Sanctuary Records in coordination with Sony/BMG distribution are releasing The Essential Iron Maiden on 12th July – full press release with track listing below. The Essential series of compilations highlight the major artists on the Sony label. The series has generic black and white portrait cover art for all the series and is marketed in parallel to and often in different areas from frontline albums. Sony are very keen to add Maiden to the list of superstar artists already participating. This is for US release only as Maiden are only distributed by Sony/BMG in the USA and they see this as a Maiden career summary for the general American rock fan who may not yet be into Maiden and/or Metal and see this as a good way of introducing them. We think this is something we should all welcome, more inductees to the world of Metal and Maiden
Its probably worth mentioning here that for the rest of the world EMI have updated Edward the Great, which will be merged into the shops as stocks are reordered. This revised version has simply been brought up to date to represent the band by including ‘Wildest Dreams’ and ‘Rainmaker’ from ‘Dance of Death’ plus a new live version of ‘Fear Of The Dark’ (from the forthcoming Death On The Road double album which EMI release on 29th August) in place of ‘The Clairvoyant’, ‘Infinite Dreams’ and ‘Holy Smoke.’
Apart from a new catalogue number the artwork remains unchanged.
– Rod
PRESS RELEASE:
IRON MAIDEN TO RELEASE 2-CD COMPILATION ‘THE ESSENTIAL IRON MAIDEN’ VIA SANCTUARY ON JULY 12, 2005
Legendary Metal band Iron Maiden will release the career-spanning, two-CD compilation ‘The Essential Iron Maiden’ through Sanctuary Records USA on July 12, 2005.
This 27-song collection is a stellar addition to the critically acclaimed, top-selling ‘Essential’ best-of series.
‘The Essential Iron Maiden’ features some of the greatest heavy metal music ever recorded. Iron Maiden have had huge worldwide impact these past 25 years thanks to all-time classic albums like ‘Iron Maiden,’ ‘Killers,’ ‘The Number Of The Beast,’ ‘Piece Of Mind,’ ‘Powerslave,’ ‘Live After Death,’ ‘Somewhere In Time,’ ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son,’ ‘No Prayer For The Dying,’ ‘Fear Of The Dark,’ ‘The X Factor,’ ‘Virtual XI,’ ‘Brave New World,’ ‘Dance Of Death’ and other live albums.
Every studio album and lineup of Iron Maiden is represented here. The package also includes sleeve notes from noted journalist Lonn Friend.
A sneak preview of the upcoming double live DVD and CD ‘Death On The Road’ is provided thanks to the inclusion of ‘Iron Maiden’ from this CD/DVD. The current, longtime lineup of vocalist Bruce Dickinson, guitarist Dave Murray, guitarist Adrian Smith, guitarist Janick Gers, bass guitarist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain recorded and filmed ‘Death On The Road’ in Germany in 2003 on the ‘Dance Of Death’ tour.
The songs on ‘The Essential Iron Maiden’ are:
Disc One – Paschendale, Rainmaker, The Wicker Man, Brave New World, Futureal, The Clansman, Sign Of The Cross, Man On The Edge, Be Quick Or Be Dead, Fear Of The Dark (Live), Holy Smoke, Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter and The Clairvoyant.
Disc Two – The Evil That Men Do, Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Aces High, Flight Of Icarus, The Trooper, The Number Of The Beast, Run To The Hills, Wrathchild, Killers, Phantom Of The Opera, Running Free (Live) and Iron Maiden (Live).
Iron Maiden will be touring North America again this summer as co-headliners with Black Sabbath on Ozzfest 2005, the 10th anniversary of the enormously popular festival.