Iron Maiden / Definitive Leicester 1986 / 2CD

Iron Maiden / Definitive Leicester 1986 / 2CD / Zodiac

De Montfort Hall, Leicester, UK 14th October 1986


Play sample :

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“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”, an unexplored region of the heyday that was overlooked by the official archive. The representative sound source has been upgraded, and it will be the strongest board by “GRAF ZEPPELIN” and will be permanently preserved!
The strongest board is “October 14, 1986 Leicester performance”. It is the best audience recording. “SOMEWHERE ON TOUR” did not have an official live work only when it was engulfed by “Live After Death” and “Maiden England”, and in reaction to that, underground excavation was active. We have archived various masterpieces in our shop, but this work is special among them. To explain its meaning, let’s first look back at the overall picture of the sound source unexplored tour.

● 1986
・ September 10-25: Europe # 1 (12 performances)
<< September 29, “SOMEWHERE IN TIME” released >>
・ October 3rd-November 9th: UK (27 performances) ← ★ Coco ★
・ November 12-December 18: Europe # 2 (27 performances)
● 1987
・ January 7-May 2: North America (79 performances)
・ May 11-21: Japan (7 performances)

[Traditional name recording that updated the highest quality] This is IRON MAIDEN in 1986/1987. At our shop, we have been searching for a decisive board to act as an official substitute, such as “CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN MILWAUKEE (Zodiac 104)”, “CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN CHICAGO (Zodiac 105)” and “BUDOKAN 1987 (Zodiac 177)”. However, all such press titles are in the latter half of the tour in 1987. On the other hand, the Leicester performance of this work was the 9th concert of the “UK” leg, which was the beginning of the tour. This “1986” is important. The point of this tour is the rare song of “SOMEWHERE IN TIME”, but one of them, “Sea Of Madness”, was played only in Europe / UK.
And this work is a traditional masterpiece recording that has been known as “the highest peak of 1986”. It is a product that has been digitized directly from the original master of the world-famous master “Crazy S.”. The highest peak board in the past was “CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN LEICESTER”, but this time it is a new transfer from the Omoto cassette. With the latest technology in 2021, we have re-digitized all of our recordings. What’s more, the work this time was carried out by “GRAF ZEPPELIN”, which has a good reputation in the vintage archive. I don’t have much of an image of HR / HM, but the other day WHITESNAKE “DEFINITIVE NOTTINGHAM 1984 (Zodiac 456)” was also very popular, and even with a hard sound, it gave me a wonderful finish.
In fact, the sound of this work is also excellent. Originally it was a famous recording that had both a core with plenty of direct feeling and the vividness of fine parts, but in this work the details have been further improved. It’s not like “it’s a different thing”, but the edges that stand out in the crystal clear and clear air are even sharper, and it shines glaringly while remaining natural. Another point is the stereo feeling. In the fully open transfer, the balance of the left and right channels was unbalanced or the phase was out of phase depending on the range, but this work is unified. Up until now, I had the feeling that “although it is a half step away from Chicago recording and Milwaukee recording, it is equivalent because of Sea Of Madness”, but with this upgrade, the sound is more than equal. It became one that reigned at the highest peak of the tour.

[British collection full of valuable songs] The clear sound is a full show of “SOMEWHERE ON TOUR” with lots of rare songs. Let’s organize it by comparing it with “Live After Death” and “Maiden England”.

● Classics
・ Iron Maiden (4 songs) Phantom Of The Opera / Iron Maiden / Running Free / Sanctuary
・ The Number of the Damned / Hallowed Be Thy Name / The Number Of The Beast / Run To The Hills
・ Piece of Mind (1 song) Where Eagles Dare (★)
・ Powerslave (2 songs) 2 Minutes To Midnight / Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
● Somewhere in Time, etc. (5 songs + α)
・ Caught Somewhere In Time (★) / Sea Of Madness (★) / Stranger In A Strange Land (★) / Wasted Years / Heaven Can Wait
・ Others: Walking on Glass (★)
* Note: The “★” mark is a song that cannot be heard even if “Live After Death” and “Maiden England” are combined.

… And it looks like this. Of particular importance are “Caught Somewhere In Time” and “Sea Of Madness”, which have never been played since the 6-member group, and “Walking on Glass” featuring a lot of crying guitar solos. It’s valuable just because it’s called “SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”, but I think you can realize that “Sea Of Madness” is one of the key points.
By the way, this work should be called “SOMEWHERE ON TOUR’s masterpiece”, but from a different point of view, it is also the cornerstone of the “80’s British collection”. To help you understand what this means, take a look at the top audience recordings for each tour.

