Iron Maiden defined a new standard not only for post-punk heavy metal, but a new generation of metal fans as well. I don't think anyone who grew up in the early '80's doesn't have at least one tattered, mouldy Iron Maiden t-shirt stuffed away in the closet somewhere. Their early and mid-career albums produced a stream of music that has never been bettered, though often imitated. The band suffered a meteoric decline after Seventh Son, and for a long time I was annoyed that the band hadn't gotten it through their heads that the party was finally over...except, it wasn't. (Read further down about the "2000 Reunion"...)

And like nearly every classic metal band, there's a couple Iron Maiden tribute albums available...plus a whole ton o' bootlegs which have been moved to a separate page (at last!)

"Iron Maiden"

1. "Prowler" (3:53)
2. "Remember Tomorrow" (5:27)
3. "Running Free" (3:16)
4. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:07)
5. "Transylvania"--instrumental (4:06)
6. "Strange World" (5:42)
7. "Sanctuary" (3:13)
8. "Charlotte the Harlot" (4:12)
9. "Iron Maiden" (3:36)

It's been 20 years since the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and nearly all music from that era sounds completely dated. Not so with this album, however! Never has any band put out such a strong, powerful, classic, TIMELESS debut album. Maiden standards "Prowler", "Running Free", "Sanctuary" and "Iron Maiden" are still played at their concerts, and their fresh, groundbreaking sound has not waned a single bit. "Remember Tomorrow" is another classic (and has been covered by Anthrax); "Phantom of the Opera", an early indication of the progressive "long form" they would exploit on future albums, is another example of timelessness, and has been covered by the Sacramento band Sentinel Beast. "Transylvania" and "Strange World" are lesser known, although they did get new life on the live album A Real Dead One some fifteen years in the future. The odd man out, I guess, is "Charlotte the Harlot", a novelty song about a prostitute named...well, Charlotte...hasn't aged quite as well, but nonetheless still rocks (and even inspired a sequel -- "22, Acacia Avenue", on Number of the Beast.) "Transylvania" has been covered by Iced Earth.

"Running Free/Sanctuary"

1. "Running Free" (3:16)
2. "Burning Ambition" (2:40)
3. "Sanctuary" (3:13)
4. "Drifter"--live (6:03)
5. "I've Got the Fire"--live (3:13)
6. "Listen with Nicko! Part I"--spoken word (9:30)

Collecting singles has been a mainstay of my Iron Maiden hobby since the days of crappy vinyl, but whereas I managed to obtain every 12" and/or 45RPM (up to Seventh Son), the super-rare "Running Free" single eluded me. So when the band released their First Ten Years collection, I snapped this one up right away. The song "Prowler" was omitted, but who cares since it was the same as the album version anyway. Oh yeah, the picture of Eddie knifing Margaret Thatcher caused quite a stir in England...mainly because no way does she have legs as shapely as shown here. :)

"Killers" (Castle 2CD edition)

For a long time I avoided listening to the Paul Di'Anno years of Maiden, but when I first heard a tape of this album, I was quite impressed! Of course it's not as good as their debut, which I discovered later. The quiet, dreamy "Prodigal Son" is one of my top favorites, even though it sounds NOTHING like anything Maiden has done before or since!

I balked at buying the 2nd & 3rd discs in the First Ten Years series, since not only were they mostly comprised of previously released songs, but the "Maiden Japan" portion cut out one of the songs! Luckily, a few years later, Maiden rereleased their entire back catalog w/ BONUS DISCS of their B-side tracks! Score! "Women in Uniform" is one their funniest b-sides, and is a cover of some unknown Australian band called the Skyhooks. The Maiden Japan tracks suffer greatly from Paul Di'Anno's voice, which was completely shot by then...he would ultimately be replaced by the "Air Raid Siren" himself, Bruce Dickinson.

