Best Eddie

I always liked the Different World cover, but now as you've been talking about it, I finally looked closer and it's really not that great. Is it just me or does the face look as if it didn't belong there? All the different parts are very weirdly put together. Ugh.
 
I always liked the Different World cover, but now as you've been talking about it, I finally looked closer and it's really not that great. Is it just me or does the face look as if it didn't belong there? All the different parts are very weirdly put together. Ugh.

To me, the face looks like it came from the Wildest Dreams era and added to this Eddie
 
How about the new live album? One of the worst Eddies of the past 10 years imo
 
67. The Final Frontier - single (Dry)
Overall: 4.34/10

final_frontier_single_art_2_by_edheadkt-d2xji0a.jpg


I actually really, really love the sci-fi throwback single covers from The Final Frontier, and I'm a little sad they didn't get a great reception. They're bright and colourful and fun. Of course, the Eddie here is a rendering of the Grant alien-Eddie from the cover of the album, and I actually kinda like it. He's not the best Eddie, but he is at least original and different. I love how the brow ridges form in the centre, like Eddie's screwplate on the post-lobotomy 80s covers. The rest of the cover isn't so bad. The dead astronaut, bright, easily read font. The Iron Maiden nameplate, though, seems a little full - the letters look almost bolded. It's a little weird. Anyway, I like this cover a lot and you're all mad to rate it so low.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 2
8: 5
7: 6
6: 5
5: 6
4: 12
3: 7
2: 8
1: 7

Overall Rankings:
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
Not a great Eddie but a really cool cover. It's really too bad the TFF singles weren't given physical releases.
 
66. The Early Days - (Peacock)
Overall: 4.64/10

e1ba2e656e212a3b16f8670ce7882bff--iron-maiden-eddie-world-music.jpg


Here's another CGI Eddie! Will you look at that. Anyway, this Eddie is clearly meant to invoke the Killers-era Eddie, one of the more famous, but his face is all pinched and weird. He kinda looks more like the joker than he does anything else. Also, what the fuck is wrong with his right hand (on the left in the picture). The backdrop light throws some funky shadows and it looks really odd. The yellow glow obscures a lot of detail and you have to wonder if that's's intentional. Anyway, it's fine. Hate that "The History of" text is half washed out. His left foot looks SO TINY. But it's fine.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 2
8: 4
7: 6
6: 8
5: 10
4: 10
3: 7
2: 7
1: 4

Overall Rankings:
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
66. No More Lies - (Patchett)
Overall: 4.67/10

l_TDZKQCHGkXooCGApYYa6jsECg.jpg


This one is pretty much a closeup of the Eddie from Dance of Death sans crazy CGI bullshit. First of all, notice Eddie has a chin dimple. We've seen that only a couple other times. He also has the narrow lower face that came into prominence following Virtual XI, but at least no huge ears. The left eye is noticeably dimmer than the right. Weird. Beyond that, not much to say here other than Eddie holds a scythe in a really odd way.

Your votes:
10: 1
9: 3
8: 4
7: 5
6: 9
5: 7
4: 8
3: 9
2: 7
1: 5

Overall Rankings:
65 - No More Lies - EP - Patchett
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
67. The Final Frontier - single (Dry)
Overall: 4.34/10

final_frontier_single_art_2_by_edheadkt-d2xji0a.jpg


I actually really, really love the sci-fi throwback single covers from The Final Frontier, and I'm a little sad they didn't get a great reception. They're bright and colourful and fun. Of course, the Eddie here is a rendering of the Grant alien-Eddie from the cover of the album, and I actually kinda like it. He's not the best Eddie, but he is at least original and different. I love how the brow ridges form in the centre, like Eddie's screwplate on the post-lobotomy 80s covers. The rest of the cover isn't so bad. The dead astronaut, bright, easily read font. The Iron Maiden nameplate, though, seems a little full - the letters look almost bolded. It's a little weird. Anyway, I like this cover a lot and you're all mad to rate it so low.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 2
8: 5
7: 6
6: 5
5: 6
4: 12
3: 7
2: 8
1: 7

Overall Rankings:
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions


The problem with Alien-Eddie for me is it is too close to a rip off of Predator!

predator-616x440.jpg
 
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I actually really, really love the sci-fi throwback single covers from The Final Frontier, and I'm a little sad they didn't get a great reception. They're bright and colourful and fun.
Completely agree. Curious as to where El Dorado lands too because that's one of my all-time favorites.

As for the other two, Early Days is eh and No More Lies is better than DOD but still meh.
 
Early Days is a great idea with not so great execution. I love all the various posters and hidden references. Very Riggs-esque. Now if only they actually got Riggs to paint it.

No More Lies is cool.
 
It's kind of odd that they would do a throwback to 1980 using CGI. Funnily enough, 12 years on, the CGI art looks older than the early paintings.
 
64. Rainmaker (Watson)
Overall: 4.69/10

Rainmaker_Single_Cover_I_%28UK%29.jpg


This is one of the rare physical eddies, as this one is apparently a mask. The narrow-faced Eddie is at play here, with Killers-style hair. We only get about a third of the face, but it's enough to tell he'll have that "maniacal" grin that seems to be present in that era of work. Background is kinda neat, if basic, but what I really want to point out is something that I think is unique in the catalogue - the Iron Maiden nameplate is slightly transparent! That's sort of cool! This one has a really centralized rating, with nothing above an 8 and only two 1s.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 0
8: 6
7: 3
6: 12
5: 9
4: 14
3: 4
2: 8
1: 2

Overall Rankings:
64 - Rainmaker - single - Watson
65 - No More Lies - EP - Patchett
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
I think this is the first Maiden release I bought right when it came out (I already had a sizeable collection and did get Wildest Dreams and DOD later - but I was a school kid with only so much money). The cover is nothing special, but it will always feel special to me because of this.
 
