Best of the Beast was Iron Maiden 's first "best of" album,[ 4] released in 1996 in three formats: a 34 track (four disc) vinyl, a 27 track (two disc) CD, a 16 track (single disc) CD and MiniDisc. The vinyl edition is, to date, the band's longest record release, running for over three hours.
The track listing differs slightly between the various editions of the compilation album, but consists mainly of the band's singles and most well-known songs from their 1980–1995 albums. Also included are a new single, entitled "Virus ",[ 4] as well as previously unreleased live versions of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and "Revelations" (the latter exclusive to the vinyl edition). Both "Virus" and "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" had promotional music videos created, the latter of which was filmed during The X Factour with new lead vocalist Blaze Bayley replacing Bruce Dickinson , who sang the original studio recording.
The two-CD edition contains two songs from the band's 1979 demo tape/EP The Soundhouse Tapes ("Iron Maiden" and "Strange World," of which the latter was previously unreleased).[ 4] The 4-disc vinyl pressing, meanwhile, contains the entire Soundhouse Tapes EP on its final side, again with the addition of "Strange World" from the same sessions. The vinyl edition has become quite rare and has increased in value steadily over the years in music stores and on online auction sites. The standard edition's value has not changed much although the Japanese pressings continue to rise in value.
Best of the Beast has long since been out of print and has been "replaced" by Edward the Great in most countries as a greatest hits package for the band.[ 5]
The cover art was designed by Derek Riggs , known for having created most of Iron Maiden's early album covers. It is an amalgamation of his most famous works with the band, featuring Eddies from the Piece of Mind , Powerslave , Somewhere in Time and No Prayer for the Dying eras, as well as those from "The Trooper ", Live After Death and a redesign of the Killers album cover.[ 6]
Standard edition CD and MD
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Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "The Number of the Beast " Steve Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 4:49 2. "Can I Play With Madness " Adrian Smith , Bruce Dickinson , Harris1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 3:31 3. "Fear of the Dark " (Live in Helsinki , Finland 1992 ) Harris 1993 ~ A Real Live One (1992 ~ Fear of the Dark ) 7:21 4. "Run to the Hills " Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 3:50 5. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter " Dickinson 1990 ~ No Prayer for the Dying 4:44 6. "The Evil That Men Do " Smith, Dickinson, Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:35 7. "Aces High " Harris 1984 ~ Powerslave 4:31 8. "Be Quick or Be Dead " Dickinson, Janick Gers 1992 ~ Fear of the Dark 3:21 9. "2 Minutes to Midnight " Smith, Dickinson 1984 ~ Powerslave 6:04 10. "Man on the Edge " Blaze Bayley , Gers1995 ~ The X Factor 4:18 11. "Virus " Harris, Gers, Dave Murray , Bayley New recording 6:30 12. "Running Free " (Live in Long Beach , United States 1985 ) Harris, Paul Di'Anno 1985 ~ Live After Death (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 3:25 13. "Wasted Years " Smith 1986 ~ Somewhere in Time 5:06 14. "The Clairvoyant " Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:27 15. "The Trooper " Harris 1983 ~ Piece of Mind 4:11 16. "Hallowed Be Thy Name " Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 7:10 Total length: 77:53
Disc One Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Virus" Harris, Gers, Murray, Bayley New recording 6:30 2. "Sign of the Cross" Harris 1995 ~ The X Factor 11:17 3. "Man on the Edge" Bayley, Gers 1995 ~ The X Factor 4:18 4. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (Live in Gothenburg , Sweden 1995 ) Harris Previously unreleased (1992 ~ Fear of the Dark ) 6:48 5. "Be Quick or Be Dead" Dickinson, Gers 1992 ~ Fear of the Dark 3:21 6. "Fear of the Dark" (Live at Helsinki, Finland 1992 ) Harris 1993 ~ A Real Live One 7:21 7. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" Dickinson 1990 ~ No Prayer for the Dying 4:44 8. "Holy Smoke " Harris, Dickinson 1990 ~ No Prayer for the Dying 3:49 9. "The Clairvoyant" Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:27 10. "Can I Play With Madness" Smith, Dickinson, Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 3:31 11. "The Evil That Men Do" Smith, Dickinson, Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:35 12. "Heaven Can Wait" Harris 1986 ~ Somewhere in Time 7:24 13. "Wasted Years" Smith 1986 ~ Somewhere in Time 5:06
