Iron Maiden's best live album

[SkaarjMaster]

OK, only serious Iron Maiden fans apply. Obviously, I'm not one of them or I would know. I'm not a hardcore fan, but I like them a lot. I'm more into the old stuff, but like some of the good new stuff also. I also think their worst studio album is X Factor. It looks like they have a bunch of Live albums, so which one is the best?

 

[Mozi]

Live After Death... no questions about it...

 

[SkaarjMaster]

OK, that settles it....I think. I decided to try two LIVE albums. Possibly,"A Real Live Dead One" also, which is cheating sort of, but that's OK.

EDIT: and "Live After Death" of course (as you suggested) as it contains the old ones. Thanks for the quick response.

EDIT AGAIN: Yipes! No LIVE "Killers" on either one.

I like the song selection better in "Real Dead One" from a headbangers point of view, but only very slightly better than "Live After Death"; although, the recording quality of "Live After Death" is better and the bonus stuff puts it over the top as well as the long version of "Running Free".

 

[SkaarjMaster]

now something harder

check out the Hammersmith songs in this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_After_Death

It seems "Wrathchild" and "Die With Your Boots On" were not done at Hammersmith or anywhere else in October 1984, but were done in Spain in October 1983 and May 26, 1983 at the Hammersmith as well as many other concerts in 1983. Any ideas what's up with this?

 

[Big-Al]

Live after death.


I has to be the best live album ever made.

 

[Firefly]

It's nice to see Maiden still gettimg some love after all this time.

I agree, Live After Death is the one to get.

Best studio album, now that's a hard one. For me Piece of mind

 

[SkaarjMaster]

OK, so we all agree on the LIVE album and you decided to bring up studio album, so here it goes. For me it would have to be one of the first 3 as I got those back in the day and I think all are very slightly better than their 4th album. "Killers" was the first one I bought and then "Number of the Beast"........I believe I got "Piece of Mind" after that and realized Maiden had a first album and then got that one. OK, so all 4 are really good, so I'm going to have to look at the song lists for each...........be back soon to edit this post.

EDIT: this is tough......"Iron Maiden" just plain old rocks out to no end,"Killers" is written almost exclusively by their best writer and "Number of the Beast" has the best album cover (someone actually painted this for me from the album in college, but I left the painting (free) up in my dorm room; hope someone still has it and it didn't get thrown out over the years). I think I have to give "Killers" the slight edge though.

 

[Big-Al]

for me, the best studio album is Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, however it's worth buying all of them.

 

[Staward]

I wouldn't say the first albums were the best as a whole, but indeed, their greatest tunes were in the albums Iron Maiden and Killers. And to me, the song Seventh Son of a Seventh Son has the best Iron Maiden solo.

 

[NeoNite]

Man, I still love their artwork. I still have this flag lying around somewhere, but I can't find it

[screenshot]http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv24/IkkeXD/iron_maiden_fear_of_the_dark.jpg[/screenshot]

 

[Peavey]

Love Maiden, but stylistically always preferred them with Paul Di'Anno, man they was hot, you could definitely hear a tough-guy punk influence, but Paul wasn't just limited to just that. Shame he couldn't last.

[m]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN-f6F7l_gM[/m]

 

[Firefly]

Man, I still love their artwork. I still have this flag lying around somewhere, but I can't find it

[screenshot]http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv24/IkkeXD/iron_maiden_fear_of_the_dark.jpg[/screenshot]

go here

 

[Firefly]

there are so many Easter eggs in this

 

[Staward]

It's 2 minutes to midnight, Aces High Club, Ancient Mariner seafood, Phantom Opera house, Icarus burning, the pyramids...
Really nice picture they came up with.

There's a reference to Rainbow's Gold maybe, but i don't see the gold...
They are also in Acacia Avenue...

 

[KaL976]

No love for Maiden Japan? Shame on you all.

