The Essential Iron Maiden is the fourth greatest hits compilation by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

, released on 5 July 2005. Released exclusively in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, it is part of Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

's The Essential series. Contrary to other releases from this series, the track listing is presented in reverse-chronological order (i.e., the latest studio-recorded songs appear first).

Due to the sale of Sanctuary Records

Sanctuary Records

Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...

 to Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

, this compilation is now out of print

Out of print

Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....

.

Track listing

Credits

• Paul Di'Anno
  Paul Di'Anno
  Paul Andrews , better known as Paul Di'Anno, is an English singer best known as the first vocalist to record with the iconic heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 1978 to 1981....
  
   - Vocals (Disc 2- Tracks 10-12)
• Bruce Dickinson
  Bruce Dickinson
  Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
  
   - Vocals (Disc 1-Tracks 1-4, 9-13; Disc 2-Tracks 1-9, 13-14)
• Blaze Bayley
  Blaze Bayley
  Blaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
  
   - Vocals (Disc 1- Tracks 5-8)
• Dave Murray
  Dave Murray (musician)
  David Michael Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.-Biography:...
  
   - Guitar (All Tracks)
• Dennis Stratton
  Dennis Stratton
  Dennis Stratton is a guitar player who is best known as a former member of the British band Iron Maiden from October 1979 to October 1980.-Biography:...
  
   - Guitar (Disc 2- Track 12)
• Adrian Smith
  Adrian Smith
  Adrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
  
   - Guitar (Disc 1- Tracks 1-4,13; Disc 2- 1-11; 13-14)
• Janick Gers
  Janick Gers
  Janick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
  
   - Guitar (Disc 1- Tracks 1-12)
• Steve Harris
  Steve Harris (musician)
  Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
  
   - Bass, Producer (All Tracks)
• Clive Burr
  Clive Burr
  Clive Burr is a British drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.-Career:Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979...
  
   - Drums (Disc 2- Tracks 8-12)
• Nicko McBrain
  Nicko McBrain
  Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
  
   - Drums (Disc 1- All Tracks; Disc 2 Tracks 1-7; 13-14)

with

• Martin Birch - Producer
• Simon Fowler - Photography
• Lonn Friend - Liner Notes
• Nigel Green - Producer
• Michael Kenney - Keyboards
• Will Malone - Producer
• Dimo Safari - Cover Photo
• Kevin Shirley - Producer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
• Howie Weinberg
  Howie Weinberg
  Howie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
  
  - Mastering