Ed Hunter is in fact a video game, but it came with a double CD greatest hits collection which spanned Iron Maiden's entire career at the time. It's literally a list of the band's Top 20 songs, as selected by the fans on the official Maiden website, in December of 1998.The only reason I'm reviewing this as an album is that my copy of Best Of The Beast is in such rough shape it needs to be replaced. Why does that matter? I listen to the albums as I write the reviews, and I can't listen to it, to write the review. And if you are wondering why review a greatest hits package, they are always the best place to start a collection with a band when you don't know much about them. Also Maiden can have an impressive best of or greatest hits if it's put together right.
Now, as I said these songs were selected by the fans, and they appear in order based on the number of the votes they recieved, according to the CD. I was part of the selection process when this happened, which is also why I find it so easy to bitch about the songs that make up this collection.
This spans the band's entire "official album" career, which means four guitarists, three vocalists, two drummers, and one bassist needed to be represented. The problem is when they set up the website for voting they didn't do it fairly. The listed each album and then asked you to pick a certain number of songs from that album. You can actually figure out the breakdown based on which songs appear on this album. Which also means the first thing you will notice is that the album Iron Maiden is barely on here at all.
A live version of the song by the same name starts this collection, but it's the version from Live After Death, so it's Bruce instead of Paul Di'Anno. I don't like this version, and never have. There are many better live versions of the song, with Bruce performing them. However, I would have liked to have had more Di'Anno on this album then there is. Also I really like Paul's performance of this song, which is why it bugs me that's it's not here.
Going to the other side of the spectrum, we have way too much Blaze Bayley. Nothing against Blaze, he's a good vocalist, but one song from each album he was on would have been more than enough, and there was no way that Virtual XI deserved two songs, eventhough I did like the album in an off-beat way.
Just like I don't understand how Powerslave got three songs, which is the same that Number Of The Beast has, but more than Piece Of Mind, which is a better album as far as I'm concerned. Then there's the fact that the only live track is the already mentioned Iron Maiden. There were two other full length live albums that didn't even get an option to appear on this collection.
However, I'm going to stop bitching about how they opted to run their song selection process and get back to the songs.
After the live version of Iron Maiden kicks off the album we move on to The Trooper. The only one of my top three songs to make the cut for this collection. Now I'm just going to cut and paste the write up I've already done for this song on the Piece Of Mind album, and tweek it a bit.
The Trooper's the quintessential Iron Maiden gallopping riff song. That insane gallop that only Steven Harris can so perfectly play is what this entire song is all about. Then the lryical content is real fun. With a verse like "You'll take my life but I'll take yours too / You'll fire your musket but I'll run you through / So when your waiting for the next attack / You'd better stand there's no turning back / The bugle sounds the charge begins / But on this battle field no one wins / The smell of acrid smoke and horses breath as I plunge on into certain death", a chorus of "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh" is all you need to make this song perfect. Oh yeah, it makes me very happy this is the second favourite fan voted song.
Just as a little side note, so I don't have to keep mentioning it in this article, every song review on here either comes from a review already written, or will end up in a later album review. This is a greatest hits package, I feel I can be as lazy as the band was putting this album together. That's not a dig either, just a statement of facts as I see them.
Number Of The Beast is probably the most well known song from the band. It's a surprise that it's number three instead of one.
This is the song that made Satanic Heavy Metal a real thing for many religious groups, just waiting to raise a whole lot of stupidity. The song is an arrangement of complex changes and textures, with a little Vincent Price for added fun. Which once again has me thinking of another great showman, that also used Mr. Price's vocal majesty. I'm not talking about the King of Pop either, because he did it after Maiden, who did it after Alice Cooper.
The fourth song on the album is Wrathchild, one of two vocal contributions from Di'Anno on this album. Let me start with I've never been a big fan of this song, and I think the only reason it ever become as popular of a song as it was, was due to the fact that there wasn't too much Maiden to listen to yet. I really just don't understand the appeal of the song. It does have great groove, but that's about it. Now as I've said, two songs were included from the Virtual XI album, and somehow beyond my ken one of them made it to number five on this list. Futereal which was not one of the songs I liked off that album is on here instead of the single The Angel And The Gambler. How the fuck that happened I will never figure out. I don't understand why anyone thought this was single material.
Song six is the live crowd favourite Fear Of The Dark. Sadly they went with the studio version instead of a live one on here. It's the only song from it's respective album you can guarantee the band will play live. In fact it's always one of the best "crowd" songs on any given night. It is a magnificently crafted epic, that is just beautiful. It takes you on a journey that is full of wonder and intrigue, and of course there is fear. "Have you run your fingers down / The wall / And have you felt your neck skin crawl / When you're searching for the light? / Sometimes when you're scared / To take a look / At the corner of the room / You've sensed that something's / Watching you / Have you ever been alone at night / Thought you heard footsteps behind / And turned around and no one's there? / And as you quicken up your pace / You find it hard to look again / Because you're sure there's / Someone there".
It's no surprise that Fear Of The Dark would be number six on the list, but it is surprising that Be Quick Or Be Dead, from the same album, follows at track seven. When I wrote the original review for this song this is all I had to say, "The lead off track Be Quick Or Be Dead, is a prime example of this. Not to say that it's a bad song, it's very good, just dated." It's an early 90's song, that sounds very much like everything else from many bands at that time. However, it's still good, and I feel the need to stress that.