Also the live version of, 'Remember tomorrow' live in Italy on the flip of The Number of the Beast 7" [on red vinyl]

 

[Firefly]

From here
(scroll down a bit)

• The cover for Somewhere in Time displays a cyborg-enhanced Eddie in a futuristic, Blade Runner-type environment. Much like the visual richness of the cover of Powerslave, the wrap-around album cover holds a plethora of references to earlier Iron Maiden albums and songs. The cover was originally created for use as the cover to the authorized biography of the band, Running Free by Garry Bushell and Ross Halfin and therefore made many references such as:
• Never play in live solo. The street sign on the corner where Eddie is standing says Acacia (partially obscured), a reference to the song 22 Acacia Avenue from The Number of the Beast album
• Below "Acacia" is a poster of Eddie from the first album.
• The torn poster below "Acacia" is the one that appears on the Sanctuary and Women in Uniform singles.
• Eddie appearing in a similar posture as on the Killers album cover. His victim is killed with a futuristic weapon, as opposed to the axe seen on the Killers cover. While this is undoubtly a reference with the cover of Killers, there is also a significant reference with the cover of the album "Nightflight" (1981) of the band Budgie. On it stands a birdman holding almost the same futuristic weapon and posing as Eddie. Also a futuristic aircraft in the background is not missing. This is no coincidense because that album cover was also drawn by Derek Riggs. It is known that Budgie had its influences on Iron Maiden, were Iron Maiden at least covered one of Budgie's songs "I cant see my feelings", on their "From Here To Eternity" Single.
• A banner with the words, "This is a very boring painting" is displayed backwards within the lobby of the Bradbury Towers Hotels International. This can be seen to the left of Eddie's right leg.
• In the very center, just above the "Department" ad and behind the cable going to the cyborg's weapon, there is a small vertical ad with red glyphs. The text of this ad is Russian, it is "Меня Рвёт", [Menya Rvyot] - "I'm vomiting", which also literally translates as "It's tearing me up", depending on the context.
• An Eye of Horus neon sign at the top of a building, a reference to the song "Powerslave".
• Below Eddie, there is a model in the department store window. Some fans believe this is former Maiden singer, Paul Di'Anno.
• On the bridge separating the two buildings is a digital clock that says: 23:58. This refers to Iron Maiden's song "2 Minutes to Midnight"
• Under Eddie's left leg there is a trash can attached to a post. This is the same trash can that can be seen attached to a lamppost in the background on the cover of the album Iron Maiden.
• References on the back include:
• A clock reading 23:58 ("2 Minutes to Midnight").
• Below the clock there is a sign that reads "Phantom Opera House" in reference to the song "Phantom of the Opera" from the first Iron Maiden album.
• Just below the "Phantom Opera House", a writing in very small characters says "Bollocks again & again". This is one of illustrator Derek Riggs' in-jokes, as the word "Bollocks" was hidden in a similar fashion on his previous album cover for Iron Maiden, Powerslave.
• On the left side, the "Aces High Bar" ("Aces High" song).
• Above the "Aces High Bar", flies a Spitfire-shaped plane. (Spitfires are referenced in "Aces High")
• Just below the "Aces High Bar" sign, there is a neon sign representing a plane, apparently in battle, formed by two glasses of stemware.
• To the left of the "Aces High Bar", there are four letters in yellow and green. These are Hebrew letters spelling out the name of God, namely יהוה, Jehovah/Yahweh (really it is not read, as it is not known exactly how, and, usually, the word אֲדֹנָי, Adonai - the Lord, is pronounced on its place in Jewish religious practices).
• Below the "Aces High Bar", is a sign that says "Sand Dune" ("To Tame A Land" song, based on a novel "Dune").
• Pyramids in the background (Powerslave cover, also another reference to Blade Runner).
• Among the pyramids, a grim reaper. (Similar to the grim reaper that appears on the cover of "The Trooper").
• The marquee for the Movie Theater reads Blade Runner, the film which is the obvious inspiration for the futuristic scene. It also reads "Live After Death", the name of the live album released in 1985.
• The cinema is named "Phillip K. Dick Cinema", named after the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the book on which the movie Blade Runner was based.
• More Blade Runner references include "Dekkers Department Stores" and a "Tyrell Corp" sign.
• In the background can be seen "Bradbury Towers" (a likely reference to the Blade Runner prominent Bradbury Building) and The Million Dollar Movie Theater, both located in Los Angeles. It could also be a reference to science fiction author Ray Bradbury
• To the right of the clock is a neon sign that reads "Ancient Mariner Seafood Restaurant", a reference to the song "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" from the Powerslave album.
