Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6397 in Digital Music Album
• Published on: 2009-05-26
• Released on: 2009-05-25
• Running time: 6085 seconds

Customer Reviews

Yet another Maiden live allbum ruined by excessive crowd noise
As with Rock in Rio and Death on the Road, Steve Harris has decided to have the crowd way to high in the mix which ruins another album which could have been brilliant. In fact, the musicianship and the songs are brilliant as any Maiden fan will testify and this tour was one of the best they've done recently but with the crowd so high in the mix on certain songs, it's just too hard to listen to.

As I say, it's only on certain songs, Fear of the dark being the worst. The laughable thing in this song is that the crowd mic seems to be just switched on and off meaning you go from really loud crowd singing to zero in an instant. As if 10,000 people are going to stop singing at exactly the same point! Then in songs like Heaven can Wait where there is a crowd singalong bit and n Run to the Hills where the crowd are asked to sing a bit you can barely hear them.

If you think RIR and DOTR are good albums, you'll love this one. Me, I'm going to stick listening to Live after Death or Beast over Hammersmith where there's a more realistic production.

Live album number 666???
Yet another live album from Iron Maiden, which must bring the total to date up to nine(not quite 666!), and another run through the hoary chestnuts and then a couple of rare live numbers, basically enough to entice the keen collector and yet stay in touch with the possibility of the fan who has not shelled out previously. I got it for the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the epic Powerslave, if that helps place me.

Plus points - great production, sound quality and selection of material. I have enjoyed it from one end straight through to the other. A really solid professional series of performances captured well. The crowd inconsistencies mentioned in the other review are easily audible, but did not detract from the overall album for me. The album lasts for approx 100 minutes, so it is good value for money. The Derek Riggs(I am assuming he is behind them, the text on the cd is so small I think I need to get my eyes checked out soon) disc heiroglyphs look great, a sort of modern slant on ancient Egyptian iconography. The inclusion of Powerslave and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, both played supremely well-thanks!

Negative points - if you have heard any of the other live albums and already have live versions of the songs contained herein than you have no real need for this. As a keen fan of improvisation I must say I am not really hearing anything new here. The solos are 100% well played and faithful to the songs, but not going anywhere new. So this criticism is one of choice and not a technical/production/playing fault. THe other gripe is the gap between songs. It is a live album and I know that the songs were recorded in as many venues as there are songs, but I would have like the album edited to run from one song into the other with no gaps. The segueing could easily have been achieved by stitching the tracks together in the middle of the crowd noise. Again a taste issue as opposed to a practical one.

Overall, a really good well recorded and superbly played live collection. One star detracted for taste issues, sorry!

The Best Live Maiden CD So Far
Forget What The Others have written Below, maybe they are just average fans. ive only been a fan for 11 years but i consider myself a pretty hardcore fan (or nerd if you like... i can after all hear a B-side of maidens and tell you which album era it is from, just from the tone of the song.


First Off The Production - Amazing its 100% Spot-on better than Rock in Rio

Sound Wise - Louder, Clearer Heavier than Live after Death, i love L.A.D but it has extra tracks that werent even out during the powerslave era, Such as Moonchild, heaven can wait, wasted years etc.

Value for money - What you get here is a double disc set of the live tracks split from different venues from last years SWBIT tour,sounds odd but it just works. every track is spot on. and its Worth it just for Rime of the ancient mariner alone with three guitars, and so to powerslave etc.

to me this is my new fave live maiden release, Solid fun and you feel like your there, (if the crowd sound was too low it wouldnt feel like you were there, and you may as well listen to a soundboard bootleg)

100% Maiden, Live at their Best. a setlist to die for and if you were'nt at the gigs shame on you, but never mind this will take you there.