Published on Jan 31, 2001
It could be said that when
Live At Reading ’81, the 1991 release from British metallers
Samson, it was meant to capitalize on the success their former
singer Bruce Dickinson was having with Iron Maiden. If memory
serves me correctly, this particular show proved to be the last
that Dickinson (then known as Bruce Bruce) performed with Samson
before being hired away by Steve Harris and crew.
Yes, you could say that this disc was meant to ride on the waves
of Dickinson’s popularity… but the fact is that this has proven
to be the best Samson disc I’ve listened to yet, and it captures
the essence of the band that could not be harnessed in the
studio.
In a performance not featuring original drummer Thunderstick
(Dickinson names the drummer, but I could not decipher the name),
Samson plows through a catalog of songs that had become standards
for the band back then, when they were one of the leading forces
behind the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. (Whether it was fair or
not, the band would fade into the background after Dickinson’s
departure.) What’s also interesting is that Dickinson is able to
inject all these songs with new energy on stage – the same songs I
criticized for sounding sluggish in the studio.
Take tracks like “Nice Girls” and “Earth Mother,” both from
their then-current album
Shock Tactics. Dickinson sounds energized performing these,
and he does manage to breathe new life into the songs. Even on some
of the older standards like “Big Brother” and “Walking Out On You”
(though the latter takes a little too long to build up steam),
there is a level of energy that I personally didn’t feel on the
original studio versions.
This is as much of a credit to Dickinson as it is to the rest of
Samson; each member is able to make
Live At Reading ’81 a special disc to listen to. They were
at the absolute top of their game – as well as their career as a
band, though they most likely didn’t know this at the time.
Fans of Dickinson’s work have probably gone back to check out
the early Samson discs, especially seeing they were re-released a
year or so ago. If someone asked me where they should start in
their education on Samson, I’d easily steer them to
Live At Reading ’81, knowing that this beginning for one
person also signified the end of a chapter for others.