''Live at Reading 1981'' was the second live album released by Samson. This was recorded in 1981 at the Reading Festival, with singer

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...

, just before he left the band to join

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

. ''Live at Reading '81'' has been issued on CD numerous times, including editions by Raw Fruit (UK, 1990), Grand Slamm (US, 1990), Repertoire (Germany, 1990), Jimco (Japan, 1990), Bruce Dickinson's short lived Air Raid label (UK, 2000), Castle Music (UK, 2001), and Dissonance Productions (UK, 2017). The Castle and Dissonance versions include 3 bonus tracks, "Red Skies", "Turn Out the Lights" and "Firing Line", 2-track recordings from a June 1981 rehearsal for the '' Shock Tactics'' tour. "Red Skies" and "Turn Out the Lights" were subsequently recorded with new vocalist

Nicky Moore Nicholas Charles Moore (21 June 1947 – 3 August 2022) was an English blues, rock and heavy metal singer, who was best known as a member of the British band Samson. He replaced Bruce Dickinson who left the band to join Iron Maiden in 1982. ...

for the band's 1982 studio album, '' Before the Storm''. The song "Gravy Train" was re-worked and appears as "I'll Be 'Round" on ''Before the Storm''.

Track list

#"Big Brother" - 6:14 #"Take It Like a Man" - 4:10 #"Nice Girl" - 3:21 #"Earth Mother" - 5:06 #"Vice Versa" - 5:27 #"Bright Lights" - 2:54 #"Walking Out on You" - 9:11 #"Hammerhead" - 3:36 #"Riding with the Angels" - 5:22 #"Gravy Train" - 7:24

2001 & 2017 re-issue bonus tracks

#"Red Skies" (June 1981 rehearsal) #"Turn Out the Lights" (June 1981 rehearsal) #"Firing Line" (June 1981 rehearsal)

Personnel

;Samson * "Bruce Bruce" Dickinson –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Paul Samson Paul Samson (4 June 1953 – 9 August 2002) was an English guitarist, closely associated with the new wave of British heavy metal. Born Paul Sanson, his first band in 1968 was a local Kent based group called 'The Innocence' which consisted of ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Chris Aylmer Samson were a British heavy metal band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunders ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Mel Gaynor –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Production

*Tony Wilson - producer and engineer for ''The Friday Rock Show'' on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

* Chris Tsangarides - 1990 remixes

References

Samson (band) albums 1981 live albums Live New Wave of British Heavy Metal albums {{1980s-metal-album-stub