moment, I was always going to post NotB, as it is and always will be one of my alltime favourite albums of any genre. Wait till you see the next one!

The Batlord · 12-18-2013, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I'm not sure one person can exert peer pressure by themselves but anyway

They can when they're peerless.

12-16-2013, 12:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	And while we're on the subject of girly music, well what's less girly than two mother**ing huge armies kicking the living out of each other? Oh yeah, forgot to mention: they're gods. Ragnarok? A mere disagreement. When you piss the Irish off you had better have your best running shoes on! All of which leads us to this incredibly underrated, ignored and really hard to buy album released by two unknown musicians back in 1989. Based on the series of paintings by Celtic artist extraordinaire, Jim Fitzpatrick (he who made that iconic drawing of Che Guevara from the photograph), "Erinsaga" is a retelling of the wars between the Celtic gods and their arch-enemies, the Fo Moir, or frost giants, back when the world was, you know, new. Erinsaga --- Ken Kiernan and Ger McDonald ---1989 With a mixture of progressive rock, Irish traditional, some ambient, drone and other influences, this album is full of great tracks which are alike and yet so unalike. Compare "I am Tuan", the opener, to "The dream of Nuada" or the instrumental "The last battle" to the title track. Each song, each piece of music tells a story that go together to form, well, a saga of Erin (Erin being Ireland, for those of you who don't know). I posted a track from this in the ill-fated "Weekly mixtape" run by Rezz a while back and was surprised how many people liked it. Not because it's not good, but because I thought few of you would get it. You don't have to be into mythology, Irish or otherwise, to enjoy this album, but it does help if you know your legends. Mind you, it's almost a myth itself, virtually deleted from the independent label's catalogue, and for a long time the only way I could hear it was on vinyl. I couldn't buy a CD for love or money. Finally my chance came and I got it, so for anyone wanting to experience the album I uploaded it two years ago to YouTube, and to my knowledge it's still there. If you're looking for something different, something to maybe surprise you and make you think, you could do worse than this album. It really is the best kept secret in Irish music: if you search "Erinsaga" you'll find a lot about Jim Fitz, but barely anything about this album, which is a real pity, as it's a total credit to Irish musicianship and storytelling. Another one I regularly play, and forget how great it is. Have to be in my top ten all time favourite albums, if I ever ranked them. TRACKLISTING** 1. I am Tuan 2. The Vision 3. Belgatan (Our will is strong) 4. Tailltu's lament 5. Crom Cruach 6. The dream of Nuada 7. Battle-frenzy 8. My love is yours 9. The last battle (Moytura) 10. Erinsaga __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-16-2013, 05:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	You can all think I'm kissing ass here but I'm bloody serious! I started listening to this for review purposes, at his request, but it easily deserves a spot here, and as time goes on I'm going to find myself returning to this album more and more. (Plus, someday it may be worth a pile of cash!) Krill --- Plankton's Odyssey --- 2013 There's just one word to describe this album: amazing. Everything on it is composed, played and produced by our man Plankton (okay, some keyboard parts apparently excepted but come on!) and it's easily, easily the equal of anything you can buy in your local record store or on itunes. From hard-hitting metal anthems to laidback guitar etudes, this album has it all. It's entirely instrumental, and therefore even more of a surprise that it didn't lose me along the way. Let me put it like this: I listened to the solo album by Neal Schon of Journey for this same year and I was bored to tears by about track three. I couldn't stop listening to this and I know all the tracks by heart now (by which I mean I can hum along with them, as I couldn't play a geetar to save my life!). If you haven't heard his work yet get ye to Home - Planktons Odyssey and download the album, then just sit back and shake your head in amazement at the talent this guy has. I truly expect him to be discovered some time in the next few years and to rise to great heights. If not, there is no justice in this world. Tracks like "Lights of an unknown city", the scorching "Son of soothsayer", the frankly manic "Screaming at an empty canvas" all sit alongside gentle ballads like "Canadian mist" and "Fields of youth". Oh yeah, then there's the title track, both parts of it. Stunning stuff. Incredible to think I know someone with this level of talent and creativity. I just hope he gets something new out next year, otherwise this file is going to end up getting corrupted from too much playing! Which reminds me: better make a backup! TRACKLISTING 1. Flustraxion 2. Waiting impatiently 3. Shoveled 4. Lights of an unknown city 5. Canadian mist 6. Son of soothsayer 7. Here we go again 8. Xphereblotish 9. Screaming at an empty canvas 10. Krill part 1 11. Krill part 2 12. Fields of youth __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-17-2013, 07:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	I love how Batty made out this was going to be 12 pages of girly music, and the last two pages have been a raging argument about Iron Maiden! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018