For the past month, Iron Maiden has been cryptically teasing something called “Belshazzar’s Feast”. Whatever it is (most likely the first single off their highly anticipated new album), the band has set July 15 as the date to reveal all the details. In anticipation of this occasion, I was going to attempt to rank my Top 10 Iron Maiden songs, but quite frankly, such a task is near impossible. So I decided to go even more niche for this week’s entry with the Top 10 Iron Maiden B Sides. Maiden sure knew how to market their singles. Not only did each one come with exclusive Eddie artwork based off the A side, but a B side that couldn’t be heard anywhere else. These were before the days of YouTube, Spotify, and even Maiden’s eventual Best of the ‘B’ Sides compilation, so if you wanted to hear these songs, the only way to do so was by buying the singles themselves. Without further ado, here are our Top 10 Iron Maiden B-Sides.
10. “Black Bart Blues”
Kicking off this list at #10 is the tongue in cheek “Black Bart Blues”. The B side to “Can I Play with Madness”, “Black Bart Blues” is a tongue in cheek fictional encounter between Bruce Dickinson and a nosey nerd. Lyrically, it doesn’t offer much. Bruce repeatedly shouts on about a character named Black Bart. Musically, however, is where things get exciting. The band unleashes some hard rocking blues that’s very uncharacteristic of their sound. It almost comes off as a spin on an old ZZ Top song that never was. “Black Bart Blues” deserves a spot on this list if only for it’s blistering lead guitar work alone. Adrian Smith and Dave Murray go to town exchanging blues metal licks and having a blast while doing so.
9. “All in Your Mind”
When Stray first released “All in Your Mind” in 1970, the song was a droning, brutish, savage slab of early heavy metal with a psychedelic jam sandwiched in between. When Maiden took on the song 20 years later as the B side of “Holy Smoke”, they cut out the wah-wah drenched noodling of the original and reinvented it as a euro metal rager. “All in Your Mind” features a throat scorching performance from Dickinson, wild drumming from Nicko McBrain, and most importantly, melodic guitar solos that make sense. That’s no offense to the Stray version, but hey, unless you’re on acid (man),you’re probably not going to get much out of the original guitar solo. In case you haven’t heard the Stray version and need a point of reference, think the extended bongo solo in Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”.
8. “Communication Breakdown“
In 1990, Maiden broke one of the ten hard rock commandants: Thou shall not cover Zeppelin. Okay, upon further examination, such a ruling only applies to “Stairway to Heaven”, but I digress. Maiden’s cover of “Communication Breakdown” is a love or hate affair. Personally, I love it. It’s not so much the cover itself that’s great. It’s straightforward and pulls no punches. What gets me is hearing the iconic vocals of Dickinson tackling the equally iconic vocals of Robert Plant. Unlike most singers who attempt Zeppelin renditions, Dickinson doesn’t try to sound like Plant at all. He stays himself from beginning to end and absolutely kills it.
7. “Crying in the Dark / King of Twilight”
As the B side of “Aces High”, this song is merely credited as “King of Twilight”. However, it’s actually a medley of “Cryin’ in the Dark” and “King of Twilight”: two songs originally performed by German prog pioneers, Nektar. For many headbangers, this cover was their introduction to Nektar. While Maiden does a stellar job putting their own spin on it, the song(s) is drastically abbreviated in comparison to Nektar’s original version, which clocks in at nearly 11 minutes. Despite their version being half the original length, Maiden still gives their all on “Cryin’ in the Dark / King of Twilight”, showcasing their technical prowess and prog rock intricacies. Add the massive Powerslave era production courtesy of Martin Birch and you’ve got a hidden gem.
