A Sneak Peek...
On July 18, 1995 "Megadeth" released it's first EP "Hidden Treasures".
As it name implies this EP really contains "Hidden Treasures". This It is a compilation album that features songs that the band recorded for various projects, including film soundtracks and tribute albums. Four tracks from the EP were released as singles, and three received Grammy Award nominations for Best Metal Performance.
The background of the EP reveals that many of the songs were contributed to film soundtracks.
"No More Mr. Nice Guy" - an Alice Cooper cover, was recorded for the "Shocker" soundtrack from 1989 and marked drummer Nick Menza's recording debut with the band. "Go to Hell" was taken from "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" soundtrack released in 1991 and it features the same prayer used in "Enter Sandman" by Metallica ("Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.."). "Angry Again", from the "Last Action Hero" soundtrack of 1993, received a Grammy nomination, as did "99 Ways to Die" from "The Beavis and Butt-head Experience" soundtrack of the same year. "Breakpoint" is taken from the "Super Mario Bros." soundtrack from 1993. "Diadems" appeared on the "Demon Knight" soundtrack from 1995, and the band contributed a cover of "Black Sabbath's" "Paranoid" to the "Nativity in Black" tribute album, released in 1994. closing the mini album is another cover "Problems" originally by the "Sex Pistols", which was a b-side of the "A Tout le Monde" single released in 1995.
While the EP received mediocre reviews from critics, with some expressing praise for specific tracks like "99 Ways to Die" and "Angry Again", it was also criticized for lacking standout songs. Despite this, the material on the EP was credited with helping expand "Megadeth's" MTV audience in the early 1990s.
Regarding sales, "Hidden Treasures" initially debuted at number 90 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 13,000 copies in its first week. By December 2005, it had sold 286,000 copies in the United States. It achieved moderate success on album charts in the UK but did not attain significant popularity.
The EP was initially released in Europe as a bonus disc for a special edition of "Youthanasia" but later became available as a stand-alone release in Japan and the US. Though it has gone out of print in the US, it was reissued in 2007 for the Japanese and European markets.
For listening: Spotify, Apple music