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Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989 Audio CD

A fair review of the Iron Maiden "Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Iron Maiden reviews here, or go back to the Iron Maiden tabs.

Iron Maiden Band: Iron Maiden
Title: Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-05-13
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Churchill Speech 2: Aces High (Live) 3: 2 Minutes To Midnight 4: The Trooper 5: Wasted Years 6: Children Of The Damned 7: The Number Of The Beast 8: Run To The Hills 9: Phantom Of The Opera (Live) 10: The Evil That Men Do 11: Wrathchild (Live) 12: Can I Play With Madness 13: Powerslave 14: Hallowed Be Thy Name 15: Iron Maiden (Live)

Superb
Powerful, fun album rekindling youth and exuberance. Great recap of favourites. A 10!!.


ANOTHER IRON MAIDEN HITS ALBUM?!
The Good
1980-1989 was the "golden era" for the British heavy metal legends, BUT. .

The Bad
ANOTHER IRON MAIDEN HITS ALBUM?! For crying out loud. It seems after every new Iron Maiden studio album, it's immediately followed by a greatest hits collection (The Essential Iron Maiden [2005], Edward the Great [2002], Eddie's Archive [2002], Best of the Beast [1996]). I can only hope the group has no control over that, because what Iron Maiden fan doesn't have all these songs? What songs you ask? "Number of the Beast," "Aces High," "2 Minutes to Midnight," "The Trooper," "Waysted Years," "The Evil That Men Do," etc. All the songs included here have appeared on every Iron Maiden hits compilation that came before this one. In addition, there have already been two, that's right two double disc best of collection by Iron Maiden that include a much more vast collection of fan favorites. And would it kill them to include studio versions of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Iron Maiden?"

The Verdict
If you've always wanted to check out Iron Maiden but have waited this damn long to do so, Somewhere Back in Time is the best of the best material the band has to offer. However, if you are a fan of the group, you already have this material (four times over), and you should feel insulted that they're trying to milk you for another $12. The songs deserve a 5 out of 5, but for the album itself.


Best of Maiden on one CD
I liked this disc better than hearing the entire records, that the songs are from. Highlights of the bands career are represented on this one CD, with their best songs.


Best of THE Best Band in Metal!
For die-hard Iron Maiden fans like myself, the album is fantastic in that it contains some of the best songs the band has ever produced. Iron Maiden "Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989" is an album that can serve many roles to many fans. The live tracks are of exceptional quality, and the fact they lead off the album just like an Iron Maiden show with Winston Churchill's speech (complete with the glorious sounds of RAF Spitfires racing skyward to defend England) followed immediately by the 1984 hit "Aces High" is all the more impressive.

Perhaps more importantly though is what this album provides to the younger generation. I grew up with Maiden, Saxon, Priest, and all the other great Metal Gods of the 1980's. These are bands that 20 years on, are still melting the speakers of my stereo system. But for kids today, being introduced to Maiden for the first time, there is probably no better album to complete this mission. With its' mix of tracks from Iron Maiden's most glorious time period, this album is perfectly suited to one who is just starting out on his or her journey into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. For us old war dogs, it's just one more great compilation from the all time greatest Heavy Metal band to ever walk the earth. Up The Irons!!!
.


Mostly hits, but one VERY big miss
I definitely don't need to buy this album, as I have been a fan of Iron Maiden for the past 5 years and own every one of the albums that this compilation covers. Okay, let me just say this. But, to a new Maiden fan who is around the age I was when I first became a die-hard fan (15 or so), this disc is an okay place to start. Though it is missing some great songs from their 1980's heyday (most notably "Flight Of Icarus," "Stranger In A Strange Land," and "The Clairvoyant" - the three of which combine to dock one star from this review), it covers a good majority of the classic Maiden hits from the 1980s.

But it suffers from one tragic flaw.

While songs from their first two albums are represented quite well with live performances of "Phantom Of The Opera," "Wrathchild," and "Iron Maiden," THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THE STUDIO VERSIONS. This would not be a problem if not for the fact that they seem to not want to acknowledge they ever had a singer other than Bruce Dickinson. Why wouldn't the band want to acknowledge Paul Di'Anno? He might not have had the range or hyped-up onstage persona of Bruce, but he was a good singer in his own right, and I personally think the songs from the first two albums just sound SOOOO much better with his voice. Notably, it also hurts that they are missing "Sanctuary," "Running Free" and "Killers," 3 more of the very best songs from the Di'Anno era. . . live or not it hurts this compilation. This docks another star.

This collection is a pretty decent introduction to the heyday of Iron Maiden. Anything is better than Edward The Great, which COMPLETELY ignores the Paul Di'Anno era and does not have any original recordings from the Fear Of The Dark album. But if you want to hear the REAL best of Iron Maiden in the 1980's, then I'd suggest saving up the dough for the studio albums. It might be more costly, but you will really get a much better feel for Iron Maiden's greatness.


You can see a complete list of all Iron Maiden discography, or go back to the Iron Maiden tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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