Blind Guardian to Release "Greatest Hits"

[nailz]

http://www.blind-guardian.com/2011/11/10/memories-of-a-time-to-come/

Memories of a Time to Come
Posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Finally, after all these years, we have found the time to gather our most worthy songs into a best of compilation, representative of our career’s first 25 years. From the very beginning it was important for us to undertake this project only if we could put the necessary time and attention to detail into it. With overwhelming nostalgia we have looked back on 25 years and came up with Memories of a Time to Come, an organic mixture of some of our greatest songs.

COOL!

CD 1:

Imaginations from the Other Side (7:11) *
Nightfall (5:34) *
Ride into Obsession (4:46) *
Somewhere Far Beyond (7:32) *
Majesty (7:29) *
Traveler in Time (6:01) *
Follow the Blind (7:11) *
The Last Candle (6:03) *
CD 2:

Sacred Worlds (9:17)
This Will Never End (5:07) *
Valhalla (5:13) **
Bright Eyes (5:15) *
Mirror Mirror (5:09) *
The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) (3:26) *
The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit) (3:41) **
And Then There Was Silence (14:06) **
CD 3: (only available with the deluxe limited edition)

Brian ***
Halloween (The Wizard’s Crown) ***
Lucifer’s Heritage ***
Symphonies of Doom ***
Dead of the Night ***
Majesty
Trial by the Archon
Battalions of Fear
Run for the Night
Lost in the Twilight Hall
Tommyknockers
Ashes to Ashes
Time What is Time
A Past and Future Secret
The Script for My Requiem
* Remixed 2011
** Re-recorded 2011
*** Re-worked 2011

I'm not sure what to think. On one hand I am incredibly intrigued by several of the possibilities and the "new" sounds... on the other hand, 8 songs per disc? Seriously? Also I am a little baffled by the leaving outs of I'm Alive, Into the Storm, The Soulforged, and/or Battlefield. There's clearly room for these. How do you open shows with a song for over a decade and not include it on a Greatest Hits Album?

 

[PureXul]

No "Curse of Feanor" clearly means it's not their greatest songs.

That aside, I'm intrigued...I don't particularly like buying greatest hits packages from bands whose entire discographies I already own, but the re-mixed and re-recorded songs will probably get me to do so. Hopefully the pricepoint is on the lower side of things...

 

[AngraRULES]

No "Curse of Feanor" clearly means it's not their greatest songs.

Complaining about which songs didn't make it really makes no sense, since if it was up to each and every fan, Blind Guardian would have to release thousands of different versions of a "greatest hits" disc. Maybe it's just the band's opinion on greatest songs (though I thought the band considered Into The Storm one of its classics... maybe not...)

I'm looking forward to hearing re-recordings, remixes and re-worked songs honestly. Plus, the artwork alone is worth the purchase:

 

[nailz]

You can't look at that list and honestly say you don't question the inclusion of Tommyknockers. and the exclusion of Altair 4? Both are just AWFUL songs.

 

[PureXul]

Complaining about which songs didn't make it really makes no sense, since if it was up to each and every fan, Blind Guardian would have to release thousands of different versions of a "greatest hits" disc.

In general I'd agree, except "Curse of Feanor" is one of their absolute best songs and I have scientific proof of this fact. You can't argue with science.






Seriously though, I guess I should've dropped a smiley in there because I'm not actually criticizing the song selection...

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

- "Lost in the Twilight Hall", only on the 3rd disc..why

- "The Last Candle"....why

- "This Will Never End"...excellent

- "And Then There Was Silence"...excellent

- "Bard's Song: The Hobbit" could have been swapped with "Journey Through The Dark"

- "Follow the Blind"'s slot needs to be swapped with "Majesty"'s slot

- Cool cover

- Going to see Queensrÿche now, bye

 

[p1driftfiend]

I'll no doubt buy this as BG is my favorite band, but 2 discs with 8 songs and I gotta shell out $$$ to get the special edition for a 3rd disc?...

