I found myself using some of the limited spare time I have to go through the entire history and lore of my favourite band once more, and this time with a vengeance! Whenever I find something interesting that I feel is worth discussing or may need input from the Maiden hive mind, I intend to post about it here, because this board has been lacking some of the serious Maiden nerdery that used to Make It Great. So, to kick off, let's talk about the July 1980 Marquee recordings.
From 3rd to 5th July 1980, Maiden played three consecutive nights at The Marquee in London. These gigs are notable because they produced some early live releases that captured the energy and popularity of the band in their early days. The releases include the Live!! +one EP (both the 1980 Japanese and 1984 Greek pressings) and the 20th Century Box TV programme which is also found on the Early Days DVD, and from which some segments have been used in 12 Wasted Years. After the 14.04.1980 Ruskin Arms show featured on The Early Days (and again, in parts in 12 Wasted Years), this seems to be the earliest known video footage from a Maiden gig. The material from these gigs includes:
The Ides of March (tape intro): 20th Century Box
Sanctuary: Live!! +one
Phantom of the Opera: Live!! +one, Women in Uniform single, 20th Century Box, 12 Wasted Years
Iron Maiden: 20th Century Box
Drifter: 20th Century Box, Live !!+one
The Drifter recording is not to be confused with another live version of Drifter also recorded at The Marquee on 03.04.1980 found on the Sanctuary single and Best of the B'Sides! The live recording of I've got the Fire also found on the single (and the 1984 Live!! +one Greek pressing) comes from the same gig; this is confirmed by the back sleeve of the Sanctuary single (and Listen With Nicko! Part I, although Nicko may have just found the info on the sleeve). The two Drifter versions can easily be told apart by the very different beginnings (the July version has the classic thumping and clapping start).
There is some confusion in fan sources as to which nights exactly these recordings were made. darthrya's website claims that Live!! +one may be a compilation from various nights, and @Luisma in his book says the 20th Century Box programme was recorded on 3rd July, whereas the Live!! +one recordings were made on 4th July.
In 20th Century Box, it is explicitly said that the footage is from the second of three nights at the Marquee, and that the show was on a Friday night. Both bits of info agree with the date of 04.07.1980. We can thus confirm that the recordings of Phantom of the Opera and Drifter were made on that date; however, Sanctuary is left open.
While I do have a copy of Live!! +one, it's not accessible to me right now, and all the photos of the back cover found online are too low-res to be able to make out any dates noted there. If I remember correctly, the German Women in Uniforms LP single has the same recordings of Phantom and Drifter (again, I have a copy, but it's not accessible); however, here there are good images of the back sleeve and it does not mention any dates.
There are no verified bootlegs of this show, only one that seems to compile already released recordings.
Furthermore, I found in my MP3 collection a Drifter live recording in a Live!! +one folder, but this is the April 1980 recording, fading out in the middle. I am wondering if this is the version found on the Greek Live!! +one release.
Finally, as an aside, most online sources and Luisma's book say the 20th Century Box programme was aired in 1981, but the narration in the documentary mentions that Maiden were about to play the Reading Festival, which they did on 23rd August 1980, and that "next month" they were going to start a major European tour, which applies to August 1980 (supporting Kiss); if this indicates the 1981 Killers tour, the narration would have had to be recorded in February 1981.
Looking forward to corrections, contributions, and any further input.
From 3rd to 5th July 1980, Maiden played three consecutive nights at The Marquee in London. These gigs are notable because they produced some early live releases that captured the energy and popularity of the band in their early days. The releases include the Live!! +one EP (both the 1980 Japanese and 1984 Greek pressings) and the 20th Century Box TV programme which is also found on the Early Days DVD, and from which some segments have been used in 12 Wasted Years. After the 14.04.1980 Ruskin Arms show featured on The Early Days (and again, in parts in 12 Wasted Years), this seems to be the earliest known video footage from a Maiden gig. The material from these gigs includes:
The Ides of March (tape intro): 20th Century Box
Sanctuary: Live!! +one
Phantom of the Opera: Live!! +one, Women in Uniform single, 20th Century Box, 12 Wasted Years
Iron Maiden: 20th Century Box
Drifter: 20th Century Box, Live !!+one
The Drifter recording is not to be confused with another live version of Drifter also recorded at The Marquee on 03.04.1980 found on the Sanctuary single and Best of the B'Sides! The live recording of I've got the Fire also found on the single (and the 1984 Live!! +one Greek pressing) comes from the same gig; this is confirmed by the back sleeve of the Sanctuary single (and Listen With Nicko! Part I, although Nicko may have just found the info on the sleeve). The two Drifter versions can easily be told apart by the very different beginnings (the July version has the classic thumping and clapping start).
There is some confusion in fan sources as to which nights exactly these recordings were made. darthrya's website claims that Live!! +one may be a compilation from various nights, and @Luisma in his book says the 20th Century Box programme was recorded on 3rd July, whereas the Live!! +one recordings were made on 4th July.
In 20th Century Box, it is explicitly said that the footage is from the second of three nights at the Marquee, and that the show was on a Friday night. Both bits of info agree with the date of 04.07.1980. We can thus confirm that the recordings of Phantom of the Opera and Drifter were made on that date; however, Sanctuary is left open.
While I do have a copy of Live!! +one, it's not accessible to me right now, and all the photos of the back cover found online are too low-res to be able to make out any dates noted there. If I remember correctly, the German Women in Uniforms LP single has the same recordings of Phantom and Drifter (again, I have a copy, but it's not accessible); however, here there are good images of the back sleeve and it does not mention any dates.
There are no verified bootlegs of this show, only one that seems to compile already released recordings.
Furthermore, I found in my MP3 collection a Drifter live recording in a Live!! +one folder, but this is the April 1980 recording, fading out in the middle. I am wondering if this is the version found on the Greek Live!! +one release.
Finally, as an aside, most online sources and Luisma's book say the 20th Century Box programme was aired in 1981, but the narration in the documentary mentions that Maiden were about to play the Reading Festival, which they did on 23rd August 1980, and that "next month" they were going to start a major European tour, which applies to August 1980 (supporting Kiss); if this indicates the 1981 Killers tour, the narration would have had to be recorded in February 1981.
Looking forward to corrections, contributions, and any further input.
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