Edward the Great

Infobox Album
Name = Edward the Great
Type = Greatest hits
Artist = Iron Maiden


Released = November 5 2002
Recorded = 1982 - 2001
Genre = Heavy metal
Length = 74:04
Label = EMI
Producer =
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lif1zfd3ehok~T1 link]
Last album = "Rock in Rio"
(2002)
This album = "Edward the Great"
(2002)
Next album = "Eddie's Archive"
(2002)

"Edward the Great" was Iron Maiden's third "best-of album" (counting their 1999 video game "Ed Hunter" which came with a 20 track best of CD with songs chosen by the fans), and was released on November 5, 2002 along with the massive "Eddie's Archive" box set, as a way to introduce new fans to Maiden. However, many older fans complained about the lack of exclusive or rare material on it. Another complaint of many was that the album lacked material from the first two Iron Maiden albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers" which featured Paul Di'Anno on vocals.

In 2005, a revised edition was released in Europe, Asia and South-America, with a slightly different tracklist. This "updated" version was to coincide with the release of "The Essential Iron Maiden" compilation that was released in North America. The revised edition features some songs from the "Dance of Death" album, and a different live version of "Fear of the Dark". The new version also adds the song "Brave New World" from the album of the same name. The booklet includes a new foreword by Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, whereas the original version has a foreword by founding member Steve Harris. The album cover does not differentiate between the two other than the tracklisting - some shops still sell old stock of the original. In some cases, record distributors accidentally released the revised 2005 version CD with the old track list still on the album sleeve, although this mistake has since been corrected.

Track listing

Original Track Listing (from 2002)

tracklist
headline = Original track listing
total_length = 1:14:55
writing_credits = yes
extra_column = Original album

title1 = Run to the Hills
extra1 = "The Number of the Beast"
writer1 = Steve Harris
length1 = 3:55
title2 = The Number of the Beast
extra2 = "The Number of the Beast"
writer2 = Harris
length2 = 4:52
title3 = Flight of Icarus
extra3 = "Piece of Mind"
writer3 = Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith
length3 = 3:52
title4 = The Trooper
extra4 = "Piece of Mind"
writer4 = Harris
length4 = 4:11
title5 = 2 Minutes to Midnight
extra5 = "Powerslave"
writer5 = Dickinson, Smith
length5 = 6:00
title6 = Wasted Years
extra6 = "Somewhere in Time"
writer6 = Smith
length6 = 5:06
title7 = Can I Play with Madness
extra7 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer7 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length7 = 3:31
title8 = The Evil That Men Do
extra8 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer8 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length8 = 4:34
title9 = The Clairvoyant
extra9 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer9 = Harris
length9 = 4:27
title10 = Infinite Dreams
extra10 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer10 = Harris
length10 = 6:10
title11 = Holy Smoke
extra11 = "No Prayer for the Dying"
writer11 = Dickinson, Harris
length11 = 3:48
title12 = Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
extra12 = "No Prayer for the Dying"
writer12 = Dickinson
length12 = 4:44
title13 = Man on the Edge
extra13 = "The X Factor"
writer13 = Blaze Bayley, Janick Gers
length13 = 4:12
title14 = Futureal
extra14 = "Virtual XI"
writer14 = Bayley, Harris
length14 = 2:55
title15 = The Wicker Man
extra15 = "Brave New World"
writer15 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length15 = 4:34
title16 = Fear of the Dark (live)
extra16 = "Rock in Rio"
writer16 = Harris
length16 = 8:04

Revised Track Listing (from 2005)

tracklist
headline = Revised track listing
total_length = 1:13:52
writing_credits = yes
extra_column = Original album
title1 = Run to the Hills
extra1 = "The Number of the Beast"
writer1 = Harris
length1 = 3:55
title2 = The Number of the Beast
extra2 = "The Number of the Beast"
writer2 = Harris
length2 = 4:52
title4 = Flight of Icarus
extra4 = "Piece of Mind"
writer4 = Dickinson, Adrian Smith
length4 = 3:52
title3 = The Trooper
extra3 = "Piece of Mind"
writer3 = Harris
length3 = 4:11
title5 = 2 Minutes to Midnight
extra5 = "Powerslave"
writer5 = Dickinson, Smith
length5 = 6:00
title6 = Wasted Years
extra6 = "Somewhere in Time"
writer6 = Smith
length6 = 5:06
title7 = Can I Play with Madness
extra7 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer7 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length7 = 3:31
title8 = The Evil That Men Do
extra8 = "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"
writer8 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length8 = 4:34
title9 = Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
extra9 = "No Prayer for the Dying"
writer9 = Dickinson
length9 = 4:44
title10 = Man on the Edge
extra10 = "The X Factor"
writer10 = Bayley, Gers
length10 = 4:12
title11 = Futureal
extra11 = "Virtual XI"
writer11 = Bayley, Harris
length11 = 2:55
title12 = The Wicker Man
extra12 = "Brave New World"
writer12 = Dickinson, Smith, Harris
length12 = 4:34
title13 = Brave New World
extra13 = "Brave New World"
writer13 = Dickinson, Harris, Dave Murray
length13 = 6:18
title14 = Wildest Dreams
extra14 = "Dance of Death"
writer14 = Smith, Harris
length14 = 3:52
title15 = Rainmaker
extra15 = "Dance of Death"
writer15 = Dickinson, Murray, Harris
length15 = 3:48
title16 = Fear of the Dark (live)
extra16 = "Death on the Road"
writer16 = Harris
length16 = 7:28

Unusually, no recordings originally from "Fear of the Dark" made it on, although a live version of the title track appears on here.

Certifications

References