Iron Maiden
Beast Over Hammersmith

THE REVIEW

During the Beast On The Road world tour, the Irons with their revamped lineup immediately thrilled audiences by bringing the splendid new songs to the live stage. This live performance was supposed to be released in 1982 as the first official live album, but technical problems prevented it. In 2002, with new mastering techniques, the annoying whistle sound was finally removed.
The performance is splendid, with the whole band united and having fun, and Dickinson feeling comfortable with both new and old songs, though he still struggles to entertain the audience and encourages participation. He doesn't yet shout his iconic "Scream for me Hammersmith". The show begins with a grand version of "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Wrathchild" is not greeted with a roar from the crowd, but the execution of "Run To The Hills" is perfect. "Children Of The Damned" is well-played, but perhaps inferior to the "Live After Death" version. Then comes "The Number Of The Beast" followed by a surprising "Another Life", which we didn't expect but is excellent, preceding a "Killers" worthy of the Di'Anno era. "22 Acacia Avenue" features a girl miming the iconic Charlotte. After the unnecessary "Total Eclipse", comes a grand "Transylvanya" complete with a mega extended guitar solo, then "The Prisoner" ignites the crowd with its splendid middle part, and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is simply epic, but unfortunately, Dickinson doesn't make the audience scream during its instrumental tail. Still, it's a great performance. "Phantom Of The Opera", "Iron Maiden", and "Sanctuary" are excellent, but a standout track is "Drifter", where Dickinson finally gets the audience to sing and delivers a splendid interpretation. "Running Free" is not sung by the audience, but the final "Prowler" is a last gem that beautifully closes the show. There are better live shows, but this is exactly how the Irons were in the beginning, young but already mature, aggressive but perfect.
The best songs are "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Transylvanya", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and "Drifter"; three out of four are songs from the first two albums, but that's because they are well-rehearsed in live performances and perhaps more spontaneous, allowing for improvisation. The video, present on the "The Early Days" DVD, is decent, of good quality, and includes "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Run to the Hills", "Children of the Damned", "The Number Of The Beast", "22 Acacia Avenue", "Total Eclipse", "The Prisoner", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and "Iron Maiden".

Recommended for collectors and ardent fans, for others only if they already have all the live shows.
UP THE IRONS!