LIVE AFTER DEATH

When it comes to releasing live material, Iron Maiden could never be accused of holding back. This however was the first such album by them, originally appearing in 1985 as a double LP. With each LP having a running time of around 50 minutes, the album offers great value in terms of length, but given the nature of the music, i.e. loud, there in an inevitable compromise in terms of sound quality in vinyl format.

While tracks from all of the band's albums released up until the time of the gig are included, it is understandably the latest albums which dominate the set list. With four tracks from the then current album "Powerslave" plus a further four from "Piece of mind" and five from "Number of the beast", songs from the bands first two albums are experiencing increasing difficulty in retaining their places in the set.

The majority of the recordings are from gigs in Long Beach, Los Angeles (USA) in March 1985, with a handful coming from London (UK) in October of the previous year. Both gigs were part of the band's incredibly long "World slavery tour".

The album is produced by Martin Birch, who was also responsible for Deep Purple's landmark live album "Made in Japan". Birch gives details on the inner sleeve of how he went about the process. The detailed information he provides may be of interest to the technically indulgent, but it might be advisable for others to keep any conversation with him at a party to small talk! The resulting recording quality is excellent, the proven benefits of the Rolling Stone mobile studio being fully exploited.

The actual performances are competent and surprisingly melodic. I say surprisingly since there can be a tendency for bands who turn the volume up to 11 for much of their performance to compromise quality for excitement. In an audio only environment, the album does not perhaps capture the atmosphere of the gig as well as it might, the sound quality perversely making this sound more like a studio album than a live one.

Highlights are hard to pinpoint with a band who re so consistent in what they do. You either enjoy the lot or there is going to be virtually nothing here which will appeal. Put on the spot though, the progressive excellence of "Rime of the ancient mariner" is for me head and shoulders above the rest.

In all, a fine first live album which first and foremost serves to demonstrate that whatever else they were/are, Iron Maiden are a highly competent outfit who give their fans exactly what they want.

The LP packaging is lavish and impressive, with full colour inner sleeves which include full lyrics and many photos. Also included is an 8 page LP sized booklet listing every one of the two hundred or so dates on the tour, together with a train-spotting level of detailed information about the equipment and many other aspects of the tour.

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