Iron Maiden - The First Ten Years (1990) (10 CD Maxi-Single, Limited Edition) RESTORED

'The First Ten Years' is a series of 10 cds singles by Iron Maiden, released between February 24 and April 28, 1990, to commemorate Iron Maiden's first ten years of releasing singles. Each CD contains two of Iron Maiden's singles, including the b-sides. In addition, each contained a bonus track, a part in the "Listen With Nicko" series, in which drummer Nicko McBrain tells about the songs on the discs, in his own humorous way.

The First Ten Years EP collection begins right where it should…at the beginning, with the first two commercial singles issued by Iron Maiden in 1980: Running Free and Sanctuary. Both of these singles were culled from the band's debut Iron Maiden, though Sanctuary was originally independent of the album, added later as a bonus track, and many have since come to accept it as a part of the whole. I should also note that these are the real deal, original recordings with Paul Di'anno on vocals, they have not chosen to retrofit them with Bruce Dickinson, and I've always admired the healthy respect the band has given the man despite his early fallout with Steve Harris and manager Rod Smallwood. Maybe not always for the man himself, but his flagship work that put the band on the map.

"Running Free" is as rugged as ever, a total sing-a-long if there ever was one, with its gracious descending melodies post-chorus and a dirty, chugging appeal to the rhythm riffing that is undeniably timeless. The B-side to the single was "Burning Ambition", and though it's not one of the most memorable Maiden tunes, it was at least a pretty clear sign that they were intent on including some non-album material with their singles from an early date (of course, this did not always turn out to be the case). Still, there's a laid back feel to the chords, and similar melodies cut through its structure, so it feels a natural fit for "Running Free".

The Sanctuary single seems a little less valuable, though if you have an old copy of Iron Maiden without the song then it must have been a godsend. This track has always felt very close to Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" for me, with a similar road-burned abandon, and it is joined by a pair of live tracks recorded at London's Marquee in April, 1980. "Drifter" sounds comparable here to the band's other live recordings on which it appears, and the cover of Montrose's "I've Got the Fire" is another good match with "Sanctuary" itself. Di'anno is having a blast here, but you can always tell that he was such a better component of the band when they were in their earlier phase, far closer to the hard rock of the 60s and 70s than their more morose, melodic work of the Dickinson era.

This leaves the first segment of the "Listen With Nicko!" monologue, and he starts to explain what this is all about, interjecting his silly schizophrenic humor like a patient in dire need of an injection and a long nap. Still, I find it most confounding to listen to the first few "Listen With Nicko!" segments, since the man wasn't even involved with the band at this point…would it not have been a better idea to use Steve Harris for these? Or maybe a Di'anno guest spot? My favorite point is at which Nicko calls the listeners 'lucky boys and girls'. Lucky for what? Spewing pence into your fat pockets? Also, the answering machine thing at the end is not that funny. Good thing you had drumming to fall back on sir, your comic fu is weak.

Running Free/Sanctuary is really not that valuable. Live recordings of "Drifter" and "I've Got the Fire" are available elsewhere, and the only thing of interest is the "Burning Ambition" B-side. Track this down only if you're putting together the EPs for your boxed set. Otherwise, move along.

Tracklist:
1. Running Free - 3:19
2. Burning Ambition - 2:42
3. Sanctuary - 3:15
4. Drifter (live) - 6:04
5. I've Got The Fire (live) - 3:15
6. Listen With Nicko! Part I - 9:30

The 2nd entry in the First Ten Years EP series collects together the Women in Uniform single from 1980 and the Twilight Zone single from the following year. Like the first and third volumes, they're the originals recorded with Paul Di'anno; no attempt is made to whitewash the past, so the fan is getting exactly what he or she might have missed out on in the band's budding years. Of the two singles, Women in Uniform is the more valuable, since it consists of two songs you wouldn't have gotten on the original albums. However, as "Twilight Zone" was not included on the original UK release of Killers (added later on the '88 edition), that track might have some inherent sentimentality for English fans.

