Best of the Songs Clocking 10:00 to 15:00

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Pick number 4... and I hope I haven't stolen anyone's thunder


Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner

I think this is still my favourite 10+ minute song from Maiden, although I did consider The Red and the Black, but I haven't listened to the Book of Souls in a while.

[Charger]

^^
Well you made it bit easier for me to pick my Maiden tune then!


But we ain't quite there yet.

For my 7th place I have a song from SAVATAGE

This is their only 10+ minute song and it's from their last album Poets And Madmen.
It's a great track with great vocals from Jon and the band is firing on all cylinders. It's not quite as good as some of their earlier epics such as Hourglass and Chance but it's still a great tune and worthy to be on this list!

[Vyn]

Rush released Caress of Steel in late 1975 and with it the lengthy story-song "The Necromancer".

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^
My Rush choice will be much later in the list, but I do like The Necromancer

Choice 5

The Damned - Dark Asteroid

From the 2008 album So Who's Paranoid, this 14:02 tribute to Syd Barrett ends the album. It's in 2 parts the song section lasts about 4 minutes then there's a jam with duelling guitar and Hammond for the next 10 minutes.

[Charger]

My 6th place is a rather new discovery AND it's an instrumental!!

DEATH ANGEL THE ULTRA VIOLENCE

I just discovered this song earlier this year! What a beast of a tune! That intro riff is suberb! But there's really nothing to complain about this one. 10 minutes just fly by listening to this thrash metal masterpiece! Easily THE best Thrash instrumental I've ever heard! Beats those dragging Metallica instrumentals 10 to nothing!

[Zzzptm]

Sly & The Family Stone - "Dance to the Medley"

Sly Stone doing an extended dance remix/mashup of his own music before extended dance remixes/mashups were a thing.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

So, getting to the top 5 now and on any given day any of these could be in any position.

Pick No.6

Iced Earth - High Water Mark (Part 3 of the Gettysburg 1863 Trilogy)

I went with Part 3 of the Gettysburg Trilogy (July 3rd 1863) from the 2004 album The Glorious Burden and lasting 12:36.  I thought about going with Part 1 (The Devil to Pay) but there's not much in it. Just for full disclosure Part 2 (Hold At All Costs) is too short to be considered for inclusion. I would usually consider the 3 parts as one song but it's over 31 minutes in total so way too long!

These are just fab songs and show what you can do when you write rock songs with an orchestra in mind.

[Vyn]

Miles Davis's Bitches Brew came out in 1970 and, as was SOP for Miles, caught everyone off-guard. I spent a lot of time when I was a kid trying to like this record, then just gave up. It wasn't until many years on that my musical palette matured enough for it (and most other Jazz/Jazz-inflected music) to make sense.

This song though, "Sanctuary," always stood out to me and I've enjoyed it since I first heard it in probably 1973 or so. Notably, Wayne Shorter composed it.

[Charger]

KDC!!!!!!!!! YOU STINKER!!!

That was gonna be a top 3 song for me!!!


Launching my TOP 5 is a song from NIGHTWISH called THE POET AND THE PENDULUM

The opening track of the SUBERB Dark Passion Play album...sort of reminds me of a certain Iron Maiden song that opens a certain album (more of that later) being the longest song on the album.
It's always a bit of a gamble to open an album with a massive song. I personally prefer shorter more rockier openers BUT sometimes a band just hits the nail on the head with a big opener as well and Nightwish sure made it so here.
Lots of tempo changes and different types of passages here...very progressive in nature but not in a wankery kind of way.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Ooops! I can swao it for Devil to Pay if you like! It was a toss up anyway.

[Charger]

Hah no worries...I think I'll do that and just drop it down a bit.

[Zzzptm]

Best parts of these lists are the ninja moves!

Deep Purple - Child in Time

This one blew me away as a kid and even though Big Ian can't sing it in concert anymore, it's a legend of a song.

[Charger]

ARGHHHHH!!!!
I was afraid that would happen as that would have been my number 1! SHIT! Now I really gotta start thinking about things...goddamnit!

[Vyn]

There's more stealing going on than a hot runners baseball game!

As for my next pick, doubtful anyone will have been thinking about it (and it's not a jazz tune!): "The Musical Box" by Genesis. They released their album Nursery Cryme in 1971, and this song holds the plot to both the title of the album and the cover illustration. Pretty good Halloween story, actually!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Selection 7

Yes - Machine Messiah

1980... Jon Anderson has left Yes as has keyboard guru Rick Wakeman. In comes Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes from pop group Buggles... the "End is Nigh" according to the Yes faithful...

Actually they were quite a good fit and you still had Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White to hold the fort. While not perfect the 1980 album Drama is perfectly serviceable and includes the 10:26 song Machine Messiah and I rather like it.