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Rating: 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!
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Moonchild (05:42)
Seven deadly sins
Seven ways to win
Seven holy paths to hell
And your trip begins
Seven downward slopes
Seven bloodied hopes
Seven are you burning fires,
Seven your desires...
I am he the bornless one
The fallen angel watching you
Babylon, the scarlet whore
I'll infiltrate your gratitude
Don't you dare to save your son
Kill him now and save the young ones
Be the mother of birth strangled babe
Be the devils own, Lucifer's my name
[ Chorus ]
Moonchild - hear the mandrake scream
Moonchild - open the seventh seal
Moonchild - you'll be mine soon child
Moonchild - take my hand tonight
I count the heads of those unborn
The accursed ones I'll find them all
If you die by your own hand
As a suicide you shall be damned
And if you try to save your soul
I will torment you - you shall not grow old
With every second and passing breath
You'll be so alone your soul will bleed to death
[ Chorus ]
The twins they are exhausted, seven is this night
Gemini is rising as the red lips kiss to bite
Seven angels seven demons battle for his soul
When Gabriel lies sleeping, this child was born to die
One more dies one more lives
One baby cries one mother grieves
For all the sins you will commit
You'll beg forgiveness and none I'll give
A web of fear shall be your coat
To clothe you in the night
A lucky escape for you young man
But I'll see you damned in endless night
[ Chorus ]
02 The Evil That Men Do (04:18)
Love is a razor and I walked the line on that silver blade
Slept in the dust with his daughter, her eyes red with
The slaughter of innocence
And I will pray for her
I will call her name out loud
I would bleed for her
If I could only see her now
Living on a razors edge
Balancing on a ledge
Living on a razors edge, Oaah
Balancing on a ledge
Balancing on a ledge
Living on a razors edge
Balancing on a ledge... You know, You know
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
Circle of fire my baptism of joy at an end it seems
The seventh lamb slain, the book of life opens before me
And I will pray for her
Some day I may return
Don't you cry for me
Beyond is where I learn
Living on a razors edge
Balancing on a ledge
Living on a razors edge... You know, You know
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
SOLO
Living on a razors edge
Balancing on a ledge
Living on a razors edge... You know, You know
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil that men do lives on and on...
The evil
The evil
The evil that men do
The evil
The evil
The evil that men do, Oaah, Oaah
03 The Prisoner (05:56)
"We want information... information... information...
Who are you? The new number two who is number one...
You are number six
I AM NOT A NUMBER!!! I AM A FREE MAN!!!
HAHAHAHAHA"
I'm on the run, I'll kill to eat,
Starving now, feeling dead on my feet.
Going all the way, I'm nature's beast.
Do what i want, I do as i please.
Run, you've gotta fight, to breathe, it's tough.
Now you see me, now you don't.
Break the walls, I'm coming out.
I'm not a prisoner, I'm a free man,
And my blood is my own now.
Don't care where the past was,
I know where I'm going...out.
If you kill me, it's self defence.
If I kill you, then I call it vengeance.
Spit in your eye, I will defy.
You'll be afraid when I call out your name.
Run, you've gotta fight, to breathe, it's tough.
Now you see me, now you don't.
Break the walls, I'm coming out.
I'm not a prisoner, I'm a free man,
And my blood is my own now.
Don't care where the past was,
I know where I'm going.
I'm not a number, I'm a free man,
I'll live my life how i want to.
You'd better scratch me
from your black book,
'Cause I'll run rings around you.
05 Die With Your Boots On (05:10)
Another Prophet of Disaster
Who says the ship is lost,
Another Prophet of Disaster
Leaving you to count the cost.
Taunting us with Visions,
Afflicting us with fear,
Predicting War for millions,
In the hope that one appears.
No point asking when it is,
No point asking who's to go,
No point asking what's the game,
No point asking who's to blame.
'cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
'cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on.
If you're gonna try, we'll stick around,
Gonna cry, just move along,
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
In 13 the Beast is rising,
The Frenchman did surmise,
Through earthquakes and starvation,
The warlord will arise.
