Being this my first review, I ask you to make constructive criticisms (but if you don't want to, I can't exactly force you, can I?) and to be understanding towards me.
Before talking to you about the content of the CD (which I hurried to review as soon as I discovered it), I think a brief historical context is appropriate.
We are in Birmingham, in 1988, a little more than six months after the release of the concept album "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" and in the midst of the "Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour". Our Maiden, when the world tour comes - precisely - to Birmingham (concert held on November 27, 1988 and repeated on the 28th of the same month, i.e., the day after) record the performance and initially commercialize it in 1989 as a VHS. Then, in 1994 and as a limited edition, the CD "Maiden England" comes onto the market.
Opening the show is the splendid Moonchild, which with its growing (within the song) grit immediately brings us into the heart of the event. At the end of this, without giving us time to think or cheer, Nicko starts with the classic "three stick taps" to set the timing for - in my opinion - the masterpiece present in the album "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son": "The Evil That Men Do". After these, "Prisoner", "Still Life" (which gives us a sort of break from the aggression that the Iron Maidens subject us to, but only for a few minutes), and a superb "Die With Your Boots On" follow. Then you hear the sweet and gentle intro of "Infinite Dreams", followed by "Killers" and a "Heaven Can Wait" like I've never heard before. It is then the turn of the rarely performed in public "Wasted Years" (when I heard it, I was shocked. My incompetence in the Maiden field had always led me to believe that this work of art had never been performed live).
Coming freely, "The Clairvoyant" follows, until reaching the awaited "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son". The unavoidable "The Number Of The Beast" tells us we are almost at the end of the concert and that we have savored it completely (it is not the usual 2-CD live album we are used to). To conclude the performance, at this point, can only be the classic "Iron Maiden", which ends with thanks, a "good night" from Dickinson all with a background that is nothing but the prolonged final chord of the song that bears their name.
What can I say about this CD? It is an absolute must-have!
It is my favorite live performance of the Iron Maiden, even superior to the wonderful 'Live After Death,' due to the quality of the individual musicians' performances and the impeccable recording quality.
What has come down to us as the final product is a masterpiece concert from a band that knows no age, and has been captivating entire generations for 30 years with its music full of emotions, grit, and passion.