The Good
ü Beast Over Hammersmith is a great live album. Great set list and performance.
ü It is nice to have the b-sides in a single collection. I have most of these songs from the Castle 2-cd sets that were out a few years ago, but I like being able to listen to them all at once.
ü The Di'Anno era stuff is great to have especially the Reading 80 performance. They played great and sounded like they had something to prove. There should have been more live stuff included from this era.
ü The Reading 80 version of Killers is a pre-album version with different lyrics than the final version.

The Bad
ü Reading 82 is completely unnecessary. It is inferior to Beast Over Hammersmith in performance and it repeats the songs from that set. This should have been replaced with more from Paul Di'Anno's time in the band.
ü Donington 88 is nice to have but Bruce's voice sounds strained and they should have included some different songs instead of the songs already included in this collection. Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, and Wrathchild could have been dropped for some of the other (newer) songs from the set.
ü The Best of the B'Sides could have around 15 minutes more included as there is space left over on the two cds.
Some other songs that could have been included:
  Man On the Edge (live w/ Bruce)
  I Live My Way (from Man On the Edge single w/ Blaze)
  Mission From 'Arry
  Losfer Words(Big 'Orra) (Live)
  Massacre
  Woman In Uniform
  I've Got The Fire (Live w/ Paul)
ü I wish there was some material from the Piece Of Mind, Somewhere In Time and No Prayer For the Dying tours. 

The Packaging
The tin embossed "casket" box comes with three 2-cd sets, an Eddie shotglass, and a family tree scroll rolled in an Eddie ring. The family tree updates the one included with A Real Dead One and Best of the Beast.

Bottom Line
This is an essential box set for any die hard Iron Maiden fan. Even though it is priced higher that a six disc set should be, I think it is worth it for the rare material included. However, I think the box might be a little too pricey for the casual fan.

January 4, 2003

BBC Archive
Disc 1
Friday Rock Show Session 1979
1. Iron Maiden
2. Running Free
3. Transylvania
4. Sanctuary
Reading Festival 1982
5. Wrathchild
6. Run To The Hills
7. Children Of The Damned
8. The Number of The Beast
9. 22 Acacia Avenue
10. Transylvania
11. The Prisoner
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name
13. Phantom Of The Opera
14. Iron Maiden

Disc 2
Reading Festival 1980
1. Prowler
2. Remember Tomorrow
3. Killers
4. Running Free
5. Transylvania
6. Iron Maiden
Monsters Of Rock Festival Donington 1988
7. Moonchild
8. Wrathchild
9. Infinite Dreams
10. The Trooper
11. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
12. The Number Of The Beast
13. Hallowed Be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden

Beast Over Hammersmith
Disc 1
1. Murders In The Rue Morgue
2. Wrathchild
3. Run To The Hills
4. Children Of The Damned
5. The Number of The Beast
6. Another Life
7. Killers
8. 22 Acacia Avenue
9. Total Eclipse

Disc 2
1. Transylvania
2. The Prisoner
3. Hallowed Be Thy Name
4. Phantom Of The Opera
5. Iron Maiden
6. Sanctuary
7. Drifter
8. Running Free
9. Prowler

Best of the B'Sides
Disc 1 
1. Burning Ambition
2. Drifter - Live
3. Invasion
4. Remember Tomorrow - Live
5. I've Got The Fire
6. Cross-Eyed Mary
7. Rainbow's Gold
8. King Of Twilight
9. Reach Out
10. That Girl
11. Juanita
12. The Sheriff Of Huddersfield
13. Black Bart Blues
14. Prowler '88
15. Charlotte The Harlot '88

Disc 2
1. All In Your Mind
2. Kill Me Ce Soir
3. I'm a Mover
4. Communication Breakdown
5. Nodding Donkey Blues
6. Space Station No.5
7. I Can't See My Feelings
8. Roll Over Vic Vella
9. Justice of The Peace
10. Judgement Day
11. My Generation
12. Doctor Doctor
13. Blood On The Worlds Hands- Live
14. The Aftermath-Live
15. Futureal - Live
16. Wasted Years '99 - Live