64. Edward the Great (Adams)
Overall: 4.69/10

iron-maiden-nwobhm-edward-the-great(compilation)-20130704185135.jpg


Ooops, I fucked up the tiebreakers. This is actually 64, whereas Rainmaker is actually 63. Oh well. So, this guy is devoid of the Iron Maiden nameplate, which is an interesting choice, and not one I'm sure paid off. This is again the product of the 1998-2005 period of the band, with the elongated face. The whole image has an almost tapestry-feel to it, a sort of art that is supposed to go back a long time, which is appropriate. Eddie has a military-style uniform and boots, but the hounds and leopard-skin rug are quite interesting. I think the biggest problem with this cover is that it feels vaguely disappointing - this could have been awesome with a Riggs or a Grant or a Wilkinson, but instead it feels like a C-grade artist gave it a shot, did ok, but yeah.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 0
8: 4
7: 7
6: 10
5: 12
4: 8
3: 8
2: 6
1: 3

Overall Rankings:
63 - Rainmaker - single - Watson
62 - Edward the Great - compilation album - Adams
65 - No More Lies - EP - Patchett
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
62. BBC Archives (Riggs)
Overall: 4.72/10

album_iron_maiden_bbc_archive.jpg


Another entry from the Eddie's Archive box set, this one features the early-90s Riggs Eddie smashing Broadcasting House in London. Eddie has been grown to giant-sized proportions, one of the only times he has been so drawn (the pyramid on Powerslave and the cloud in the Brave New World sky come to mind). The early-90s Riggs comes about after the odd surrealist depictions of our favourite monster in the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son era, and this Eddie has been turned monstrous, with dull, brutish features and a broad, slavish mouth. Suffice to say, this is one of my least favourite depictions of the mascot - I greatly enjoyed the glimmer of cleverness that Riggs was able to convey in the earlier covers. Grant did a decent job with the same, and I think Wilkinson in the most recent major cover got it perfectly right with the Mayan Eddie. These ones seem to miss that spark.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 0
8: 4
7: 9
6: 10
5: 8
4: 10
3: 8
2: 6
1: 3

Overall Rankings:
62 - BBC Archives - live album - Riggs
63 - Rainmaker - single - Watson
62 - Edward the Great - compilation album - Adams
65 - No More Lies - EP - Patchett
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions
 
Rainmaker is probably the best example of realistic Eddies. I didn't know it was a mask, I thought it was CGI. Either way, it's a cool design with the blue texture and transparent logo.

I have mixed feelings on Edward the Great. I get a lot of nostalgia looking at it because it was the most recent Maiden release when I started listening to them, so the CD was all over stores. I think the Give Me Ed tour also used the artwork in t shirts and such (maybe Eddie himself?). That being said, I'm not sure if it's a great cover in retrospect. The lack of Iron Maiden logo just seems wrong and Eddie is missing his usual larger life vibe. The scenery and simplicity is cool though.

The BBC Archives is just a recycled promo from the early 90s, about when Riggs stopped giving a shit. I dig the concept but the drawing is pretty halfassed. Also not a big fan of the color scheme and how the plain red background seems to be dominant. Remember when the sky in a Riggs painting was just as captivating as anything else?
 
62. BBC Archives (Riggs)
Overall: 4.72/10

album_iron_maiden_bbc_archive.jpg


Another entry from the Eddie's Archive box set, this one features the early-90s Riggs Eddie smashing Broadcasting House in London. Eddie has been grown to giant-sized proportions, one of the only times he has been so drawn (the pyramid on Powerslave and the cloud in the Brave New World sky come to mind). The early-90s Riggs comes about after the odd surrealist depictions of our favourite monster in the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son era, and this Eddie has been turned monstrous, with dull, brutish features and a broad, slavish mouth. Suffice to say, this is one of my least favourite depictions of the mascot - I greatly enjoyed the glimmer of cleverness that Riggs was able to convey in the earlier covers. Grant did a decent job with the same, and I think Wilkinson in the most recent major cover got it perfectly right with the Mayan Eddie. These ones seem to miss that spark.

Your votes:
10: 0
9: 0
8: 4
7: 9
6: 10
5: 8
4: 10
3: 8
2: 6
1: 3

Overall Rankings:
62 - BBC Archives - live album - Riggs
63 - Rainmaker - single - Watson
62 - Edward the Great - compilation album - Adams
65 - No More Lies - EP - Patchett
66 - The Early Days - video - Peacock
67 - The Final Frontier - single - Dry
68 - Out of the Silent Planet, alternate - single - Wilkinson
69 - Different World - single - Greenhalgh
70 - Virtual XI - album - Grant
71 - The X Factor - album - Syme
72 - Visions of the Beast - video - Peacock
73 - Man on the Edge - single - Syme
74 - Run to the Hills, Rock in Rio - single - Unknown
75 - The X Factor, alternate - Syme
76 - Best of the B-Sides - compilation album - Wilkinson
77 - Wildest Dreams - single - Greenhalgh
78 - Virus, second alternate - single - Syme
79 - Dance of Death - album - Patchett
80 - Lord of the Flies - single - Syme
81 - Futureal - single - Synthetic Dimensions
82 - Virus, first alternate - single - Unknown
83 - Ed Hunter - compilation album - Synthetic Dimensions
84 - The Angel and the Gambler - single - Synthetic Dimensions


It is ok, but I always preferred the Derek Riggs similar pic (can't remember if this was on the list you have of all the images)

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