Iron Maiden fans mark your calendars! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of �Number of the Beast�, on March 26th Metal-Is / Sanctuary Records will release a new double live CD titled �Rock In Rio�, as well as reissue the entire Iron Maiden catalog. 

The live album will include tracks recorded at the Rock in Rio concert Iron Maiden played during their �Brave New World� tour in 2000. The new live album has already sparked some controversy among fans. Last week, bassist Steve Harris addressed rumors that the band overdubbed studio vocals onto the live recordings on the �Rock in Rio� album. �Let's get one thing straight. Bruce is NOT a liar,� said Harris in a statement on the official Iron Maiden website. 

[Steve Harris statement]

There are NO overdubs on this live album. While it was being mixed in New York by Kevin Shirley and myself, Bruce was in London to my knowledge, or wherever he was, it's not an issue except to say that he couldn't overdub anything if he wasn't there!

What HAS happened is that I made an executive decision to cut and paste with a computer to put back in, his LIVE on the night vocals into parts where he was getting the audience to sing on some choruses on some lines on their own. The reason I did this is because in the cold light of day it sounds better with him back in there because sometimes the audience were either out of time or not quite loud enough. So I simply cut out parts of his vocal on the line before and pasted it into the next line which was possible because it was a repetitive part. 

I find it amazing that people would question this band's integrity and indeed go as far as accuse someone of being a liar. Supposed fans like that we don't want, as far as I'm concerned we're better off without people like that. If you don't like what I've done with the album, don't buy it. Simple!

Steve Harris
18th March 2002

[end of Steve Harris statement]

Reissues: 

Aside from the new �Rock in Rio� live album, Iron Maiden�s entire catalog will be reissued on March 26th along with 15 limited edition CD�s in vinyl replica packaging. Metal-Is / Santuary furnished the following details for the reissue and special edition releases. 

Set for release are a fresh new series of 15 limited-edition "vinyl replica" packages, in single sleeve and gatefold configurations, that pay homage to the original LP artwork of the '80s.  (When the vinyl replica sleeves are sold-out, the albums will remain available in conventional jewel-box editions.)  Thirteen of the 15 contain bonus tracks and multimedia content.  

Also to launch during this reissue campaign is the Soundhouse Tapes Promotion.  Inside every album will be an Eddie proof-of-purchase sticker.  For a limited time, fans will be able to redeem 6 Eddie stickers for a special edition CD issue of The Soundhouse Tapes.

This seminal Iron Maiden discography - comprising 11 original studio albums, and four full-length live albums (two of which are doubles) has been scheduled for March 26th in-store date on Sanctuary/Metal Is.  

Individually, the Iron Maiden titles are: 1. Iron Maiden (1980)   
2. Killers (1981) 
3. The Number Of the Beast (1982)
4. Piece Of Mind (1983)   
5. Powerslave (1984) 
6. Live After Death (1985)
7. Somewhere In Time (1986)    
8. Seventh Son Of a Seventh Son (1988)
9. No Prayer For the Dying (1990)
10. Fear Of the Dark (1992)
11. A Real Live One (1993)
12. A Real Dead One (1993)
13.  Live At Donington (1993)
14. The X Factor (1995)
15. Virtual XI (1998) 

Notes:  #1-13 all contain two bonus tracks each that were not included on the original albums of the '80s and '90s, plus special enhanced CD multimedia content featuring full-length videos, exclusive band biographies, photo galleries, Internet links and more.  #14 contains no bonus tracks or multimedia content.  #11 and #12, originally issued as separate albums six months apart in 1993, and later conjoined as a double-CD in 1998, are now cleaved as separate releases once again.

Another note:  One additional 16th title, Best Of the Beast, will be released separately from the other discs in a 2-CD brilliant box later this year.   
 

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