The essential bootlegs?

[Mosh]

Maiden World DC++ hub for the most part. Any other sources I should be looking for?

Tried Dime but I couldn't figure out their search engine and wasn't finding anything I wanted.

 

[SixesAlltheway]

Maiden World DC++ hub is probably the best bet with regards to "running into" users who have a lot of stuff collected. I'm surprised it's running to be honest, do you still need to download the client and run it?

I'm not familiar with many places. That's why I'm asking. I remember a bootleg forum once where you had to sign up...Can't remember the name now. I'm sure there's also a lot of blogs around with easy zip links.

 

[Mosh]

Maiden World DC++ hub is probably the best bet with regards to "running into" users who have a lot of stuff collected. I'm surprised it's running to be honest, do you still need to download the client and run it?

Yea I was surprised that it was not only still running, but also has a decent amount of users. However it looks like they don't allow new registration. Being on there requires an account on the forum and I didn't see any option to register for a new one, I was lucky to have done so a long time ago. Still need a client to run it.

I had a lot of trouble finding stuff before finding the hub. I remember being able to find stuff on blogs before but this time around most of those links were dead.

 

[desultory]

Continued again..

World Slavery Tour 1984-85 - soo many cool (and imo essential) bootlegs from this tour.

1984-08-11 Poznan - good sound
1984-08-22 Pietre Lugie - one of the funniest bootlegs, this has to be heard to be believed. I won't spoil it, but cheese is mentioned more than once. Plus the band is on fire.
1984-09-16 Newcastle - Gig Addiction recorded and mastered many of these UK gigs, and they really are stellar. If you look for them they are mostly labelled as DMM series.
1984-09-17 Sheffield - Losfer Words is played here and on the Newcastle one.
1984-09-18 Ipswich - Murders in the Rue Morgue is played.
1984-09-20 Leicester
1984-09-29 Nottingham
1984-10-12 London - Murders in the Rue Morgue is played.
1984-10-18 Stuttgart
1984-10-27 Bremen - the best one is on DVD audio
1984-10-29 Paris - ten song radio broadcast, this is among the best.
1984-11-26 Quebec - again, shorter setlist for N.America
1984-12-19 Milwaukee
1984-12-21 Chicago

 

[Forostar]

RUSKIN ARMS '79 / RUSKIN ARMS 05.10.1979 / RUSKIN ARMS – OCTOBER 10TH 1979 (Ruskin Arms, 5 October 1979).
Tony Parsons and Doug Sampson in the line-up. Interesting setlist and The Ides of March is played live!



Newcastle 1980 / Newcastle Nights / Newcastle 25.11.80 (City Hall Newcastle, 25 November 1980).
Oldest bootleg with Adrian Smith I've heard (his 5th gig, not counting a TV performance in Munich which was his first performance with the band).
Women in Uniform, a rare live song(!) is played! This is the only live version I've heard.

1981-10-30 Milan (with Bruce)

Not sure if I'd (only) pick out that one from Bruce's Italian gigs in 1981 (his first with the band). I guess it depends on taste but I think Milan sounds more thin/distant. Also Bruce sounds in worse shape (a cold I think) than earlier gigs. Listen to these differences:

Roma (Can't you hear meeeee, aaahh ahh ahhh, can't you see me!):

Milan:

So I recommend (at least) trying out the following for different sound and better Bruce:

1981-10-27 Roma
1981-10-28 Firenze
1981-10-29 Padova

His first in Bologna was filmed. Historical footage!

 

[desultory]

I agree, off the two you posted there Rome sounds the best.
There is actually 3 versions of Milan though, and version 3 is called Innocent Exile reworked. It is of much better sound quality than the rest of the Breaking in Bruce. It was available here once: http://themaidenofpurgatory.blogspot.dk/2011/04/1981-10-30-pala-lido-version-3-innocent.html
All are worth a listen though, as you said.

 

[Black Bart]

I have found most of my bootlegs at two locations:
- the now too dangerous EMule.
- here: http://www.guitars101.com/forums/tags.php?tag=iron+maiden

One of my favorite is a great sounding Paul-era bootleg:

The Big Heat, Sun Plaza Tokyo, May 24th 1981
It is basically an unofficial full Maiden Japan.

 

[Mosh]

Not sure if I'd (only) pick out that one from Bruce's Italian gigs in 1981 (his first with the band). I guess it depends on taste but I think Milan sounds more thin/distant. Also Bruce sounds in worse shape (a cold I think) than earlier gigs. Listen to these differences:

I agree, off the two you posted there Rome sounds the best.

Listened to this today, my first Bruce gig! I have to say this was probably the most ear opening listen so far. After listening to so many early Paul bootlegs, I grew very accustomed to his style of singing. Huge contrast with Bruce and many of the songs don't really flatter his style of singing IMO. I guess you could say that material is beneath him, but he didn't bring the same edge to songs like Purgatory or Another Life. If I was a fan in the 80s, I suppose I probably wouldn't have been sold on him until hearing the album, maybe even later. On the other hand, he really nails Remember Tomorrow and Killers. Gives you a glimpse of the new dimension he would add to the sound. I also much prefer his singing on I've Got the Fire to Paul's.

It also answers a question I had of why did so many songs from the first two albums get dropped pretty much immediately after the NOTB/POM tours. I get they had to make room for new songs, but I always thought it was weird that they didn't play a larger variety from the early albums. Songs like Another Life that were played a ton. Well Bruce doesn't sound great on those songs.

