Personnel: Blaze Bayley, Paul Di'Anno, Bruce Dickinson (vocals); Dave Murray , Dennis Stratton, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith (guitar); Clive Burr, Nicko McBrain (drums).

Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.

Liner Note Author: Lonn Friend.

Recording information: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany (1980-1988).

Photographer: Simon Fowler.

To be fair, any career-spanning retrospective of a band that's been around for nearly 30 years is going to contain a few duds, but to include nearly a whole disc's worth is unforgivable, especially when the era it's chronicling is not nearly as dire as the tracks would suggest. Iron Maiden are one of the few surviving New Wave of British Heavy Metal acts to not only hold on to their fan base, but to continuously put out new material that doesn't demolish the impact of the band's heydays. Both Judas Priest and Maiden brought in new lead singers for a while (bad idea), then came to their senses, re-formed, and most recently put out pretty great records -- Angel of Retribution and Dance of Death, respectively. While the second disc of Sanctuary Records' The Essential Iron Maiden piles on the hits from 1980s Paul Di'Anno-led self-titled debut straight through to 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son without missing a beat, it misses the mark on the first, which focuses on the group's (already spotty enough) later years. The two Blaze Bayley releases aside, 1990s No Prayer for the Dying, 1992's Fear of the Dark, 2000s Brave New World, and 2004's Dance of Death had some essential material on them, but the compilers seem to have just chosen songs at random -- there is no need for anyone to have to hear "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter" again -- resulting in a truly missed opportunity. The liner notes are nice enough and the inclusion of "Iron Maiden" from the upcoming live record/DVD Death on the Road is impressive, but there really isn't anything essential about the whole affair. ~ James Christopher Monger

A prototypical heavy-metal band if ever there was one, Iron Maiden has all of the hallmarks of the genre and then some. Creepy mascot for every album cover? Check. Undeniably intense live shows featuring said larger-than-life mascot? Check. Three fret-shredding guitarists playing at once? Check.

The two-disc ESSENTIAL IRON MAIDEN takes listeners backwards (for the most part) down the shadowy path of the iconic British group's career, beginning with tracks from 2003's DANCE OF DEATH and 2000's BRAVE NEW WORLD, the album that reunited Maiden with its most beloved frontman, the mercurial Bruce Dickinson (after two records with replacement Blaze Bayley). By the end of the first disc, the compilation hits the classic mid-to-late-1980s lineup with "The Clairvoyant," one of the group's signature mini-epics. The second disc ventures further into vintage Maiden (including the majestic "Wasted Years" and the soaring "Aces High"), ending with the band's early era (with vocalist Paul Di'Anno) and a pair of potent live tracks. Although EDWARD THE GREAT is the best concise summary of the Dickinson years, this ESSENTIAL collection is ideal for those looking for a more complete Maiden overview.