Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Helloween
Label: EMI Records
Released: 1989
Length: 49:44
Rating: 4/5
In the late eighties, German power metal champions Helloween were enjoying the artistic and commercial peak of their career, crowned with tours across most of Western and Central Europe and the US. The triumphant moment came with their slot at the prestigious English festival Monsters Of Rock, where they played as support for the mighty Iron Maiden, alongside the likes of Kiss, David Lee Roth, Megadeth and Guns N’ Roses. Their first live album, »Live In The U.K.«, is (so far) the only official recording with singer Michael Kiske on lead vocals, and it comes from the ‘Pumpkins Fly Free’ tour, where they mostly played material from their two-part concept saga »Keeper Of The Seven Keys«, the one that brought them worldwide recognition and a deal with the prestigious British label EMI.
In the US, this relatively short live document came out as »I Want Out – Live«, with a different cover and without the socio-satirical track »Rise And Fall«, which, among other things, pokes fun at American politics. The Japanese version, along with some editions released in certain other countries, carried the title »Keepers Live«. »Live In The U.K.« was their first album for EMI and contains seven songs recorded at two venues, in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and in English Manchester. Of course, seven carefully picked songs can’t reflect the entire live setlist, since that would have taken a double album. So even though this is an excellent recording that gives a nice glimpse of what their shows were like back then, you still walk away from it with a slightly bitter aftertaste. By the way, keyboard duties were handled by guest musician Jörn Ellerbrock, who was their regular live collaborator for more than a decade.
Helloween were always big jokers, so it’s no surprise that charismatic singer Kiske entertains the crowd between songs with plenty of witty quips. For instance, after an excellent rendition of the mischievous power metal wake-up call »A Little Time«, he teases the Scottish crowd by being utterly unable to remember which country the band is currently in. By the way, Kiske reminds you quite a bit of Bruce Dickinson, not only when singing but also in his stage banter with that voice of his, and Dickinson, too, always loved teasing the crowd with witty jabs. Unlike most German rock/metal singers, his English is excellent and completely free of any accent, which can’t be said of most of his peers from Hamburg. »Dr. Stein« is another crowd-pleasing romp that really fires up the audience with its cheerful chorus, while »Future World«, which they open with the main motif from Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’, was always one of their most beloved live anthems, so the crowd is especially loud here.
The aforementioned »Rise And Fall« was apparently too provocative for the American market, because of its political incorrectness (among other things, the lyrics tell how a tormented people topple a dictator with their own hands, without any American intervention) and its sexual innuendo (the queen satisfies her sexual fetishes with a teddy bear doll). Before »We Got The Right«, Kiske gives a special introduction to bassist Markus Grosskopf, who opens one of those Helloween songs that are rarely played these days with its melodic intro bass lines. The highlight of the recording is without a doubt the performance of the beloved evergreen »I Want Out«, which bears the strong creative stamp of its author, guitarist and former singer Kai Hansen. This was his last album with Helloween, since for various reasons he went his own way right after the tour, going on to found his own power metal band, Gamma Ray. The melodic guitar harmonies between the two guitarists, Hansen and Michael Weikath, come into their own even more fully live.
The crowd goes wild toward the end, when Kiske announces »How Many Tears«, the only song from the cult debut »Walls Of Jericho« (1985). This lineup, mostly thanks to the blond singer, whose technique and tone were completely different from those of his predecessor Hansen, turns it very successfully from a full-blooded speed metal rager into a power metal hybrid, while keeping the original killer speed of the vampiric Grosskopf-Schwichtenberg rhythm section.
»Live In The U.K.« is far from perfect, mostly because of its short running time, which means plenty of beloved Helloween favorites such as »Eagle Fly Free«, »March Of Time« and »Halloween« are missing. Still, it remains the only official live document to date from the most successful and popular incarnation of the band. Besides the excellent performances of the individual songs and the outstanding atmosphere between band and crowd, for which the incredibly high-spirited Kiske deserves most of the credit, it also boasts superb production by Tommy Hansen, which makes the individual live interpretations nearly equal to the studio versions. Sadly, Hansen’s departure and the move to EMI later proved commercially disastrous, and Helloween only recovered, artistically and commercially, as a relevant power metal band again in the mid-nineties.
Lineup
Michael Kiske – vocals
Kai Hansen – guitar
Michael Weikath – guitar
Markus Grosskopf – bass
Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums
Production
Tommy Hansen
Tracklist
1. Happy Halloween/A Little Time
2. Dr. Stein
3. Future World
4. Rise And Fall
5. We Got the Right
6. I Want Out
7. How Many Tears
