The History Of Iron Maiden - Pt. 1: The Early Days (2DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)I avoided buying this for a while. Anytime I see old footage and do NOT see 5.1 Digital Dolby, I suspect the worst. Still, with a holiday gift card in my hand and Iron Maiden love in my heart I made the leap.
Disc One: 3.5 stars
Right away I was amazed. I simply could NOT believe how good "Live at the Rainbow" sounded! I mean if this old show sounded like THIS I was in for a real treat. Not being a fan of the D'ianno era I was still interested from the aspect of history. Then the "Beast Over Hammersmith" started. I thought it sounded a bit over done but I dialed my sub woofer down a bit and was generally pleased with the results. I patiently sat through some duplicate songs... waiting for '83. I mean Live at Dortmund was a later show right? The sound was bound to be killer right? Well, it was terrible! Sour mono mixed with periods of the tape being eaten or stretched, you choose, but I was decidely diappointed, especially when I heard snippets from this very show on the interview portion with a very NICE pseudo "surround" (like the first two concerts!). I'm not sure what happened here, but it's quite obvious not enough care was put into this.
Disc Two: 4.5 stars
To say the interview left no stone unturned would be an understatement. I learned so much about how the band was formed and saw so many past members I came to the conclusion most of England at one time was a part of Maiden:) At any rate, my 4.5 stars are definately devoted to the interview which spans 90 minutes and 91 members. It's not without its faults though; they spend way too much time discussing what Steve Harris had for lunch and not enough about why key members left. Still, I love the effort. The rest here does little for me. Never fancied Maiden videos and the rest here is just filler.
Conclusion: If you are looking to rekindle your love for Maiden, look no further. If you too are afraid of the sound quality, rest assured there are better sounding bits out there but nothing captures the essence like hearing the guys that actually created it perform it at the time it was created. It's true, you can't go home again, and that sentiment could never be truer than with music. Cheers to Clive Burr, they should have spent more time with him, both now... and then.

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Studio: Sony MusicRelease Date: 02/01/2005Run time: 315 minutes

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Dance of Death Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been holding off on reviewing this for a while, because I wanted to soak it in, get a feel for it, make sure I didn't miss anything. And I'm glad I did. The first couple of times I listened to this, it didn't really grab me. There were a couple of songs that stood out, but for the most part, I found it to be a bit boring. Some songs just didn't seem to have that special something that the Maiden classics of yore had. But I listened to it more. And then I realized...
This album is just fantastic. No, really. Expanding upon the more elaborate arrangements of "Brave New World", adding in a bit of the harder feel of the oldschool stuff, and throwing a few surprises our way, "Dance of Death" proves to be a very strong release. It's one of their most diverse and musically ambitious albums to date. Why didn't it register with me before? Well, I really have no idea. I suppose the album is one you've just got to become acquainted with. You're not going to just pop it in, and form an opinion right away. It's gotta sink in a bit, and sink in it did.
The great songs abound. "Rainmaker" and "Wildest Dreams" are fast-paced and melodic, with the kind of vigor that the band hasn't exhibited in years. "Montsegur" has a killer riff, and a performance from Bruce that proves he's still got it. "New Frontier" has a sort of "Somewhere in Time" feel, with a great chorus. There are also a wealth of great epics here, such as "No More Lies", "Pashendale", "Face in the Sand", and the title track. Some of these songs were the ones that took a few listens to get into, but when they finally hit me, they hit hard. My favorite from the album is probably "Age of Innocence". Featuring a brutal staccato riff on the verses, and an overwhelmingly catchy melodic chorus, this is one of their best songs to date. The politically oriented lyrics are also a bit of a departure from their usual lyrical arsenal. The album ends on a great note with the acoustic "Journeyman".
This album as a whole is difficult to describe, because there's just so much cool stuff going on. The guitar work is excellent (as usual), and there's even the occasional string section here and there to enhance the killer melodies. This is the first time the band has used actual strings (until now, they were done on a keyboard), and they really work well. I would actually like to see them go into an even more symphonic direction on subsequent releases. Might not get the best reaction from the purists, but I think it'd be great.
If there's one thing I can complain about here, it's that the production is a bit weak. While it does give the album a rawer, more oldschool feel (as opposed to the more slick and lush arrangements of BNW), it also leaves some of the music a bit pushed back in the mix. Nicko really doesn't stand out like he should. On BNW, he was brought much further up into the mix, and it was easier to focus on what he was doing, but you've really gotta strain a bit more to make out the intricacies of his drumming. Steve's bass doesn't stand out quite as much either (although, admittedly, his basslines have been better). I'm hoping that maybe they'll remix this album some day, but I kinda doubt it.
Anyway, despite taking some time to appreciate, this is a great new release from the kings of metal. Not many bands that have been around for 20 years or more are still making music this good, so it's a real relief to still have Maiden in the business. I caught them on their last tour, and it was possibly the best show I've ever seen. The youthful exuberance that these guys display in their mid to late 40's is just amazing. I have the feeling these guys still have a few good years ahead of them.
I highly recommend this to all of the fans. It may take a few spins, but it's worth the effort.

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Japanese edition of the British metal icons' 2003 album is scheduled for earliest release. Details TBA. Toshiba.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Iron Maiden: Flight 666 Review

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(More customer reviews)I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Maiden at the LA Forum in February '08, their first US stop on this tour and also the setting for the Number of the Beast live footage. I also saw them on the summer '08 US tour, in Phoenix. Although my copy of Flight 666 is in the mail right now, I, too, saw it on VH1 Classic over the weekend, and can say that it captures the intensity and sound of the live performances (as much as can be, that is), and all the backstage and tour footage and interviews add to the experience. If you're interested in an amazing band of professional, mature musicians, and how they've stuck to their guns for over 30 years, 14 studio albums, and numerous tours, buy this.
It's no wonder that they can still blow away bands less than half their age: they're obviously clear on what's most important, which is writing music about which they are passionate, and delivering it to fans as best they can; there's no puking, bloated old rock star behavior here. I thought it was funny to see Lars Ulrich, who is younger than these guys, chattering backstage at the LA show, looking like a tired old drunk...add to that Kerry King of Slayer, also at that show, who looks like he swallowed the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...and contrast them both with Dave Murray and Nicko McBrain playing golf, or Adrian Smith fishing, while on tour -- and still bringing the house down every night. All of these points come through clearly in the documentary, through footage of the band on and off stage, and interviews with them and their road crew. Another outstanding documentary by Sam Dunn.

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FLIGHT 666 documents the first leg of Maiden's legendary SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME WORLD TOUR which took them 50,000 miles round the planet playing 23 concerts on five continents in just 45 days. One of the stars of the movie is the band's customized Boeing 757, Ed Force One, which carried the band, all their crew and 12 tons of stage equipment and was piloted by Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, a fully qualified and active Airline Captain with Astraeus Airlines. Taking you on a visual global tour from Mumbai to Sydney, Tokyo to L.A., Mexico City to Costa Rica, Bogota to Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago to New York and Toronto and places in-between, you travel with the band and crew on the plane, to and from shows, in the bar and during leisure time, while experiencing the exhaustion and fan pandemonium that comes with such a mission. As a very special bonus for the fans, Maiden have included a second disc of the entire set from the 2008 segment of this tour with the DVD. Sixteen songs from sixteen different cities in eleven countries around the world, for the first time ever encompassing such varied places and cultures in one concert.

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