 

[soundwave]

Listened to this today, my first Bruce gig! I have to say this was probably the most ear opening listen so far. After listening to so many early Paul bootlegs, I grew very accustomed to his style of singing. Huge contrast with Bruce and many of the songs don't really flatter his style of singing IMO. I guess you could say that material is beneath him, but he didn't bring the same edge to songs like Purgatory or Another Life. If I was a fan in the 80s, I suppose I probably wouldn't have been sold on him until hearing the album, maybe even later. On the other hand, he really nails Remember Tomorrow and Killers. Gives you a glimpse of the new dimension he would add to the sound. I also much prefer his singing on I've Got the Fire to Paul's.

It also answers a question I had of why did so many songs from the first two albums get dropped pretty much immediately after the NOTB/POM tours. I get they had to make room for new songs, but I always thought it was weird that they didn't play a larger variety from the early albums. Songs like Another Life that were played a ton. Well Bruce doesn't sound great on those songs.

I thought he sounded pretty good on Another Life on Beast over Hammersmith. The only Paul song that I didn't think sounded that great with Bruce was Drifter - the air raid thing doesn't really work with the bluesy hard rock stuff IMHO.

 

[Mosh]

The Rainbow gig has not good sound, but again, important for its setlist.

This one was really cool. Like you said, the sound isn't good, so it's hard to critique the playing, but I thought 22 Acacia Avenue sounded very tight for a first performance. It sounded well rehearsed.

 

[desultory]

Next up...

Somewhere on Tour 1986-87 - once again, there are lots of great and imo essential bootlegs from this tour.

1986-09-10 Belgrade - poor sound, but Lonelines of the Long Distance Runner played.
1986-10-03 Oxford - one of the best sounding bootlegs from the tour.
1986-10-08 Bristol - I am a sucker for the UK tour.
1986-10-11 Manchester - Wrathchild is played, an anomaly on this tour.
1986-10-14 Leicester - really great show, one of my top ones. Energetic.
1986-10-15 Sheffield - on this first night in Sheffield Bruce sounds good, on the next night he was ill and it affected his performance.
1986-10-20 Nottingham - another one of Gig Addiction's DMM series. As are the next two. Do not miss.
1986-10-25 Newcastle
1986-10-30 Birmingham
1986-11-29 Paris - soundboard I think.
1986-12-16 Milano
1987-01-11 Troy - as usual, the shorter setlist for N.America
1987-01-13 Philadelphia - soundboard, but incomplete.
1987-03-11 Chicago - I think this may have been a radio broadcast. Then again, maybe soundboard. Very good.
1987-03-08 Milwaukee
1987-03-25 Quebec
1987-05-21 Osaka - Bruce is hilarious here and possibly drunk.

I may have over indulged a bit bit with the amount of bootlegs here, maybe because there exists no official recording from Somewhere on Tour.

 

[Forostar]

You included all the essentials (as far as I'm aware)! Didn't think Chicago (and perhaps also not Paris) is soundboard but surely one of the best ones!

1986-10-11 Manchester - Wrathchild is played, an anomaly on this tour.

Cool. Probably because there was more than one gig in Manchester. I thought Wrathchild was only done in Japan! Apparently it was also played in Budapest, Edinburgh, Birmingham and perhaps a few more (UK) cities where they did more than one night.

 

[SixesAlltheway]

another one of Gig Addiction's DMM series..

The what now?

 

[srfc]

I used to trade boots on the old maiden fc forum about 10 years ago.

I wouldn't mind picking up some boots from the tours in the intervening years, does anyone know if trading through snail mail is still a thing and if it is, whereaouts would I go for Maiden boots?

 

[desultory]

The what now?

DMM stands for "Definitive Maiden Masters".

They were taped by Gig Addiction on the UK tours spanning 1983 through to 1990. His recordings are of great quality and worth seeking out.

 

[desultory]

Cool. Probably because there was more than one gig in Manchester. I thought Wrathchild was only done in Japan! Apparently it was also played in Budapest, Edinburgh, Birmingham and perhaps a few more (UK) cities where they did more than one night.

I think it was played on the second night. I did not, however, include any gigs where Flight of Icarus was played.

 

[Forostar]

Belgrade has Flight of Icarus.

And this is the last Flight of Icarus (by Maiden) I've ever heard: Ljubljana, 12 September 1986. It's also on the Graz bootleg (15 September) but I haven't heard that one.

 

[desultory]

Indeed it does, cheers.

Is it correct that Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was replaced by Children of lthe Damned and Flight of Icarus was replaced by Phantom of the Opera?
And:
Wrathchild replaced something on the Japan tour, but what?

 

[Forostar]

It's hard to say what replaced what. This is could be one of the more complex* tours when it comes to setlist changes.

Children was already there from the beginning. Where Eagles Dare and Phantom came along a little bit later. Both didn't always stay in the set at the beginning. After the UK tour Eagles was dropped. Phantom stuck around I think.

Wrathchild: I think it was an extra in Japan (without leaving any other regular song out).

* e.g. 14 September Vienna: No Icarus, no Phantom, with Eagles and now for the first time I see it had 22 Acacia Avenue!!!

Is that true? @Zare do you know Vienna 1986?
O wait: this makes sense:

Some sources claim that the second CD is a fake, recorded at the Austrian show of 1984, whereas others say that this is the genuine article. Check with the trader beforehand.

Look how different the Graz setlist is one day later.

 

[desultory]

They were changing the setlist often on this tour, that's for sure!
When we get to Seventh Tour.. the changes are minimal.

As for Vienna 86, I have it somewhere. I seem to recall side two being "fake".