Experiencing Iron Maiden live marked a massive sea change in my musical tastes after catching them as part of my first concert back in 1983.  Quiet Riot, at the time riding high on the charts with Metal Health, was my reason for attending the show-  “Metal Health” and “Cum On Feel The Noize” were the rage on MTV and in the music rags and were gaining popularity with music fans in my high school.  The only thing I knew from Maiden at the time was the video for “Flight Of Icarus” (which I totally dug) and maybe hearing “Run To The Hills” on the local rock station’s midnight metal show.  Even though I hardly knew any of their material, I was so impressed with their show that I always tell people “I went in a Quiet Riot fan and left an Iron Maiden fan for life”.

Given that I saw the band on the World Slavery Tour supporting Powerslave almost a year and a half later (possibly my favorite concert memory EVER), I pretty much knew what to expect from this disc before I even purchased it.  Sides 1,2, and 3 of this album were recorded at Long Beach Arena and contained all of the songs that I’d heard minus Dave Murray’s excellent guitar solo spot and a take on instrumental “Losfer Words (Big Orra)” (live version later to be found on a B-side to “Phantom Of The Opera), but side 4 contained five different cuts recorded for their home crowd at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.  All songs were blistering takes of songs found on their five studio albums and if you know Iron Maiden, the intensity level, energy, and fire of their live performances often overshadows their initial recordings.  It is this relentlessness and passion that makes them my favorite band of all time.

Before diving into this disc I need to make a few comments:  For one, sound quality on the CD version is very trebly with not a lot of bottom end.  Guitar sounds are sharp but in many ways that was the sound of the time.  That said, the mix is really good as you can clearly hear each band member and there is no muddiness.  The album was MUCH better and warmer overall.  Two, and this could be a touchy subject for some:  Lead singer Bruce Dickinson is a much better live vocalist these days.  Granted, he is very good here; sometimes great in spots but clearly struggling in others.  This can somewhat be chalked up to the amount of touring these guys did in the day, the World Slavery Tour lasted almost an entire year with close to 200 shows with the band rarely taking days off in between shows.  Had to have been tough on these guys!

So diving right in…  as with Maiden shows things kick off in dramatic fashion, this time with a wartime speech from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill before diving headlong into a monstrous take of Powerslave’s intro cut “Aces High” followed by a very strong “Two Minutes To Midnight”.  The pace never lets up as they dive into three straight Piece Of Mind classics in the awesome “The Trooper”, moody “Revelations”, and rumbling “Flight Of Icarus”, all three featuring outstanding guitar work from the tag team of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, prime drumwork from Nicko McBrain, and that infamous galloping bass courtesy of Mr. Steve Harris.

Side two takes a turn for the dramatic with the epic, “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”.  This song is a thirteen minute roller coaster ride of massive metal, prog rock interludes, symphonic buildups, and dramatic tension from beginning to end.  This version is truly monumental, Dickinson pulling out all the stops as he shifts between operatic vocal and full throated banshee wail while the band deftly swings through the peaks and valleys with machine like precision.  You think those first five songs on side one were great?  Hell, that was just a warmup for this incredible performance.

The theatrics don’t stop there as the band dives into a fine, fine version of “Powerslave”, Dickinson with another energetic vocal and Dave Murray with an almost ethereal guitar solo, all bluesy tones that rival the best of Jimi Hendrix or Robin Trower.  Side two ends with an electrifying take on “Number Of The Beast” as a simmering Dickinson vocal during the introductory buildup leads to that classic scream and the band rips into a tenacious version, Harris machine gunning the crowd with some hearty bass licks as McBrain pounds away on the skins.

Side three rounds out the Long Beach show with “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, possibly Maiden’s finest song and one of those songs much better live than on studio disc:  Smith and Murray’s unison guitar intro topped with Dickinson’s melodramatic buildup and Harris’ tolling bass start things off until kicking into another gear as the song dives, swoops, and speeds between different time signatures and passages until it reaches an epic conclusion.  “Iron Maiden”, “Run To The Hills” and “Running Free” round out the disc in impressive fashion.

Side four was recorded a bit earlier in the tour and Dickinson sounds a bit fresher here.  “Wrathchild”, “22 Acacia Avenue”, and “Children Of The Damned” are all great performances but the real winners on this side are truly devastating versions of “Die With Your Boots On” and “Phantom Of The Opera” as all members are on fire, especially Dickinson’s tenacious vocal performance on both cuts.  Not to be outdone, the guitar work of Murray and Smith is top notch but the unsung heroes are the rhythm section of Harris and McBrain as they lead the charge through both songs.  They form such a strong backbone that truly sells the performances throughout all four sides of this album.

I will say that these days I probably listen more to the live discs released since Dickinson and Smith’s return to the band in 1999 (there are quite a few to choose from).  Dickinson arguably is a better singer now than ever; his middle and lower ranges are stronger and his high end vocals are more consistent than his early years, which offer up for an excellent listening experience (listen to Rock In Rio; I almost included that in the top ten as Dickinson’s performance is so good plus he totally nails the version of “Run To The Hills” on there!).  However, I must stick with Live After Death based on the band’s fiery performance, the classic songs within, and mostly because my Maiden fandom reached new levels after listening to the album non-stop for many months afterwards.