The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[bosk1]

I mean, it is still available online.  If I really wanted it, I could get it.  I'm just saying that in terms of seeing copies in brick-and-mortar stores, I noticed it disappear almost immediately when Maiden England came out, and I have not seen it restocked at any of the various places I typically shop.  I was a Maiden late-bloomer and was just getting into the band when En Vivo! was released, and I remember it being everywhere.  I bought the DVD, which is one of the main things that hooked me.  And already having the DVD, and with so much other material to purchase and explore, I put getting the CD on the back burner and did not get it right away.  But I noticed that it went from having tons of copies in the bins in every store to having none, and just found it odd.

[SebastianPratesi]

I'm not sure. Maybe it was a limited edition? One of my first albums was Blink-182's live one from 2000, which according to the press-release was only sold for 2 months starting November 7. I got a copy in early December, and since then I haven't seen any other copy anywhere. Anyways, much later, when I visited Europe in 2011, I found some stores (I think Fnac in Madrid, and HMV in London) which still had copies.

Maybe En Vivo! also had a limited release, so after the first pressing(s) of the album, there are no more copies - or, they will begin to surface at a later moment.

I'm also thinking that when The Beatles' (and Queen's, and Pink Floyd's, and Led Zeppelin's) latest remasters were released, the older (mostly '90s) CDs of those same albums almost immediately disappeared from the stores. I'm not sure, buy maybe that is a label decision - so the new CDs (which are way nicer but cost way more) don't have to compete with the old CDs (which were way cheaper in some cases).

Although in Maiden England's case, the 'competitor' would be En Vivo!, which represents a different tour from a different decade, so I'm not sure how that last theory would apply there.

Anyways: hey, I'm also a late-bloomer! In my teens I listened to some stuff (since a friend was a huge fan), but I was 22 the first time I decided to buy something. It was the From Fear To Eternity compilation released in 2011. Some weak tracks there, but a good collection nontheless. After that, it was En Vivo! and the last 4 studio albums.

I also gave a copy of The Best of The Beast (and a few South Park DVDs) to my 10 year-old cousin. Boy am I a good influence

[sneakyblueberry]

The 2-disc Best of the Beast from '96 with the huge deluxe booklet was the album that got me hooked on Maiden.  I'd love to get a copy of that, but I assume it was deleted a loooong time ago.

[SebastianPratesi]

The 2-disc Best of the Beast from '96 with the huge deluxe booklet was the album that got me hooked on Maiden.  I'd love to get a copy of that, but I assume it was deleted a loooong time ago.

I didn't know there was such a thing! I gave the single disc edition to my cousin, but I always thought it was the only edition available. What does the second CD include?

[Zydar]

Check the tracklist for the limited edition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_the_Beast#Limited_edition_CD

That 2 CD was my introduction to the band as well, around 1998.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I have the standard edition of BotB but yeah the Limited Edition is very rare.

[sneakyblueberry]

Check the tracklist for the limited edition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_the_Beast#Limited_edition_CD

wow, I got nostalgic just looking at that that's my fuckin childhood right there.  awesome!

I remember staying home sick from school one day and listening to the whole thing all the way through.  I have a pretty distinct memory of lying on the bed in my brother's room, hearing that Strange World demo towards the end of the second disc for the first time.  It's etched in my mind as a peaceful and formative moment of my childhood. 

[jjrock88]

Check the tracklist for the limited edition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_the_Beast#Limited_edition_CD

That 2 CD was my introduction to the band as well, around 1998.

The single disc was my introduction to the band too!

[Cool Chris]

I am not usually one for " Greatest Hits" collections, but I bought this one on a whim. Weeks later bought pretty much all their studio albums up till that point. I think I made the decision to do so half way through the first song. I mean, cmon, Paschendale to lead off? Damn.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Essential_Iron_Maiden

[SebastianPratesi]

I am not usually one for " Greatest Hits" collections, but I bought this one on a whim. Weeks later bought pretty much all their studio albums up till that point. I think I made the decision to do so half way through the first song. I mean, cmon, Paschendale to lead off? Damn.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Essential_Iron_Maiden

That looks cool! I like it that, besides the debut, each album is represented by 2 songs.

[jjrock88]

Maiden isn't at the level of Kiss for greatest hits/best of, but they have quite a few.

[wolfking]

I have always wanted to get my hands on that 2cd version of Best of the Beast.  Very rare indeed.

[wolfking]

https://youtu.be/RhDp4pUWKzg

Fuck, Bruce sounding unbelievable!

[Stadler]

I have always wanted to get my hands on that 2cd version of Best of the Beast.  Very rare indeed.

The 4-disk vinyl version is even rarer, and it has about 6 or 7 additional songs from the two-CD set, including an unreleased live version of "Revelations", and the other two songs from the Soundhouse Tapes.  I don't have it (I have the 2-CD set) because I'm not really equipped for vinyl, but it's a nice package. 

[Stadler]

https://youtu.be/RhDp4pUWKzg

Fuck, Bruce sounding unbelievable!