"The Number of the Beast"

1. "Invaders" (3:22)
2. "Children of the Damned" (4:34)
3. "The Prisoner" (6:00)
4. "22, Acacia Avenue" (6:34)
5. "The Number of the Beast" (4:49)
6. "Run to the Hills" (3:50)
7. "Gangland" (3:47)
8. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:11)

The first album with Bruce-baby, quickly dispelling any and all rumors that a new lead singer would ruin their sound. (Very few bands have successfully survived a change in lead vocalists, although Metal Church is one of the lucky few.) Amazingly, the music here is far and beyond better than anything they've done before! Also, it's when anti-metallers started thinking that Iron Maiden were DEVIL WORSHIPPERS, thanks to the title track (well duh, they say "SIX SIX SIX" over and over, what is everyone supposed to think?) The rumors, of course, are completely untrue, although it *did* have some ominous side effects. A well-known bit of Maiden trivia is that Martin Birch, their producer, smashed his car into a bus full of nuns, no injuries were sustained but the repair bill came to 666 pounds! He says he made them change the total to 667 or so before he would pay it. :-)

Oh, and I should mention that all the cover art of Maiden's albums & singles (up to X Factor, that is) was done by some nerd called Derek Riggs, who provided some of the COOLEST, most detailed artwork of any band alive! The itty-bitty CD sleeves don't do it justice.

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" has been covered by Cradle of Filth, as well as Iced Earth (who also did the title track.)

"Run to the Hills/The Number of the Beast"

1. "Run to the Hills" (3:55)
2. "Total Eclipse" (4:28)
3. "The Number of the Beast" (4:52)
4. "Remember Tomorrow"--recorded live in Italy (5:27)
5. "Listen with Nicko! Part IV"--spoken word (8:23)

Another of the First Ten Years series. "Run to the Hills" was the very first Maiden song I ever heard, although I didn't know it at the time. You see, I was listening to KMET, back in the day when I would spend hours listening to the radio and write down every song I heard (yeah, I was a weird kid, you wanna make something of it??) and the D.J. announced the song by saying, "I don't know why, but I'm getting a lot of requests for Wayne Newton today!" So, I assumed that was the band's name. (No, I did *not* think it was really that Vegas lounge singer who's only validation for existing in this life is his portrayal of the villain in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, I figured it was a metal band who took his name as a joke, but of course that's a moot point since it's really by Maiden, okay?) Admittedly, I didn't like the song at first, but heck I still believed that people who listen to heavy metal go to hell, so there. Oh yeah, "Total Eclipse" is one of the best B-sides they've ever done, and is also one of the only B-sides they've ever played live in concert.

"Piece of Mind"

1. "Where Eagles Dare" (6:10)
2. "Revelations" (6:48)
3. "Flight of Icarus" (3:50)
4. "Die with Your Boots On" (5:25)
5. "The Trooper" (4:11)
6. "Still Life" (4:55)
7. "Quest for Fire" (3:41)
8. "Sun and Steel" (3:26)
9. "To Tame a Land" (7:25)

This is where I came in. "The Trooper" (which has been covered by Sentenced, among others) was the first Maiden song I ever heard when I knew it was Maiden, when the video played on some late-night TV show. At the time, my Christian upbringing was still conflicting with my growing taste for metal music, but as much as I tried to hate the song, it grew on me like a weed. The dilemma deepened when I heard "Flight of Icarus" on the radio, and loved it instantly! "Die with Your Boots On" also got serious airplay, and it was those three songs which made me debate whether or not to risk eternal damnation by buying their album. (Similar to the same internal conflict over Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath, see that page for the "full story.") Finally, on Christmas 1984, I cashed in my Wherehouse gift certificate and bought this record, making Piece of Mind the first REAL metal crappy vinyl I ever invested in. I even played it for my family, and my uncle mentioned how pretty the guitar part of "Revelations" was!

...And here's one from the "You Know You're Getting Old When..." department: I played this CD once for some punk kid who used to hang around my apartment, and he said he didn't like it, saying it was "too mellow"!!! ACK!!!! Three or four other friends of mine from Maiden's glory days were also in the room, and I swear you could hear the sound of prostates expanding...

"Flight of Icarus" has been covered (badly) by Fates Warning.

"Flight of Icarus/The Trooper"

1. "Flight of Icarus" (3:54)
2. "I've Got the Fire" (2:40)
3. "The Trooper" (4:14)
4. "Cross-Eyed Mary" (3:55)
5. "Listen with Nicko! Part V"--spoken word (9:49)

Part five of the First Ten Years series, featuring two of the band's best b-sides ever: Montrose's "I've Got the Fire" and Jethro Tull's "Cross-Eyed Mary". I waited too long to buy this CD and nearly had a seizure when it went out of print -- luckily, it wasn't THAT hard to find....

