Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980- 1989

Golden years still shining bright

The 80s were arguably the most glorious of all decades for Team Maiden, who produced not only some of the classic tracks of the era (Run To The Hills, The Number Of The Beast, Powerslave, Aces High… and the rest) but also set benchmarks in British music and heavy metal itself with a clutch of ridiculously good albums (The Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind, Powerslave and Live After Death came in three short years).

Uniquely, this compilation is released in tandem with a high-resolution audio download which interested fans can listen to three times before having the option to buy – a typical fan-friendly move from Maiden. The only minor quibble for the committed Maiden head is that the Paul Di’Anno tracks from the first two LPs are represented here as live versions from Live After Death, rather than the originals. Bruce Dickinson is a magnificent singer, but there’s something gnarly about Di’Anno’s Wrathchild and the mighty Phantom Of The Opera that, on record, captures something wicked and gleeful. Then again, the committed Maiden fan will already own this compilation, an excellent introduction to one of the finest rock bands of all time, and one the UK should be proud to have produced.

EMI | tbc

Reviewed by Joe Shooman
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