・ 3rd tour “DEFINITIVE OXFORD 1982”
・ 4th tour “EAGLE’S HAMMERSMITH”
・ 5th tour “NEWCASTLE 1984 2ND NIGHT”
・ 6th tour: Leicester performance ← ★ This work ★
・ 7th Tour “MONSTERS OF ROCK 1988: 25th Anniversary Edition”

What do you think. All of them are as good as super masterpieces. You can see that each tour is a masterpiece audience recording. IRON MAIDEN is a band known for cherishing their home country of England, but you can experience the “Golden Age scene” at once with our UK collection.
A UK tour where you can enjoy the hidden masterpiece “Sea Of Madness” even in the unexplored region “SOMEWHERE ON TOUR” pursued by enthusiasts around the world. It is the top update board of the famous recording that reigns at the highest peak. Beyond the dimension of masterpiece “Crazy S.”, it is an absolute work that is also essential in the audience collection of IRON MAIDEN. Please fully enjoy with the permanent storage press 2CD!
UP THE IRONS !!!

★ The best audience recording of “October 14, 1986 Leicester performance”. An item among the items newly re-transferred from the original cassette of master Crazy S. The details of the famous recording that has both the core with plenty of direct feeling and the vividness of the fine parts are further improved. The edges that stand out in the crystal clear and clear air are even sharper, and they shine glaringly while remaining natural. It is a masterpiece of SOMEWHERE ON TOUR where you can experience not only the precious “Caught Somewhere In Time”, “Stranger In A Strange Land” and “Walking on Glass” but also the hidden masterpiece “Sea Of Madness” which was not played in North America or Japan. ..

★★ A masterpiece by remastering “GRAF ZEPPELIN”. Sound quality and content, one of the best. This is amazing! !! !!

公式アーカイヴからも見逃された全盛期の秘境“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”。その代表音源がアップグレード、「GRAF ZEPPELIN」による最強盤となって永久保存決定です!
その最強盤に刻まれているのは「1986年10月14日レスター公演」。その極上オーディエンス録音です。“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”は『死霊復活』『メイデン・イングランド』に夾まれた時期だけに公式ライヴ作がなく、その反動でアンダーグラウンド発掘が盛ん。当店でもさまざまな名作でアーカイヴしてきましたが、その中でも本作は特別。その意味をご説明するためにも、まずは音源秘境ツアーの全体像から振り返ってみましょう。

●1986年
・9月10日-25日:欧州#1(12公演)
《9月29日『SOMEWHERE IN TIME』発売》
・10月3日-11月9日:英国(27公演)←★ココ★
・11月12日-12月18日:欧州#2(27公演)
●1987年
・1月7日-5月2日:北米(79公演)
・5月11日-21日:日本(7公演)

【最高峰クオリティを更新した伝統の名録音】
これが1986年/1987年のIRON MAIDEN。当店では『CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN MILWAUKEE(Zodiac 104)』『CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN CHICAGO(Zodiac 105)』『BUDOKAN 1987(Zodiac 177)』等を筆頭に、公式代わりを務める決定盤を探求して参りました。しかし、そうしたプレス・タイトル群はことごとくツアー後半の1987年篇。それに対し、本作のレスター公演はツアー序盤となる「英国」レッグ9公演目のコンサートでした。この「1986年」が重要。このツアーでは『SOMEWHERE IN TIME』のレア曲がポイントとなるわけですが、その中のひとつ「Sea Of Madness」を演奏したのは欧州/英国だけだったのです。
そして、本作こそが「1986年の最高峰」として知られてきた伝統の名録音。世界的名匠“Crazy S.”氏のオリジナル・マスターからダイレクトにデジタル化した銘品なのです。従来の最高峰盤は『CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN LEICESTER』だったわけですが、今回は大元カセットから新たに再トランスファー。2021年の最新技術で録音のすべてをデジタル化し直しました。しかも、今回の作業を担ったのは、ヴィンテージ・アーカイヴで定評ある「GRAF ZEPPELIN」。あまりHR/HM系のイメージはありませんが、先日のWHITESNAKE『DEFINITIVE NOTTINGHAM 1984(Zodiac 456)』も大好評を博しており、ハード・サウンドでも見事な仕上がりを聞かせてくれたのです。
実際、本作のサウンドも絶品。元々ダイレクト感たっぷりの芯と微細部の鮮やかさを両立した名録音でしたが、本作ではさらにディテールアップ。「まるで別物」とまでは言えませんが、クリスタル・クリアに透き通った空気感に切り立つエッジはさらに鋭く、ナチュラルなままギラッギラに輝いている。さらにポイントなのはステレオ感。全開トランスファーでは、音域によって左右チャンネルのバランスが不均衡だったり位相にズレもあったのですが、本作はビシッと統一。これまでは「シカゴ録音やミルウォーキー録音より半歩譲るものの、Sea Of Madnessがあるから同等」という感じだったのですが、今回のアップグレードによりサウンド面でも互角以上。ツアー最高峰に君臨する1本となったのです。

