Taking Sides: Radiohead vs. Iron Maiden

The weird thing about Dickinson's claim is that Black Sabbath fits nowhere in there.

Radiohead: five studio albums and one live album. Two of the studio albums are unlistenable, pretentious crap. Named after a weak track on possibly the Talking Heads' least satisfying album. Cover art for every album is absolute wank (especially PABLO HONEY). Completely inconsistent. Overrated way beyond the pale of human comprehension. No sense of humour. A few great singles: "Creep," "Just," "Karma Police," "Paranoid Android." Are gradualy losing status as the "it" band to namedrop by tonsorially-challenged hepcats with ironic glasses and aging Anglophiles.

Iron Maiden: twelve studio albums and countless live albums. At least two of the studio albums are crap (the ones between Dickinson's departure and return). Names after a medieval torture device. Once hailed -- prematurely -- as the band that would bridge the chasm between Punk and Metal (a feat they failed to achieve after thuggish Paul Dianno's exit) Cover art for each album (with the exception of 'X' and FEAR OF THE DARK) is stunning -- in an admittedly juvenile fashion. Largely consistent. A sense of humour. Perpetually underrated outside of their core faithful audience. An iron-clad gauntlet-full of classic singles: "The Trooper," "Run to the Hills," "Number of the Beast," "Two Minutes to Midnight," "Wasted Years," etc. Have *ALWAYS* been a band for bedenimed, acne-scarred cretins who hang out in the parking lots of mini-marts.

The winner? IRON MAIDEN!

And funny enough, this charisma stays effective for a long time. Who would've expected that at least a decade after Iron Maidens best albums in 1993/94 dozens of Swedish bands (who admittedly all sounded terribly alike), playing essentially nothing more than Maiden songs with modern intensity, vocal style and production, suddenly emerged and sold (still do, actually) like hot cakes. I wonder if a band like Radiohead actually incites such lasting enthusiasm that in 2015 a whole wave of single-minded Radiohead worshippers will emerge....

On Daves comment on Maidens goal to be just like Deep Purple: For a long time I've been intrigued why the most innovative bands in Metal from the last twenty years (Maiden, Slayer, Death, Hellhammer, Bathory, Venom, Darkthrone, Paradise Lost, Burzum, Immortal, Kreator, Beherit, Graveland, Sodom, Napalm Death, Destruction, Metallica, Entombed) all denied any ambition to be innovators. Every single one of these bands has stated they "only wanted the play the music of our heroes" or "we just play Metal, that's it". Even the band names reflect this - I've noticed that the most innovative bands tend to bear the most uninviting stereotypically "Metal" names, whereas the "followers" tend to be much more creative. And it's equally odd to see that a lot of also-ran bands most loudly claiming to be "all about innovation" turn out to have far less influence on the actual progress in the genre (say, an Opeth or Ulver or Emperor or Therion). Come to think of it - this isn't much different in any genre. The innovations in electronic music to name but one have largely come out of the club or pirate radio scene where no-one gives a hoot about "innovation" as long as it makes the crowd move (case in point: House, Techno, Rave, Jungle, UK Garage, Trance), whereas some artists largely outside of the cutting edge club scene (say, a Moby, a William Orbit) proclaim high ambitions but are largely sidelined in the main thrust of the genre.

this settles it…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1WKYmx4i1Q

Gotta say, I was a little rough on Radiohead there (oh, those headstrong days of `02). I mean, `Maiden still wins -- OBVIOUSLY -- but I do like me some Radiohead. I've even warmed considerably to Kid A and Hail to the Thief.

But, y'know, UP THE IRONS

No shit, this is a blowout.

alex in nyc otm, though radiohead live ca. kid a were almost as good as maiden live ca. brave new world

everyone who says something bad about radiohead acts like they are the first person to ever think radiohead isn't the greatest band ever

Seriously. Radiohead is the soil wherein a thousand challenging opinions grow.

I'm much more curious about the new Iron Maiden record that I haven't bought than the new Radiohead album I haven't bought.

I must have listened to Killers 20 times this year, Maiden fucking rules

everyone who says something bad about radiohead acts like they are the first person to ever think radiohead isn't the greatest band ever

This is true and I'm guilty as sin of it; the problem is that every time you say something bad about Radiohead in certain (often large) circles you get made to FEEL like you're the first person ever to think Radiohead aren't the greatest band ever. And that you should thusly get the fuck out of town.

Radiohead isn't bad-it's just that Maiden slays.

Re: Killers-one of my favorite moments in music is the buildup through Ides of March, then the short pause and the bass intro to Wrathchild. God that's awesome.

Even "Kid A" era Radiohead is way better than Iron Maden.

geir, with all your prog-love, you're missing out on some serious jams

I prefer Radiohead

LEAVE the hall! :)

yeah i'm kinda surprised geir doesn't like maiden or a lot of classic power metal stuff which is all really melodic and uses (what sounds to me) like a lot of "classic" songwriting type chord progressions and classical influence

but maybe geir's love of all limp, pussy-ass music overwhelms his love of melody at times.

yeah i'm kinda surprised geir doesn't like maiden or a lot of classic power metal stuff which is all really melodic and uses (what sounds to me) like a lot of "classic" songwriting type chord progressions and classical influence

I don't like anything that features screaming or exaggerated use of emotion. I prefer my music cool, calm and collected, which leaves out anything heavier than Van Halen.

yes yes we know. But I think you're overestimating the screaming etc in Maiden. It's really not even as "heavy" as Van Halen.

The main two problems about Iron Maiden are:

- The awful "operatic" screaming of Bruce Dickinson
- An extremely annoying drummer that uses his bassdrum way too much and way too fast.

so wait. jon anderson isn't annoying, but bruce dickinson is?

Jon Anderson isn't screaming. He has a natural alto voice and doesn't need to scream.

One cannot underestimate the fun of Maiden. They're like the Hungry Hungry Hippos of metal. Who else writes songs about the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Alexander the Great, and The Prisoner tv show? UP THE IRONS!

Why can't we live in the world without such division? Why can't Radiohead and `Maiden co-exist happily on my disc shelves? IF WE CAN WALK TOGETHER WHY CAN'T WE ROCK TOGETHER?

Regardless, Iron Maiden trump Radiohead every time.

Truthfully, I think Thom & Bruce harmonizing together would be a beautiful thing. With Eddie swaying in the background. Damn this blasted war.

Unlike Iron Maiden, Radiohead actually recorded a song I liked once, but I have to go with Iron Maiden anyway. (They just seem more important and influential in the historical scheme of things.)

Exactly. Taste be damned. Important & influential! Yes! Chuck, your wisdom is to be praised (if it hasn't been already).

revive!!

show them no fear, show them no pain . . . versus . . . crushed like a bug in the ground

I want these two bands to collaborate on an album and call the project "Maidenhead"