"Powerslave"

1. "Aces High" (4:31)
2. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:04)
3. "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)"--instrumental (4:15)
4. "Flash of the Blade" (4:05)
5. "The Duelists" (6:18)
6. "Back in the Village" (5:02)
7. "Powerslave" (7:12)
8. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (13:45)

This is Iron Maiden at their peak. No more devil songs, unless you count the evil Egyptian God in the title track -- the themes here are mostly about war and espionage, oh and of course the 14-minute opus based on the "Ancient Mariner" poem, which started a trend we liked to call "Steve Harris's History Lessons."

"2 Minutes to Midnight/Aces High"

1. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:04)
2. "Rainbow's Gold" (4:56)
3. "Mission from 'Arry"--spoken word (6:43)
4. "Aces High" (4:31)
5. "King of Twilight" (4:53)
6. "The Number of the Beast"--live (4:59)
7. "Listen with Nicko! Part VI"--spoken word (9:45)

Another two singles from the Powerslave album. "Mission from 'Arry" is a famous argument between Steve Harris & Nicko McBrain, which Bruce Dickinson surreptitiously recorded on his Walkman. The songs "Rainbow's Gold" and "King of Twilight" are covers, but I have no idea by who...

"Live After Death" (2CD--Remastered series)

disc one:
1. "Intro: Churchill's Speech" (0:49)
2. "Aces High" (4:39)
3. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:03)
4. "The Trooper" (4:31)
5. "Revelations" (6:11)
6. "Flight of Icarus" (3:28)
7. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (13:18)
8. "Powerslave" (7:13)
9. "The Number of the Beast" (4:53)
10. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:21)
11. "Iron Maiden" (4:20)
12. "Run to the Hills" (3:54)
13. "Running Free" (8:43)

disc two:
1. "Wrathchild" (3:05)
2. "22, Acacia Avenue" (6:18)
3. "Children of the Damned" (4:36)
4. "Die with Your Boots On" (5:12)
5. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:23)

Ahh...rejoice!! The greedy record companies have finally atoned for the most egregious CD omission of all time by rereleasing this live masterpiece with the COMPLETE crappy vinyl track listing! Honestly, I had resigned myself to never, ever seeing the elusive "side four" set on CD, ever; and when I discovered that this version was available, I went out and bought it on the spot! (And they even restored "Running Free" to its proper full length!)

One serious gripe, though...the 2nd disc is an "Enhanced CD" with a few video tracks, which means that whenever I pop it into my CD-Rom (purely to listen to the music, no other reason), it locks up my computer for about 2 minutes, various grinding noises are heard within the machine, and the screen flickers in super-lag mode until I get a purple screen that says, "Sorry, you don't have Quicktime installed on your system!" Which is bullshit! Because I *do* have fuckin' Quicktime, and I could CARE LESS about some special add-on MOV files that I'm certain are just snippets from their Live After Death video (I mean, where ELSE could they possibly be from?) Oh well...gee, am I hard person to satisfy or what? :-P

"Running Free/Run to the Hills"

1. "Running Free"--live (3:28)
2. "Sanctuary"--live (4:40)
3. "Murders in the Rue Morgue"--live (4:32)
4. "Run to the Hills"--live (4:06)
5. "Phantom of the Opera"--live (7:28)
6. "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)"--live, instrumental (4:15)
7. "Listen with Nicko! Part VII"--spoken word (11:54)

Two singles released from Live after Death, with three non-album tracks and one from the crappy vinyl's elusive side four. You think they would have at least included the full-length version of "Running Free", but it IS a single, after all...

"Somewhere in Time"

1. "Caught Somewhere in Time" (7:22)
2. "Wasted Years" (5:06)
3. "Sea of Madness" (5:42)
4. "Heaven Can Wait" (7:24)
5. "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" (6:31)
6. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (5:43)
7. "Deja-Vu" (4:55)
8. "Alexander the Great" (8:35)

I really like this album, even though the synthesized guitars turned many fans off. The cover art here is the best and most detailed of all their albums, and if you look closely you'll see something like 50 references to older I.M. albums and assorted Maiden trivia. This is one case where I wish I'd kept my crappy vinyl copy, coz it's really squished down on the CD sleeve. Once again, Steve Harris continues is "history lessons" with "Alexander the Great".