My fucking love for that guy knows no bounds.  Holy crap.  If the rest of that show even sounds HALF that good... 

[Mladen]

Bruce sounds unbelievable.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I'm trying to think what's cooler: singing like that in a legendary metal band at his age or fly a 747 with your bands logo on with the callsign Atlanta 666? Either way most humans stick with one of those things but Bruce does both and that's not even half of the projects he's juggling.

[aurorablind]

It's unbelievable that he was being treated for throat cancer only a year ago.
Man, what a guy! 

[sneakyblueberry]

his singing in tulsa was waaaay better than opening night.  looks like he just needed the warm up.  so pumped!

[wolfking]

his singing in tulsa was waaaay better than opening night.  looks like he just needed the warm up.  so pumped!

I thought that too from the videos.  Amazing stuff, can't wait to see them in May.

[Lowdz]

Bruce sounds unbelievable.

I've been critical of his voice on recent albums (not TBoS) but he is on fire here. A great tone, more like his old (young!) self, and he has no right to sound this great. Very impressed.

[El Barto]

He sounded great the whole night in Tulsa. After the last tour I thought he had hit the wall, but apparently not. It helps that this is very early in the tour. He's always started out strong and then petered out towards the end. I enjoyed the setlist and the opener was exactly what I wanted to see. I could have done with out 20 minutes of TRatB, and I can always do without Blood Brothers, but otherwise it was a damn fine set. Downside is that the crowd wasn't very lively. I was right in the middle and pretty close up and there just wasn't much energy in there. While it's kick ass that they sold out that big-ass arena in Tulsa, that doesn't seem to be where their most rabid fans are.

[jjrock88]

https://youtu.be/RhDp4pUWKzg

Fuck, Bruce sounding unbelievable!

wow 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I've always enjoyed Maiden's music, but lately I've been getting really into it. Anyone else agree that Number of the Beast, while awesome, is perhaps a tad overrated? I think the band really went to another level starting with Piece of Mind.

[425]

I think they got steadily more sophisticated on each album up to Seventh Son. I do think Piece of Mind is a step up from The Number of the Beast generally. Beast has the best song on either album and Piece has the worst, but I think as a whole album, PoM is a slight step up on the strength of songs like Where Eagles Dare, Revelations and To Tame a Land.

[TAC]

I've always enjoyed Maiden's music, but lately I've been getting really into it. Anyone else agree that Number of the Beast, while awesome, is perhaps a tad overrated? I think the band really went to another level starting with Piece of Mind.

There is nothing overrated about TNOTB.

[home]

The set lists are looking great, can't wait to see them for the first time in a few months Really hoping they are going to play Blood Brothers.

I've always enjoyed Maiden's music, but lately I've been getting really into it. Anyone else agree that Number of the Beast, while awesome, is perhaps a tad overrated? I think the band really went to another level starting with Piece of Mind.

I agree, I like almost every album after it better (perhaps even virtual XI )

[Stadler]

I've always enjoyed Maiden's music, but lately I've been getting really into it. Anyone else agree that Number of the Beast, while awesome, is perhaps a tad overrated? I think the band really went to another level starting with Piece of Mind.

There is nothing overrated about TNOTB.

I'm with TAC.  I'm in the "the album deserves "Total Eclipse" instead of "Gangland", but that album was watershed.  I dig Killers, one of my favorite albums ever, but TNOTB is just a whole new world. 

[TAC]

I LOVE Gangland! 

[wolfking]

I LOVE Gangland! 

There's nothing wrong with it, it's a great song.

[Scorpion]

Gangland is pretty boring, as is Invaders. Run to the Hills and the title track are overplayed, but they're not bad, and the rest of the album ranges from great to stellar.

However, because I basically don't care much for half the album, it's still bottom tied for me. So yes, I would agree that it's overrated.

[PowerSlave]

Stadler nailed it. The album was a game changer. It helped to define the genre and deserves all the praise that it gets because of this. 30+ years after its release it can be easy for us to say that there are better albums that came afterward, but it changed everything that came after it. Very few albums/bands can make that claim, and their importance can't be understated.

[NoseofNicko]

I've always enjoyed Maiden's music, but lately I've been getting really into it. Anyone else agree that Number of the Beast, while awesome, is perhaps a tad overrated? I think the band really went to another level starting with Piece of Mind.

I agree. Great album, but the next 4 are much better.

[Scorpion]

Stadler nailed it. The album was a game changer. It helped to define the genre and deserves all the praise that it gets because of this. 30+ years after its release it can be easy for us to say that there are better albums that came afterward, but it changed everything that came after it. Very few albums/bands can make that claim, and their importance can't be understated.

All of that is true, TNotB was influential in a way that very few albums are.

But I still think that it gets more praise than the quality of the songs on it merits, and isn't that what overrated means?

[Zydar]

Yeah. It may be influential and a landmark and all that, but I find it to be a bit overrated compared to the rest of their 80s output. Song for song there are better albums from that period IMHO.