Somewhere Back in Time

Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980 - 1989 is a best of release by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally recorded for their first eight albums (including Live After Death).

Somewhere Back in Time
Compilation album by Iron Maiden
Released	12 May 2008
Recorded	1982–1988
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	71:25[1]
Label	EMI Universal Music Group (US)
Producer	Martin Birch
Iron Maiden compilations chronology
The Essential Iron Maiden (2005) Somewhere Back in Time (2008) From Fear to Eternity (2011)

Background

The album was released in conjunction with the band's Somewhere Back In Time World Tour to allow new fans to listen to a selection of the band's material that was played on the tour. The cover artwork by Derek Riggs features the Pharaoh Eddie monument from Powerslave and Cyborg Eddie from Somewhere in Time.

A number of tracks were taken from the band's 1985 live album, Live After Death, because the band preferred to use recordings which featured current Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson rather than Paul Di'Anno, who sang on their first two studio releases.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[2]
AllMusic	[3]
Classic Rock	9/10[4]
Kerrang!	5/5[5]
Metal Hammer	9/10[6]
Rocksound	8/10[7]

Reviews for the compilation were generally positive, with Kerrang! commenting that "metal collections don't come much more solid than this."^[5] Classic Rock deemed it "a relentless, 70-minute crowd pleaser marathon," containing "timeless anthems that still make the adrenalin surge and the sinews stiffen after all these years."^[4] Metal Hammer praised it for being "a reminder of why Iron Maiden became the most important band on the planet back in the 1980s - and why, once again, they've reclaimed that crown."^[6]

AllMusic, however, were more critical of the release, deeming the album "merely adequate" and decrying the band's decision to avoid using the original versions of songs featuring Paul Di'Anno on lead vocals.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Harris, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Churchill's Speech"	Winston Churchill	1985 ~ Live After Death (Segues into the next song)	0:49
2.	"Aces High" (Live in Long Beach, US 1985)		1985 ~ Live After Death (1984 ~ Powerslave)	4:36
3.	"2 Minutes to Midnight"	Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson	1984 ~ Powerslave	6:00
4.	"The Trooper"		1983 ~ Piece of Mind	4:11
5.	"Wasted Years"	Smith	1986 ~ Somewhere in Time	5:06
6.	"Children of the Damned"		1982 ~ The Number of the Beast	4:35
7.	"The Number of the Beast"		1982 ~ The Number of the Beast	4:53
8.	"Run to the Hills"		1982 ~ The Number of the Beast	3:53
9.	"Phantom of the Opera" (Live in Hammersmith, UK 1984)		1985 ~ Live After Death (1980 ~ Iron Maiden)	7:21
10.	"The Evil That Men Do"	Smith, Harris, Dickinson	1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son	4:34
11.	"Wrathchild" (Live in Hammersmith, UK 1984)		1985 ~ Live After Death (1981 ~ Killers)	3:07
12.	"Can I Play With Madness"	Smith, Dickinson, Harris	1988 ~ Seventh Son of a Seventh Son	3:31
13.	"Powerslave"	Dickinson	1984 ~ Powerslave	6:47
14.	"Hallowed Be Thy Name"		1982 ~ The Number of the Beast	7:12
15.	"Iron Maiden" (Live in Long Beach, US 1985)		1985 ~ Live After Death (1980 ~ Iron Maiden)	4:50
Total length:				71:25

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.^[1]

Iron Maiden

• Bruce Dickinson - lead vocals
• Steve Harris - bass guitar, keyboards on 10 & 12
• Dave Murray - guitars
• Adrian Smith - guitars, keyboards on 10 & 12
• Nicko McBrain - drums on tracks 2 - 5, 9 - 13 & 15
• Clive Burr - drums on tracks 6 - 8 & 14

Production

• Martin Birch – producer, mixing
• Derek Riggs – cover illustration
• Ross Halfin – photography
• Peacock – art direction, design
• Rod Smallwood – management
• Andy Taylor – management

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8]	81
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9]	26
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10]	19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11]	36
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[12]	7
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13]	74
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14]	3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15]	84
Italian Albums (FIMI)[16]	27
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[17]	39
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18]	24
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19]	3
Scotland (Official Charts Company) [20]	14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21]	36
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22]	2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	31
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	14
US Billboard 200[25]	58

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[26]	47

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[27]	56

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[28]	54

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[29]	Gold	11,815[29]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30]	Gold	7,500‡
Sweden (GLF)[31]	Gold	20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32]	Platinum	300,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.