Why Can I Play With Madness is not glam rock...

[JRA]

I'll admit the first time I heard this song, I thought it was awesome, but I knew it was for reasons that most other metalheads would hate. The triple tracked chrous at the beginning sounds, as Eddie Trunk would say, something right out of Bon Jovi. As if Steve heard "You Give Love A Bad Name" and thought, "well that sounds nifty, let's nick that and give it some dungeons and dragons type lyrics and the fans won't know the difference, right?" Not quite so much Steve.

I don't think this is the case at all, but I understand why people might think this was the case given the popularity of hair metal and the slicked up gang chorus. As much as I'd like to bet ol Jon wants to take as much credit as he can for this, he is not the first one to try this idea in song. In fact, he nicked it from a little ol prog band called Kansas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6_VXPwm6U

At first I thought they were the first ones to use this trope, but the truth is it goes back even further than that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfWEPu0w-7w

That's right, the Beatles did it first. So suck it Bon Jovi!

But how did this make it into a Maiden song? My best guess is around 1987 Steve was driving around listening to that very Kansas album, being a big progger, and was like, "you know what, I'd like to write a song like that!" So he did. His only crime was he didn't write it sooner, as opposed to around the time when everybody was ripping that trope off to lure in the stupid record buyer.

So there you have it. and no Madness is not my favorite track, but I'd rather hear it live than The Clairvoyant.

[Maiden33]

I'll admit right now I didn't read what you posted. Since when was this song coming under fire for being "Glam Rock"? Are all songs with catchy choruses and overdubbed vocals Glam Rock now? Also, Bon Jovi are not a Glam Rock band, no matter how hard people try to classify them as one.

[powerslave_85]

I don't care what it is. It sucks. And you'd rather have that over "The Clairvoyant??" You're insane. That was one of the highlights when I saw them.

[mankvill]

I do not like that song very much.

[Maiden33]

Originally Posted by powerslave_85

And you'd rather have that over "The Clairvoyant??" You're insane. That was one of the highlights when I saw them.

Also, this.

My least favorite song on Seventh Son, CIPWM is, but I still wouldn't say it "sucks". It really sucks in live form because the vocals on the chorus are always terrible.

[JRA]

Originally Posted by powerslave_85

I don't care what it is. It sucks. And you'd rather have that over "The Clairvoyant??" You're insane. That was one of the highlights when I saw them.

The Clairvoyant isn't bad, but two things really hold it back. The first is the terrible way-too-clean tone on Steve's bass for the intro. The first time I heard that I thought it was a undistorted guitar put through an extremely crappy amp. That intro desperately needs the pop-slap Flea funk tone in order for it to work. The other problem is that when the guitar comes in, those one note riff strokes aren't nearly as chunky as they should be, and so it sounds extremely thin; like a bunch of bees buzzing around. This makes me more or less disinterested in the song right away, and considering most of the money for traditional metal songs rides on the intro, that's a bad thing. I'll admit the chorus and the solo kind of saves the song, but it isn't nearly good enough to be a live staple for 22 years.

Let me put it this way: The Clairvoyant is trying to go for a bright, colorful, melodic feel to it. CIPWM executes that much better.

[Crionics]

Madness is my least favorite on Seventh Son, but I still think it's a good song on a perfect album.

[PowerMaiden]

it's in my top 10 of the worst Maiden songs, explanations in french sorry


10. The Thin Line Between Love & Hate

Pour moi elle est carrément de trop sur le chef d'oeuvre qu'est Brave New World, pas capable, le refrain, le vibe général de la toune et le ''I Will Hope , My Soul Will Fly ect ect'' de Bruce, quossé sa sacrament !! imbuvable


9. Can I Play With Madness ?

Après l'avoir comparer autant a Sun & Steel, Quest For Fire, New Frontier, Look For The Truth, j'veut dire non, et même NE-NON, sa passe pas ici de la Molson commercialle


8. Journeyman

Rendez moi mon Maideeeeeeeeeeen a moi. Quand j'ai entendu sa au début j'étais comme gèné, j'veut dire la prochaine étape c'est ''Nothing Else Matters'' ou quoi ???


7. The Angel & The Gambler
Bizzarrement, moi ce l"haït pas cette toune la , comme je mentionnait plus haut c'est bien évidement la pépétition jusqu'a plus soif du désormais célèbre ''Don't You Think I'm A Saviour --- Don't You Think I Could Save Your...'' ect ect qui gache la toune et d'aplomb a part cela. La chanson sure 9 minutes et 51 secondes. Et je la ré écoute en se moment la et il y a 5 minutes de trop facille.


6 Holy Smoke

Même genre de mood qu'avec Can I Play With Madness sa passe trop de travers dans ma bouche pour l'apprécier, quand sa sonne pop bonbon, avec les cloches a vache pour moi c'est non. Et c'est pas le vidéo clip qui aide non plus ...


5 The Unbeliever
Je peut voir le coté noir de la toune au niveau des lyrics, mais musicalement sa me prend un minimum, pis Balze avec son All Myyy Liiiiiaaaaafe ...a tout bout de champs me fout les jetons , creepy


4. Gates Of Tomorrow
Ouin, ché pas trop quoi dire ici a part, ostie de toune poche a mort, y a rien la dedans sauf peut être le solo de Dave


3. Fear Is The Key
Mauvais, j'veut dire vraiment mauvais,


2. Chains Of Misery
Mauvais, j'veut dire vraiment mauvais, une merde en canne serais meilleure au gout, quel chorus poche a mort , et vous savez quoi; Fear Of The Dark en contient encore une pire que sa


1. The Apparition
un choix assez facile a faire je crois qu'elle fait assez l'unanimité ici comme étant le pire caca auditif de l'histoire de Maiden



Cheers !
PowerMaiden

[JRA]

Originally Posted by PowerMaiden

9. Can I Play With Madness ?

U kno how ze french really luv to surrendr? Well this song makes us want tu MARCH TU BATTL!! Zat iz very out of charactre for us frenchmen and it makes us feel va-r'ee emb'arass'd of our selvs. I dunt kneux wy wee r suex unflexib'le aboot sur'rend'uring. May bee if wee stepped out'side our comfort zone oui wood enjoy life suex much moor! Zerefore, Can I Play Wiss Madness sucks beecos it deuxs not make us want to surrender.


















Hoo'ray Jerry Lewis!

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Maiden33]

Originally Posted by PowerMaiden

it's in my top 10 of the worst Maiden songs, explanations in french sorry


10. The Thin Line Between Love & Hate

8. Journeyman

Don't agree with The Unbeliever at all, but these two are unforgivable for me. "Thin line..." is one of my top 25 Maiden songs, period.