As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to or 33⅓ or 45!
I remember shelling out $14.99 for the import CD single of Iron Maiden’s “The Evil That Men Do” in the summer of 1988. That was a lot of money to me back then, but it was a necessary expenditure– I simply had to get my hands on the two choice b-sides. Both “Prowler” and “Charlotte The Harlot” were originally released on Iron Maiden’s debut album back in 1980, but now Maiden had re-recorded them with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Bruce had been in the band for seven years at that point, and it was a real treat to hear him sing songs that had originally featured vocalist Paul Di’Anno.
Are the 1988 versions of “Prowler” and “Charlotte The Harlot” better than the originals? Probably not, but I’ve included the originals as bonus tracks so that you can decide for yourself. I really loved Di’Anno-era Maiden — his voice had a punky edge that served the material quite well, but it wouldn’t have worked on the more progressive material that Maiden was moving towards. In the end, adding Bruce on vocals was probably the best decision the band ever made. That being said, Di’Anno’s Killers is still my favorite Iron Maiden record. Up the Irons!
Iron Maiden: The Evil That Men Do
EMI Records, 1988
1. “The Evil That Men Do” (Smith/Dickinson/Harris)
2. “Prowler ’88” (Harris)
3. “Charlotte The Harlot ’88” (Murray)
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Iron Maiden: “Prowler” (Harris)
Iron Maiden: “Charlotte The Harlot” (Murray)
Both taken from the album Iron Maiden
Harvest/Capitol Records, 1980
Iron Maiden: “Wrathchild” [1999 New Vocal Version]
Portrait Records, 1999
Iron Maiden: “Killers” (Di’Anno/Harris)
From the album Killers
Harvest/Capitol Records, 1981
The Analog Kid 
One of the best EP’s ever!
I COMPLETELY agree. 🙂