Iron Maiden: Bootleg/CDR section

This is the 3rd band to get its own separate bootleg section...although in this case, it was quite overdue. Heh. Check out the trade page for trading details.

"The Soundhouse Tapes"

  1. "Prowler" (4:22)
  2. "Invasion" (3:12)
  3. "Strange World" (5:23)
  4. "Iron Maiden" (4:03)

A bootleg (duh!!) CD copy of the band's first demo. The original 7" crappy vinyl is one of the most highly prized collector's items in the world, since only 3000 copies were pressed. I had a chance a long time ago to buy it for 200 bucks, and still kinda wish I did, if only to brag about having it. This CDR is pretty good, with full original artwork plus an extra song, "Strange World", which was recorded during the same sessions but was never released until Best of the Beast came out. The source is from the crappy vinyl box set of BOTB, which is the ONLY official release with all four of these songs, dammit you guys why didn't you put them on CD??? I think one of the "Virus" singles did have "Prowler" and "Invasion" on it, but hell, it's cheaper...and cooler...just to stick with this boot.

"Ruskin Arms 1979" (10/5/79, Ruskin Arms, London)

  1. "The Ides of March"--instrumental (2:01)
  2. "Wrathchild" (3:33)
  3. "Sanctuary" (4:12)
  4. "Prowler" (4:19)
  5. "Remember Tomorrow" (5:46)
  6. "Running Free" (3:22)
  7. "Another Life" (4:04)
  8. "Transylvania"--instrumental (5:02)
  9. "Strange World" (5:33)
  10. "Invasion" (3:11)
  11. "Charlotte the Harlot" (4:59)
  12. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:54)
  13. "Iron Maiden" (4:55)
  14. "Innocent Exile" (4:43)
  15. "Tony Parsons Solo"
    "Dave Murray Solo" (total = 2:48)
  16. "Drifter" (5:36)

This is the EARLIEST KNOWN LIVE RECORDING by Iron Maiden!! The quality is total shit, with artifacts and warbling that get progressively worse and worse until by "Drifter" you can't hear anything but pure white noise (and the last track listed on the liner notes, "I've Got the Fire", does not appear here at all) -- but heck, it's a great piece of history, and one thing you can hear crystal clear is the band's hunger for success. (Kinda reminds me of how they first got signed...the EMI guy who went to their concert was too short to see over the heads of the audience, but he thought, "The crowd seems to like them," so he signed them on the spot!) Some of the songs have quite different arrangements than the ones that eventually appeared on record, especially "Wrathchild" and "Another Life".

"Revelations: Live at the Rainbow" (6/20/80, London UK)

  1. "The Ides of March"--instrumental (1:26)
  2. "Sanctuary" (4:31)
  3. "Wrathchild" (3:18)
  4. "Prowler" (4:13)
  5. "Remember Tomorrow" (5:55)
  6. "Killers" (5:39)
  7. "Running Free" (5:17)
  8. "Another Life" (6:44)
  9. "Transylvania"--instrumental (3:52)
  10. "Strange World" (5:31)
  11. "Charlotte the Harlot" (5:23)
  12. "Phantom of the Opera" (8:03)
  13. "Iron Maiden" (4:56)
  14. "Drifter" (11:04)

I strongly suspect that my copy of this is mp3-sourced, as there are telltale "artifacts" in "Sanctuary" and "Iron Maiden", and the high end does sound a bit compressed. Still, it's an excellent audience recording, almost as good as soundboard in parts, as well as one helluva performance by Di'Anno and the rest of the band. Recommended.

"Maiden Japan" (5/24/81, Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo, Japan)

  1. "Wrathchild" (2:58)
  2. "Purgatory" (3:14)
  3. "Sanctuary" (3:58)
  4. "Remember Tomorrow" (5:21)
  5. "Another Life (incl. Drum Solo)" (6:51)
  6. "Genghis Khan"--instrumental (2:54)
  7. "Killers" (4:41)
  8. "Innocent Exile" (4:04)
  9. "Twilight Zone" (2:31)
  10. "Strange World" (6:13)
  11. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (3:02)
  12. "Phantom of the Opera" (6:53)
  13. "Iron Maiden" (4:02)
  14. "Running Free" (3:02)
  15. "Transylvania (incl. Guitar Solo)"--instrumental (5:44)
  16. "Drifter" (8:06)
  17. "I've Got the Fire" (2:53)

Yep, this is the COMPLETE Maiden Japan recording, although there's some confusion over the exact date -- my sources tell me that M.J. was recorded on 5/23 in Nagoya, whereas this show is almost definitely from the following night in Tokyo. (Close enough for government work, I guess.) Sound quality is excellent but not comparable to the official release, due to some radio compression and occasional bursts of static. "I've Got the Fire" comes from a totally different show -- in fact it sounds suspiciously similar to the B-side recording of the "Sanctuary" single!