Women in Uniform includes the title track, a fun and frolicking rendition of a cult hit from the now obscure Australian rock band the Skyhooks, from their 1978 album Guilty Until Proven Insane. Yes, about two years prior to the Maiden version, and also released as a single itself. Go figure. The song seems to match the early iron well, especially with Di'anno's frenzied rock and roll squealing near the end in which he sounds like he's trying to fellate James Brown. "Invasion" is a non-album track, and the best thing on this EP. It had originally appeared on their Soundhouse Tapes with a cruder recording, and somewhere along the line it must have at least provided the inspiration for "Invaders", but it's very entertaining, a good old mash of pure 70s NWOBHM fury and punkish undertow. Like the previous Sanctuary single, a live track is included from the Marquee, London in 1980, and here it is "Phantom of the Opera".

"Twilight Zone" is an excellent track, with a good ol' shuffle metal rhythm and some amazing atmosphere kicking in through Di'anno's vocals in the bridge. I also find the lead relevant to my interests. Because it kicks ass! Other than this, though, there is only "Wrathchild" which appears on the Killers album. Basically if you had the original US release for Killers, this single is worthless. "Listen With Nicko!" has McBrain at an even more relentless level of 'hasn't had his morning tea', enthusiastically telling us the tale of how Maiden decided to cover the Skyhooks and so forth. Once again, we're 'lucky' to have this, as apparently McBrain does not own a copy of the original singles…though it is curious to know that "Twilight Zone" is Adrian Smith's first single with the band, and Nicko talks about touring alongside Maiden in his old band Trust, but briefly.

Women In Uniform is actually a good single. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the cover, it has "Invasion" which is quite cool. Sadly, it is paired up with Twilight Zone, which is detritus unless you are somehow an Englishman without access to the track. Still, if you wish to collect all ten…well, you gotta catch 'em all.

Tracklist:
1. Women In Uniform - 3:11
2. Invasion - 2:39
3. Phantom Of The Opera (live) - 7:12
4. Twilight Zone - 2:35
5. Wrathchild - 2:56
6. Listen With Nicko! Part II - 8:02

This is the third release in the First Ten Years collection, 10 EPs that collect 20 of the band's singles during their first decade of existence. Purgatory was a 2-tracker, standard single released in 1981 and the Maiden Japan EP was also released that year which I've already covered elsewhere in its extended, superior, fan club format upon which you could experience the whole gig, as the penultimate live recording of the band with their original vocalist Paul Di'anno.

Because it's all available elsewhere, I find this to be perhaps the single most worthless EP in the entire series. Both "Purgatory" and "Genghis Khan" are available on Di'anno's 2nd album with the band, Killers, though admittedly they are both great songs that I don't mind hearing again…I would only mind paying for it. The Maiden Japan EP contains only four of the tracks from the performance, beginning with "Running Free", then the murky 70s vibes of "Remember Tomorrow", the wailing "Killers" and the Zep-stepping grooves and morose melodies that complete "Innocent Exile". These all sound great, but I've covered them elsewhere, and I'd certainly urge any Maiden fan to try and track down that full-length version of the concert rather than this EP or the Maiden Japan EP itself, which is identical if you've got the standard domestic version.

"Listen With Nicko!" begins with the drummer mock snoring, which is my sentiment exactly when faced with the prospect of another of his rambling, schizoid anecdotes as he takes the piss out of himself and showcases the history of these tracks, which are coincidentally not something he himself was a part of (Clive Burr was still drumming). We learn little details like the original title of "Purgatory" and how it was one of the only singles that didn't chart in the top #50 for Maiden (by 1990, anyway), and McBrain jokingly infers that had he been part of the band then, perhaps it would have charted more favorably…

Simply put, this is the least compelling of the First Ten Years EPs, with very little of interest to offer unless it is your only means of acquiring material from the Maiden Japan EP. "Purgatory" and "Genghis Khan" are both great, but they are greater as a part of Killers. Otherwise, this is good only for its voucher towards the box case.

Tracklist:
1. Purgatory - 3:22
2. Genghis Khan - 3:10
3. Running Free (live) - 3:10
4. Remember Tomorrow (live) - 5:47
5. Killers (live) - 4:52
6. Innocent Exile (live) - 4:02
7. Listen With Nicko! Part III - 7:43

The fourth EP in the First Ten Years series might possess one of the cooler, joint cover images, but the contents are largely a waste of time. Unlike many of the other releases in the collection, it features only four tracks total, and of these, there is but one song worth hearing. Honestly, there was not much point tracking down Run to the Hills/The Number of the Beast unless you're a completionist who needed the voucher for his boxed set to store the 10 EPs.

