MAIDENS NEXT RELEASE

[Bucko]

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN will release a very special album on May 12 via EMI Records to chart the first decade of the band's extraordinary career. The CD celebrates the essence of the current tour by featuring most of the essential tracks from the band's first seven studio albums and one live album, recorded between 1980 and 1989, and is aptly entitled "Somewhere Back In Time".

In an unprecedented move to let younger fans hear, understand and appreciate the quality of these recordings EMI launch the unique Somewhere Best In Sound whereby the curious/adventurous can download the entire album without charge from www.ironmaiden.com as a high-quality audio file (WMA) which is a typically powerful 320 kbps. Fans will then be able to listen to the entire album at their leisure three times before the download expires. The listener is then given a simple option to upgrade and purchase the album as a full traditional DRM-free download (so they can then copy or do as they like with the album).

Manager Rod Smallwood explains the thinking behind this innovative move: "MAIDEN have a huge catalogue that is highly treasured by fans and media alike. However we recognise that our ever-increasing fan base is very young and can't be expected to know all the earlier albums, which is why we have put this collection together for them. Many of our fans weren't even born when the original albums were first released, although amazingly they seem to know all the lyrics when they sing along with the band at our concerts! We also recognise that 'albums' as such have become unfashionable to many over recent years with TV-generated pop artists stringing a couple of 'hit' singles together with filler tracks and releasing them as a quick fill album which disappoints and quickly becomes dated. So this is both an introduction to the band's recording history and a chance for young fans to try a full-length MAIDEN album and realise they're getting the real deal!

We wanted to give the kids of today a fair chance of hearing the music as we would have first heard and experienced it in our day when checking it out in a record shop — top-quality sound, in their own time and in an environment of their own choosing so they are able to absorb the depth and worth of the music and lyrics that make IRON MAIDEN the phenomenon they are. What better way to use modern means and a very high quality download! Sadly the WMA (Windows Media Audio) isn't compatible with Macs or iPods but we are confident that our young fans are adept and fluent with modern technology and we will post simple instructions on our website for any that need guidance."

"Somewhere Back In Time" track listing:

01. Churchill Speech (0.49)
02. Aces High (4.36)
03. 2 Minutes To Midnight (6.00)
04. The Trooper (4.11)
05. Wasted Years (5.06)
06. Children Of The Damned (4.35)
07. The Number of The Beast (4.53)
08. Run To The Hills (3.53)
09. Phantom Of The Opera -- Live (7.21)
10. The Evil That Men Do (4.34)
11. Wrathchild -- Live (3.07)
12. Can I Play With Madness (3.31)
13. Powerslave (6.47)
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name (7.12)

 

[Mark]

Sigh - despite the great idea, its poor execution. Yet another best-of featuring songs that have been on every other best-of.

What they should do is open their entire catalogue to the same system, and let fans mix-and-match their own album. Same rules, but without the restrictions on choice. I blame EMI here; despite their great movements in promoting DRM-free music as the first major label to do so (through iTunes Plus and the Amazon store), they're still being over-protective of bands they license content from (such as the Maiden). Rantrantrant.

 

[Mark]

I have to add - fucking good on Maiden for doing this as a major act. Their back catalogue is their pension scheme, and it's cool they're innovating with it rather than playing it safe.

 

[Shannow]

* runs off and gets shocked look *

 

[Lord Tim]

Considering the popularity of iPods as a media player (I personally hate 'em but there's no denying they're probably the most popular player out there), doing this in a format that can't be directly put onto them is a bad move, I think.

I can understand why they went Windows Media because of the DRM but the fact is that most people who want to get Maiden's back catalogue digitally will just go grab MP3s from a torrent site if they can't use WMA with DRM... plus it's silly anyway, just do a rudimentary search on Google for "remove DRM from file" and there's countless ways of making sure those "OMG 3 PlAyS 0Nly" files are permanently playable anyway.

I absolutely agree with what Mark said - allow people to mix and match, but maybe make suggestions of the "this is essential listening to get into the band" kind of stuff.

 

[Mark]

Hey, let fans rate songs based on what they think are the essential stuff - sure, the big tunes will get the most votes, but the great songs that get no love from the band will filter to the top over time. Sea of Madness anyone?

I think the main reason for WMA DRM is because to use the iTunes DRM would need licensing from Apple? (Not sure on that) Also I think WMA DRM allows for the limited-plays thing they want... then again, so does the iTunes movie rentals DRM.

I'm confused now.

 

[Shadow298]

Hey, let fans rate songs based on what they think are the essential stuff - sure, the big tunes will get the most votes, but the great songs that get no love from the band will filter to the top over time. Sea of Madness anyone?

They did that.

They made Ed Hunter out of it.

 

[Goreripper]

I already have all of those songs on my iPod.

 

[Mark]

They did that.

They made Ed Hunter out of it.

Actually, Ed Hunter's track listing was based on votes that fans thought would be best for the *video game*, not which were thought to be the best Maiden songs (or representative of their overall catalogue). I remember this causing a bit of an uproar on the official forums, when they used this is a setlist for the '99 reunion tour.