A
Anonymous
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I'd like to come out and say it--I've never seen Iron Maiden live. I'd love to, but I've had neither the money nor the resources thus far. I don't think, however, that this somehow disqualifies me from creating this topic, primarily because I'd like to focus on the nature of the music that's played live rather than the live performances. I do realize it's strictly a matter of opinion.
I've never really liked any live albums that much, but I was impressed with the quality of Rock in Rio when I bought it. Several songs, like The Wicker Man and Two Minutes to Midnight, sounded fantastic, at least as good as the studio album versions. Bruce really knows how to stir up a crowd, and that was readily apparent in Rock in Rio. So I bought Live After Death, which was supposed to be superior. After all, Rock in Rio was the first live album I ever dared to listen to more than once, and if Live After Death was better, I was in for quite a ride.
I do take the "Golden Era" songs very seriously, and of course I was excited at the prospect of hearing the classics live (especially Flight of Icarus, Aces High, Revelations, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner). There were a few surprises...Revelations was a song I had to put on repeat, because it managed to be about as good as the one on Piece of Mind while still sounding quite different.
But "Aces High" was a disappointment. Bruce sounded like he was struggling to hit some of the notes, I don't think I heard many backup vocals at all (which was a vital part of the song, in my opinion, as it made for a masterpiece of the chorus), and Bruce didn't hit that rediculously high note at the end, which may have been one of the best things about the song.
These gripes seem pretty small, but they're what makes up the song as a whole. It seems that in various other productions--flight of icarus, for example--artistry was once again minimized in comparison to the studio version. The Flight of Icarus on Live After Death literally makes my ears bleed, and that's not something I'm used to with Maiden. I can usually crank up the volume about as loud as I want and get a pleasing sound, but a number the songs on Live After Death were simply too noisy and diluted for that.
On a side note, I actually didn't hear the studio version of Run to the Hills until about three weeks ago, when I bought the NotB album (been a maiden fan for about a year but I was more interested in their other stuff; simply bought NotB out of obligation). Up until then, I didn't understand the hype about the song, primarily because I'd only heard the bit on Rock in Rio and Live After Death. Now I do understand the hype, and I think it's a wonderful composition.
I'm just throwing this question out there for all who insist the live recordings are better; I know it's a matter of opinion, but what am I missing? Again, I'm not talking about the actual full-fledged production, which is most likely infinitely better than sitting alone in front of a computer and cranking up the volume when the playlist hits the best songs. I'm just talking about the actual music, the actual live albums. They're all good for live albums (I could get killed for this, but I think Rock in Rio's a bit better, if only because I feel the live productions are more faithful to their studio counterparts) but I'd rather listen to the studio recordings.
If this topic's been done before, my apologies. I ran a search and didn't find anything so I figured I'd go ahead and take the dive.
I've never really liked any live albums that much, but I was impressed with the quality of Rock in Rio when I bought it. Several songs, like The Wicker Man and Two Minutes to Midnight, sounded fantastic, at least as good as the studio album versions. Bruce really knows how to stir up a crowd, and that was readily apparent in Rock in Rio. So I bought Live After Death, which was supposed to be superior. After all, Rock in Rio was the first live album I ever dared to listen to more than once, and if Live After Death was better, I was in for quite a ride.
I do take the "Golden Era" songs very seriously, and of course I was excited at the prospect of hearing the classics live (especially Flight of Icarus, Aces High, Revelations, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner). There were a few surprises...Revelations was a song I had to put on repeat, because it managed to be about as good as the one on Piece of Mind while still sounding quite different.
But "Aces High" was a disappointment. Bruce sounded like he was struggling to hit some of the notes, I don't think I heard many backup vocals at all (which was a vital part of the song, in my opinion, as it made for a masterpiece of the chorus), and Bruce didn't hit that rediculously high note at the end, which may have been one of the best things about the song.
These gripes seem pretty small, but they're what makes up the song as a whole. It seems that in various other productions--flight of icarus, for example--artistry was once again minimized in comparison to the studio version. The Flight of Icarus on Live After Death literally makes my ears bleed, and that's not something I'm used to with Maiden. I can usually crank up the volume about as loud as I want and get a pleasing sound, but a number the songs on Live After Death were simply too noisy and diluted for that.
On a side note, I actually didn't hear the studio version of Run to the Hills until about three weeks ago, when I bought the NotB album (been a maiden fan for about a year but I was more interested in their other stuff; simply bought NotB out of obligation). Up until then, I didn't understand the hype about the song, primarily because I'd only heard the bit on Rock in Rio and Live After Death. Now I do understand the hype, and I think it's a wonderful composition.
I'm just throwing this question out there for all who insist the live recordings are better; I know it's a matter of opinion, but what am I missing? Again, I'm not talking about the actual full-fledged production, which is most likely infinitely better than sitting alone in front of a computer and cranking up the volume when the playlist hits the best songs. I'm just talking about the actual music, the actual live albums. They're all good for live albums (I could get killed for this, but I think Rock in Rio's a bit better, if only because I feel the live productions are more faithful to their studio counterparts) but I'd rather listen to the studio recordings.
If this topic's been done before, my apologies. I ran a search and didn't find anything so I figured I'd go ahead and take the dive.
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