Somewhere Back in Time

Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980 - 1989
Greatest hits album by Iron Maiden
Released 12 May 2008
Recorded 1981-1988
Genre Heavy metal
Length 71:25[1]
Label EMI
Universal Music Group (US)
Producer Martin Birch
Iron Maiden compilations chronology

The Essential Iron Maiden
(2005)		 Somewhere Back in Time
(2008)		 From Fear to Eternity
(2011)

Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980 - 1989 is a best of release by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally recorded for their first eight albums (including Live After Death).

Background

The album was released in conjunction with the band's Somewhere Back In Time World Tour to allow new fans to listen to a selection of the band's material that was played on the tour. The cover artwork by Derek Riggs features the Pharaoh Eddie monument from Powerslave and Cyborg Eddie from Somewhere in Time.

A number of tracks were taken from the band's 1985 live album, Live After Death because the band preferred to use recordings which featured current Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson rather than Paul Di'Anno, who sang on their first two studio releases.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
About.com <ref name=about.com">{{cite web|url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/ironmaidensomew.htm|title=Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time Review|publisher=About.com|first=Chad|last=Bowar|accessdate=1 August 2012}}</ref>
AllMusic [2]
Classic Rock 9/10[3]
Kerrang! 5/5[4]
Metal Hammer 9/10[5]
Rocksound 8/10[6]

Reviews for the compilation were generally positive, with Kerrang! commenting that "metal collections don't come much more solid than this."[4] Classic Rock deemed it "a relentless, 70-minute crowd pleaser marathon," containing "timeless anthems that still make the adrenalin surge and the sinews stiffen after all these years."[3] Metal Hammer, on the other hand, praised it for being "a reminder of why Iron Maiden became the most important band on the planet back in the 1980s - and why, once again, they've reclaimed that crown."[5]

AllMusic, however, were more critical of the release, deeming the album "merely adequate" and decrying the band's decision to avoid using the original versions of songs featuring Paul Di'Anno on lead vocals.[2]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Original album Length
1. "Churchill's Speech"   Live After Death - segues into the next song 0.49
2. "Aces High" (live)Steve HarrisLive After Death; Originally from Powerslave 4.36
3. "2 Minutes to Midnight"  Adrian Smith, Bruce DickinsonPowerslave 6.00
4. "The Trooper"  HarrisPiece of Mind 4.11
5. "Wasted Years"  SmithSomewhere in Time 5.06
6. "Children of the Damned"  HarrisThe Number of the Beast 4.35
7. "The Number of the Beast"  HarrisThe Number of the Beast 4.53
8. "Run to the Hills"  HarrisThe Number of the Beast 3.53
9. "Phantom of the Opera" (live)HarrisLive After Death; Originally from Iron Maiden 7.21
10. "The Evil That Men Do"  Smith, Harris, DickinsonSeventh Son of a Seventh Son 4.34
11. "Wrathchild" (live)HarrisLive After Death; Originally from Killers 3.07
12. "Can I Play with Madness"  Smith, Dickinson, HarrisSeventh Son of a Seventh Son 3.31
13. "Powerslave"  DickinsonPowerslave 6.47
14. "Hallowed Be Thy Name"  HarrisThe Number of the Beast 7.12
15. "Iron Maiden" (live)HarrisLive After Death; Originally from Iron Maiden 4.50
Total length:
 71:25

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[1]

Iron Maiden
Production

Chart performance

Country Chart (2008) Peak
position
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40 26[7]
Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 19[8]
Belgium (Wallonia) 36[9]
Finland The Official Finnish Charts 3[10]
Germany Media Control Charts 84[11]
Japan Oricon 39[12]
Netherlands MegaCharts 74[13]
New Zealand RIANZ 24[14]
Norway VG-lista 4[15]
Spain PROMUSICAE 36[16]
Sweden Sverigetopplistan 2[17]
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade 31[18]
United Kingdom Official Albums Chart 14[19]
United States Billboard 200 58[20]
Country Chart (2009) Peak
position
Mexico Top 100 Mexico 47[21]
Country Chart (2010) Peak
position
Greece IFPI Greece 56[22]

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[23] Gold 11,815[23]
Sweden (GLF)[24] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Somewhere Back in Time (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 12 May 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Monger, James Christopher. Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lawson, Dom (June 2008). "Any old Iron". Classic Rock. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ruskell, Nick (10 May 2008). "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989". Kerrang!. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dome, Malcolm (June 2008). "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Fraser, Lewis (1 May 2008). "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989". Rocksound. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album), Charts Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album), Charts Wallonie" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". The Official Finnish Charts. Finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "Iron Maiden, Longplay-Chartverfolgung". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  12. ↑ アイアン・メイデン - 時空の覇者 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". MegaCharts. Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". VG-lista. Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  16. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". Productores de Música de España. Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  17. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". Sverigetopplistan. Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  18. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)" (in German). Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  19. ↑ "Official UK Albums Archive 24 May 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "Iron Maiden- Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  21. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". Top 100 Mexico. Mexicancharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980-1989 (album)". IFPI Greece. Greekcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 The first web page presents the sales figures, the second presents the certification limits:
  24. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  25. ↑ "British album certifications – Iron Maiden – Somewhere Back in Time". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Somewhere Back in Time in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search