"New York Palladium" (6/29/82, The Palladium, New York City)

  1. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (4:09)
  2. "Wrathchild" (3:07)
  3. "Run to the Hills" (5:18)
  4. "Children of the Damned" (5:22)
  5. "The Number of the Beast" (4:53)
  6. "The Prisoner" (5:45)
  7. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:24)
  8. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:25)
  9. "Iron Maiden" (4:07)
  10. "Sanctuary" (3:44)
  11. "Drifter" (11:36)

This show was recorded for a US radio broadcast (eh? Maiden on the radio? what's in this bong I'm smoking...) so the sound quality is spectacular, rivaling that of an official release! Needless to say, it's one of the most popular Maiden bootlegs out there, and has been circulating under about a hundred different titles. As for the performance -- well shit, just look at the songs! Just about ALL of them would appear on any halfway decent Maiden setlist for the remainder of time...the only song here that has never been repeated is "Drifter", in which Bruce takes up Paul's old habit of doing the "Yo Yo Yo" chant with the audience (nicked from the Police, the band proudly admits.)

On the other hand, a much more complete recording from this tour, including "Total Eclipse" and a few more goodies, is available on the Eddie's Archive box set, so unless you're an obsessive ROIO-collecting maniac you don't really need this show. (You're not too cheap to buy the fucking box set, are you??)

"Flight of Chicago 1983" (9/30/83; IUC Pavilion, Chicago)
    disc one:
  1. "Advertisement" (0:50)
  2. "Intro" (2:32)
  3. "Where Eagles Dare" (6:05)
  4. "Sanctuary" (4:47)
  5. "Wrathchild" (4:01)
  6. "The Trooper" (5:51)
  7. "Revelations" (6:32)
  8. "Flight of Icarus" (3:43)
  9. "Die with Your Boots On" (6:14)
  10. "22, Acacia Avenue" (6:08)
  11. "The Number of the Beast" (5:00)
    disc two:
  1. "To Tame a Land" (9:00)
  2. "Dave Murray Solo" (4:24)
  3. "Nicko McBrain Solo" (3:36)
  4. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:31)
  5. "Iron Maiden" (5:02)
  6. "Run to the Hills" (7:21)
  7. "Drifter" (13:18)

The sound quality on this audience boot is atrocious, made worse by numerous drop-outs and other mastering errors. I'll be generous and give it a B-, solely for the inclusion of "To Tame a Land" which was performed only on this tour. (Bruce introduces that song with a humorous rant about how Frank Herbert's such a fuckhead for not letting them call the song "Dune" and how he must not be a heavy metal fan and all that...lol.)

"Leicester '86" (10/14/86, De Montford Hall, Leicester UK)

    disc one:
  1. "Intro (Blade Runner Theme)"--instrumental (2:16)
  2. "Caught Somewhere in Time" (7:12)
  3. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:01)
  4. "Sea of Madness" (6:20)
  5. "Children of the Damned" (4:28)
  6. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (5:25)
  7. "Wasted Years" (5:54)
  8. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (14:19)
  9. "Walking on Glass"--guitar solo (4:14)
  10. "Where Eagles Dare" (5:21)
    disc one:
  1. "Heaven Can Wait" (7:17)
  2. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:13)
  3. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:03)
  4. "Iron Maiden" (6:13)
  5. "The Number of the Beast" (4:54)
  6. "Run to the Hills" (7:53)
  7. "Running Free" (10:04)
  8. "Sanctuary" (4:52)

'BOUT FUCKING TIME I got myself a Somewhere in Time bootleg!! This is a fairly good audience recording which may or may not be the best ROIO from this tour, depending on who you talk to. Particularly desirable are all the S.I.T. songs that were played on this tour and never again: "Caught Somewhere in Time", "Sea of Madness", "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Wasted Years" (though the latter does get resurrected from time to time.) Not sure why they held over "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", since Bruce always complained about remembering all those bloody lyrics. :) "Walking on Glass" is a synthesized guitar solo.

