Kudos to the mighty Iron Maiden for recognising that their fans love their old stuff. This two-DVD set, available for a very even- handed 13 quid online, is based around a live set filmed at the Birmingham NEC in November 1988.
Sure, it’s not pristine digital quality, but blimey, the Maiden were on fire back then, powering through the Somewhere In Time-era songs with total panache. Even if you’ve seen the show before on the original 1989 and reissued 1994 VHS editions, you’ll still get an Eddie-sized kick out of the bonus DVD, which contains five promo clips and two documentaries.
One of these, 12 Wasted Years, is a slightly ropey but entertaining doc shot at the time, featuring the 20-something band in interview with an even more youthful Mick Wall, and the other is Part 3 of Maiden’s ongoing autobiographical series, an excellent round-up of the seismic events betwixt 1986-88.
The fact that Maiden are prepared to devote a 40-minute piece of film to just two years of their career is mind-boggling, given the current death throes of the music industry, and also proof that EMI know the value of their most enduring asset. Other bands (and labels) should take note.