"Run to the Hills" is a great song, but it's the same song you already own on Number of the Beast. The B-side is "Total Eclipse", the only thing noteworthy on this EP, as I had mentioned. It's a decent, dark tune that arguably would have functioned perfectly well on the full-length, but I'm thankful that it exists at all. The Number of the Beast single is a little less enticing, with the title track from the album and a B-side live of "Remember Tomorrow" with Dickinson on the vocals (and frankly, I preferred Di'anno to what Bruce does here).

"Listen with Nicko!" IV is one of the less monkeyed monologues and has some interesting information about the video for "Run to the Hills", but he does start fucking around more in the end. I suppose to some this is the attraction, but I would have preferred something else, even packing 3 original singles onto each EP. The 'spring/mattress' joke is well…miserable. Alas, without "Total Eclipse", this would be utter rubbish. Of course, if you want the whole set, you've got to suck it up and take it like a man.

Tracklist:
1. Run To The Hills - 3:56
2. Total Eclipse - 4:29
3. The Number Of The Beast - 4:52
4. Remember Tomorrow (live) - 5:28
5. Listen With Nicko! Part IV - 8:23

Because releasing singles is not incentive enough to grab a little extra cash from devoted fans or cursory listeners, Iron Maiden came up with a rather interesting marketing scheme in 1990 to release 10 EPs on CD and vinyl, each consisting of 2 of the band's singles from the first decade of the band's career, with an added commentary interview track featuring drummer Nicko McBrain. Once you had all 10 of these collectors' EPs, you had the full commentary track, and could use vouchers contained within the EPs to order a custom box in which to store them all.

Though an obvious cash grab, it was actually rather ingenious, because it at least added a little collectible value, and a better format for which to purchase these old recordings rather than track down the 20 individual singles. The 5th disc in this collection joins together the Flight of the Icarus single with The Trooper, both released in 1983, and probably a lot more sought after for the inclusion of the cover songs, though both of the A-sides are classics, especially "The Trooper". But if you've longed for the Bruce Dickinson-fronted cover of Montrose's "I've Got the Fire", here it is in stereo, repressed from the Flight of Icarus single. The solo is great, and the version here is probably just as potent as that which Paul Di'anno performed (you can hear it on several of the band's earlier recordings).

However, it is the cover of Jethro Tull's "Cross-Eyed Mary" which is the true gem on this release, a fantastic rendition in Maiden's capable hands. Few could fill in the shoes of Ian Anderson, but Dickinson is damn capable, giving the classic an injection of siren-like precision which soars across the burning guitar rhythms like a stoned eagle. Listening to Nicko McBrain babble can grow a little tiresome as he's always shifting his voice around in parody of the various people and places of his band's history, but if you can get past this, the 10 minutes of monologue is slightly informative…I just wish he wouldn't sing out the band's songs. Ever.

If you're going to piss money on something you possibly already own, this could be the way to do it. Granted, a simple compilation of the band's singles (even if just for the B-sides) would have been sufficed and created less waste in the end, but why take someone for a 10 or 20-spot when you could take them for nearly a dozen 10-spots? The covers are good enough that a Maiden fan should acquire this on the dirt cheap, but I can't in good faith recommend paying top bill for this, unless you're planning on a re-sale of the entire set.

Tracklist:
1. Flight Of Icarus - 3:54
2. I've Got The Fire - 2:40
3. The Trooper - 4:15
4. Cross Eyed Mary - 3:55
5. Listen With Nicko! Part V - 9:50

2 Minutes to Midnight/Aces High is the 6th EP release in the First Ten Years collection, and like the Part IX single featuring Can I Play in Madness? and The Evil That Men Do, it benefits greatly from the inclusion of non-album material. Granted, it's not all studio work, but at least it beats B-sides that are straight from albums.