"Seven Deadly Sins" (10/1/88, Gothenberg, Sweden)

    disc one:
  1. "Moonchild" (5:41)
  2. "The Evil That Men Do" (5:01)
  3. "The Prisoner" (5:52)
  4. "Wrathchild" (3:51)
  5. "Infinite Dreams" (5:40)
  6. "The Trooper" (4:32)
  7. "Can I Play with Madness?" (3:10)
  8. "Heaven Can Wait" (6:50)
  9. "Die with Your Boots On" (5:24)
  10. "Wasted Years" (4:33)
  11. "Killers" (5:08)
  12. "The Clairvoyant" (5:27)
  13. "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (10:13)
    disc two:
  1. "The Number of the Beast" (4:33)
  2. "Still Life" (4:31)
  3. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:01)
  4. "Iron Maiden" (5:28)
  5. "Run to the Hills" (3:47)
  6. "Running Free" (4:47)
  7. "Sanctuary" (5:36)
  8. "22, Acacia Avenue" (5:57)
    Bruce Dickinson live, date unknown:
  9. "Darkside of Aquarius" (8:12)
  10. "Powerslave" (7:41)
  11. "The Road to Hell" (4:37)
  12. "Flight of Icarus" (4:49)

This one's an odd mix -- the majority of the show is decent audience quality (B+ to A-) but on a few tracks, including "Killers" and "Die With Your Boots On", the recording suddenly changes to perfectly mixed SOUNDBOARD quality! I'm wondering if this was done by somebody after the fact, as the "soundboard" songs aren't even listed on the rear artwork, and indeed they may have been taken from the official CD singles from this tour. (I haven't had time to do a side-by-side comparison yet.) The only songs that are definitely NOT from this show are "22, Acacia Avenue" (from the Monsters of Rock show, apparently) and of course the four extra Bruce Dickinson live tracks. All in all a good boot, but I'm positive there's a better one out there, somewhere...

"Virtual Insanity" (12/21/98, Osaka, Japan)

    disc one:
  1. "Opening"--instrumental (1:55)
  2. "Futureal" (2:46)
  3. "The Angel and the Gambler" (7:34)
  4. "Man on the Edge" (4:16)
  5. "Lightning Strikes Twice" (4:42)
  6. "Heaven Can Wait" (8:06)
  7. "Clansman" (9:03)
  8. "When Two Worlds Collide" (5:41)
  9. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:13)
    disc two:
  1. "The Educated Fool" (6:13)
  2. "Sign of the Cross" (11:05)
  3. "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (6:25)
  4. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:20)
  5. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:12)
  6. "Fear of the Dark" (7:12)
  7. "Iron Maiden" (5:44)
  8. "The Number of the Beast" (4:42)
  9. "The Trooper" (3:50)
  10. "Sanctuary" (8:09)

Wouldn't you know it, my first Iron Maiden live bootleg is from a BLAZE BAYLEY show...well, I've been told by a lot of people that Blaze is actually quite good in concert and does a fair job of singing the old Maiden classics. Those people are total FOOLS!! This show is an atrocity, first you have to suffer through a disc full of crappy songs from X Factor and Virtual XI, then another disc where Blaze totally butchers old Maiden standards. I swear to God, Blaze sounds like he just had dental surgery and is singing with his mouth stuffed with cotton!!! Oh Bruce, Bruce...where art thou??

"Reunion" (7/16/99, Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC)

    disc one:
  1. "Intro (Transylvania)"
    "Churchhill's Speech/Aces High" (total=8:37)
  2. "Wrathchild" (2:53)
  3. "The Trooper" (4:01)
  4. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (5:44)
  5. "The Clansman" (10:45)
  6. "Wasted Years" (5:02)
  7. "Killers" (4:25)
  8. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (5:47)
  9. "Futureal" (3:02)
    disc two:
  1. "Man on the Edge" (4:10)
  2. "Powerslave" (7:39)
  3. "Phantom of the Opera" (7:59)
  4. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:15)
  5. "Fear of the Dark" (6:28)
  6. "Iron Maiden" (7:57)
  7. "The Number of the Beast" (4:46)
  8. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:33)
  9. "Run to the Hills" (4:53)

BRUCE IS BACK!!! Shortly after the band reunited in 1999, they embarked on a worldwide summer tour to promote that silly "Ed Hunter" computer game (which I've heard isn't too bad, though I have no intention of ever buying it.) Unfortunately, they never bothered recording any shows for an official release, which is sad, because the setlist they came up with is perhaps one of their best EVER! (When was the last time you heard Bruce Dickinson singing "Killers"? Or "Aces High", for that matter??) The sound quality is I suppose "average" for an audience bootleg, though I would prefer better...

