Cd album: a brief reflection.

I know you guys probably will say, hey this guy has so few Cd's, how about the Castle re-editions? How about the first UK pressings? Well, guys, I'm a practical guy and I don't need to have all the editions from all the countries of this and other planets, known and unknown yet. I pretend to have the very first UK pressing and probably the original editions of the Real Live Cd's ( urrrgg...I have those two and sold them , now I'm thinking in buying again). But just that, what you are seeing on this section is what I like, I simply don't collect catalog numbers like the majority of the collectors, I don't like that, its too much compulsive, and when we realise we are collecting just to say that we have everything and not for the right reasons that should be because we want the item to play it or because is a pressing from our country , or even because it brings something extra like the first Cd you guys are going to see here.
The 1998 re-editions are a good choice for a guy like me, its great because we have there all the original stuff plus multi media section etc.
Saying this I hope you enjoy this part, gave me a lot of work with the photos and stuff, cheers!

Cd album: Fear Of The Dark 1992. Special digipack edition with 3 extra live bonus tracks. Released in this format just in Australia.

For the ones like me that love boxes and digipack editions , this one is great. Was only released in this format in Australia, I think they made this edition because Maiden didn't went there for a long period of time, but finally on this Fear Of The Dark world tour 1992, they manage to go there and play some shows. Brings a 19 page colour booklet. The Cd gives us something extra and very cool, 3 live tracks recorded at Wembley Arena December 1990. If you want to have this tracks you have to get all the Fear Of The Dark era singles, specially the ultra rare single Cd Wasting Love.This digipack is very much a digibook because the booklet is attached ( glued), doesn't come out like the normal ones.

Cat.nº: Australia 7808612

Cd album:

For future item.

Cd album:

For future item.

Cd album: Maiden England 1994 re-edition of the VHS tape with a bonus Cd with the show.

For the ones who don't know this Cd is not actually a Maiden official issue but a official release from Sound And Vision, the guys who published the Maiden England VHS tape in 1989. This Cd not even appears on Maiden discography although the Cd is official.
In 1994 PMI re-released this VHS as part of Sound And Vision series, with a bonus Cd in a more fat case. This edition is great, the Cd unfortunately has two songs missing, The Number Of the Beast and Can I Play With Madness, there was not space to include them.
There is a bootleg edition making the rounds, but is in digipack format.

Maiden England was recorded at Birmingham NEC Arena in November 1989.

VHS, cat.nº: 72434913103
Cd, cat.nº: 724383006724 / 1994

Cd album: The X Factor 1995 studio album. 11 tracks. UK pressing.

1995 was a year of new Iron Maiden album, but...with a new singer...urrgg. Blaze Bayley unfortunately was the choice of the band to replace the fabulous Bruce Dickinson that had departed in September 1993 to pursue a solo career. I love the two albums recorded with Blaze, I like is voice on the album, but, live it was a different story, in my opinion Blaze was not 100% professional, he was always forgetting parts of the songs from X Factor and the same in 1998 with Virtual XI songs, funny, if we consider that he co-wrote some of the Stuff with Janick , Steve and Dave... But this is another story.

This is the UK pressing and its a bit different from the Canada one that you see bellow. Brings a clear tray with the electric chair as artwork and has also the Maiden logo on the left. The booklet of this edition has also the alternative front artwork. The Cd has a interesting detail, the colours are different in comparison with the Canada one.

The X Factor was released in 02/10/1995 and reached the number 10 in the UK top chart.

Cat.nº: UK CDEMD 1087

Cd album: The X Factor 1995 studio album. 11 tracks. Canada pressing.

This is the Canada pressing of the 1995 studio album The X Factor.

Its really great, the colours of the Cd artwork are a bit different in comparison with the UK pressing above. The booklet is exactly the same and has also the alternative artwork, check the last photo.

This album was released in 02/10/1995 and reached the number 10 in the UK top chart.

Cat.nº: Canada CMC International 6076880032

Cd album: Best Of The Beast 1996 Best Of in special cardboard box and digibook. 56 pages colour book.27 tracks. UK pressing.

This edition is simply marvelous. It has 27 tracks and is kind like a replica of the 4 LP vinyl box. Brings a 56 page colour booklet with much more stuff, specially photos, than the 27 and 16 track Cd's in jewel case. The Cd's are stored in the folds that the book brings and both Cd's are picture disc. Brings "Iron Maiden" and "Strange World" from the Cambridge session ( where Sound House Tapes were recorded).

They put a lot of work in this edition and the result was fabulous. On The front sleeve there is a sticker advertising for the video game release called Melt. This game was abandoned because the graphics and the game itself were not very good. As we all know today the Ed Hunter game is such a crap, I'm just talking of course in terms of game playing, and if the Ed Hunter is not good I can't even imagine how bad it was the previous, eheheh!! Brings also the new song "Virus".

