Edward the Great collects most of Iron Maiden's hits, including the punishing "Number of the Beast", the super-dramatic "Can I Play with Madness?" and their sole chart-topper "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter". Since their late-1970s rise as prime movers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Iron Maiden have unleashed a ferocious pack of hit singles and million-selling albums. Their recipe was simple: They took their lyrics from bloody world mythology and classic gothic literature and backed them with a soaring, bulldozing twin-guitar assault driven on by main man Steve Harris' relentless bass. It was an approach that would influence countless rock bands, from Metallica to a string of Scandinavian death-merchants.

The Essential Iron Maiden features some of the greatest heavy metal music ever recorded. Iron Maiden have had huge worldwide impact these past 25 years thanks to all-time classic albums like Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Live After Death, Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, No Prayer For the Dying, Fear of the Dark, The X Factor, Virtual XI, Brave New World, Dance of Death and other live albums. 2 CD set. Sony. 2005.