"Wasted Years/Stranger in a Strange Land"

1. "Wasted Years" (5:06)
2. "Reach Out" (3:30)
3. "Sheriff of Huddersfield" (3:35)
4. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (5:43)
5. "That Girl" (5:04)
6. "Juanita" (3:46)
7. "Listen with Nicko! Part VIII"--spoken word (12:20)

Part Eight of the First Ten Years series. "Sheriff of Huddersfield" is a hilarious dedication to the band's manager, Rod Smallwood. I've heard they never told him about the song until after it was released. :) "Reach Out" is sung by guitarist Adrian Smith, thus giving a taste of what A.S.A.P. would eventually sound like.

"Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"

1. "Moonchild" (5:40)
2. "Infinite Dreams" (6:08)
3. "Can I Play with Madness?" (3:30)
4. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:33)
5. "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (9:53)
6. "The Prophecy" (5:05)
7. "The Clairvoyant" (4:26)
8. "Only the Good Die Young" (4:42)

After six incredible albums, this one was a bit of a letdown. It's something of a concept album about some dude who can see into the future, but not his own death...blah blah. Also, many songs here suffer from the dreaded syndrome of recycling old riffs -- "The Clairvoyant", for one, totally rips off the instrumental bridge from "Ancient Mariner". Oh well, it's awesome enough for a second go-round. "Moonchild" was covered by Necrophobic on A Black Mark Tribute II.

"Can I Play with Madness?" (single)

1. "Can I Play with Madness?" (3:30)
2. "Black Bart Blues" (6:39)
3. "Massacre" (2:56)

This is the CD single that was released alongside the Seventh Son album, in fact it was the first CD single I ever bought, since I couldn't find the crappy vinyl anywhere. "Massacre" is a Thin Lizzy song.

"The Evil That Men Do" (single)

1. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:35)
2. "Prowler '88" (4:08)
3. "Charlotte '88" (4:10)

This was the last crappy vinyl 12" that I upgraded to CD, and it took a long time, for a couple of reasons: 1) the only bonus tracks are re-recordings of old Maiden songs, and 2) I had to decide whether to get the original CDS, or upgrade to the "First Ten Years" version. Logically, the second choice would have been better, since I'm missing out on the "Listen with Nicko!" track here, but that would mean I'd have to sell off the original "...Madness" single, which would be a REAL pain. Plus, it's cooler to have the original CDS, especially since I got it at a rock-bottom price (around $5.50, less than half what it usually sells for!)

"The Clairvoyant/Infinite Dreams"

1. "The Clairvoyant"--live
2. "The Prisoner"--live
3. "Heaven Can Wait"--live
4. "Inifinte Dreams"--live
5. "Killers"--live
6. "Still Life"--live
7. "Listen with Nicko! Part X"--spoken word

I had the "Clairvoyant" single for a long time, and just recently bought this one after failing to find the original "Infinite Dreams" anywhere. All the songs are live, and still sound pretty damn good after all these years. Oddly, the Castle reissue of Seventh Son omits "Clairvoyant" and "Infinite Dreams" from the bonus disc!

"No Prayer for the Dying"

1. "Tailgunner" (4:14)
2. "Holy Smoke" (3:48)
3. "No Prayer for the Dying" (4:22)
4. "Public Enema Number One" (4:13)
5. "Fates Warning" (4:09)
6. "The Assassin" (4:16)
7. "Run Silent Run Deep" (4:33)
8. "Hooks in You" (4:06)
9. "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter" (4:43)
10. "Mother Russia" (5:32)

Seventh Son was only mildly disappointing, but this album was a REAL letdown. Adrian left to form his own project (called...well, Adrian Smith and Project) -- unforunately his replacement, Janick Gers, did not fit the band's style AT ALL. Even worse was to see them in concert, with Janick leaping around on stage, totally out of sync with the other members. And once again, Steve Harris is recycling his own riffs -- "Tailgunner" is yet ANOTHER "Ancient Mariner" ripoff, and "The Assassin" is grotesquely similar to "Killers", but not anywhere near as awesome. "Bring Your Daughter..." is a rerecording of Bruce Dickinson's solo version from the Nightmare on Elm Street 5 soundtrack.

