A REAL DEAD ONE

Big disappointment this one. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought (it was cheap for the early 90's). I thought it would be something closer to the great Live After Death, for it would included many early stuff that wasn't then available in any live form with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Besides, I liked a Real Live One, with the live renditions of songs from Somewhere In Time onwards.

Clearly the band was not in their best shape. Bruce sings like if he does not really care (he was about to leave the band and agreed to tour only because it was already scheduled and it would be a financial disaster to call it off). So it is no surprise everything sounds forced and ragged, for Iron Maiden's standards, of course. A real shame, since it could have turned out a lot better on another occasion. Also the sound and production is absolute terrible (Martin Birch is sorely missing here). This CD brought me so many bad memories it was hard to write this review. I got rid of it a long time ago.

If you're looking for a Iron Maiden's live album, this is probably the worst you can get. Don't be fooled by the excellent set list on the back cover. It was bad for the band's reputation and did quite some harm to their career. It would be nice not to have it released at all. I'm giving it two stars only because it is Iron Maiden. But I still think it is an album to be avoided. Be warned.