Iron Maiden album editions and remasters

Iron Maiden's reissue series use different audio sources. The 2014 black vinyl releases used original analogue master tapes; the 2017 vinyl series used the 2015 high-resolution remasters. The CD series launched in 2018 also drew on the 2015 remasters. [1] [2] [3]

Original CDs

Collectors use “original CD” to distinguish early editions from later remasters. On Live After Death, the first CDs omitted the five Hammersmith recordings from the original LP’s fourth side. Those discs therefore contain less music than the complete double LP. [4]

The 1998 remastered CDs

The 1998 campaign reissued the catalogue as remastered, enhanced CDs with computer-accessible videos and band biographies alongside the audio. [5] Rhino’s listing for Fear of the Dark identifies its tracks as 1998 remastered versions. [6]

The 1998 Live After Death restored the Hammersmith songs omitted from the early CDs. Check the audio track list separately from any enhanced computer content. [4]

The 2014 black vinyl series

The 2014 campaign covered the seven 1980s studio albums, from Iron Maiden through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, plus Live After Death. The announcement specified 180-gram black vinyl cut from the original analogue master tapes. [1]

This series followed the 2012–13 picture discs. The black vinyl announcement describes a separate production run, so the release year and format matter when comparing copies. [1]

The 2017 vinyl series

The next campaign covered twelve studio and live albums, beginning with No Prayer for the Dying. Its announcement explicitly distinguished the source from the 2014 series: the new records were cut from the 2015 high-resolution digital remasters. [2]

The 2018–19 Studio Collection CDs

The Studio Collection used digipak packaging and the same remasters as the 2015 digital releases, with track listings matching the original UK releases. The programme covered the sixteen studio albums available when it was announced. [3]

The Book of Souls was an exception: the announcement specified new digipak packaging without a new remaster. [3]

Compare a particular copy

Before asking which version sounds best, record:

• The album, format, label and catalogue number.
• The release year and country shown on the copy.
• The matrix or runout text: the small identifiers near a vinyl record's label or around a CD's centre.
• The track list, including bonus material or omissions.
• The physical condition and any playback problems.

When listening, use the same playback system and comparable volume. Note the passage you compared and what you heard: a brighter vocal, a different balance of instruments, distortion or surface noise.

Community comparisons and sources

Readers compare individual copies in Best version of each Maiden album? and Iron Maiden CD pressings with the best sound quality. Those discussions contain listening preferences; the announcements below document the release specifications.

1. Iron Maiden announce the 2014 black vinyl reissues, 26 August 2014.
2. Iron Maiden announce the 2017 vinyl series, 24 March 2017.
3. The Studio Collection – Remastered, 12 October 2018.
4. Christer’s Live After Death review and CD edition notes, Maiden Revelations, 11 January 2013.
5. Iron Maiden reissue announcement, NME, 17 July 1998.
6. Rhino: Fear of the Dark track listing.

Browse the album catalogue or all fan guides.