• On the bottom left hand side of the cover is "The Ruskin Arms", famous for being one of the first venues performed at by Iron Maiden.
• On the second floor of the "Ruskin Arms" building is a woman sitting in a red lit room which is a reference to "Charlotte", a repeated theme in Iron Maiden songs.
• Just above "The Ruskin Arms", there is a neon sign that reads "RAINBOW", another famous venue for Iron Maiden.
• Above and to the left of the "Rainbow" sign is a neon sign reading "L'AMOURS Beer Gardens", a reference to the "L'Amours" rock venue Iron Maiden once played in Brooklyn, New York.
• On the roof of the same building is a police telephone box; this is likely a reference to the time-traveling TARDIS of the BBC TV series Doctor Who. The TARDIS is featured on the cover of the Maiden single "Wasted Years".
• Above the Bradbury Towers neon sign is Icarus in flames falling from the sky, in the same style of the cover for the band's 1983 single "Flight of Icarus". It also bears a resemblance to the logo for Swan Song Records, a label founded by Led Zeppelin.
• On the walkway above the clock is an electronic sign that says "LATEST RESULTS.......WEST HAM 7........ARSENAL 3", a nod to bass guitarist Steve Harris who is a West Ham supporter, a team known as the "Hammers".
• At the right edge below, just near the band, there is another Russian ad - Кефир, "KEFIR", which means "yoghurt".
• Just above the Russian ad for "KEFIR" there is the street sign for "Upton Park" - this is where West Ham United F.C. play their home games.
• There is a sign that says Gypsy's Kiss which was the first band Steve Harris ever played with.
• On the right side, above "Bradbury Towers" sign, there is a Japanese ad "浅田　彰." This refers to a notable Japanese philosopher, economist and critic, Akira Asada.
• Right of the pyramids there is a sign where "Long Beach Arena" is written. The Live After Death album was mostly recorded at Long Beach Arena.
• The neon sign above the band reads "Maggies Revenge" and refers to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and also references the cover of the Sanctuary and Women in Uniform singles.
• One of the buildings is labeled "Asimov Foundation", a reference to the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.
• A character wearing a large cloak stands above the walkway's right side. He has been identified as Batman by The Iron Maiden FAQ, but is actually more reminiscent of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera - another reference to the Iron Maiden song inspired by the character.
• The cat from Live After Death is on the sidewalk, behind Eddie.
• Just below the cloaked character and just above the "Latest Results" is the bracket that held Eddie's skull together from the "Piece of Mind" album on, including this album.
• The windows of the Ruskin Arms Hotel, at the far left, are similar to those on the cover of Killers.
• In the top left hand corner, in the sky just behind the clouds, is a spaceship. This could be a reference to Steve Harris's favourite band UFO.
• Derek Riggs' artistic signature symbol can be found on Eddie's chest.
• In the bottom right hand corner all five members of the band are standing in a line. Bruce Dickinson is holding a brain, a reference to Piece of Mind, and Nicko is wearing aviator goggles (he had a pilot's license by this time, long before Bruce Dickinson) and a t-shirt that says "Iron What?". Dave Murray's t-shirt says "Irons 1".
• To the right of the "Long Beach Arena" sign, there is a sign that says "Hammerjacks", a night club and concert hall in Baltimore, MD, frequented by the band. The night club closed in 1994; the concert hall is still open however.
• Below the Hammerjacks sign, there is a sign that says "Tehe's Bar", which is where the choir vocals in the middle of "Heaven Can Wait" were recorded.
• To the left of the clock is a sign that says "Herbert Ails" a reference to author Frank Herbert who wouldn't let the band use the title of his book "Dune" as a song title.
• To the left of the Hammerjacks sign, there is a sign that says "TEXAS RECORDS AND TAPES". The band have stated several times that some of their favourite American venues to play are in Texas. This is also probably a reference to a music mega-store of the day called "Texas Tapes and Records" that was located in the Houston suburb of Pasadena. The band appeared in-store a few times in the 80's to sign autographs usually promoting that nights' concert.
• Beneath the Phantom Opera House sign, there is a sign that reads "EMI REC.". Iron Maiden's international records have all been released on the EMI label.
• On the walkway, to the right of the clock and just above Dave Murray, is a sign for Ancient Mariner Seafood Restaurant, an obvious nod to their song The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner from the Powerslave album. (And based on the epic poem by Samuel Taylor Colerdige).

 

[tomcat ha]

i agree the first couple iron maiden albums are the best.