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Somewhere in Time

Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time Audio CD

A fair review of the Iron Maiden "Somewhere in Time" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Iron Maiden reviews here, or go back to the Iron Maiden tabs.

Band: Iron Maiden
Title: Somewhere in Time
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-03-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Caught Somewhere in Time 2: Wasted Years 3: Sea of Madness 4: Heaven Can Wait 5: Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner 6: Stranger in a Strange Land 7: D�j� Vu 8: Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.)

Realize you're living in the golden years...
After the marathon world tour of 1984-1985, the band returned to the studio with one major problem. `Somewhere in Time' was for many fans a step down from the lofty rise to glory that was Iron Maiden's ascendance to the top of the metal heap in the mid-Eighties. One of their chief songwriters, Bruce Dickinson, seemed to be suffering a case of writer's block. It could have been a case of mental exhaustion or a need to take a step to recultivate his creative juices but for whatever the reason, Dickinson was noticeably absent in the creative process. Adrian Smith continued his writing prowess and it was he and band leader Steve Harris that contributed the songs. "Wasted Years", the LP's first single and possibly the best song written by Adrian features his stunning lead guitar as the main melody line and was nearly a crossover single into more the mainstream album rock stations that had previously ignored the band. The song's live for today message struck a chord and "Wasted Years" remains the most memorable selection on an album that really didn't have as many as previous classics. "Stranger in a Strange Land", another Adrian song and "Heaven Can Wait" round out a best of from `Time' which included the usual epic tracks but this time with the exception of "Heaven" and maybe "Alexander the Great", nothing noteworthy stands out. The band was now using synths to flush out their sound and to their credit, the metal doesn't seem watered down as a result (unfortunately the same can't be said for Judas Priest. . . . eeeshh!). "Somewhere in Time" was the one Eighties album that I have a hard time putting in the same rarified as anything else from the decade. Good, chancy, solid but unspectacular metal from masters of the form.

DAJA VU
somewhere in time,wasted years, stranger in a strangeland,alexander the great,heaven can wait,loneliness of a long distance runner all classics. another masterpiece from maiden's GOLDEN YEARS. .

To Boldly Go ...
The monumental World Slavery Tour had cemented them as the premier metal band in the world at this point. 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". 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, Maiden's best album to date
It's very intelligently used and I must say, it makes this album better as a whole. Somewhere in Time introduced synth into the Iron Maiden world of music.

Track Breakdown:

1. Caught Somewhere in Time - Speedy rocker. Holds up to the likes of Invaders, Moonchild, Aces High, and so on. 4 stars.
2. Wasted Years - Very catchy song. 5 stars.
3. Sea of Madness - Never appealed to me much, great, just doesn't jump out at you. 4 stars.
4. Heaven Can Wait - Though people say the chorus is catchy, and it is somewhat, it sounds very forced and even a bit out of tune. 4 stars.
5. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - Now that the title is finish, time for the song review. Great song with many suprises. The drum part is very interesting, as is the song as a whole. 5 stars.
6. Stranger in a Strange Land - Guess what?, strange song. Very catchy and very good, just a bit strange. 5 stars.
7. Deja Vu - One of the bests on the album. Very strange lyrics and a great riff. 5 stars.
8. Alexander the Great - The epic of this album. Holds up to every epic other album closer, other than Hallowed by thy Name. Also, a fun and quick history lesson. :D

To wrap things up, they introduced a new element to their music, but thank goodness it worked nearly perfectly. Check out Seventh Son of a Seventh Son if you want the best synth Maiden can offer, though.

A True Maiden Classic
This is a three way tie for me with Powerslave/Seventh Son. If you like Metal and don't already own this, your pass is revoked until you do. This album is simply amazing.

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You can see a complete list of all Iron Maiden discography, or go back to the Iron Maiden tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.