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Best of the Beast

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The biggest strong point this album has is the fact this was released before Iron Maiden released those frequently panned remasters.

The first will get a lot of hate but that is the inclusion of the overly long Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Fans can argue till the cows come home about which tracks should or shouldn't have been included, yet to try and alert people to Iron Maidens music by way of a simple CD that only has a max 80 mins play time requires the compiler to make track selections that may or may not please a die hard maiden fan, this album was undoubtedly aimed at newcomers or casual fans at the time of release. Iron Maiden achieved veneration and prosperity primarily as an album-oriented band whose propensity for exceeding deadlines and writing too much or too little material often resulted in hasty track selections. Best of the Beast" was issued across three formats: the 4-disc vinyl edition, 27-track double-disc package or the truncated single-disc version aimed at the less hardcore headbanger.Both versions contained classics like The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Aces High etc whilst the extended version featured tracks like the brilliant Sign of the Cross and an impressive take on Afraid to Shoot Strangers recorded live in 1996 with Blaze Bayley on vocals. Excellent album, I recommend to everyone, even for non-fan, it is an excellent disc to meet the band, here are the best songs of Iron Maiden until 1995 and the album booklet provides complete descriptions of all the band's albums and tours and etc. The track listing is comprise primarily of the band’s singles and other well-known songs from their 1980-1995 albums, but they also include a new single, “Virus,” and a previously unreleased live version of “Afraid to Shoot Strangers.

It kicks off the The Number of the Beast and blasts its way through Can I Play With Madness and Fear of the Dark from Donington 1992, one of the band's best live performances. Both "Virus" and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" had promotional music videos created, the latter of which was filmed during The X Factour with new lead vocalist Blaze Bayley replacing Bruce Dickinson, who sang the original studio recording. The difference in audio is striking and is worth picking for anyone wanting some good audiophile quality Iron Maiden. I know fans like Live After Death and it's cool to have two pre-Iron Maiden demo songs on here, but I would have preferred having more studio material from the debut and Killers.Condition - This item is in Excellent condition or better (unless it says otherwise in the above description).

As for the scumbag, if you know who you are, and if I ever catch you, you will wish you had never chosen your path in life. It obviously features a lot of great music but I can't see it appealing to those seeking just the hits. X-Factor album and controversy latched itself to the band at every possible chance because of the departure of Bruce Dickinson (Blaze Bayley being the current singer at the time).

Best of the Beast lacks tracks like Killers, Prowler and a other classics from the first two albums. The sound quality is very good (a distinctly different remaster of these tracks to those found on the 1998 remastered albums, despite Simon Heyworth being the mastering engineer on both projects). As far as conventional career-spanning anthologies go, and there are few in the Iron Maiden catalogue, this one is hard to beat, especially the more inclusive and as such definitive two-disc version. It's safe to say that every track on this collection is a winner but the difference between the two makes them both worthy of a pick up.

If your going to turn it up to 11 get some ear phones, it wasn't sociable listened to loud music back then and nothings changed. Despite my gripes, I still think that Best of the Beast is the best Iron Maiden compilation album and I really can't see my opinion changing very soon. This is where Best of the Beast differentiates itself from more recent releases, still holding it's crown to this very day. There was Edward The Great with it's awkward inconsistent track list or the obvious cash grab Somewhere Back In Time.Not only is this song just too long and dull on the Powerslave album, but this rendition is from Live After Death which sounds very thin. The standard edition's value has not changed much although the Japanese pressings continue to rise in value. Consequently, hidden gems such as "Total Eclipse", the B-side to "Run To The Hills", went largely unrecognized.

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