Run to the Hills, Wrathchild, Fear of the Dark, Wasted Years, Can I Play With Madness. These are just some of Iron Maidens classic tracks that are played at earth shattering volumes at every arena and stadium the world over and sang along to by millions of fans. But what about the less talked about tracks? The ones your average or casual fan of Maiden will never hear. Let’s dive in to some of my favorite underrated or obscure cuts from one of Heavy Metals crowning jewels. We’ll be looking at b sides, deep cuts, and songs from each of Iron Maidens vocalists will make an appearance. 

Burning Ambition: Recorded as a four piece with Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Paul Di’anno and soon to be replaced drummer, Doug Sampson. Burning Ambition would be the B side to their first UK hit Running Free, and it’s an infectiously catchy pop tune. Reminiscent of bands like The Sweet, Slade, and other 70s glam acts. It’s a major scale triumph that sounds like a very different Iron Maiden then what would be heard on even their debut album. But as chipper as it sounds, Dave Murray can still shred into a frenzy with his guitar solo. 

Still life: Starting with some humorous backwards messaging which is just drummer Nicko McBrain burping then imitating Idi Admin and saying “What ho said the t’ing with the three bonce, don’t meddle with things you don’t understand”. A cheeky pisstake of religious groups crusade against metal in the 1980s. The song itself is a fantastic atmospheric and spooky song that showcases the bands superb storytelling abilities, inspired by the short story “The inhabitants Of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants”. Lyrically its about the call of the void, and the music fits it. They even name drop the name of the album after the chorus!

Invasion: The B-side to Women in Uniform, the somewhat maligned cover song. But Invasion is anything but maligned, maybe the punkiest cut of the Paul Di’Anno’s tenure. Paul’s favorite band was The Ramones after all. One of the bands all time shortest songs of all time, at just over 2 ½ minutes this song proves that you don’t need 18 minutes to get an idea across(looking at you, Steve!). It’s so breakneck with all these changes, the band can hardly keep up, but Clive Burr, the heartbeat of the band during their early era is carrying it on his back. 

Fates Warning: No Prayer for the Dying is an album that doesn’t get much love. Hell, the band aren’t even playing any songs from it on their current “Run for Your Lives” tour, which focuses on the first 9 albums exclusively. I feel this song would be great addition to the setlist. The album was recorded in a barn, and Fates Warning is a barn burner. The song philosophically looks at “predeterminism”, the idea that all events are predetermined and planned by a higher power. Maiden may have slightly devolved musically on this album, but lyrically they were as sharp as ever. 

Strange World: A bizarre slow jam, with Pink Floyd-Esque guitar and general atmosphere. This is one for the stoners! The guitar solos from Dave, and at the time current co-guitarist Dennis Stratton are both amazing. The band often said that Dennis felt more at home playing material like this, then he was with songs like Prowler, but regardless when you hear his guitar work, you know for a fact that his talents were not wasted. The words come from either the novel of Dracula or it’s a depressing view of getting high or drunk. And with the “Plama wine” line, it could go either way. 

Total Eclipse: A B-side that should’ve never been a B-side. You see the band were rushed during The Number of the Beast production and had to pick between either Total Eclipse or Gangland to be the B-side to Run to The Hills, and Steve frankly admits that the band picked wrong and that it should have been on the album instead! A doomsday epic that has such a majestic scope to it, I especially love the solo section and how intense it gets, it reminds me of something from the Di’anno era. I could easily see this being on Number of the Beast. (Sorry Gangland fans!)

Judgement of Heaven: Come on, I had to show Blaze some love! While admittedly I am not a huge fan of his albums with Maiden, X factor and Virtual XI definitely have their highlights, and Judgement of Heaven is one of them. These are maybe the most down-to-earth lyrics Steve Harris has ever written, they’re about depression, suicide, anguish, but also hope. It’s undeniably human and heartfelt, with much less guitar and even some synths which work despite the dark tone of the song and album in general. It brings the focus on the lyrics and Blaze’s pained performance, and I think he did quite well.

Déjà-vu: Somewhere in time is a love it or hate it record. Some fans adore it for the bands daring experiment with guitar synths, and some fans hate it for that very reason. But Déjà-vu is one of the heavier cuts off the album, while also being one of the catchiest. Written solely by Dave Murray, it has such a great blend between the guitars and synths. Déjà-vu sounds so huge and expansive. the guitar solo is quite simple, it acts more like another catchy riff. Add on Bruce’s bizarre effect laden vocals in the verse that add such great tension, and this track is just a winner. 

Prodigal Son: Maybe my favorite song from Paul Di’anno’s tenure, and maybe my favorite Maiden song period. Prodigal Son is clearly inspired by the 70s Prog bands that Steve Harris worshipped with its lush soundscapes, but with enough of Paul’s punk attitude to bring it back to earth. It’s a tranquil song about a man who played with black magic for many years before pleading for help from Lamia, a child-eating monster from Greek Mythology. When Paul died, this song became weirdly poignant given the mans struggles with substances, and I can’t help but think about him whenever I hear this masterpiece. 

The Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Brave New World was not just the triumphant return of the Air Raid Siren himself, Bruce Dickinson, but it was also the welcome return of Guitar God Adrian Smith, and they both kill it on this epic closer. I had to include at least one Maiden Epic on this list, and this track is a noble choice. It’s about the free will you have to do good or bad, and how often it’s not an easy decision. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all. But it ends on a more uplifting note with Bruce’s soaring vocals and some sombre guitar. It’s a light at the end of the tunnel.