Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Total Eclipse has one of Adrians best opening riffs (after the intro), I like it more than the one from 2 Minutes to Midnight.
The song is heavy, not in the least because of the fat riffs but also because of Burr's great cymbal work, timing so well with the changing of the chords.
There's a threatening and menacing delivery by Bruce. Sunrise is goooooooneee
Some of the coolest solos from this album, and that sudden rhythm shift underneath brings more Killer colour to Burr's work.
8 (out of 13 votes, the only 8!)
(I really would like to see Halford and Bruce doing a duet on this track.)
The song is heavy, not in the least because of the fat riffs but also because of Burr's great cymbal work, timing so well with the changing of the chords.
There's a threatening and menacing delivery by Bruce. Sunrise is goooooooneee
Some of the coolest solos from this album, and that sudden rhythm shift underneath brings more Killer colour to Burr's work.
8 (out of 13 votes, the only 8!)
(I really would like to see Halford and Bruce doing a duet on this track.)
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
5. Always thought it was an average song, especially before Hallowed. Unlike most, I actually prefer Gangland. 
Cosmiceddie
Back From The Edge
'Total Eclipse': 10/10
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Filler? Welcome to the world of B-sides. Read on, if interested how the band regretted to use this song as a B-side:
From the offical biography:
For Adrian, "Number of the Beast was definitely the best Maiden album, up to that point. The songs were all there and there was a much fatter sound." Steve Harris, however, isn't so sure: "I loved Number of the Beast, but I didn't think it was our best album at the time, and I still don't. There's a couple of tracks on it which I think are not quite so good, and one of them is one of the ones I wrote!" The two tracks Steve is referring to are Adrian's Clive-assisted stomper, 'Gangland, and 'Invaders', which Steve wrote himself. "'Gangland' was, like, Clive's first attempt at songwriting," he explains, "and I should have just put my foot down and said, 'Look, this is a B-side,' because it should have been, really." Steve says that he would have preferred to see 'Gangland' replaced by a track that he and Davey had written (also with help from Clive) called 'Total Eclipse', which was used instead as the B-side of the first single from the album, 'Run To The Hills'.
"What happened was that we needed a single quickly, because we had a new singer and we had a British tour booked and ready to go, and it didn't look like the album was gonna be ready in time for it, so we badly needed a single out to try and cover all those bases," says Steve. "We just chose the wrong track as the B-side. I think if 'Total Eclipse' had been on the album instead of 'Gangland', it would have been far better. Also, I think 'Invaders' maybe could have been replaced with something a bit better, only we didn't have anything else to replace it with at the time. We had just enough time to do what we did, and that was it."
Unfortunately, as Bruce says, "What we gained on the swings we lost on the roundabouts, and when it actually came to the recording it was all done in one mad, unholy rush." In fact, because of the time it had taken to write all the new material, the album was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios in just five weeks, including a break after the first week to record and mix 'Run To The Hills' and 'Total Eclipse', so that they could get a single out quickly, before returning to complete the rest of the recording as quickly as they could.
"We had to pick the single before we recorded anything, because of the schedule," he continues. "We were, like, 'Oh, fucking hell! We haven't recorded any of the songs yet. How do we know which one will be a good single?' I mean, they were all such killer songs on Number of the Beast, we could easily have picked the wrong track completely. But the schedule said we had to pick a single, and so we asked Martin what he thought and he said 'Run To The Hills'. So, thanks to Martin's prize-winning ears, that's what we did, and it turned out to be exactly the right choice."
---
Check out this awesome video of its live performance. Its selection in the set proves how much the band liked it. You'll also learn who plays which solo. There are two solos.
From the offical biography:
For Adrian, "Number of the Beast was definitely the best Maiden album, up to that point. The songs were all there and there was a much fatter sound." Steve Harris, however, isn't so sure: "I loved Number of the Beast, but I didn't think it was our best album at the time, and I still don't. There's a couple of tracks on it which I think are not quite so good, and one of them is one of the ones I wrote!" The two tracks Steve is referring to are Adrian's Clive-assisted stomper, 'Gangland, and 'Invaders', which Steve wrote himself. "'Gangland' was, like, Clive's first attempt at songwriting," he explains, "and I should have just put my foot down and said, 'Look, this is a B-side,' because it should have been, really." Steve says that he would have preferred to see 'Gangland' replaced by a track that he and Davey had written (also with help from Clive) called 'Total Eclipse', which was used instead as the B-side of the first single from the album, 'Run To The Hills'.
"What happened was that we needed a single quickly, because we had a new singer and we had a British tour booked and ready to go, and it didn't look like the album was gonna be ready in time for it, so we badly needed a single out to try and cover all those bases," says Steve. "We just chose the wrong track as the B-side. I think if 'Total Eclipse' had been on the album instead of 'Gangland', it would have been far better. Also, I think 'Invaders' maybe could have been replaced with something a bit better, only we didn't have anything else to replace it with at the time. We had just enough time to do what we did, and that was it."
Unfortunately, as Bruce says, "What we gained on the swings we lost on the roundabouts, and when it actually came to the recording it was all done in one mad, unholy rush." In fact, because of the time it had taken to write all the new material, the album was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios in just five weeks, including a break after the first week to record and mix 'Run To The Hills' and 'Total Eclipse', so that they could get a single out quickly, before returning to complete the rest of the recording as quickly as they could.
"We had to pick the single before we recorded anything, because of the schedule," he continues. "We were, like, 'Oh, fucking hell! We haven't recorded any of the songs yet. How do we know which one will be a good single?' I mean, they were all such killer songs on Number of the Beast, we could easily have picked the wrong track completely. But the schedule said we had to pick a single, and so we asked Martin what he thought and he said 'Run To The Hills'. So, thanks to Martin's prize-winning ears, that's what we did, and it turned out to be exactly the right choice."
---
Check out this awesome video of its live performance. Its selection in the set proves how much the band liked it. You'll also learn who plays which solo. There are two solos.
Taker
Cannon Fodder
Y'know, it sounded better to me in that live version than the studio cut I perused on YouTube. Both solos (the ones I couldn't differentiate) are good, albeit a bit short. I love the tone of those Ibanez Destroyers Dave and Adrian are both using. I'll digest this tune some more and maybe retract my "filler" statement 
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
I'd have to agree with Taker. The album version sounds to be of poorer quality. That was a great live version. It sort of has a similar start to Revelations and I love the speedy solo.
chaosapiant
Ancient Marinade
This song reminds me so much of the material of Piece of Mind that it isn't funny. Not a bad thing, but it's a strange vibe when mixed with the more "street" Number of the Beast. I love the song though.
Prowler_108
Trooper
I wish this song had been on the original album, because it's better than Invaders and Gangland. The chorus is a little weird, but I love the verses, Bruce's performance, and the bridge. Not classic enough for a 9, but it gets a high 8.
Better than Gangland, and probably equal in quality with Invaders. Good drumming by Clive, and a great chorus. 6/10.
