In the fall of 1983, I bought my first real heavy metal album. I went to the local Alco store and bought the cassette that started it all. Even in the days before the internet and streaming music, I rarely bought an album without having heard at least one song from it. But for some reason I did that day, probably due to a recommendation from someone else or a review read in a magazine. The album was Iron Maiden’s fourth release, 1983’s Piece of Mind. From the opening sounds of “Where Eagles Dare”, my love for Maiden was born. It was unlike anything else I’d listened to before and remains to this day one of my favorite albums.

But it was two years later that the ultimate Maiden album hit stores. In October of 1985, Maiden released their first full-length live album and concert video, Live After Death, recorded and filmed over four nights at Long Beach Arena. I had the double-LP version – which included five additional songs not available on cassette – as well as the video. Iron Maiden’s studio albums were great, but Live After Death was another level altogether. It remains my favorite live album of all time (not surprisingly).

The video was even better, allowing me to see (and not just hear) Maiden play live, something I’ve still not done in person 25 years after that trip to Alco. The stage show was excellent, and considered one of the best at the time, and the set list was outstanding. They played a great mix of songs from their first five albums, which, by the way, I would personally put up against just about any “first five” of any other band. Maiden in the mid-80’s was by far better than anything else our there in my opinion. They just blew me away. There are many reasons Maiden became and has remained my favorite band, but Live After Death is one of those reasons. It is, without a doubt, Maiden at their very best.

Since the first DVD’s began appearing in stores, I have waited for a DVD version of Live After Death to become available. My VHS copy was worn out long ago. While I own other very good Maiden live DVD’s – the Raising Hell concert from 1993, and the Rock in Rio concert from 2001 – they are not Live After Death. It is the best thing that Maiden has released, and so I anxiously awaited it’s arrival on DVD.

A few years ago I bought the two-disc DVD The History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days, which contained a few concerts from different locations, along with a documentary which covered Iron Maiden’s history from the beginning through the Piece of Mind album and tour. It was, of course, outstanding, and I looked forward to the next DVD in the series.

It was in 2008 that the waiting for both DVD’s came to an end. The Live After Death DVD was finally released, and it would be a two-disc set, with the full 1985 concert from the “World Slavery Tour” on one disc, and additional live footage and a new “history, part 2″ documentary on the second disc. The documentary, this time, covered a shorter time frame – the Powerslave album and subsequent tour, including the Long Beach concerts and the creation of the Live After Death album/video. It is another great behind the scenes look at Iron Maiden’s history.

I watched the concert disc again just last week and it is still as excellent as it was in 1985. As great as Iron Maiden is and as much good work as they’ve done since that time, I will say it again – Live After Death is Maiden at their very best. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Though YouTube doesn’t do it justice, here’s the opening track, “Aces High”:

And the classic, “Iron Maiden”:

Up the irons!