Customer Reviews

Live After Death

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is awesome!

If you are thinking of buying your first Iron Maiden album then this is the one to get. Were the songs not live, this would be 'The best of Iron maiden' at the time at which it was recorded. The fact that it is live just makes it even better because iron maiden play with such energy live. The live versions of the songs are almost Perfect and sound awesome.

All the songs are superb. Bruce and the boys cover not only some of the highlights of the early 'Bruce dickinson era' such as 'Powerslave' and 'Number of the beast' but also play amazing versions of some songs maiden recorded with Paul Dianno before bruce joined like 'Running free', 'Wrathchild' and of course'Iron Maiden' the title track of their self titled album. I would reccommend this album to anyone who likes heavy metal and even to people who don't. If you like maiden you WILL like this album I guarentee!

Up the Irons!

A live recording cannot capture the intensity of a heavy metal concert. Comparatively speaking, however, Live After Death does it better than any other live metal album. The impeccable sound quality belies the fact that this album was recorded in the mid-80s (it sounds better than 99% of all modern live recordings). Even better though, is the fact that this concert comes from a time when Iron Maiden, the quintessential metal band, was young and full of energy. I wasn't there, but I can tell that this show was a blast.

Song selection is perfect, encapsulating most of the band's best songs from their preceding studio albums, and each one is impeccably performed, often better than the studio counterparts. The mini-epic "Powerslave" definitely gains something special when the crowd screams at Bruce's stylish entry. "Hallowed Be Thy Name's" main riff is played faster and the song gains more intensity as a result. This version of "The Trooper" makes the studio version seem tepid in comparison. Then there's "Phantom of the Opera," which is simply incredible with Bruce's sinister intonations.

It's awesome. If you don't buy it, you suck.

In the early eigthies, while most of America listen to dumb radio songs, a metal band from East London, England, quietly began its rise to glory. That rise resulted in an apex known as "The Worldslavery Tour" of 1984. Along time ago, but classics always withstand the test of time much like Beethoven is still heard, and appreciated today, five hundred years after his time. This album not only presents some of Maiden's best songs ever - their live versions are well preserve here. They are mainly taken from a four-night stint at the Long Beach Arena which Maiden became the first recording artist to sell out four consecutive nights1 An amazing accomplishment since they had no media attention, no radio air play, no true MTV support (thank God!), and did not fit the mold of a major band by the standards of the press. So they were ignored, and to this day they are mainly forgotten in this country. Fans here are goo-goo for the new sound of Metallica which they think brings new stuff to the front, but in reality Maiden has been doing it, and playing it since their club days at the Ruskin Arms (a place that has been made the spiritual representation of the NWOBHM as Maiden's legend has grown). More importantly they've been doing it with much more originality and heaviness than any current Metallica release. Songs like "Powerslave" and the epic "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" showcase the then line-up's ability to change tempos, play smooth rythmn sections, imaginative guitar playing, and above all, a lead singer with singing ability! These are not your run-of-the-muck metal cohorts. This is the band that has delivered musical quality for years. Sticking to their promise of giving their fans value for money. And indeed, you get lots of value here. The songs average a running time of at least five minutes, and "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" is a whopping thirteen minute opus. Now there is a sure sign of willingness! Willing to push the envelope to go where few fear to tread. On the ECD there are added bonus tracks on a second disc which include "Children of the Damn", "Phantom of the Opera", "22 Acacia Avenue", "Wrathchild", and "Die with your boots on". These only add to the fine experienced already provided with the re-released titled that also icludes a different live verison of "Running Free" not available on the original release. In this version Bruce, the frontman, has a little shouting contest with the crowd which is what playing live is really all about. An interaction with the fans preserved here for all etenity or until some nuke falls from the sky on top of our heads! If you seek music to a higher standard, this album is a definite for you. The rich textures of each song will become very apparent and you'll be asking yourself "This band is from the eighties?". After Sabbbath, this is the next signifiacant band in metal history. The rythmn sections: melodic and heavy at the same time - what Metallica is trying to accomplish, but really have become a band that sounds like any other band. This is the sound they are after. This is the complete package of metal music. If there's talent, there's an ocean of it here!!

If you in any way like Iron Maiden and you don't own this then you should bow your head in shame!! It is that important to own this album! It was released after the first five albums - Iron Maiden, Killers, Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind and Powerslave. It kicks off with Aces High and it's just amazing from then on. Powerslave benefits from the live atmosphere, as do many of the others. Bruce's voice sounds amazing, much better than on the A Real Live Dead One

There are few tracks which fall behind the others - in my opinion Die With Your Boots On and Flight Of Icarus, both from the Piece Of Mind album, don't quite reach the standard of the others. There is no Where Eagles Dare, which is also off Piece Of Mind, or Prowler, and Wrathchild is the only song from the Killers album.

Still, all can be forgiven as it is impossible to fit so much cool stuff on one CD, or even a double for that matter. It is a shame that Maiden failed to keep up this standard. Sure, Somewhere In Time and 7th Son Of A 7th Son are as good as this, but No Prayer For The Dying and Fear Of The Dark only contained a small collection of tracks worthy enough to be branded as Iron Maiden classics. After Bruce left, 2 albums were done with Blaze Bayley, and both of them were crap. They kinda lost it after 7th Son (which is an amazing album) - and tried to bring back any Maiden glory left in them with Brave New World. Although, if I'm fair, they did kinda suceed there.