"Holy Smoke" (single)

1. "Holy Smoke" (3:48)
2. "All in Your Mind" (4:29)
3. "Kill Me Ce Soir" (6:16)

"Kill Me Ce Soir" is a Golden Earring song. I don't have a clue who the other one's by.

"Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter" (single)

1. "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter"
2. "I'm a Mover" (3:27)
3. "Communication Breakdown" (2:41)

Gee, I wonder what band originally did "Communication Breakdown"? "I'm a Mover", it turns out, is a Free song, NOT an Urchin song like I said previously...(hmm, which one is the Urchin song then? I know they did one...)

"Fear of the Dark" (Castle 2CD edition)

This album is so bad, it's unmentionable! Ok, the first two songs are listenable enough, and the title track is pretty good despite being a ripoff of "Hallowed be thy Name", but the rest...well, they SUCK! And if that's not bad enough, the band actually attempted a power ballad, "Wasting Love", by far the most shameful, pathetic song ever released by ANY BAND EVER. Needless to say, Bruce bailed from the band after this album, and I don't blame him one bit.

Of course, what's ironic here is, despite how putrid this album is, I wound up buying it TWICE, once when it first came out, and again to get the reissue w/ bonus disk. It was actually cheaper that way than to buy the two singles that I hadn't collected yet. "Roll Over Vic Vella" is a takeoff on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" and a tribute to their road manager (I think.) "Space Station No. 5" was originally by Montrose; as for the other tracks, I have no idea. The live songs are pretty good.

"A Real Live One" (live album)

1. "Be Quick or Be Dead" (3:16)
2. "From Here to Eternity" (4:17)
3. "Can I Play with Madness" (4:43)
4. "Wasting Love" (5:48)
5. "Tailgunner" (4:11)
6. "The Evil That Men Do" (5:27)
7. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (6:47)
8. "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter" (5:18)
9. "Heaven Can Wait" (7:28)
10. "The Clairvoyant" (4:30)
11. "Fear of the Dark" (7:13)

Well, considering how many crappy songs are lumped in here, you could say I bought this CD simply to fill up my collection. The band sounds weak and tired, Bruce's voice is hoarse and raspy, the production is sloppy, and there are countless performance errors throughout. So sad, so sad.

"A Real Dead One" (live album)

1. "The Number of the Beast" (4:55)
2. "The Trooper" (3:56)
3. "Prowler" (4:15)
4. "Transylvania"--instrumental (4:26)
5. "Remember Tomorrow" (5:53)
6. "Where Eagles Dare" (4:49)
7. "Sanctuary" (4:54)
8. "Running Free" (3:48)
9. "Run to the Hills" (3:58)
10. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (5:37)
11. "Iron Maiden" (5:25)
12. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:52)

This album's a little better since it's comprised solely of their older, classic material, and includes a few songs that were never released live before. Still, the Live After Death versions sound much, much better than these sloppy renditions.

"The X Factor"

1. "Sign of the Cross" (11:17)
2. "Lord of the Flies" (5:03)
3. "Man on the Edge" (4:13)
4. "Fortunes of War" (7:23)
5. "Look for the Truth" (5:10)
6. "The Aftermath" (6:21)
7. "Judgment of Heaven" (5:12)
8. "Blood on the World's Hands" (5:57)
9. "The Edge of Darkness" (6:39)
10. "2 A.M." (5:37)
11. "The Unbeliever" (8:10)

Well, guess what...the rest of I.M. picked up a new lead singer, Blaze Bayley from Wolfsbane (a pathetic I.M. clone), and they are still trying to defy their impending demise. I found this CD used and listened to the entire thing, and wound up buying it out of pity more than anything else. The first half really isn't that bad, although Bayley's vocals take a lot of getting used to, and Harris is ripping off stuff from Seventh Son and No Prayer now. What's surprising here is thanks to the new lead vocalist, the music doesn't have the tired, worn-out feel that Fear of the Dark did, and even more surprising, the best song here is "Man on the Edge" (based on the movie Falling Down), which is written solely by Gers and Bayley! Shows you just how up to snuff the older Maiden members are...or rather, aren't. Still, the last few songs on this CD really do give Fear a run for its money.

