''Best of the 'B' Sides'' is a compilation of

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

by the British heavy metal band

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

, released on 4 November 2002 as part of the

Eddie's Archive ''Eddie's Archive'' is a box set by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 16 November 2002. The box, an embossed metal casket featuring the face of mascot Eddie, contains three double CDs, the Iron Maiden family tree and a shot gl ...

box set. Each track was remastered and the set came with a running commentary from

Rod Smallwood Roderick Charles Smallwood (born 17 February 1950) is an English music manager, best known as the co-manager of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. With his business partner, Andy Taylor, whom he met while studying at Trinity College, Ca ...

. It covers all of their singles from their first (1980's "

Running Free Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

") to 2000's " Out of the Silent Planet", although several of the band's original B-sides were excluded from the collection: "Total Eclipse" (from "

Run to the Hills "Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, '' The Number of the Beast'' (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson ...

", 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 "Be Quick or Be Dead" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the first single from their ninth studio album, ''Fear of the Dark'', on 13 April 1992. The single peaked at 2 on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland while reac ...

", 1992); and "I Live My Way" (from "

Man on the Edge "Man on the Edge" is a single from the Iron Maiden album '' The X Factor'' released in 1995. The song is based on the film '' Falling Down'', starring Michael Douglas. It was the first single the band released with Blaze Bayley on vocals. Syn ...

", 1995). Also missing are the band's cover of

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

'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."

Track listing

Disc One

Disc Two

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes. ;Iron Maiden * Steve Harris – bass guitar, producer (disc 2, tracks 5–7 and 9–14) * Dave Murray – guitar *

Doug Sampson Douglas William Sampson (born 30 June 1957) is a British musician. He was the drummer for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1979. Biography Prior to joining Iron Maiden, Sampson was a member of one of Steve Harris' previous groups, Smiler, along wit ...

– drums (disc 1, track 1) *

Paul Di'Anno Paul Andrews (born 17 May 1958), better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, is a British/Brazilian heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno has issued numerous albu ...

– lead vocals (disc 1, tracks 1–3) *

Dennis Stratton Dennis Stratton (born 9 October 1952) is an English guitarist who is best known as a former member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980. Biography Born in Canning Town, London, Stratton showed early promise a ...

– guitar (disc 1, tracks 2 and 3) *

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1957 – 13 March 2013) was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Career Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979. Auditioning and joining ...

– drums (disc 1, tracks 2–4) *

Adrian Smith Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English guitarist best known as a member of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, for whom he also writes songs and performs backing vocals both live and in the studio. Smith grew up in London ...

– guitar (disc 1, tracks 4–15; disc 2, tracks 15 and 16), lead vocals (disc 1, track 9) *

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...

– lead vocals (disc 1, tracks 4–8 and 10–15; disc 2, tracks 1–8, 15 and 16), backing vocals (disc 1, track 9) *

Nicko McBrain Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain (born 5 June 1952) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden since 1982. Having played in small pub bands since 1966 from the age of 14, McBrain paid his bills after grad ...

– drums (disc 1, tracks 5–15; disc 2) *

Janick Gers Janick Robert Gers (; born 27 January 1957) is an English musician who is best known as one of the three guitarists in heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He initially joined to replace Adrian Smith, but remained in the band after Smith rejoined. G ...

– guitar (disc 2) *

Blaze Bayley Blaze Bayley (born Bayley Alexander Cooke, 29 May 1963) is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994 (and currently since 2010, following reunions in 2007 and 2009). He was also the lead singer of Ir ...

– lead vocals (disc 2, tracks 9–14) ;Production *Guy Edwards – producer (disc 1, track 1) *

Will Malone Wil Malone (born 1952, in Hornsey, North London) is a British music producer and arranger, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode and Italian rocker Gianna Nann ...

– producer (disc 1, track 2) *"Iron Maiden" – producer (disc 1, track 3; disc 2, tracks 15 and 16) *

Martin Birch Martin Birch (27 December 19489 August 2020) was a British music producer and sound engineer. He became renowned for engineering and producing albums recorded predominantly by British rock bands, including Deep Purple, Rainbow, Fleetwood Mac, W ...

– producer (disc 1, tracks 4–15; disc 2, tracks 1–8) *Nigel Green – producer (disc 2, tracks 9–12) *

Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands. Wilkinson's breakthrough came through his association with the neo-progressive r ...

– cover illustration *Nick Watson – mastering *

– management * Andy Taylor – management *Merck Mercuriadis – management

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of The 'B' Sides B-side compilation albums Iron Maiden compilation albums 2002 compilation albums Heavy metal compilation albums