Live After Death versus Flight 666

Hawkmoon

Hawkmoon

Prowler
Well, I think I may be in a minority but in some ways I prefer Flight 666 (the CD). While the performances on LAD are fierce, and maybe Bruce's vocals a little better (maybe, I'm not 100% convinced though), I actually think the Flight 666 versions of the classics are in some ways better - tighter, sometimes faster, and I have to say I think Nicko's drumming on Flight 666 is unbelievably good - better than on LAD. Oh, and the clarity of the recording is better - a lot better. I know, I know, the fade out of each song is irritating on Flight 666 and it ruins the continuity and illusion that this might have been one gig instead of 12 or whatever.

I know most people think LAD captured Maiden at their very best, but I honestly think Flight 666 nails some of these classics (like Hallowed) better than LAD.

Maybe it's because I am new to Maiden fandom and so didn't grow up listening to LAD.

OK, so I'm putting on my flame retardent suit now...
 
I also prefer Flight 666, IMO the overall guitar tones sound much bigger/fuller due to the 3 guitars (Adrian, Dave, Janick) instead of the 2 guitars which were on LAD (Dave and Adrian)
 
I actually prefer LAD because it's more crisp, you can hear perfectly well what Adrian's playing and what Dave's playing at any given time, while because of the 3 guitar thing, F666 isn't as clear.
 
Between the two? Phew. Rough call.

Bruce sounds better on Flight 666, that's for sure. He sounds like he's been 200 days into a 340 day tour on LAD. Which he was. I love the classics with the triple guitars too. But I really like how LAD is one concert. Yet...

Hmm.

I don't know. Neither of them are RIR, imo. But they are great. Dave and H never sound better together than they did on LAD, not earlier on Beast over Hammersmith (sorry Perun), not during Maiden England. But Flight 666 is a great way to look at classic songs, 25 years old, played with the same heart and passion as the band played back in the day. If that's not incredible, then I don't know what is.
 
Well-put - I like the way that the band on Flight 666 sound fresh and as if they are enjoying playing these classics. They don't sound like a parody of themselves in their prime, but rather aband that remains fresh and incredibly tight. I also think that, while they were very good musicians at the time of LAD they are even better now, and on Flight 666 it shows.

LooseCannon said:
Between the two? Phew. Rough call.

Bruce sounds better on Flight 666, that's for sure. He sounds like he's been 200 days into a 340 day tour on LAD. Which he was. I love the classics with the triple guitars too. But I really like how LAD is one concert. Yet...

Hmm.

I don't know. Neither of them are RIR, imo. But they are great. Dave and H never sound better together than they did on LAD, not earlier on Beast over Hammersmith (sorry Perun), not during Maiden England. But Flight 666 is a great way to look at classic songs, 25 years old, played with the same heart and passion as the band played back in the day. If that's not incredible, then I don't know what is.
Click to expand...
 
LAD is great because it was one of the original metal concerts of that magnitude that was professionally filmed the way it was....however, with new technology and new techniques in place Flight 666 is superior in every way.

Now, I know that everyone says that Bruce's voice on LAD was strained because of the volume of concerts before that but let's all be honest here...I don't know what happened between Beast on the Road and the Piece of Mind tours but his voice was never the same after Beast on the Road.......you listen to Beast over Hammersmith and hes awesome....just like the record......World Piece Tour? Nothing like the album ..... and his voice stayed that way for the next 10 years live.

I don't know what happened in his time away from the band in the 90's but when he returned, his voice was once again in top form.....doesn't sound like a 24 yr-old but he learned to adapt his range with respect to his age. He sings Aces High WAY better in Flight 666 than in LAD........actually he sings all the songs better.

SO...all taht was said just to say I beleive FLIGHT 666 is superior to LAD even though LAD will always be historically one of the best live concerts caught on film.
 
I'm sorta torn really.  Both have their big plusses and minuses-

LAD

+ amazing guitar separation and sound
  Flight of Icarus
  amazing solos
  was the first Maiden live album I heard and it blew me away
  cover art

-  Bruce's vocals
  lame audience

F666

+  vocals are incredible
    amazing crowds
    I saw this tour 3 times and it was incredible

-  guitars are too low
    Can I Play With Madness doesn't work live to me
    I really wish this was one full show.  The fade outs KILL the live ambiance
  cover art

So, I'd tend to favor LAD overall but both are great.
 
I'm rather attached to Flight 666 since that tour was the first time I witnessed Maiden live.  Several individual songs sound better on Flight 666, and it also has a few other gems (Wasted Years, Moonchild).  But I think as a live album, LAD still wins out.
 
Well, being that the LaD concert was my third time seeing Maiden live (NotB and PoM was my first and second IM Concerts) I love LaD way better.  I had the import album "Maiden Japan" on cassette, so when LaD came out, it was my way of having a record of a concert I recently seen.  Even though I was in Denver Colorado for the Powerslave concert, the LaD was still a great thing to have at the time...and still one of my all time favorite Live concert albums.

