| Live at Reading '81 | |
| Type: | live |
| Artist: | Samson |
| Cover: | Samson-Live-At-Reading.jpg |
| Released: | 1990 |
| Recorded: | 12 September 1981 |
| Venue: | Reading Festival, Caversham Bridge, Reading |
| Genre: | Heavy metal |
| Length: | 52:49 |
| Label: | Raw Fruit |
| Producer: | Tony Wilson |
| Prev Title: | Pillars of Rock |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | Refugee |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
Live at Reading '81 was the second live album released by Samson. This was recorded in 1981 at the Reading Festival, with singer Bruce Dickinson, just before he left the band to join Iron Maiden.[1]
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 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.