Terror, Death, Destruction,
Pour from the Eastern Sands,
But the truth of all predictions,
Is always in your hands.
If you're gonna die, die with your boots on,
If you're gonna try, we'll stick around,
Gonna cry, just move along,
If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
06 Infinite Dreams (05:52)
Infinite dreams, I can't deny them
Infinity is hard to comprehend
I couldn't hear those screams
Even in my wildest dreams
Suffocation, waking in a sweat
Scared to fall asleep again
Incase the dream begins again
Someone chasing, I cannot move
Standing rigid, a nightmare's statue
What a dream, when will it end
And will I transcend?
Restless sleep, the mind's in turmoil
One nightmare ends, another fertile
Getting to me, so scared to sleep
But scared to wake now, in too deep.
Even though it's reached new heights
I rather like the restless nights
It makes me wonder, it makes me think
There's more to this, I'm on the brink
It's not the fear of what's beyond
It's just that I might not respond
I have an interest, almost craving
But would I like to get too far in?
It can't be all coincidence
Too many things are evident
You tell me you're an unbeliever
Spiritualist? Well, me, I'm neither
But wouldn't you like to know
The truth
Of what's out there, to have the proof
And find out just which side
You're on
Where would you end? In Heaven or
In Hell?
Help me, help me to find my true
Self without seeing the future
Save me, save me from torturing
Myself, even within my dreams
There's got to be more to it
Than this
Or tell me, why do we exist?
I'd like to think that when I die
I'd get a chance, another time
And to return and live again
Reincarnate, play the game
Again and again and again
07 Killers (04:53)
You walk through the subway,
His eyes burn a hole in your back.
A footstep behind you,
He lunges prepared for attack.
Scream for mercy,
He laughs as he's watching you bleed.
Killer behind you,
His blood lust defies all his needs.
My innocent victims
Are slaughtered with wrath and despise,
The mocking religion of hatred
That burns in the night.
I have no-one,
Am bound to destroy
All this greed.
A voice inside me,
Compelling to satisfy me.
I can see,
What a life's meant to be.
You'll never know,
How I came to foresee.
My faith in believing is stronger
Than lifelines and ties,
With the glimmer of metal
My moment is ready to strike.
The death call arises,
A scream breaks the still of the night.
Another tomorrow
Remember to walk in the light.
I have found you,
And now there is no place to run.
Excitement shakes me,
Oh God help me what have I done.
Yeah I've done it again!
He walks through the subway
His eyes burn a hole through your back.
A footstep behind you
He lunges prepared for attack.
Scream for mercy,
He laughs as he's watching you bleed.
Killer behind you,
His blood lust defies all his needs.
Look out I'm coming for you!
08 Heaven Can Wait (07:31)
Can't understand what is happening to me,
This isn't real, this is only a dream,
But I never have felt, no I never have felt this way before,
I'm looking down on my body below,
I lie asleep in the midst of a dream,
Is it now could it be that the angel of death has come for me?
I can't believe that really my time has come,
I don't feel ready, there's so much left undone,
And it's my soul and I'm not gonna let it get away.
Chorus:
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait til another day.
[Repeat chorus]
I have a lust for the Earth below
And Hell itself is my only foe,
'Cause I've no fear of dying,
I'll go when I'm good and ready,
I snatch a glimpse of the light's eternal rays,
I see a tunnel, I stand amazed,
At all of the people standing there in front of me,
Into the paths of rightness I'll be led,
Is this the place where the living join the dead?
I wish I knew this was only just a nightmare.
[Chorus *2]
Take my hand, I'll lead you to the promised land,
Take my hand, I'll give you immortality,
Eternal youth, I'll take you to the other side,
To see the truth, the path for you is decided.
Oh Oh * lots.
My body tingles, I feel so strange,
I feel so tired, I feel so drained,
And I'm wondering if I'll ever be the same again,
Is this in limbo or in Heaven or Hell?
Maybe I'm going down there as well,
I can't accept my soul will drift forever.
I feel myself floating back down to Earth,
So could this be the hour of my rebirth?
Or have I died or will I wake from dreaming?
[Chorus]
09 Wasted Years (04:54)
From the coast of gold, across the seven seas
I'm travellin' on, far and wide
But now it seems, I'm just a stranger to myself
And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but someone else
I close my eyes, and think of home
Another city goes by, in the night
Ain't it funny how it is, you never miss it 'til it's gone away
And my heart is lying there and will be 'til my dying day
Chorus:
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up... make your stand
And realise you're living in the golden years
Too much time on my hands, I got you on my mind
Can't ease this pain, so easily
When you can't find the words to say, it's hard to make it through another day
And it makes me wanna cry, and throw my hands up to the sky
[Repeat chorus x 2]
Face up... make your stand
And realise you're living in the golden years
10 The Clairvoyant (05:42)
Feel the sweat break on my brow
Is it me or is it shadows that are
Dancing on the walls.
Is this a dream or is it now
Is this a vision or normality I see
Before my eyes.
I wonder why, I wonder how
That it seems the powers getting stronger
Every day
I feel a strength an inner fire
But I'm scared I won't be able to control it anymore
There's a time to live and a time to die
When it's time to meet the maker
There's a time to live but isn't it strange
That as soon as you're born you're dying.
Just by looking through your eyes
He could see the future penetrating right
In through you mind
See the truth and see your lies
But for all his power couldn't foresee his own demise
There's a time to live and a time to die
When it's time to meet the maker
There's a time to live but isn't it strange
That as soon as you're born you're dying...
...and be reborn again?
11 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (10:10)
Here they stand, brothers them all
All the sons, divided they'd fall
Here await the birth of the son
The seventh, the heavenly, the chosen one
Here the birth from an unbroken line
Born the healer, the seventh, his time
Unknowingly blessed and as his life unfolds
Slowly unveiling the power he holds
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Then they watch the progress he makes
The Good and Evil which path will he take
Both of them trying to manipulate
The use of his powers, before it's too late
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Today is born the seventh one
Born of woman the seventh son
And he in turn of a seventh son
He has the power to heal
He has the gift of the second sight
He is the chosen one
So it shall be written
So it shall be done
12 The Number of the Beast (04:45)
I left alone, my mind was blank.
I needed time to think to get the memories from my mind.
What did I see, can I believe,
That what I saw that night was real
and not just fantasy.
Just what I saw, in my old dreams,
Were they reflections of my warped mind
staring back at me.
'Cause in my dreams, it's always there,
The evil face that twists my mind and brings
me to despair.
Yeah!!!
The night was black, was no use holding back,
'Cause I just had to see, was someone
watching me.
In the mist, dark figures move and twist,
Was all this for real, or just some kind of hell.
666 the Number of the Beast.
Hell and fire was spawned to be released.
Torches blazed and sacred chants were phrased,
As they start to cry, hands held to the sky.
In the night, the fires burning bright,
The ritual has begun, Satan's work is done.
666 the number of the beast.
Sacrifice is going on tonight.
This can't go on, I must inform the lord.
Can this still be real or just some crazy dream.
But I feel drawn towards the chanting hordes,
They seem to mesmerize...can't avoid their eyes,
666 the Number of the Beast.
666 the one for you and me.
I'm coming back, I will return,
And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn.
I have the fire, I have the force.
I have the power to make my evil take it's course.
13 Iron Maiden (05:01)
Won't you come into my room,
I wanna show you all my wares.
Want to see your blood,
Want to stand and stare.
See the blood begin to flow
as it pours upon the floor.
Iron Maiden can't be fought,
Iron Maiden can't be sought.
Chorus:
Oh Well, wherever,
Wherever you are,
Iron Maiden's gonna get you,
No matter how far.
See the blood flow watching it shed
Up above my head.
Iron Maiden wants you for dead.
Won't you come into my room,
I wanna show you all my wares.
Want to see your blood,
Want to stand and stare.
See the blood begin to flow
As it pours upon the floor.
Iron Maiden can't be fought,
Iron Maiden can't be sought.
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By pepozzo
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.
