| Best of the 'B' Sides | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Mark Wilkinson | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 4 November 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1999 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 2:14:10 | |||
| Iron Maiden compilations chronology | ||||
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Best of the 'B' Sides is a compilation of B-sides by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 4 November 2002 as part of the Eddie's Archive box set.[1] Each track was remastered and the set came with a running commentary from Rod Smallwood.[2] It covers all of their singles from their first (1980's "Running Free") to 2000's "Out of the Silent Planet",[3] although several of the band's original B-sides were excluded from the collection: "Total Eclipse" (from "Run to the Hills", 1982, although this has been added to the album The Number of the Beast from 1998 onwards), "Mission From 'Arry" (from "2 Minutes to Midnight", 1984); "Bayswater Ain't a Bad Place to Be" (from "Be Quick or Be Dead", 1992); and "I Live My Way" (from "Man on the Edge", 1995). Also missing are the band's cover of Thin Lizzy's "Massacre" (from "Can I Play with Madness", 1988) and a number of live B-sides.
The album is described on the band's website as "a collection that not only reveals much about the band as individuals and the inherent character of the band, but also provides a real insight into who and where their influences came from."[2]
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Iron Maiden – Eddie's Archive at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Best of the B-Sides". ironmaiden.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 364. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.