Disc Two Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Live in Long Beach, USA 1985 ) Harris 1985 ~ Live After Death (1984 ~ Powerslave ) 13:10 2. "Running Free" (Live in Long Beach, USA 1985; single edit ) Harris, Di'Anno 1985 ~ Live After Death (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 3:25 3. "2 Minutes to Midnight" Smith, Dickinson 1984 ~ Powerslave 6:04 4. "Aces High" Harris 1984 ~ Powerslave 4:31 5. "Where Eagles Dare" Harris 1983 ~ Piece of Mind 6:10 6. "The Trooper" Harris 1983 ~ Piece of Mind 4:11 7. "The Number of the Beast" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 4:49 8. "Run to the Hills" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 3:50 9. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 7:10 10. "Wrathchild" Harris 1981 ~ Killers 2:54 11. "Phantom of the Opera" Harris 1980 ~ Iron Maiden 7:20 12. "Sanctuary " Harris, Murray, Di'Anno 1980 ~ Iron Maiden 3:13 13. "Strange World" (Unreleased recording for The Soundhouse Tapes ) Harris Previously unreleased (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 5:45 14. "Iron Maiden" Harris 1979 ~ The Soundhouse Tapes (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 3:57 Total length: 149:40
Limited edition vinyl
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[ 7]
Side A Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Virus" Harris, Gers, Murray, Bayley New recording 6:30 2. "Sign of the Cross" Harris 1995 ~ The X Factor 11:17 3. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (Live in Gothenburg, Sweden 1995 ) Harris Previously unreleased (1992 ~ Fear of the Dark ) 6:40
Side B Title Writer(s) Original Album 4. "Man on the Edge" Bayley, Gers 1995 ~ The X Factor 4:18 5. "Be Quick or Be Dead" Dickinson, Gers 1992 ~ Fear of the Dark 3:21 6. "Fear of the Dark" (Live in Helsinki, Finland 1992 ) Harris 1993 ~ A Real Live One (1992 ~ Fear of the Dark ) 7:21 7. "Holy Smoke" Harris, Dickinson 1990 ~ No Prayer for the Dying 3:49 8. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" Dickinson 1990 ~ No Prayer for the Dying 4:44
Side C Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 9:54 2. "Can I Play With Madness" Dickinson, Harris, Smith 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 3:31 3. "The Evil That Men Do" Smith, Dickinson, Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:35 4. "The Clairvoyant" Harris 1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 4:27
Side D Title Writer(s) Original Album 5. "Heaven Can Wait" Harris 1986 ~ Somewhere in Time 7:24 6. "Wasted Years" Smith 1986 ~ Somewhere in Time 5:06 7. "2 Minutes to Midnight" Smith, Dickinson 1984 ~ Powerslave 6:04 8. "Running Free" (Live in Long Beach, USA 1985; single edit ) Harris, Di'Anno 1985 ~ Live After Death (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 3:25
Side E Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Live in Long Beach, USA 1985 ) Harris 1985 ~ Live After Death (1984 ~ Powerslave ) 13:10 2. "Aces High" Harris 1984 ~ Powerslave 4:31 3. "Where Eagles Dare" Harris 1983 ~ Piece of Mind 6:10 4. "The Trooper" Harris 1983 ~ Piece of Mind 4:11
Side F Title Writer(s) Original Album 5. "The Number of the Beast" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 4:49 6. "Revelations" (Live in Westfalenhallen , Germany 1983 ) Dickinson Previously unreleased (1983 ~ Piece of Mind ) 6:11 7. "The Prisoner" Smith, Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 6:00 8. "Run to the Hills" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 3:50 9. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" Harris 1982 ~ The Number of the Beast 7:10
Side G Title Writer(s) Original Album 1. "Wrathchild" Harris 1981 ~ Killers 2:54 2. "Killers" Di'Anno, Harris 1981 ~ Killers 5:01 3. "Remember Tomorrow" Di'Anno, Harris 1980 ~ Iron Maiden 5:27 4. "Phantom of the Opera" Harris 1980 ~ Iron Maiden 7:20 5. "Sanctuary" Iron Maiden 1980 ~ Iron Maiden 3:13
Side H Title Writer(s) Original Album 6. "Prowler" Harris 1979 ~ The Soundhouse Tapes (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 4:17 7. "Invasion" Harris 1979 ~ The Soundhouse Tapes (1980 ~ Women in Uniform ) 2:55 8. "Strange World" (Unreleased recording for The Soundhouse Tapes ) Harris Previously unreleased (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 5:45 9. "Iron Maiden" Harris 1979 ~ The Soundhouse Tapes (1980 ~ Iron Maiden ) 3:57 Total length: 189:17
^ Best of the Beast (Media notes). Iron Maiden . EMI . 23 September 1996.{{cite AV media notes }}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link )
^ Prato, Greg. Iron Maiden-Best of the Beast at AllMusic . Retrieved 23 June 2011.
^ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties . Burlington, Ontario , Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing . p. 213. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9 .
^ a b c Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 316. ISBN 1-86074-542-3 .
^ Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 365. ISBN 1-86074-542-3 .
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^ "Argentinian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Best of the Beast" . Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers . Retrieved 29 April 2013 .
^ "Brazilian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Best of the Beast" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 29 April 2013 .
^ a b "Iron Maiden" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 29 April 2013 .
^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden . Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013 .
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