"Lord of the Flies" (single)

1. "Lord of the Flies" (5:03)
2. "My Generation" (3:36)
3. "Doctor, Doctor" (4:49)

As far as I'm concerned, "Blaze-era" Maiden doesn't count towards completist status...but I picked up this single anyway for the two cover songs. "My Generation" (originally by The Who) is a third-rate cover tune (doesn't sound like Maiden AT ALL), whereas UFO's "Doctor, Doctor" isn't that bad.

"Virus" (single)

1. "Virus" (6:14)
2. "Sanctuary"--Metal for Muthas version (3:33)
3. "Wrathchild"--Metal for Muthas version (3:06)

"Virus" is the crappy new Blaze song the band added to their 2CD greatest hits monstrosity Best of the Beast (note to the band...I *would* have bought the fucking thing IF YOU HAD INCLUDED *ALL* THREE SOUNDHOUSE TAPES SONGS INSTEAD OF ONLY ONE!!!); I could wipe my ass with that song, but this particular single is essential because it contains the two songs released on "Metal for Muthas" in 1979!! In case you don't know what that is, "Metal for Muthas" is an NWOBHM compilation album that featured other no-hit wonder bands such as Angel Witch, Samson, Toad the Wet Sprocket (NOT the same band that had a video on MTv a few years ago...at least I don't think it's the same band...), and others. I've got it on crappy vinyl, and lemme tell you, its only redeeming factor is the two rare Maiden tracks. "Wrathchild" is a couple beats slower than the Killers version and none too exciting, but "Sanctuary", in my personal opinion, kicks the HELL out of the Iron Maiden version!! Some Internet company called Scean Gates put out a bootleg of Metal for Muthas a while ago, but they went out of business before I could order one from them...oh well, guess it turned out ok in the end.

Oh yeah, here's something interesting, I got Demon's The Plague and this CD in the mail on the same day. Get it? "The Plague"? "Virus"? Hahahahahha....

"Virtual XI"

1. "Futureal" (3:00)
2. "The Angel and the Gambler" (9:51)
3. "Lightning Strikes Twice" (4:49)
4. "The Clansman" (9:06)
5. "When Two Worlds Collide" (6:13)
6. "The Educated Fool" (6:46)
7. "Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger" (8:11)
8. "Como Estais Amigos" (5:26)

Just when you think the band couldn't possibly sink any lower...this CD comes with an "enhanced" portion which offers FIFTY FREE HOURS OF AMERICA ONLINE!! Plus there's a promo inside for a computer game that "New Maiden" did the music for. So, this is what these old, dimishing geezers have reduced themselves to? Pimping themselves out to the highest bidder? Jesus Christ, not even Queensryche would sink this low.

As for the music...WHAT music?? The only halfway listenable song is "Angel and the Gambler", which could have been a pretty good song with anybody BUT Blaze Bayley on lead vocals...sorry, but Blaze's vocal limitations are highly evident here. To say nothing of the re-treaded riffs and melodies that plague every other song. I warn everyone, stay away, FAR AWAY from this album! Listening to it is more tedious than watching a Chris Farley movie...

...But then, A MIRACLE!!! In late '98, the band announced that they were DUMPING Blaze, and reuniting with Bruce Dickinson AND Adrian Smith!! The entire metal community was abuzz with just how they would pull it off, and Maiden fans worldwide marked off May 30th, 2000 on their calendars...and waited...

"Brave New World"

1. "The Wicker Man" (4:35)
2. "Ghost of the Navigator" (6:50)
3. "Brave New World" (6:18)
4. "Blood Brothers" (7:14)
5. "The Mercenary" (4:42)
6. "Dream of Mirrors" (9:21)
7. "The Fallen Angel" (4:00)
8. "The Nomad" (9:06)
9. "Out of the Silent Planet" (6:25)
10. "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (8:26)

It's been almost nine years since I went directly to the record store to pick up a new CD on the VERY FIRST DAY of its release (even showed up late to work as a result)...and after several listens, all I can say is...THEEYYY'RRRE BAAAAAACK!!!

