Best of the Beast

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Best of the Beast

Compilation album by Iron Maiden
Released	September 24, 1996
Recorded	1979–1996
Genre	Heavy Metal
Length	77:45 (single disc) 150 minutes (2-disc issue)
Label	EMI (U.K.) Castle Music (U.S.)
Producer(s)	Martin Birch, Nigel Green, Steve Harris, Iron Maiden, Will Malone
All Music Guide link
Iron Maiden chronology
The X Factor (1995)	Best of the Beast (1996)	Virtual XI (1998)

Best of the Beast was Iron Maiden's first "best of" album, released in 1996 in three formats: a 34 track (four disc) vinyl, a 27 track (two disc) CD and a 16 track (single disc) CD. The songlist is mainly Maiden's greatest hits (singles) and most well-known songs from 1980-1995 albums, but it also includes a new single (entitled "Virus". A new version of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" was also on this album. A Live video filmed during The X Factour (world tour to promote The X Factor album) - originally this song featured the band's previous vocalist Bruce Dickinson.

The two-CD version contained two songs from the band's 1979 demo tape The Soundhouse Tapes ("Iron Maiden" and "Strange World," of which the latter one was previously unreleased). The 4-disc vinyl version is nowadays quite rare and is now a collectable which has increased in value steadily on online auction sites. The standard edition's value has not changed much, and has been replaced by Edward the Great in most countries as a 'best of' for the band.

The cover art was by Derek Riggs, who designed most of Iron Maiden's album covers. It is an amalgimation of his most famous works with the band - it features Eddie from the Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time and No Prayer for the Dying eras as well as "The Trooper", Live After Death and a redesign of the Killers album cover.

1 Track listing
- 1.1 Limited two disc edition
  - 1.1.1 Disc one
  - 1.1.2 Disc two
- 1.2 Standard edition

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Limited two disc edition

[edit] Disc one

New track for Best of the Beast (1996): 1. "Virus"
Tracks taken from The X Factor (1995): 2. "Sign of the Cross"; 3. "Man on the Edge"
Previously unreleased track (1995): 4. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (Live)
Track taken from Fear of the Dark (1992): 5. "Be Quick or Be Dead"
Track taken from A Real Live One (1993): 6. "Fear of the Dark" (Live)
Tracks taken from No Prayer for the Dying (1990): 7. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"; 8. "Holy Smoke"
Tracks taken from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988): 9. "The Clairvoyant"; 10. "Can I Play with Madness"; 11. "The Evil that Men Do"
Tracks taken from Somewhere in Time (1986): 12. "Heaven Can Wait"; 13. "Wasted Years"

[edit] Disc two

Tracks taken from Live After Death (1985): 1. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Live); 2. "Running Free" (Live)
Tracks taken from Powerslave (1984): 3. "2 Minutes to Midnight"; 4. "Aces High"
Tracks taken from Piece of Mind (1983): 5. "Where Eagles Dare"; 6. "The Trooper"
Tracks taken from The Number of the Beast (1982): 7 "The Number of the Beast"; 8. "Run to the Hills"; 9. "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
Track taken from Killers (1981): 10. "Wrathchild"
Tracks taken from Iron Maiden (1980): 11. "Phantom of the Opera"; 12. "Sanctuary"
Tracks taken from The Soundhouse Tapes (1979): 13. "Strange World"; 14. "Iron Maiden"

[edit] Standard edition

1. "The Number of the Beast" ¹

2. "Can I Play With Madness" ⁶

3. "Fear of the Dark" (Live) ⁹

4. "Run to the Hills" ¹

5. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" ⁷

6. "The Evil that Men Do" ⁶

7. "Aces High" ³

8. "Be Quick or Be Dead" ⁸

9. "2 Minutes to Midnight" ³

10. "Man on the Edge" ¹⁰

11. "Virus" ¹¹

12. "Running Free" (Live) ⁴

13. "Wasted Years" ⁵

14. "The Clairvoyant" ⁶

15. "The Trooper" ²

16. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" ¹

Note 1: tracks 1, 4 & 16 taken from The Number of the Beast (1982)
Note 2: track 15 taken from Piece of Mind (1983)
Note 3: tracks 7 & 9 taken from Powerslave (1984)
Note 4: track 12 taken from Live After Death (1985)
Note 5: track 13 taken from Somewhere in Time (1986)
Note 6: tracks 2, 6 & 14 taken from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Note 7: track 5 taken from No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Note 8: track 8 taken from Fear of the Dark (1992)
Note 9: track 3 taken from A Real Live One (1993)
Note 10: track 10 taken from The X Factor (1995)
Note 11: "Virus" was a new track recorded for this compilation (1996)

Discography
Iron Maiden
Bruce Dickinson \| Dave Murray \| Janick Gers \| Adrian Smith \| Steve Harris \| Nicko McBrain
List of past and present Iron Maiden members
Studio albums: Iron Maiden \| Killers \| The Number of the Beast \| Piece of Mind \| Powerslave \| 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 \| A Matter of Life and Death
Live albums: Live After Death \| A Real Live One \| A Real Dead One \| Live at Donington \| A Real Live Dead One \| Rock in Rio \| The BBC Archives \| Beast Over Hammersmith \| Death on the Road
Compilations and box-sets: The First Ten Years \| Best of the Beast \| Ed Hunter \| Edward the Great \| Eddie's Archive \| Best of the B'Sides \| The Essential Iron Maiden
Videos and DVDs: Live at the Rainbow \| Video Pieces \| Behind the Iron Curtain \| Live After Death \| 12 Wasted Years \| Maiden England \| The First Ten Years: The Videos \| From There to Eternity \| Donington Live 1992 \| Raising Hell \| Classic Albums: The Number of the Beast \| Rock in Rio \| Visions of the Beast \| The Early Days \| Death on the Road
EPs: The Soundhouse Tapes \| Live!! +one \| Maiden Japan \| No More Lies
Singles
"Running Free" \| "Sanctuary" \| "Women in Uniform" \| "Twilight Zone" \| "Purgatory" \| "Run to the Hills" \| "The Number of the Beast" \| "Flight of Icarus" \| "The Trooper" \| "2 Minutes to Midnight" \| "Aces High" \| "Running Free (live)" \| "Run to the Hills (live '85)" \| "Wasted Years" \| "Stranger in a Strange Land" \| "Can I Play with Madness" \| "The Evil That Men Do" \| "The Clairvoyant (live)" \| "Infinite Dreams" \| "Holy Smoke" \| "Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter" \| "Be Quick or Be Dead" \| "From Here to Eternity" \| "Wasting Love" \| "Fear of the Dark (live)" \| "Hallowed Be Thy Name (live)" \| "Man on the Edge" \| "Lord of the Flies" \| "Virus" \| "The Angel and the Gambler" \| "Futureal" \| "The Wicker Man" \| "Out of the Silent Planet" \| "Run to the Hills (live '01)" \| "Wildest Dreams" \| "Rainmaker" \| "The Number of the Beast (2005)" \| "The Trooper (live)" \| "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" \| "Different World"
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