Up The Irons!!!
Sam :rocker:
oh and Happy Bday to me today (nov 4) the big 44 today....get off my lawn!!!  :lol:
 
While I am a younger Iron Maiden fan (20 years old), I may not have much say so with the 80's albums/concerts, seeing as I never saw any of them live and have only been able to watch them on dvd.

However, I did start becoming a fan off of Somewhere In Time, and Seventh Son... so even though I am a "newer" fan, I DID start out on the 80's albums of course.

That being said, I prefer Flight 666 over Live After Death. I guess I am one of the rare fans (rare? maybe not? not sure) who thinks the band (especially Bruce) sounds MUCH better today than in the 80's. Bruce sounded amazing on the NOTB and POM tours, but in LAD (and yes I understand his voice was obviously very strained and tired, seeing as they did such a massive world tour) his voice just sounds... so... choppy (?).

And his voice was just absolutely terrible during the SIT tour. From the few pro shot videos I've managed to find of live songs such as Caught Somewhere In Time, Stranger In A Strange Land, and Sea Of Madness... Bruce's vocals were just awful. And it kills me to be saying this, because Somewhere In Time is my favorite album, and his voice on the actual album is AMAZING.

I did watch all of the Maiden England videos on youtube, and I have to say this is my favorite "80's" concert of theirs, even over LAD. Maiden England was just so amazing. Bruce's vocals were great, and Infinite Dreams and Seventh Son live gave me chills.

Then, the 90's came, and I do not live Bruce's voice at all on both No Prayer and FOTD. I am glad they took their break, and reunited in 1999... since, the band has been beyond epic. And I believe Bruce's voice got better with age.

It may very well be just because I am a newer fan (around 4 years of listening to them now, and them being my all-time favorite band), or the fact that the first time I actually saw them live was SBIT 2008 (meaning I may be a bit biased?) but I much prefer Flight 666 over LAD
 
They are both really good.  666 is a Testament to how good this band still is and they fact they still might not have peaked, which is just incredible.  World Slavery was the first tour I saw them on and as a teenager really got into Maiden and metal because of that show, so it is really hard to separate the nostalgia for me. 
 
I too witnessed the World Slavery Tour, which was my first rock concert ever.  So, Live After Death has a nostalgic appeal for me as well.  I was not overly impressed with the mix of Flight 666, whereas LAD sounds terrific, as do all the Martin Birch albums.  I also don't necessarily agree that Bruce sounds noticeably better on 666 than on LAD.  The setlist for 666 is marginally better, simply because it has more albums to draw from (though LAD has a big advantage with Phantom of the Opera as a bonus track).  On balance, LAD is such a classic live album that it is indispensable, and therefore gets my vote. 
 
I prefer F-666, band should do the same tour to Maiden England and Donington ´92 too, I would like to hear songs like: Infinity Dreams, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternity, Wasting Love, Tail Gunner, Afraid To Shoot Strangers + No Prayewer For The Dying and songs from tour 2005 in sound quality like Flight 666 is  ;)
 
Donner said:
I'm sorta torn really.  Both have their big plusses and minuses-

LAD

+ amazing guitar separation and sound
   Flight of Icarus
   amazing solos
   was the first Maiden live album I heard and it blew me away
   cover art

-  Bruce's vocals
   lame audience

F666

+  vocals are incredible
    amazing crowds
    I saw this tour 3 times and it was incredible

-   guitars are too low
    Can I Play With Madness doesn't work live to me
    I really wish this was one full show.  The fade outs KILL the live ambiance
   cover art

So, I'd tend to favor LAD overall but both are great.
Click to expand...

Actually, FOI is the minus for me on LAD, Bruce sounds poor.

And guitars on F666 can't get better, but the set-list lacks on that one. Production also destroys LAD.

So it's F666 for me...
 
And his voice was just absolutely terrible during the SIT tour. From the few pro shot videos I've managed to find of live songs such as Caught Somewhere In Time, Stranger In A Strange Land, and Sea Of Madness... Bruce's vocals were just awful. And it kills me to be saying this, because Somewhere In Time is my favorite album, and his voice on the actual album is AMAZING.
Click to expand...

Not quite. After 1984 Bruce started being inconsistent performer.
I have SiT tour audio boots where he sounds incredible. Check out Sheffield (the night when he wasn't ill, of course), for example.
 
Interesting comments !

I'm puzzled that some find the production/mixing of LAD better than F666 - I have a decent hi fi and F666 blows away LAD for clarity. Only very occasionally do the three guitars produce a wall of sound in which its hard to distinguish them. Overall the sound is excellent.
 
I'll always pick newer over older, because the past is dead and gone, imo.  Iron Maiden are current, and Flight 666 is a document of how powerful they still are as a band.  It's not as impressive to see them running around and rocking in their 20's than their 50's, imo.
 
First, I no longer think it's a rare opinion that Bruce is better live now than he was in the 80's.  Most fans feel that way.

I don't know, F666 just seems muddled to me production wise.  On LAD you can clearly hear the nuances of the two guitars, not so much on F666.

On the other hand, F666 feels much more like a true representation of the live Maiden sound than LAD.

Still, I prefer LAD slightly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top