I suppose this has turned into a review of Iron Maiden generally (which I hope you find useful in finding out what cool stuff to buy) instead of Live After Death, so I'll get back to the point. If you're new to Iron Maiden then get this quickly. It may not contain any songs from the second half of Maiden's career, but most of that was not as good.

The release of this live album showed what Iron Maiden was really about. This is in my opinion the best live album with Iron Maiden ever, and one of the best live albums, by any band ever. This was recorded back when Iron Maiden were THE guys in heavy metal, they stood second to none, and this album truly catches their spirit alive.
The selection of tracks is a near perfect, it gives a great idea of the spectrum of their production(at that point) and most of their classics are there, including unbeatable versions of Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Hallowed Be Thy Name, both actualy much better than the studio recordings. What really makes this album is the feel of the audience, you can tell that Iron Maiden really got them involved and that both parts thinks this is a blast. That is the way concerts are supposed to be. Bruce is not singing to TO the audience he is singing FOR them.
Even though this is a live album and thus does not offer up any new tracks I would still consider it one of the finest Iron Maiden albums of all time, and a landmark for heavy metal in the 80's,

...Ever heard a live album where every track sounds so much better than the studio version? Rare, extremely rare isn't it..especially for a rock album. Without any exaggeration this in my opinion is the best of all IRON MAIDEN's albums. The musical arrangement is 1st rate, lending power and glory to the music. Justice is done by Bruce Dickinson's tremendously potent rendition of these maiden classics, both in volume and heart. Absolutely no Maiden fan should be without this album. From the opening hurrah of ACES HIGH through the pulsating rhythm of the TROOPER and culminating with a phenomenal live delivery of RUNNING FREE, this album will one day rank alongside material worthy of keeping in a timecapsule...METAL @ ITS FINEST!!

This is the quintessential metal live album that all others must base themselves upon. Ozzy's "Tribute", Priest's "Unleashed in the East", AC/DC's "If You Want Blood.." although great albums in there own right, just don't measure up to the awesome ferocity and timeless power of this 2-CD collection. Typical of mid-80's Maiden, the band is tight, Dickinson's vocals are powerful and the production is perfect. The recording is primarily from Maiden's sold out performances at Long Beach Arena in 1985, but the inclusion of a partial set from a show at Hammersmith Odeon in London with mostly "older/classic" tunes brings this album to a mightier level. "Phantom of the Opera" live needs to be heard to be believed. Other highlights are "The Trooper", "Hallowed Be Thy Name" & "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Owning this album is seemingly a prerequisite to be a Maiden fan.

This has to be one of the greatest live recordings (if not recordings period) of all time. There have been other reviewers that say they like the album versions of the songs better; so do I, but the raw power & emotion of Iron Maiden cannot be ignored. From the thunderous opening of Churchill's speech & Aces High, to classics like "The Trooper", "Number of the Beast" & "Run to the Hills", this album is a monster all the way through. The production work on the album by Martin Birch is second to none, and he brings out a very deep sound from the band, something that was sorely missing from "Real Live/Dead One" & "Live at Donington", discs that were produced almost a decade later. Adrian Smith & Dave Murray are at their harmonious best, Steve Harris' bass playing is nice & tight, Nicko McBrain actually has it together, and Bruce Bruce, although a little off key at times (Flight of Icarus, Run to the Hills)puts his heart into the mateiral. Bettering the original cd release, the band also includes live material from Hammersmith 1984 that was on the original LP. This material sounds better due to the fact that Bruce's voice was not as strained on these tracks (the Long Beach material was recorded in the summer of 1985). My only complaint? Instead of the enhanced section, they should have included 2 of the (now) harder to find live tracks from this tour: "Los'fer Words" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue"; nonetheless, this is the perfect album for all Maiden fans, and a great "jupming on" point for new (and future) Maiden fans. The songs are still fresh, the recording does not sound dated, and a good time will be had by all...

If you were to buy one album by Iron Maiden, this is it. It captures the better songs from the first five albums, which I consider to be their best material and the live versions sound more energenic. The ehanced CD version makes this album all the better by bringing back the unedited version of Running Free and the bonus tracks that were originally on the older LP and cassette. Even if your not a big heavy metal fan like myself, you will like the music and originality of Iron Maiden.

I've ALWAYS considered this the greatest live metal release of all time. I don't care what other band you can name, live metal doesn't get (or sound) as good as this, ever. I remember way back when this actually came out, I'm that old!, on Halloween, walking into the record store and seeing a massive wall of Live after Death albums (yes, back when there were records!) all out on display. And what a display! Maiden has always come through with their cover art. You can never get tired of Eddie artwork. I'm a power/melodic metal freak, and have also maintained that Maiden was the first true, power metal band. Hearing them live on here, just blows you away. I don't think there's one night since this came out, when I've chosen to play it, that I didn't have to hear the whole thing: you can't just slap on 5 songs on this and flick over to another disc; you have to hear it in its entirety. If you don't own this, or are a new Maiden fan and want to hear the best musicians in this genre live, at the height of there career back then, then get this immediately! I'd give a 20 star rating if it went that high. ***** 5 STAR LIVE METAL LOUDNESS RATING! Cheers from Scraggy's Tomb! PS... and when you play this, play it the way it was meant to be played: LOUD!!!!!!!