【貴重曲満載の英国コレクション】
そんなクリア・サウンドで描かれるのは、レア曲たっぷりな“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”のフルショウ。『死霊復活』『メイデン・イングランド』と比較しながら整理しておきましょう。

●クラシックス
・鋼鉄の処女(4曲)Phantom Of The Opera/Iron Maiden/Running Free/Sanctuary
・魔力の刻印(4曲)Children Of The Damned/Hallowed Be Thy Name/The Number Of The Beast/Run To The Hills
・頭脳改革(1曲)Where Eagles Dare(★)
・パワースレイヴ(2曲)2 Minutes To Midnight/Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
●サムホエア・イン・タイム他(5曲+α)
・Caught Somewhere In Time(★)/Sea Of Madness(★)/Stranger In A Strange Land(★)/Wasted Years/Heaven Can Wait
・その他:Walking on Glass(★)
※注:「★」印は『死霊復活』『メイデン・イングランド』を併せても聴けない曲。

……と、このようになっています。特に重要なのは6人編成になってから一度も演奏していない「Caught Somewhere In Time」や「Sea Of Madness」、それに泣きのギターソロがたっぷりフィーチュアされた「Walking on Glass」でしょう。“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”というだけで貴重なわけですが、「Sea Of Madness」がその要の1つだと実感して頂けるのではないでしょうか。
さて、まさに「SOMEWHERE ON TOURの最高傑作」とも言うべき本作ですが、さらに視点を変えると「80年代の英国コレクション」の要でもあります。この意味をご理解いただくためにも、各ツアーの頂点オーディエンス録音を見渡してみましょう。

・3rdツアー『DEFINITIVE OXFORD 1982』
・4thツアー『EAGLE’S HAMMERSMITH』
・5thツアー『NEWCASTLE 1984 2ND NIGHT』
・6thツアー:レスター公演 ←★本作★
・7thツアー『MONSTERS OF ROCK 1988: 25th Anniversary Edition』

いかがでしょうか。いずれも劣らぬ超傑作揃い。各ツアーで最高傑作のオーディエンス録音なのがご理解いただけるでしょう。IRON MAIDENは母国イギリスを大事にすることで知られるバンドですが、当店の英国コレクションで「黄金時代の現場」を一気に極上体験できるわけです。
世界中のマニアが追い求める秘境“SOMEWHERE ON TOUR”でも、隠れ名曲「Sea Of Madness」まで楽しめる英国ツアー。その最高峰に君臨する名録音の頂点更新盤です。名匠“Crazy S.”氏の傑作という次元を超え、IRON MAIDENのオーディエンス・コレクションでも要となる絶対作。どうぞ、永久保存プレス2CDで存分にご堪能ください!
UP THE IRONS!!!

★「1986年10月14日レスター公演」の極上オーディエンス録音。名匠Crazy S.氏のオリジナル・カセットから新たに再トランスファーされた銘品中の銘品。ダイレクト感たっぷりの芯と微細部の鮮やかさを両立した名録音がさらにディテールアップ。クリスタル・クリアに透き通った空気感に切り立つエッジはさらに鋭く、ナチュラルなままギラッギラに輝いています。貴重な「Caught Somewhere In Time」「Stranger In A Strange Land」「Walking on Glass」だけでなく、北米や日本では演奏しなかった隠れ名曲「Sea Of Madness」まで極上体験できるSOMEWHERE ON TOURの最高傑作です。

★★「GRAF ZEPPELIN」リマスターによる最高傑作。音質・内容、極上の1枚です。これは凄い!!!

Disc 1 (61:36)
1. Theme From Blade Runner
2. Caught Somewhere In Time
3. 2 Minutes To Midnight
4. Sea Of Madness
5. Children Of The Damned
6. Stranger In A Strange Land
7. Wasted Years
8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
9. Walking On Glass
10. Where Eagles Dare

Disc 2 (55:34)
1. Heaven Can Wait
2. Phantom Of The Opera
3. Hallowed Be Thy Name
4. Iron Maiden
5. The Number Of The Beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Running Free
8. Sanctuary

Bruce Dickinson – Vocal
Steve Harris – Bass
Dave Murray – Guitar
Adrian Smith – Guitar
Nicko McBrain – Drums

Special Thanks: Crazy S.

ZODIAC 458

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