Alright, this isn't classic Maiden by any stretch of the imagination. But that was too much to hope for; at least it's a worthy follow-up to Seventh Son, so it's almost like the last 12 years never happened. :) "Wicker Man", their first single (and the only song I'd heard before buying this album) starts off with a fast, "Prowler"-like guitar riff, but then segues into an annoying chorus topped off with a dumb "Whoa oa oa" section...interesting at first, but gets old DAMN quick. Thankfully, that song is followed by "Ghost of the Navigator", a total MONSTER of a song that might just be among Maiden's 20 best songs of all time! (And considering how many TIMELESS classics the band has recorded, that's a mean feat indeed.) The rest is a mixed bag -- although Harris's songwriting is thankfully restrained, he does seem dominant on the title track, which is as boring as anything he wrote for "No Prayer" onward. "Blood Brothers" is equally annoying, but does save itself with fast-paced harmonic riffage at the end. Other standouts include "Dream of Mirrors", "The Nomad" (sounds a helluva lot like Dickinson solo, even though it's written by Murray/Harris), and "Out of the Silent Planet" -- that last one has been described as "the first outright power-metal song by Maiden", but I'm not sure if I agree with that...

"Rock in Rio" (live 2CD)

There's one thing that pisses me off about the Iron Maiden reunion. You see, Bruce was having quite the successful solo career during the late 90's, and was putting out killer music at the rate of at least one album every two years. But now that he's gone back to Maiden, there's been Brave New World, followed by...NOTHING!!! Except this live album, which features a setlist totally identical to the bootleg from over a year ago. (That's the problem with collecting Iron Maiden boots, once you've got something from one tour, you don't need another one!) Not much else to say, really... the sound is great, the show is great. On the other hand, I wish they had NOT included the ECD portion on each disc, because sticking them in my computer's CD-Rom drive has a tendency to totally bung up my system!! And while there's a couple MOV files featuring excerpts from the companion Rock in Rio DVD, Quicktime won't even play them right!!!!! I swear, whoever does the special CD-Rom portions of Maiden's CDs should be SHOT! (Come to think, maybe I should be in favor of those "copy-protected" discs that the record industry is supporting nowadays...since they won't play in a computer, we don't have to worry about these stupid ECD bonuses anymore!!)

"Eddie's Archive" (6CD box set)

Seems like Iron Maiden fans have been clammoring for a box set for YEARS, though I have no idea why. Still, the band proves once again that they know how to take care of their fans, putting together a 6-CD set of music that is 66% completely unreleased live tracks, 33% rare non-album tracks, and 1%, umm, an error in division, I guess. :) The packaging is decent, if unspectacular -- the whole set comes in a cheap tin box with a scary Eddie face embossed on the top, there's a paper scroll that details the Iron Maiden family tree from 1973 to present (held together with a cheap Eddie pewter ring), plus a shot glass with a cheap pewter base glued on the bottom. Strangely missing is any type of booklet that normally accompanies these box sets, although each of the three double CD cases a 24-page booklet with information about the music within (although most of the pages are dedicated to pictures.)

Ok, now the music. First of all, I like how all three sets are not only in alphabetical order, but the titles are close enough together so they don't get split up when I organize my CD's alphabetically, like I always do. :) The first set, "BBC Archives" starts off with four recordings from "The Friday Rock Show" circa 1979 -- the songs are raw and energetic, though without any crowd noise. Then we switch incongruously to the 1982 Reading Festival, with Bruce on vocals. Nothing wrong with these tracks, except they're sort of redundant with the inclusion of "Beast Over Hammersmith". Disc two takes us back to the Di'Anno era with some songs from another Reading Festival, 1980 this time -- unfortunately, the band sounds woefully unrehearsed and out of tune, especially on "Killers". But they make up for it with selections from the 1988 Donnington Monsters of Rock show, featuring rare live cuts of "Moonchild" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (along with an umpteenth version of "Iron Maiden", heh.) Now, if it were my job to compile this set, I would have ditched the '82 show completely, and added more tracks from other tours, especially from the Piece of Mind and Somewhere in Time tours. But maybe they'd have to change the title in that case...

