Description

Rare picture disc test pressing from Cult Legend Recordings. Testpressings are very hard to obtain and are often only made in 5-25 copies. A testpressing or an acetate is a crown jewel in any vinyl collection. This is a picture disc testpressing on thick white vinyl before the pictures have been added.

A sold out night at Madison Square Garden always comes with the promise of a standout experience akin to a religious awakening and for the capacity crowd, a Wednesday night was their holy day. Iron Maiden made their return to the United States on March 30 2016, fresh off the energizing South American leg of the their world tour in support of The Book of Souls, and overtook New York City. As the streets began to darken, fans started slipping out of the bars and filing into Madison Square Garden, anxiously awaiting for U.F.O.’s “Doctor Doctor” to begin bleeding from the PA system, signaling Maiden would be taking the stage shortly. The song has been played directly before the start of every Iron Maiden show and never fails to receive a roar from the crowd as they belt out the lyrics with fevered excitement. As the house lights dimmed, an animated video graced the LCD monitors positioned on each side of the stage depicting Ed Force One trapped in a web of vines, stuck on the jungle floor. Forcefully trying to take off, the plane is unable to break free from its entanglement until a low growl emanates from Eddie lying in wait below. The beloved mascot’s hand takes hold of Ed Force One and thrusts it into flight. Enter Bruce Dickinson. Dressed in biege cargo pants and a hooded black sweatshirt, the ‘Air Raid Siren’ breaks the silence, decrying “Here is the soul of a man” behind a smoking cauldron and The Book of Souls opener “If Eternity Should Fail” is under way. The spotlight beginning ends with a crash when the rest of Maiden come in, running out onstage and up to the fans screaming withs outstretched arms in front of the barrier. They kept with the new material going straight into the album’s lone single, “Speed of Light,” featuring searing guitar melodies that rival some of Maiden’s most heralded moments. Taking the time to scan and engage the crowd, Dickinson playfully pointed out fans saying, “I know your face, I know your face, I’ve seen your ugly face before! I’ve never seen you — you’re a f–king stranger! You must be ‘Children of the Damned!'” The mournful leads open the 1982 track and the 57-year-old frontman displays his ageless voice, reaching some of the highest notes of the night. Shifting back to the focus on the new record, Bruce delivers a small tribute Robin Williams before playing “Tears of Clown,” which was written in honor of the late comedian. Next up was the Steve Harris-penned “The Red and the Black,” representing the most vocally daunting song of the night alongside lush new melodies that prove Maiden remain unwavering and just as vital as ever after four decades. As expected, the crowd emphatically took advantage of the “Woah-oh-ooh-oh-oh!” chants each time the opportunity presented itself. The iconic Trooper Eddie backdrop was swapped in and, despite the darkness, the sold out crowd took notice and erupted before “The Trooper” began playing. Dickinson, of course, was waiving British flags, dressed in Eddie’s battlefield regalia as Harris took front and center onstage with the three guitarists, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers standing on the monitor behind him tearing into a triple harmony on the infamous lead. With the energy of Madison Square Garden at one of the night’s apexes, the bellowing laughter that marks the start of “Powerslave” poured in and the crowd remained purely electric. Two more punches from The Book Of Souls, Death Or Glory and the title track follwed before the haunting bells of Hallowed Be Thy Name rang. A massive track from the Maiden discography that has been omitted on the previous tour for the first time in Iron Maiden history. The only way to follow this up was to go straight into fan-favorite Fear of the Dark. Over 20,000 fans engaged in the traditional “whoa-oh-oh” chant following the famous guitar lead. The general admission pit exploded into a sea of jumping fans and it’s no wonder Maiden never fail to break this one out. The initial set closed the same way it always does and the signature lead of “Iron Maiden” ripped open the sky when Murray took the spotlight. A hulking Eddie appeared from behind Nicko McBrain’s kit as is customary before Dickinson bid the crowd goodnight “from Eddie and from the boys” pointing all around the arena, screaming “Iron Maiden’s gonna get ALL of you!”. The band returned for three encores; The Number Of The Beast, Blood Brothers and Wasted Years. When the music ended, each member took to the front of the stage, graciously thanking the crowd and tossing picks, drum heads and sticks into the flailing hands of fans. Iron Maiden have been at it for 40 years now, showing no sign of age in the slightest and continuing to demonstrate why they’re top live act in heavy metal. This album includes a few tracks from this magic night at the Garden.

Track list:
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Speed Of Light
3. Children Of The Damned
4. Tears Of A Clown
5. The Red And The Black
6. The Trooper
7. Powerslave
8. Death Or Glory