Samson - Live At Reading 1981 (CD 2001)

By the time they hit the stage at the 1981 Reading Festival, Samson had already lost their iconic drummer, Thunderstick. Mel Gaynor was an able replacement, there for substance rather than image. And although the band were in fine fettle, as this recording shows, Bruce Bruce had already been approached by Iron Maiden's management and this turned out to be his last performance with Samson.

The 'Shock Tactics' album had just been released and the album features four songs from that album and four from the preceding 'Head On'. There are also demo versions of the last songs that Bruce recorded with the band but I don't think these were actually re-recorded for the next album with Nicky Moore (These really are demos by the way; the sound quality is poor and it doesn't encourage repeat listening to appreciate the songs themselves). There's no such problems with the sound quality of the concert. Listening to 'Take It Like A Man' and 'Vice Versa' makes me want to get hold of 'Head On'; I don't really know why I didn't listen to that album much when I had it on vinyl.

It's a shame that Bruce didn't stay; who knows what Samson might have achieved. But this concert stands as a great memorial to the late Paul Samson and Chris Aylmer. Buy it, listen to it, enjoy it!