Review: Somewhere Back In Time, Iron Maiden
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
How do you narrow down a career that’s lasted nearly 30 years into little more than a dozen songs? It’s an unenviable task, especially when it comes to the kings and rulers of all that is metal - Iron Maiden. Try and compile a greatest hits collection and you’ll inevitably tick someone off - maybe the die-hards who want rarities, unreleased tracks, and nuggets. Or maybe the newer fans, who want a streamlined introduction to a band, which is typically what a greatest hits album is used as.
Iron Maiden’s “Somewhere Back In Time: The Best of 1980-1989″ is definitely for the casual fan, a easily digestible 75 minutes of classic metal. Studio tracks like “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “The Number of the Beast”, and “Run To The Hills” mingle with live cuts “Aces High” and “Wrathchild”, making this one of the more consistent and listenable compilations I’ve heard in a long time. Listening to all these songs in a row makes your realize just how accessible metal can be in the hands of Iron Maiden. My one criticism is what’s missing - most specifically, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, a longer song from Iron Maiden’s catalogue that I’d consider an essential piece of the band’s history. Apart from that, “Somewhere Back In Time” makes an excellent primer for the band. If you’ve got a favourite Iron Maiden song, let me know, and then use Maiden as today’s bonus code.
Somewhere Back In Time track listing:
1. “Churchill’s Speech” (Live) (Winston Churchill) - 0.49 From Live After Death
2. “Aces High” (Live) (Steve Harris) - 4.36 From Live After Death; Originally from Powerslave
3. “2 Minutes to Midnight” (Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith) - 6.00 From Powerslave
4. “The Trooper” (Harris) - 4.11 From Piece of Mind
5. “Wasted Years” (Smith) - 5.06 From Somewhere in Time
6. “Children of the Damned” (Harris) - 4.35 From The Number of the Beast
7. “The Number of the Beast (Harris) - 4.53 From The Number of the Beast
8. “Run to the Hills” (Harris) - 3.53 From The Number of the Beast
9. “Phantom of the Opera” (Live) (Harris) - 7.21 From Live After Death; Originally from Iron Maiden
10. “The Evil That Men Do” (Dickinson, Smith, Harris) - 4.34 From Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
11. “Wrathchild” (Live) (Harris) - 3.07 From Live After Death; Originally from Killers
12. “Can I Play with Madness” (Dickinson, Smith, Harris) - 3.31 From Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
13. “Powerslave” (Dickinson) - 6.47 From Powerslave
14. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (Harris) - 7.12 From The Number of the Beast
15. “Iron Maiden” (Live) (Harris) - (4.50) From Live After Death; Originally from Iron Maiden