6. “Rainbow’s Gold”
Maiden has had a lengthy, complex relationship with an obscure English prog band named Beckett. Although the band released their first and only album in 1974, their influence on Steve Harris was indelible. A decade after the original “Rainbow’s Gold” was released, Maiden recorded a version as the B side of “2 Minutes to Midnight”. Unlike other songs that have received the Maiden treatment, this is a rather by the numbers cover with heavier guitars and stronger vocals. Ideally, this entry should end here, but there’s more. Beckett’s influence on Maiden extends beyond this homage. Former members of Beckett were embroiled in a legal battle with the Maiden camp on and off for decades over the rights to none other than “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. According to members Robert Barton and Brian Ingham, Harris lifted a lyrical passage of their song “Life’s Shadow” for the iconic Number of the Beast closer. Harris settled the case out of court in 2018. As the old saying goes, “Never meet your heroes.”
5. “Cross-Eyed Mary”
Piece of Mind was a major turning point in Maiden’s creative evolution. The album saw the band double down on their progressive musicianship and songwriting. It’s no surprise the B side to “The Trooper” is their rendition of the Jethro Tull classic, “Cross-Eyed Mary”. Unlike the previous two entries, which clearly depict Maiden paying tribute to heroes of prog past, “Cross-Eyed Mary” would fool even the most ardent Maiden maniac into thinking this was an original composition. Hearing Ian Anderson’s flute passages translated to guitar only emphasizes how pivotal of a band Jethro Tull was to Smith and Murray’s dueling approach, if not the entire Maiden formula as a whole.
4. “Burning Ambition”
In early February of 1980, Maiden released their debut single, “Running Free”. Assuming most missed out on 1979’s Soundhouse Tapes demos, this was the general public’s introduction to the rising stars of the NWOBHM. While “Running Free” has since become a staple, its B side, “Burning Ambition”, seems to have been forgotten by time. I’m not quite sure why. It so perfectly marries the melodic metallic leads of UFO with the brash street punk riffing of Sham 69. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work, but Maiden makes it work like only they could. Throw in the throaty snarl of Paul Di’Anno and it’s all out metalpunk mania.
3. “I’ve Got the Fire (Live)”
Maiden sure loved Montrose. In 1992, they covered “Space Station #5” as the B side to the maxi-single edition of “Be Quick or Be Dead”. Roughly a decade earlier, they covered “I’ve Got the Fire” not once, but twice: once with Di’Anno and once with Dickinson. The Di’Anno version was released as the B side to “Sanctuary”. The Dickinson version was released as the B side to “Flight of Icarus”. In the end, the Di’Anno version takes the cake. The fact that it’s live gives it an unfair advantage, but just like “Burning Ambition”, here’s a cut that showcases the punk side of the NWOBHM in all its glory. The Dickinson version is good for what it is: a subdued studio rendition. One can’t help but wonder what the fate of Maiden would’ve been had Di’Anno stuck around after Killers.
2. “That Girl”
Maiden has done many things in their 40+ year career. One thing they’ve never done is “sell out”. But what if they did? We have a good idea what such a scenario would hold on the B side of “Stranger in a Strange Land” with their rendition of FM’s “That Girl”. Yes, the English AOR band FM. Of all the AOR bands Maiden could’ve tackled (Journey, Boston, Foreigner, etc.), why did they pick an up and coming band who was just getting their feet off the ground? It turns out that Maiden and FM were good mates. Despite dedicating their lives to true heavy metal, Maiden proves in a little over five minutes that they could’ve made a top notch heavy AOR band. Their cover of “That Girl” alone sounds more authentic than any song on Judas Priest’s Turbo released that same year.
- “Total Eclipse”
The Number of the Beast is considered by many (myself included) to be Maiden’s finest hour. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that their greatest B side comes from the very era. “Total Eclipse” was recorded during the NOTB sessions, but reserved as the B side to “Run to the Hills”. Why this song didn’t make the final cut, I have no clue. This is far from a “throwaway”. “Total Eclipse” is as musically and lyrically exhilarating as any song on NOTB. In particular, the melodic passage after the guitar solo gets me every time. Dickinson delivers an absolutely soaring vocal performance over a melancholic guitar line. This brief section shows just how pivotal Dickinson was and is to their sound. Had Di’Anno stuck around (as pondered upon in #3), Maiden would’ve never been capable of gripping, emotional pieces like this.