"Dynamo Open Air 2000" (6/3/00, Nijmegan, Holland)

    disc one:
  1. "Ghost of the Navigator" (6:38)
  2. "Brave New World" (5:56)
  3. "Wrathchild" (2:50)
  4. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (6:16)
  5. "Blood Brothers" (7:22)
  6. "Sign of the Cross" (10:32)
  7. "The Mercenary" (4:35)
  8. "The Trooper" (5:53)
  9. "Dream of Mirrors" (9:06)
  10. "The Clansman" (9:03)
    disc two:
  1. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:16)
  2. "Fear of the Dark" (7:19)
  3. "Iron Maiden" (6:06)
  4. "Number of the Beast" (4:51)
  5. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:21)
  6. "Sanctuary" (7:00)
  7. "Futureal"--Ed Hunter Tour 1999 (3:00)
  8. "Man on the Edge"--Ed Hunter Tour 1999 (4:41)
  9. "Blood on the World's Hands"--Gothenberg, 1/11/95 (6:05)
  10. "The Aftermath"--Gothenberg, 1/11/95 (6:47)
  11. "The Evil That Men Do"--Gothenberg, 1/11/95 (4:24)
  12. "Man on the Edge"--Gothenberg, 1/11/95 (4:13)
  13. "Sanctuary"--studio, Metal for Muthas version (3:33)
  14. "Wrathchild"--studio, Metal for Muthas version (3:07)

Live show from the Brave New World tour. For some reason the opening track "Wicker Man" is missing, dunno what's up with that. Excellent soundboard quality, although the band sounds a bit out of shape (Bruce even forgets the words to "Number of the Beast"!!!) and I sure as hell don't hear three guitars...Of prime interest is the Bruce singing the Blaze Bayley songs "Sign of the Cross" and "Clansman", which sound pretty good with a vocalist who can actually SING!! Tracks 7-14 come from various b-sides to BNW and Virtual XI singles, and they could have left off the Blaze tracks for all I care...

"Brixton Night 3 - Live for Clive" (3/21/02, Brixton Academy, London)
    disc one:
  1. "Intro"--instrumental (1:34)
  2. "The Wicker Man" (4:29)
  3. "Ghost of the Navigator" (6:53)
  4. "Brave New World" (6:25)
  5. "Wrathchild" (3:06)
  6. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (5:58)
  7. "Blood Brothers Intro"--spoken word (2:12)
  8. "Blood Brothers" (7:21)
  9. "The Clansman" (9:50)
    disc two:
  1. "The Mercenary" (4:40)
  2. "The Trooper" (4:09)
  3. "Bruce's Speech"--spoken word (1:51)
  4. "Dream of Mirrors" (9:15)
  5. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:34)
  6. "Fear of the Dark" (7:51)
  7. "Iron Maiden" (5:11)
  8. "The Number of the Beast" (5:17)
  9. "Children of the Damned" (5:55)
  10. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:24)
  11. "Run to the Hills" (9:54)

This recording comes from the last of three shows the band performed for benefit of their original drummer Clive Burr, who's been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (the band picture on the rear cover art does show him standing, so he's not TOO bad off...yet.) Unfortunately, this is also one of the worst soundboard recordings I've ever heard -- extreme RealAudio compression, "hissy" sibilants (that is, any time Bruce speaks a word with "s" in it, everything dissolves into static...kinda like how crappy vinyl sounds after 10,000 plays!!) frequent dropouts, and even a big loud Microsoft "DING!" error stop that somehow snuck in! All that for a tracklist which hasn't changed in nearly two years (unless you count the "surprise" inclusion of "Children of the Damned".) Anyways, there's nothing I can recommend about this show, unless you're into it for the historic aspect. Oh, and the part where Bruce bitches out some wanker about waving a Swedish flag...and the Benny Bell-style ragtime version of "Number of the Beast" tacked on to the last track, now THAT would be something to score an mp3 of!

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