CAT.Nº: UK EMI 724385319426

Cd album: Best Of The Beast 1996 Best Of. 27 tracks including two originals from Soundhouse Tapes. 24 pages colour booklet. UK pressing.

This 27 tracks Cd is much more complete than the 16 one you see bellow. Brings "Strange World" and "Iron Maiden" from the Cambridge session ( where Sound House Tapes were recorded), and "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" live with Blaze. The booklet has 24 pages all colour. The 3 promo photos on the back sleeve are the same as in the 16 tracks Cd. On the back sleeve the background is blue instead of green of the 16 tracks. Brings also the new song "Virus".
This Cd is very special to me because it was the very first item I bought from Maiden back in January 1997, since then I never stopped guys!!

Cat.nº: UK CDEMDS 1097

Cd album: Best Of The Beast 1996 Best Of. 16 tracks edition. Green background on back cover.20 pages colour booklet. UK pressing.

This 16 tracks Cd is a bit different from the others, the back sleeve is in green background and instead of the Eddie cyborg on the left side of the tray we have the Eddie in a electric chair from the X Factor artwork, I simply love this details! The booklet has just 20 pages with two different photos in comparison with the other two editions. Brings the new song "Virus".

Cat.nº: UK CDEMD 1097

CD album: 1998 re-edition of the back catalog since 1980 until 1993.Multi media section. UK pressings.

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Self titled debut album. Originally released in 14/04/1980. Entered to the 4th place of the UK Top Chart album

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Killers studio album. Originally released in 02/02/1981, entered to the 12th position of the UK Top Chart album

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The Number Of The Beast studio album. Originally released in 29/03/1982, entered straight to number one to the UK Top Chart album

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Piece Of Mind studio album. Originally released in 16/05/1983, entered to third place in the UK Top Chart album

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Powerslave studio album. Originally released in 03/09/1984, entered to the second place of the UK Top Chart album

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Live After Death. First live album recorded in four nights at Long Beach Arena, California, in 14, 15, 16 and 17 March 1985. Released in 14/10/1985, entered to the second place of the UK Top Chart album

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Somewhere in Time studio album. Originally released in 29/09/1986, entered to the third place of the UK Top Chart album

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Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was the first ever conceptual studio album. Originally released in 11/04/1988, entered to the first place of the UK Top Chart album

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No Prayer For The Dying studio album. Originally released in 01/10/1990, entered to the second place of the UK Top Chart album

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Fear Of The Dark studio album. Originally released in 11/05/1992, entered straight to the first place of the UK Top Chart album. The third time they achieved this

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A Real Live One and Real Dead One live albums were originally released separately in 22/03/1993 and 18/10/1993 and entered to the third and second place, respectively, of the UK Top Chart album. In the 1998 re-releases they were put together in a double Cd

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Live At Donington, Monsters Of Rock Festival, was their third live recording. Originally released in 08/11/1993

Finally in 1998 all the Iron Maiden back catalog was re-released in a spectacular way. All the Cd's bring multi media section with video clips, biography, Eddie artwork, photo gallery etc.

It was a tremendous work that they put on this edition. They also made some arrangements to some of the sleeves, Iron Maiden album had a re-arrangement on Eddies face, hair and street background, Number Of The beast was released with the original grey colours, and No Prayer For The Dying had also some alterations. The 1993 live Cd's A Real Live One and Dead One were put together in a double Cd and Donington 1992 had the honour of a proper sleeve with the Eddie artwork made for the posters to promote the Donington Monsters Of Rock 1992 festival.

If you kook with attention the Cd's all put together they make a puzzle which is really the first Maiden artwork for the debut album.

The re-arrangements on the sleeves were digitally made by the great and long time Maiden illustrator, Derek Riggs.

All this Cd's are UK first pressings from 1998.

You might also want to see the spectacular Eddies Head box set that was made for the very first pressings of this 1998 Cd's, take a look at: http://my-iron-maiden-collection.blogspot.com/2008/09/official-box-sets-eddie-head-1998-cd.html

Cd album: Virtual XI 1998 studio album. Special extra holographic sleeve.8 tracks. UK pressing.

Virtual XI was the studio album for the year 1998. Was also the last one with the weak singer Blaze Bayley, fortunately...

This is a great album in my opinion, great riffs , great solos. This edition brings a special extra front holographic sleeve. The result was not spectacular because Eddie almost doesn't move like on the Rock In Rio one, but still is a great piece of collection. The Cd is picture disc and the great booklet brings all the lyrics, has 8 tracks.

This edition is no more available in the stores so, again, go to Ebay or any second hand record store in the Web.

In the end of this tour Blaze was fired and in January 1999 Bruce returned with Adrian Smith.

Cat.nº: UK 4939922