The original 2 Minutes to Midnight single was releasd in 1984, and in addition to the kickass title track, it includes a studio cover of "Rainbow's Gold" from the bands' friends Beckett. This is a very groovy hard rock tune with a little NWOBHM in there, try and imagine a happy medium between Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy, and Dickinson really brings it up to the Maiden level. The other bonus track is "Mission from 'Arry", which is not actually music, but a taped argument between Nicko McBrain, Steve Harris and some techs. In a way, I actually prefer something like this to Nicko's narrative tracks, because though it's not extremely valuable, it offers a realistic little snippet of the band at their worst, rather than the forced humor of the bonus monologues included with the EPs.

Also, from 1984, the Aces High single features another of the very best tracks from Powerslave. For its B-sides, there is a live version of "Number of the Beast", and a pair of Nektar covers slapped together under the title of one, "King of Twilight" (includes a part of "Crying in the Dark"). If you're not familiar with Nektar, well it might be time to check them out, as they were a pretty cool prog rock band featuring a mixed German and English lineup. The Maiden version is tight and powerful, and I really can't stress enough how classy the guys have been throughout their career, picking forgotten gems like this one instead of more obvious covers.

"Listen with Nicko!" part six is another 10 minute narrative piece where he goes over the singles, but it's not extremely interesting except where he goes on about the "Mission from 'Arry" argument, shedding a little light onto the situation. This EP is really not all that special save for the Beckett and Nektar covers, as the live "Number of the Beast" feels somewhat redundant and forced in place of another, more interesting cover or potential B-side, but there are certainly worse in the series.

Tracklist:
1. 2 Minutes To Midnight - 6:07
2. Rainbow's Gold - 4:57
3. Mission From 'Arry - 6:43
4. Aces High - 4:33
5. King Of Twilight - 4:53
6. The Number Of The Beast (live)- 4:59
7. Listen With Nicko! Part VI - 9:45

Only a band like Iron Maiden could be so affluent as to reserve the ability to release singles from a LIVE album…and yet, here they are, both of the singles from 1985's Live After Death, gathered in one place as the 7th fragment of the band's First Ten Years EP collection. Both Running Free and Run to the Hills are complemented with a pair of additional live tracks that did not appear on Live After Death, so it feels a rather natural extension and a further means to make a little money. And to be honest, I liked the recordings a lot, they've got the same virile clarity that possesses the full-length, and thus remain among Maiden's best live offerings on disc ever (I'd gladly take even the B-side live tunes here over some of the band's later live albums like A Real Live Dead One).

But is it that much of a value? If you're actually collecting The First Ten Years, then yes. If you're obsessed with Iron Maiden so much that you want your record bins or bedroom walls sporting all the cover art, all the thrifty details, or you get a hard-on for Nicko McBrain's almost schizophrenic narrative (I swear, the man's got like a dozen or more bad comedians inside his head; at least one for each drum), then yes. If you're NOT an asylum-bound risk to our society, well then you can likely skip this, like any of the band's singles or EPs.

But as far as these particular vignettes go, Running Free/Run to the Hills is not so foul to the taste. You get 40+ minutes of material, though 12 minutes of that playtime is devoted to Nicko's storytelling. The B-sides to Running Free are "Sanctuary" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue", both of which represent some of Dickinson's best live renditions of the tracks, with plenty of crowd thrilling and the Steppenwolf-life rock swing of the former in full, and a little break in which Bruce works up the crowd into a rabid froth. Joining Run to the Hills is "Phantom of the Opera" and the instrumental "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)", the latter of which is a pleasant surprise as it's not the first song our thoughts leap towards when we think of a Maiden live set. As a diehard Powerslave fan (that is one of their two albums I consider perfect), I am thrilled for its inclusion.

The Nicko narrative here, Part VII, feels like a child has been fed too much sugar on the spoon, but he does manage to actually get into the details of the original singles, the Long Beach performances behind them, and so forth. When he's speaking calmly, he's actually quite charming, but you are constantly getting a Doppler effect as his voice swells and dies. And that's the thick and thin of this EP, one of the better in The First Ten Years series, since there are four unique tracks present, even if they're all just live songs.

