Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Iron Maiden
Label: EMI Records
Release: 2008
Running time: 188:09 min.
In August 1984, Iron Maiden set off on their most ambitious and longest tour to date. In just under a year, the World Slavery tour racked up 193 shows in a hundred different cities. In total, Iron Maiden played to over a million fans around the world. On March 14, the tour brought them to the legendary Long Beach Arena in Los Angeles, where they played four straight shows, each one in front of a packed house that was bursting at the seams. Today, World Slavery isn’t just one of the most phenomenal tours any band has ever done, one that went down in history for its flawless vocal and instrumental performances, its theatrical approach and a spectacular stage set built around the Egyptian theme of the Powerslave album. In 1985 it also gave birth to the live record Live After Death, recorded at that very Long Beach Arena, which still counts as perhaps the best live album of all time and which was released on VHS a little later.
Almost 25 years later, Live After Death finally got its DVD release, and, as is by now Iron Maiden tradition, on two discs again. The first DVD carries the original concert recording, shot over four consecutive nights, March 14 to 18, 1985. It becomes clear pretty quickly why Live After Death is such an important and fantastic piece of work. No video or audio recording captures the passion, the indestructible energy and the spectacle of Iron Maiden as well as Live After Death does. From the very first moments of the show, with the famous Churchill speech delivered on June 4, 1940, at the start of the first real air battle, the Battle of Britain, which tips over into the crushing Aces High, all the way to the bombastic finish with Sanctuary, Iron Maiden pour their heart and soul into song after song. The crew was at its peak in 1985, in its best lineup. Bruce Dickinson sings for an hour and a half at the very highest level and proves what kind of stuff one of the best vocalists in the world is made of. And Bruce is no slouch as one of heavy metal’s greatest frontmen either, which he proves with youthful energy, nonstop running back and forth, and honest-to-god communication with a sold-out hall. The instrumental four-piece is at the peak of its powers, and during the instrumental section of the epic Rime of the Ancient Mariner you can easily get misty-eyed. Compared to the VHS release the video quality is somewhat improved, but don’t expect the picture quality of newer DVD releases like Rock in Rio or Death on the Road. Still, the slightly washed-out footage only adds to that “vintage” eighties feel. Priceless! The camerawork is excellent, giving each member enough attention, and the editing deserves praise too, since it doesn’t jump from camera to camera all the time, which is pretty annoying on the Rock in Rio DVD. For audiophiles, the sound is pure bliss for the ears. In the nice, well-designed menu you can choose between two audio tracks – the original stereo mix by the legendary Martin Birch or the 5.1 remix by Kevin Shirley. It comes down to personal preference, but both have their charms. Martin Birch is a living production legend for a reason, while Shirley’s surround remix drops you right in the middle of the Long Beach Arena. The cult eighties Egyptian stage set hardly needs a special mention, but I can’t skip the sixth Maiden member, Eddie, who shows up in his mightiest form yet, as a mummy, something only tank-driving Eddie can perhaps rival.
The real treasure trove for any Iron Maiden enthusiast, though, is the second DVD, which hides the long-awaited and eagerly anticipated sequel to The History of Iron Maiden. The second part of the documentary series focuses on the recording of the Powerslave album, the World Slavery tour and the making of the live record Live After Death. The first part already counts as one of the best music documentaries ever, and the second one tops it. Iron Maiden come across in a far more human light, and Bruce and Nicko reel off some unforgettable anecdotes. An hour-long documentary, it’s an intimate portrait of all the members and the crew, and in 60 minutes it captures the indelible mark Iron Maiden left on the eighties. The History of Iron Maiden catches the guys in the toughest moments of a year-long tour, but at the same time serves up plenty of belly-cramp-inducing moments. If you want to hear the story of the lost Eddie, ‘Arry’s mission and Nicko’s runaway adventure, The History of Iron Maiden Part 2 is the title for you.
The second disc also gives a special place to the hour-long documentary Behind the Iron Curtain, which follows Iron Maiden on their tour through the countries behind the Iron Curtain. The Poles and Czechs prove that the stereotypes about them are true, a few songs are thrown in, and playing Smoke on the Water at some wedding is unforgettable. Rock in Rio ’85 offers 8 songs the Maidens played in 1985 at the first Rock in Rio festival, in front of their biggest crowd yet – 350,000 crazed South Americans. Ello’ Texas delivers a short but thorough interview with Bruce and Harris in fifteen minutes, and last but not least there’s the obligatory gallery and the music videos for Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight.
A total of 240 minutes is more than good enough reason for Live After Death to find a spot on your shelf, and on every Iron Maiden fan’s shelf it’s more than a must. Luckily, with the Somewhere Back in Time tour, even those of us who were still filling our diapers when Powerslave came out and World Slavery was on the road will get to experience a bit of the magic that is Live After Death.
Lineup
Bruce Dickinson – vocals
Adrian Smith – guitar
Dave Murray – guitar
Steve Harris – bass guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums
Production
Steve Harris
Track list
DVD 1:
LIVE AFTER DEATH
1. Churchill Speech/Aces High
2. 2 Minutes to Midnight
3. The Trooper
4. Revelations
5. Flight of Icarus
6. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
7. Powerslave
8. Number of the Beast
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name
10. Iron Maiden
11. Run to the Hills
12. Running Free
13. Sanctuary
DVD 2:
1. History of Iron Maiden Part 2
2. Behind the Iron Curtain
3. Rock in Rio ’85
4. ‘Ello Texas
5. Photo gallery
6. Music videos for Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight
