Iron Maiden/London,UK 12.21.1980

“December 21, 1980 Rainbow Theater Performance” is the last day of “IRON MAIDEN TOUR 1980” and is famous for its official video. Although it was a masterpiece representing the early MAIDEN, the official version only consisted of 6 songs, but this work is an audience album that contains the full live performance with the best sound! The CD “RAINBOW 1980” that was just released the other day was also released at Rainbow Theater in 1980, but that one was “June 20th”. For a long time, they were sometimes confused because they were from the same year, on the same tour, and at the same venue, but these are completely different live shows. Sound has added to this confusion. Both are wonderful recordings that represent the tour, and in the early days, many wondered, “This is a soundboard recording,” “Is this the complete leaked version of the official video?” “Why are the performances and set lists different?”, etc. . This work was inspired by the legendary Kinney analog “KILLERS (EXTRA VAGANZA UD-6539 A/B, UD-6550 A/B)”. With the release of “RAINBOW 1980” the other day, we reprinted the Kinney LP of “June 20th”, but this work “December 21st” has a much better sound! That’s a wonderful sound that is completely equivalent to “RAINBOW 1980″ created from Kinney’s original cassette. The grain of the musical notes is extremely detailed and frighteningly clear. The treble stands out like a line recording, and the bass floor seems to convey the vibe that shakes the venue. However, it is not extremely harsh and the rich midrange is also wonderful. You can tell that it is an audience recording by the light reverberations and applause from the venue, but with a sound like this, it is no wonder that it was distributed as a sound board…or should I say, it is an official outtake. It can’t be helped that you think so. Colored with such sounds is the tremendous ensemble that welcomed Adrian Smith and became the “completed form of early MAIDEN.” IRON MAIDEN itself was formed in 1975, but the prototype of the band we know was born in 1978 when Paul Deano, Dave Murray, and Steve Harris came together. From there, he gradually improved his skills by changing the side guitar and drummer, but Adrian was different from anyone before him. After all, he and Dave Murray are friends on stilts and have grown up together since they started playing guitar together. Their chemistry is like that of brothers, and the sound of the twins intertwined tightly during MAIDEN’s explosive live performance in the early days is truly the successor of WISHBONE ASH. The live performance of this work was immediately after Adrian joined. Let’s take a look at the overview of “IRON MAIDEN TOUR 1980” here. ・April 1st – June 30th: UK tour with 48 performances ・July 1st – October 13th: European tour with 40 performances (Denis leaves/Adrian joins) ・November 21st – December 21st: UK tour 13 performances There will be a Belgian performance in the UK tour, and a London performance in the European tour, but it will roughly consist of these three parts. The third “November 21st – December 21st UK tour” also served as Adrian’s warm-up. This work was recorded on the last day. In other words, it is a show with wonderful and delicious timing, with the freshness immediately after joining exploding and the 13th time breathing matching. Moreover, this work has the tension of being an official recording, and the crisp ensemble is outstanding among “IRON MAIDEN TOUR 1980”. Looking back on this day, Steve Harris says, “I was extremely nervous. But thanks to that, it turned out to be a good live,” and it is a masterpiece among masterpieces, just as he said. With such potential, there are plenty of official cuts such as “Sanctuary”, “Charlot The Harlot”, “Another Life”, “Strange World”, “Prowler”, “Innocent Exile”, “Running Free” and “Drifter”. As a result, all of the songs from his debut work “The Virgin of Steel” were also performed, and you can even enjoy them as Adrian’s version of the famous album. One aside here. This day’s “Killers” was an early version with tentative lyrics, as was recorded in the official release. Deano famously said, “I improvised the lyrics five minutes before the actual performance,” but now that the source material has been unearthed, it has been confirmed that he was already singing almost the same lyrics on his UK tour in May and June. I am. This is a very Diano-like episode. Also, after the main live performance, live versions of “Women In Uniform” and “I’ve Got The Fire” are included. Both “Women In Uniform” and “I’ve Got The Fire” were made official when they appeared on TOP OF THE POPS, and “I’ve Got The Fire” was a B-side take of the single “SANCTUARY” (with guitar played by Dennis Stratton), but the original LP was released. Faithfully reproduced. With Adrian, the early IRON MAIDEN finally completed a world-class band. This is a live album that reprints the famous performance from the original LP with the best sound. A complete version of the intense live show that has been loved in the official video. Please give it a try! Rainbow Theatre, London, UK 21st December 1980 TRULY PERFECT SOUND Taken from the original 2LP “Killers”(EXTRA VAGANZA UD-6539 A/B, UD-6550 A/B) Disc 1 (41:57) 1. The Ides Of March 2. Sanctuary 3. Wrathchild 4. Remember Tomorrow 5. Charlot The Harlot 6. Killers 7. Another Life incl. Drum Solo 8. Transylvania 9. Strange World Disc 2 (44:51) 1. Prowler 2. Innocent Exile 3. Phantom Of The Opera 4. Iron Maiden 5. Running Free 6. Drifter 7. Women In Uniform (Top Of The Pops, 13th November 1980) 8. I’ve Got The Fire (B Side of “Sanctuary” UK 7″ Single) ( Marquee, London 3rd April 1980) Paul Di’anno – Vocal Steve Harris – Bass Dave Murray – Guitar Adrian Smith – Guitar Clive Burr – Drums