....really?

At least the press release says the songs are re-recordings, but this just feels cheap to me.

Maybe it's what the band wants to do with the songs, but I highly doubt any fans would have ever thought they would see something like this, especially with those tracks. I think "greatest hits" is misleading...

If anything, I'd wish BG would realize the last 3 albums sound like shit and re-record them to wash off all the mud. Those I would be happy to spend money on...

And enough of the same old damn CG covers...

 

[Metal_Camden]

If anything, I'd wish BG would realize the last 3 albums sound like shit and re-record them to wash off all the mud.

Hmm, I happen to think that their last three albums sound the best out of all of them production wise. Maybe it's just my personal taste. I mean I just dont understand how something like Sacred Worlds apparently sounds like shit.....

 

[nailz]

I have no fucking idea how any of the last 3 albums sound like shit either. I mean, I didn't like Twist but it sounded fucking amazing.

 

[AngraRULES]

If anything, I'd wish BG would realize the last 3 albums sound like shit

You should be the one realizing a few things...

 

[modernwizardry]

For me it's missing Time Stands Still at the Iron Hill!

 

[nailz]

STOP TELLING ME WHAT'S NOT ON IT.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

for the record: A Twist in the Myth > At The Edge of Time, just adding my valued opinion there, yeah

 

[p1driftfiend]

I have no fucking idea how any of the last 3 albums sound like shit either. I mean, I didn't like Twist but it sounded fucking amazing.

They don't sound that bad on their own, but they are still muddy.

It's when I load up all the BG albums onto my MP3 player and hit random that going from any early albums or even the remasters to the most recent three that it's apparent. There is a huge difference in clarity and sound.

 

[dcowboys311]

Any BG 'greatest hits' that isn't just a discography box set is pretty much missing out.

 

[Metal_Camden]

They don't sound that bad on their own, but they are still muddy.

It's when I load up all the BG albums onto my MP3 player and hit random that going from any early albums or even the remasters to the most recent three that it's apparent. There is a huge difference in clarity and sound.

Hmmm I do this every day all day and I am still think that something like say a voice in the dark sounds a hundred time better than the production on even Valhalla. Im still just baffled on how you can claim this mud is everywhere, when to me, it clearly (pun intended) sounds like BGs best production hands down. The only way I can see it being muddy is if someone downloaded a really bad rip.

 

[AngraRULES]

They don't sound that bad on their own, but they are still muddy.

It's when I load up all the BG albums onto my MP3 player and hit random that going from any early albums or even the remasters to the most recent three that it's apparent. There is a huge difference in clarity and sound.

You're gonna say At The Edge of Time sounds worse than some of the older records?

LOL

 

[farren]

In general I'd agree, except "Curse of Feanor" is one of their absolute best songs and I have scientific proof of this fact. You can't argue with science.

People who don't even like Blind Guardian like Curse of Feanor. It's objective reality.

 

[eppst1]

I will buy this, but what I found interesting was it is not being released on Nuclear Blast, but Virgin/EMI. Anyone know why?

 

[p1driftfiend]

You're gonna say At The Edge of Time sounds worse than some of the older records?

LOL

Sure am.

Like I said, going from the older albums to the newer ones there is a distinct difference in sound. I'm sitting at my comp going from Tales from the Twilight World to the newest album and the new one just lacks the clarity of Tales. Vocals are washed out and the volume of the songs are lower.

Listen to Imaginations then switch to A Twist in the Myth...there's a huge difference.

Maybe it's this whole loudness stuff people talk about....

Valhalla and the likes of the first two albums are a different story, but in general I prefer the cleanliness of Tales, Somewhere, Imaginations, and Nightfall over the last three. Maybe there isn't as much bass and the guitars just stand out more and I prefer that... Opera isn't as bad but it still sounds off from the previous 4....

BTW...I don't download any albums, and every BG album on my computer and MP3 player is ripped straight from the CD.