Iron Maiden: Live After Death (2 Discs)

I bought this on video tape for £17 when it was first released and it's long overdue to be released on DVD!

I think most maiden fans would agree that this was their biggest and best stage show they have ever had!

Having Read Roddan's review i can't agree more. Having watched and enjoyed the concert on vhs i was more than happy to see it was arriving on dvd. Placing it in my Ps3 through my full hd tv i waited in great anticipation for it to start. To say i was let down is an understatement. This concert has not aged well and would have been best left in the archives.
Rock in rio 2001 is a far superior concert and the upscaling transfer is beyond belief.
This is a comfortable trip down memory lane, but age is not always a blessing.
It will be worth waiting for the dvd release of the Somewhere Back In Time Tour, probably intime for this xmas.

Rhodan. You are right in your criticism. Considering this is supposed to be a landmark concert, not much effort went into the transfer. You see some of these old films that have been re-issued on dvd and the transfers are very good. So why the half arsed attempt at this one. please don't get me wrong cause i've been a maiden fan for over 20 years, but this dvd just has all the feeling of another cash in. Live after death. More like death after live. Saying that though, i am looking forward with great expectation to the blu ray release of the somewhere back in time tour. It will happen (maybe with a bit of fan pressure). If you are a maiden fan, you will buy it. If you like to remenis, you will buy it. if you just want an excellent maiden concert then buy rock in rio.

As a long time follower of the band since their debut in 1980, Live After Death was a monumental album in 1985 and with the Long Beach VHS-video it was magic. But now in perspective - "it doesn´t live up to the expectations".

Disc 1: What is the rest of the show? 90 minutes aren´t the complete deal. They should have gone back to the masterfilms and put in and re-edit the missing songs like Phantom of the opera, Wrathchild etc. But the positive side is the new 5.1 surround mix that is better then the original stereomix by Martin Birch. The picure quality is I´m sad to say not living up to the solution that needs for big LCD-screens. The Long Beach crowd is not the best either and the "audience sound" is boring and sound like a machine with no dynamics in the back. The European audience is far more supperior.

Disc2: The Early years part 2 is fun to watch, the vibe in the band are great and now we can see how they really concuered the world with Powerslave and made it a phenomenon in the world of Metal. But I miss information from the other tour Somewhere in time etc. (But that is probably something that is planned for part 3, I think).

- Behind the Iron Curtain was also a nice thing to really show how importened it was for western bands to visit countrys that lived behind the politics of the Cold War. Very much a history lesson for anyone who watch (not being a fan of Maiden).

- BUT Rock in Rio is totally crap. A bad VHS-recording don´t match the DVD-quality that we can expect here. As a fan we can probasbly get a better copy through the Internet. I totally had to jump through the songs and never gonna watch it again. I prefer to watch (the headliner) Queens official release "Live in Rio" on VHS. They almost use the same light rig anyway.

- Ross Halfin (almost a member of the band) took some wonderful pix through their career. Very importened for this release I would say is the gallery section.

No doubt it´s a good*** release, but it´s more about nostalgia for the supporters to finnally have it collected, than it will become a classic Music DVD.

A brilliant dvd with a great live performance from Long beach L.A. and a couple of very interesting documentaries. This is a must have for any Maiden fans.