r/ironmaiden

I’m thinking about buying it but I’m not sure if it’s worth it

They were playing Wasted Years

not talking about the one playing obviously. but personally i think this song is very good and needs more love!

From his Keith Olson sessions there is "Original Sin", a song in which he faced his troubled relationship with his father. It's an important song for iron Maiden history because Bruce states that “it was those words that made me wonder what I was doing in Iron Maiden.”

The only thing we have is the fact Bruce wanted to feature it on his "Best of" album in 2001 and some excerpt of the lyrics:
“Tell me father where have you been
All these years, in original sin
I saw you each day, we had nothing to say
And now it’s too late to begin”

Then there is also "Nightmares" from "Accident of Birth". After hearing, wanting and getting "If Eternity Should Fail", a song Bruce wrote and demoed for a solo album, for the Iron Maiden album: "The Book of Souls", Steve wanted another song from Bruce's solo back catalogue.

Unfortunately "Nightmares" was a co-write by Roy Z, and Steve said, "Oh, we can't have that.", leaving the song unreleased.

PS. From the Keith Olson sessions there are rumored to be two more songs, but the sources are scares or non-existing so I don't think they exist. There is rumored to be a Keith Olson version of "Man of Sorrows" and another song called "Thank Heaven".

Sources:
- Bruce Dickinson's "What Does This Button Do?" book
- Maiden Revelations article
- Irish Times article
- Blabbermouth article 1
- Blabbermouth article 2

High koalaty post.

Synopsis:

Somewhere in Time is the sixth  album by Iron Maiden . It was released on 29 September 1986  It was the band's first album to feature Guitar Synthesizers. Somewhere in Time is the band's first studio effort following the extensive World Slavery Tour of  1984–85, which was physically draining for the group,lasting 331 days and comprising 187 concerts. The resulting exhaustion is credited as the main factor in the complete lack of songwriting contributions from lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson  whose material was rejected by the rest of the band. Dickinson had written several "acoustic-based" songs, explaining that "I felt we had to come up with our Physical Graffiti or  ... we had to get it onto another level or we'd stagnate and drift away", although bassist and primary writer Steve Harris  "thought he'd lost the plot completely", surmising that "he was probably more burnt out than anyone at the end of that last tour". On the other hand, the record is also notable for the number of  songs written by guitarist Adrian Smith  who wrote both of the album's singles: "Wasted Years  and "Stranger In A Strange Land "

The Review

The album opens with “Caught Somewhere In Time” which begins with futuristic synths before the band come crashing in with their prog metal grooves. Filled with thump bass rhythms and the dual guitar attack of Smith and Dave Murray. The song written by Harris is about the devil offering a man to travel back in time for his soul establishing the sci-fi themes of the album rather than the historical contexts the band have been exploring on earlier albums. “Wasted Years” was the first Maiden song I ever heard and it is one of my favorites. I just love how melodic it sounds. The twin guitars are working hard on this one. The introduction reminds me of classic Sabbath. Dickinson’s vocals really soar. The song, written by Smith, deals with homesickness which was inspired by the draining World Slavery Tour. “Sea Of Madness” loses the melodic energy and is just an up-tempo prog rock track. This is just classic Maiden with some added broody energy. The song is about our decaying society. “Heaven Can Wait” is about someone having an out of body experience and fighting to live. It's a concert highlight with its upbeat sing a long chorus and a crowd chant in the middle. . There’s a couple great guitar moments as well. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" was based on the 1962 short story by Alan Stillitoe  and tells the story of a boy reflecting on long-distance running as a way to evade both physically and emotionally. Sonically it feels heavy and soaring as the band is playing at breakneck speed. “Stranger In A Stranger Land” begins with this thumping rhythms by Harris and Drummer Nicko McBrain. It has this mysterious atmospheric moodiness. The synthesizer experimentation is in full effect on the track but doesn’t distract from the heavy melodies. It was inspired by the true story of a sailor who disappeared during an expedition to the North Pole and found years later perfectly preserved in ice, and draws its title from a 1959 Robert Heinlein book. “Deju Vu” begins with moody guitar riffs before hitting hard with prog/metal melodies. The album closes with “Alexander The Great” is about the historical conquests of the ruthless ruler. The track matches the epic story with its many tempo and chord changes. It's a great closer and a reminder how technical and complex the band’s prog/metal grooves can be. 

Final Thoughts:

This album was different in so many ways for the band. Both lyrically and sonically. The introduction of guitar synthesizers could have been a disaster but I think it gave the album a moodiness on some tracks. They were never overbearing but rather the band maintained  their heaviness. Iron Maiden has one of the best discoveries in the metalsphere. This album would be a good starting point for any Maiden deep dive

Article by me. Rush factors prominently. https://www.grunge.com/2234713/rock-songs-didnt-know-based-on-books/