Tracklist:
1. Running Free (live) - 3:28
2. Sanctuary (live) - 4:41
3. Murders In The Rue Morgue - 4:33
4. Run To The Hills (live) - 4:07
5. Phantom Of The Opera (live) - 7:28
6. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) (live) - 4:15
7. Listen With Nicko! Part VII - 11:54

Wasted Years/Stranger in a Strange Land is the 8th EP in the First Ten Years collection, featuring both of the band's 1986 singles for the phenomenal album Somewhere in Time. It's one of the more valuable selections of singles in the series, because each of these two songs is complemented with 2 tracks that you won't find on any of the band's albums. However, I wouldn't say the non-album material is the best quality. Much of it originates from The Entire Population of Hackney project the band members did with a few of their peers from other NWOBHM bands, in which the Maiden members wrote some of the songs, as did the other members.

Aside from its excellent title track, the Wasted Years single includes "Reach Out", a hard rock song written by Dave Colwell, who was in the band FM in addition to joining Adrian Smith's ASAP project later on. He was also a member of The Entire Population of Hackney. This track is a little more mainstream than one expects from Maiden, though it does have some of the band's classic dual melodies and a decent atmosphere. But what is most curious about the song, is that features Adrian Smith on the lead vocals (Dickinson provides some backups). And as far as a bluesy hard rock singer of the Coverdale camp, Smith is really not all that bad…though the lyrics are pretty trivial and typical of bad 80s rock. "The Sheriff of Huddersfield" is a goofy tribute to manager Rod Smallwood's life in Los Angeles, set to music which, while not horrible, feels like it did not take long to compose (though there are some melodies in there).

The B-sides for Stranger in a Strange Land are two more tracks from members of The Entire Population of Hackney. "That Girl" is actually quite strong, an old FM track, with typical Maiden triplets and a subtle melodic picking, and a fine performance from Dickinson. The lyrics are once again tripe at the level of 80s glam rock radio, about as compelling as those of "Reach Out", but musically this is probably the best bonus of the EP. "Juanita" feels like a "Cat Scratch Fever" type riff with some of Maiden's brazen melodies, Bruce giving it his dirtiest rocking vocals, and it's not that bad, with the least annoying lyrics of the three bonus tracks from Adrian Smith's associates (this track being the cover of a band called Marshall Fury).

The "Listen With Nicko!" segment for this EP is a little hard to follow, as he bounces back and forth with his anecdotes and you don't get a very clear picture of what all the bonus tracks are all about, but it's one of the longest at over 12 minutes and there are a few interesting stories, in particular about Rod Smallwood and "The Sheriff of Huddersfield". After the Can I Play With Madness?/The Evil That Men Do EP, this is probably the most valuable (outside of the obvious collector factor and the voucher for the box set) because you get three good non-album tracks. Granted, the lyrics are not at the Maiden level, but it's fun to hear other projects these guys were involved with, even if they were just intended for a few lives.

Tracklist:
1. Wasted Years - 5:08
2. Reach Out - 3:31
3. Sheriff Of Huddersfield - 3:35
4. Stranger In A Strange Land - 5:45
5. That Girl - 5:05
6. Juanita - 3:47
7. Listen With Nicko! Part VIII - 12:20

The 9th EP released in the First Ten Years series is perhaps the one I found the most valuable in the entire spread, because the B-sides for both Can I Play With Madness? and The Evil That Men Do singles are unavailable elsewhere, and also quite good. This is the quality that I would have liked the band to uphold through all singles, or the bare minimum that any band should produce on such a release. I mean, ideally, they wouldn't happen at all, but if you're going to squeeze out a few extra bucks from either fans or non-fans who for some silly reason can't see the benefit in paying a few extra dollars for a full-length, it should be worthwhile.

Can I Play With Madness? is a great, memorable Maiden tune, but the real reasons to acquire this EP come in the form of the "Black Bart Blues", which is like this near 7 minute jam section which is actually comprised of great riffing. There are vocals too, but they're actually sort of silly and self-referential towards the song. There is also a Nicko McBrain 'answering machine' in the song, and a bunch of his tomfoolery near the end. In other words, for the first 3-4 minutes, you get a decent Iron Maiden jam loaded with NWOBHM goodness. The other B-side is a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Massacre" from the Johnny the Fox album, and like a lot of their covers, is a good choice, and kicks a bit of ass, in particular the spiky little melodies panning out to the side of the mix.

