Are they still any good? To mark the reissue of the first three Iron Maiden albums on vinyl, we take a look back and review the records.

It’s been less than two years since Iron Maiden rolled out their 1980s catalog as picture discs, but already we have another opportunity to reappraise those records as 180g black vinyl reissues are hitting stores in the fall of 2014.

Fans can reasonably complain that nostalgia and greed is a potent combination. Why didn’t the band and EMI issue the black vinyl versions in the first place, which is what fans have been wanting, instead of nearly unplayable picture discs? Iron Maiden are certainly late to the party when it comes to high quality vinyl products…

But complaints aside, while we’re waiting for the retro cycle of 2012-14 to end and new music to arrive, here are our retro reviews of the first three Iron Maiden albums, available as black vinyl this week:

Iron Maiden (1980)

Killers (1981)

The Number Of The Beast (1982)

You can also CLICK HERE for our in-depth discussion of the early days of the band and the quest to capture the Iron Maiden sound on vinyl.