| Hidden Treasures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | July 18, 1995 (1995-07-18) | |||
| Recorded | 1987–94 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 29:16 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Max Norman,Dave Mustaine | |||
| Megadeth chronology | ||||
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| Japanese Limited Edition cover | ||||
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Hidden Treasures is acompilation EP by Americanthrash metal bandMegadeth, released on July 18, 1995, viaCapitol Records. The album features songs that originally appeared on film soundtracks and tribute albums. Four of the tracks were released as singles, and three have receivedGrammy Award nominations forBest Metal Performance. Despite having garnered mediocre or negative reviews, the material on the EP has been credited with helping expand the group'sMTV audience in the early 1990s.
Hidden Treasures is a rarities compilation that features songs that Megadeth had recorded for a number of projects, but had not released on one of the band's studio albums.[†] Most of these were contributions to film soundtracks.[1] In 1989, Megadeth recorded a version ofAlice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for the soundtrack to theWes Craven-directed horror filmShocker.[2] It marks drummer Nick Menza's recording debut with the band.[3] The recording was released as a single and peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in 1990.[4] "Go to Hell" appeared on theBill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack in 1991.[5] The song features the same prayer, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", used in "Enter Sandman" byMetallica, and can be heard at the beginning of the track.[6]
The band contributed three songs to soundtracks in 1993. "Angry Again", recorded during the sessions forCountdown to Extinction, appeared on thesoundtrack toLast Action Hero and received a nomination for "Best Metal Performance" at the1993 Grammy Awards.[5] The song has appeared on several of the band's compilations.[7][8] "Breakpoint" appeared on the soundtrack for theSuper Mario Bros. film.[9] "99 Ways to Die" was recorded for the soundtrack toThe Beavis and Butt-head Experience and released as a single and a music video. It was nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the1995 Grammy Awards.[10]
"Diadems" was released on theDemon Knight soundtrack in 1995.[11] In addition to soundtrack contributions, the band submitted a cover ofBlack Sabbath's "Paranoid" for the tribute albumNativity in Black in 1994. It was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the1996 Grammy Awards.[12] "Problems" is aSex Pistols cover[1] and was previously unreleased.[13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [6] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
While initially released in Europe as a bonus disc for a special edition ofYouthanasia,Hidden Treasures was released as a stand-alone EP in Japan and the US on July 18, 1995.[1][16] It debuted at number 90 on theBillboard 200 chart and sold 13,000 copies in its first week.[17] By December 2005,Hidden Treasures sold 286,000 copies in the United States.[18] It also appeared on album chart in the UK, but did not achieve notable success.[19] The album has gone out of print in the US, but was reissued in 2007 for the Japanese and European markets.[16]
The EP has received generally mediocre reaction from critics.AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the EP does not have many "first-rate songs" and that only "99 Ways to Die" made an impression.[1] TheRolling Stone Album Guide was dismissive of the EP; the staff reviewer commented that the album is worth hearing only for "99 Ways to Die".[15] Dean Golemis of theChicago Tribune wrote that the album is "typical Megadeth" featuring "fast-forward riffing" and "snooty snarling" vocals.[6] Carlos Ramirez fromNoisecreep felt that the album contains many underrated songs that "also deserve their time in the spotlight" and highlighted the dueling guitar leads by Mustaine and Friedman featured in "Go to Hell".[5] Despite the negative reviews, material featured on the EP has been credited with helping expand the group'sMTV audience in the early 1990s.[20]
All credits adapted from theHidden Treasures liner notes.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original appearance | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (Alice Cooper cover) |
| 1989 –Shocker(soundtrack) | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Breakpoint" | 1993 –Super Mario Bros.(soundtrack) | 3:29 | |
| 3. | "Go to Hell" |
| 1991 –Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey(soundtrack) | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Angry Again" | Mustaine | 1993 –Last Action Hero(soundtrack) | 3:47 |
| 5. | "99 Ways to Die" | Mustaine | 1993 –The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath cover) | 1994 –Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath ~ Vol. 1 | 2:32 | |
| 7. | "Diadems" | Mustaine | 1995 –Demon Knight(soundtrack) | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Problems" (Sex Pistols cover) | 1995 –A Tout le Monde | 3:57 | |
| Total length: | 29:16 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original appearance | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Tout le Monde" (radio edit) | Mustaine | 1995 –A Tout le Monde | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Symphony of Destruction" (demo) | Mustaine | 1995 –A Tout le Monde | 5:29 |
| 3. | "Architecture of Aggression" (demo) |
| 1995 –A Tout le Monde | 2:49 |
| 4. | "New World Order" (demo) |
| 1995 –A Tout le Monde | 3:47 |
Credits are adapted from the liner notes.[13]
Megadeth
Production
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums Chart (Oricon)[citation needed] | 13 |
| UK Albums Chart (OCC)[19] | 28 |
| USBillboard 200 (Billboard)[22] | 90 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[23] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