The Evil That Men Do is likewise a treat, and the title track is another of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son's strongest. But the attraction to this single would have been the Bruce Dickinson-fronted versions of "Prowler" and "Charlotte the Harlot". Both sound quite excellent in all their modernized glory, with the music itself being streamlined for the Maiden of '88. I'm not trying to infer that they're better than the originals, mind you. I'll always have a soft spot for the Di'anno versions, but if you ARE going to do some remakes for fun, I'd say a single or EP is a good place to allocate them. Of the two, I think I liked "Prowler '88" a little more.

"Listen With Nicko!" begins more with a little more flatulence than the previous entries to the monologue, and as he usual he talks about the charting of the singles. He also pays a brief memory to Graham Chapman (the Monty Python comedian who appeared in the "Can I Play With Madness?" video but passed away not long after. Basically everything you need to know about the two original singles, and then some…

This is definitely the biggest treat in the First Ten Years collection, because all four of the bonus tracks from the singles are worth hearing and owning, the possible exception being the dicking around the band does in "Black Bart Blues". If you can track them down in one place rather than the constituent singles, why not?

Tracklist:
1. Can I Play With Madness - 3:33
2. Black Bart Blues - 6:41
3. Massacre - 2:54
4. The Evil That Men Do - 4:35
5. Prowler '88 - 4:07
6. Charlotte The Harlot '88 - 4:11
7. Listen With Nicko! Part IX - 10:47

The Clairvoyant/Infinite Dreams EP is the 10th and final release in the First Ten Years collection. If you've been saving your pennies and spending them on each of these double-single packs, you would have now owned the vouchers required to order the box set in which to store them! Congratulations. You now own a collection of largely redundant singles with a few worthwhile B-sides that are possibly available somewhere else. In all seriousness, though, if you've got this entire set and it's in good condition, more than likely you can make some money off it (through online auctions or a metal market at a convention).

Interestingly, like the Running Free/Run to the Hills EP, this offering consists only of live material from the two original singles. So The Clairvoyant (1988) is missing the studio version of that song, but otherwise they are reprinted normally. The live offerings off of that include "The Clairvoyant", "The Prisoner" and "Heaven Can Wait", all from the 1988 Monsters of Rock tour at Donington Park, and they all sound great here. A good, airy soundboard recording, and how often do we get to hear "The Prisoner" live? I was most impressed with that track of the three.

The Infinite Dreams single from 1989 features three more live tracks, from a performance in Birmingham England. "Infinite Dreams" and "Killers" are no surprise, but then we are given the live treatment of "Still Life" from the Piece of Mind album, not something we hear every day, and the novelty helpts give it the edge over some of the more common selections. After these tracks we are given closure with the final "Listen With Nicko!" segment, and thank the stars for that. He does seem rather thankful here for being given the chance to communicate all these anecdotes to the fans, and thanks them for the band's success and buying this collection, so in the end you don't feel so down on the guy. He does seem rather enthusiastic to be finished his 'mumbling'.

The one big problem with this EP (and so many of the other First Ten Years singles) is that all the material is available elsewhere, through later releases. For example, all of these tracks are available on the bonus disc to the 1995 re-issue of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. And the Infinite Dreams live tracks are available on the Maiden England CD. So there is a limited value at best, unless you have passed on those or you were collecting as these things hit the shelves. But as for the content, all the songs sound pretty good, definitely a positive live experience that you'll enjoy beaming out of your car or drunk at a party.

Judging by the fact that 2000 has already come and gone without another series of EPs called The Second Ten Years, I doubt we'll see another marketing strategy like this one. There are certainly enough singles out there since Infinite Dreams. Perhaps the band will simply gather the material up on full-length compilation albums, a cheaper alternative for the fans. In today's economic climate, I just don't see something like this happening, except perhaps a virtual version on something like iTunes But then again, we got the Somewhere Back in Time compilation…so expect the worst.

Tracklist:
1. The Clairvoyant (live) - 4:27
2. The Prisoner (live) - 6:08
3. Heaven Can Wait (live) - 7:10
4. Infinite Dreams (live) - 6:03
5. Killers (live) - 5:02
6. Still Life (live) - 4:39
7. Listen with Nicko! Part X - 11:19