Anyway, Set #2, a complete live set from the "Beast on the Road" tour, is the centerpiece of this collection. Brilliant performance, featuring all the "hits", as well as some juicy rarities like "Another Life", "Drifter", and "Total Eclipse" (the only b-side ever performed in concert!) A handful of these tracks appeared on the 12 Wasted Years videotape, so hopefully we'll see a DVD release of the full concert someday??

And finally, we get "Best of the B'Sides" (complete with a painting of Eddie's bum on the cover, haha.) I'm not sure why they had to include this, since any Maiden fan worth his salt would have most of these songs already...the only unique track to my collection is the live version of "Wasted Years". Still, it's a treasure trove to those who haven't been able to find the 2-disc Castle reissues or "First Ten Years" series. A shame, though, that so many good b-sides got left out!! Ok, I can accept the omission of "Women in Uniform" and "Total Eclipse", since those songs have been added to the regular CDs in recent pressings. BUT...where's "Mission from 'Arry"??? How could the POSSIBLY leave that one off??!? And what about "Massacre"? And "I Live My Way", from the Blaze era, the only b-side NEVER officially released on CD format?? Oh well, I guess that's why they called it "Best Of", after all...

What's missing? Well, the Soundhouse Tapes, obviously. Plus the complete Maiden Japan show, or like I mentioned earlier, tracks from other live shows. And they could have dedicated a whole CD to the "Listen! With Nicko" series, heh. But I guess this box set is as good as could be expected, though a bit overpriced. (Try getting it from Amazon for $79.99 with Free Super Saver Shipping, like I did!)

"Dance of Death"

1. "Wildest Dreams" (3:52)
2. "Rainmaker" (3:48)
3. "No More Lies" (7:21)
4. "Montségur" (5:50)
5. "Dance of Death" (8:36)
6. "Gates of Tomorrow" (5:12)
7. "New Frontier" (5:04)
8. "Paschendale" (8:28)
9. "Face in the Sand" (6:31)
10. "Age of Innocence" (6:10)
11. "Journeyman" (7:06)

Okay, the biggest problem with Iron Maiden's reunion is that it absolutely cut short Bruce Dickinson's amazing solo career...three years, and NO new music by these boys! But they made up for it with this 2003 release, which is far and away one of the freshest-sounding releases of their career, due in no small part to the heavy Dickinson/Smith influence which was mostly absent on Brave New World. Fully half the songs -- including "Wildest Dreams", "Rainmaker", "Montsegur", "Gates of Tomorrow" and "Paschendale" -- sound like they come directly from Bruce Dickinson's solo catalog, barely sounding like Iron Maiden at all! Steve Harris's increasingly generic writing is thankfully kept to a minimum, with "No More Lies" being the only dispensable track (plus, to a lesser extent, the title track -- which is penned by Harris/Gers, natch.) I still don't hear three guitars, but I'm not gonna complain anymore about Janick's pointless presence...if they want to split the royalties six ways instead of five, more power to 'em.

I also gotta give props to Bruce's attitude towards file-sharing -- when I saw the band headlining with Dio and Motorhead on their summer '03 tour (which FINALLY broke the five-way tie of bands I'd seen in concert three times each!) Bruce introduced the new song "Wildest Dreams" and actually encouraged people to break out their tape recorders and share it on the Internet...on the condition that they buy the album, if they like it, of course. "But if you DON'T like it," Bruce said, "FORGET IT!" Now THAT'S a healthy attitude towards embracing new technology for promotional purposes...something the RIAA and Metallica can take a lesson from! (But, of course, they won't.)

Oh, one final point...what the HELL is up with that crappy cover art?? It looks like some cheap-ass 3D imaging program that a six-year-old kid spent fifteen minutes playing around with -- when I saw a preview of the artwork months before the album's release, I thought it had to be a fake. Yeesh. BRING BACK DEREK RIGGS!!!!!

on crappy vinyl:
• "Iron Maiden Live!! + One"
• "2 Minutes to Midnight" -- 12" picture disc
• "Stranger in a Strange Land" -- 12" picture disc

videotapes:
• "Live After Death" -- concert tape
• "12 Wasted Years"
• "From There to Eternity" -- all their videos from "Women in Uniform" to "From Here to Eternity"

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