One of Iron Maiden's biggest hits has got to be 2 Minutes To Midnight. Everyone I know that likes Maiden, right down to my 12 year old son, loves this song. Except for me. I can't give you a good reason. Musically the song is sound (which I know reads funny), with it's catchy chorus and razor sharp riffs, but I have no use for the song. Actually when I look at the album that it's from (Powerslave), I notice that I don't care for most songs off that album.
After that we come back to another Bayley song. Man On The Edge, from the X Factor album, is luckily the only song from ths album. It's not a bad album, but it wasn't as imaginative as the Virtual XI album, and didn't have the musical majesty that one would normally expect from Maiden. How this song made it to number nine I'll never figure out either. Then again if you can only pick one song from the album and everyone picks this song, it will get a lot of votes.
From there we move on to Aces High, the only song from the Powerslave album I really enjoy. This is one of those songs that I think it's all about Dickinson's performance. "There goes the siren that warns of the air raid / Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak / Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne / Got to get up for the coming attack. / Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines / Remove all the wheelblocks there's no time to waste / Gathering speed as we head down the runway / Gotta get airborne before it's too late. / Running, scrambling, flying / Rolling, turning, diving, going in again / Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die / Run, live to fly, fly to live. aces high." There's a lot of production in his voice on this song, however his live performances are just as good. The song was designed for stadium performances.
After that it's on to The Evil That Men Do which is the only song from Seventh Song Of A Seventh Son. Which brings me back to, Powerslave has three songs on here? I digress.
I don't care for the weak sounding opening to the song, but once that famous gallop starts going it sends it into motion so the guitars can build up speed and take flight. The chorus is also really catchy and easy to sing along with.
Number twelve is another one of my absolute favourite Iron Maiden songs, and it was written by Adrian Smith. Wasted Years is this astounding fast paced straight rocker, sans gallop, from the Somewhere In Time album. Now, as much as I love the chorus and the message in the verses, which one can easily guess from the song title, it's the guitar that makes this song. The way Smith opens up and let's it fly is fucking amazing!!! The main riff itself is a marvel of talent, skill and sound, but the solo is a wet dream.
One again back to Powerslave, luckily this is the last time I will bitch about it. The last song included from that album is the title track itself. This song has great energy live, and I will not deny that. However, I have no use for the song. The first disc finishes up with Hallowed Be Thy Name, unless you have the special 1999 U.S. edition, which I don't.
Hallowed Be Thy Name, is long, epic, and Iron Maiden's story of a man walking to his death at the gallows. So many bands have done this story, but very few have done it with such unique style and presence. It brings to mind Alice Cooper's Killer, which makes sense because of the showmanship of Dickinson's vocals and the surprisingly intricate muscianship.
Now this track registers as being 7:15 on my computer. I swear the computer, the liner notes and every other counter in the world is lying. Somehow Maiden managed to magically cram at least ten minutes of song in there, and it's all worth it. The second disc opens up with Run To The Hills. This is another favourite of mine. For a while it was my favourite even.
The story of the British invading, killing and slaughtering Native Americans, because "The only good Indians are tame." I learned something from this song. Metal bands have brains. I also learned the difference between screaming and singing. That insane high note I scream, thus ripping out my vocal chords, can only be sung by Bruce. Oh yeah, what about that crazy gallop that only Maiden can do!? HELL YEAH!!!
I must say I'm a bit upset that it's technically number fifteen on the list of twenty.
After that we got to The Clansman, the last Bayley song on this collection. From Virtual XI, this is a song inspired by Mel Gibson's Braveheart. This is a really good song, and I actually feel bad that I like Bruce's performance of it live better. The fact is that Dickinson is a performer.
Now, I have no clue how Phantom Of The Opera ended up at number seventeen, it should have been much higher. Especially since it's the only song from Iron Maiden (the album) on here. I am willing to overlook the fact that it beat Running Free, but I will not accept that it ended up so low on the list.
Killers is one of those songs that is wicked cool, but much like the album that it is from, I don't care for most of the songs. I can understand why it was Di' Anno's last album.
Stranger In A Strange Land is the second track from Somewhere In Time to be on this collection. I have nothing against this song, but I'm not sure why it's as well recieved as it is. Even odder is that it may be the only Smith song that I don't care for. I think it's because the song sounds so typically Maiden.
Tailgunner is the only song to appear from No Prayer For The Dying. This is not the greatest Maiden album, but I liked it. Which is why I'm surprised this song is on here instead of Holy Smoke or Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter. I have nothing against Tailgunner, it's just that there's better. I also find it a shame that it's the last song on this colelction. Really? This song got less votes than any of the Bayley stuff? Seems odd to me.
At the end of it all this is a good collection when you consider that it's actually the bonus to a video game. However. I really would have liked to have seen different songs and in a much different order (in many cases). In fact my top twenty list would have read, and in order, 1) Running Free, 2) Flight Of Icarus, 3) The Trooper, 4) From Here To Eternity, 5) Wasted Year, 6) Fear Of The Dark (live), 7) Run To The Hills, 8) Iron Maiden (studio version), 9) Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter , 10) The Evil That Men Do, 11) Can I Play With Madness, 12) Number Of The Beast, 13) Heaven Can Wait, 14) Children Of The Damned, 15) Aces High, 16) Man On The Edge, 17) Angel And The Gambler 18) Gengis Khan 19) Transylvania 20) Santuary (live).
8/10 - content
8/10 - production
7/10 - personal bias
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