Former and current Iron Maiden, and former Samson vocalist. He released his first solo effort while still in Maiden. "Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter" was originally a Dickinson song featured on the soundtrack for 'A Nightmare On Elm Street 5', and helped spawn the idea of a solo-carreer. Bruce has reunited with Maiden, but will continue to release solo-albums. Dickinson has one of heavy metals defining voices.
TATTOOED
MILLIONAIRE (1990) EMI
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Line-up: Vocals: Bruce
Dickinson |
Bruce' first solo-disc is far better than it's reputation. Though I see the critics point when they slaughter this one. It's not as heavy as his later efforts, but in my opinion song like "Born In '58", "Gypsy Road", "Tattooed Millionaire" and "Son Of A Gun" are great songs. I listened to this album a lot, when it was new. "All The Young Dudes" is a Mott The Hoople cover. Bruce brought in former Gillan axe-man, Janick Gers, for this one. Janick later joined Maiden when Adrian Smith left, and he is still in Maiden.
Killer tracks: Born In '58, Tattooed Millionaire, Gypsy Road, Son Of A Gun
BALLS
TO PICASSO (1994) MERCURY
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Line-up: Vocals: Bruce
Dickinson |
This is a much more heavy disc. It's also the first with Roy Z (Rob Rock, Warrior, Tribe Of Gypsies) as a major collaborator. This is one of the best solo-platters Bruce has released. The album is more together, yet it varies just enough to keep it interesting. I believe this is the closest to what Bruce himself wanted to sound like.
Killer tracks: Sacred Cowboys, Tears Of The Dragon, Change Of Heart
TEARS
OF THE DRAGON (1994) MERCURY (CD-S)
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The cool thing about Bruce Dickinson's singles, is that they always contain non-album tracks. Not all of them are as good as the ones on the album, but for me they are all worth having.
ALIVE
IN STUDIO A (1995) RAW POWER (2-CD)
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CD1:
CD2:
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A double live offering this time. A sticker on the cover says it's a special 2-CD edition, but I've never found one in a single CD format. The first disc is actually live in a studio, with no audience. The band is new, and not quite tight yet. The second disc is live at the Marquee club, and a bit better. The band sound tighter, and the live feel is more present. All in all, not a classic live-album, and not a frequent player at all.
SKUNKWORKS
(1996) RAW POWER
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Line-up: Vocals: Bruce
Dickinson |
This CD was not supposed to go under the Bruce Dickinson name. It was to be the band that was called Skunkworks, but the record company off course wanted it different. Well, be it Bruce Dickinson or be it Skunkworks, I think it kind of sucks. It is the least Maiden sounding of all Bruce Dickinson albums, and a more modern sounding effort. I don't care much for it, although it sounds better each time I hear it. Bruce' worst disc ever!
Killer tracks: Back From The Edge, Meltdown
BACK
FROM THE EDGE (1996) RAW POWER (CD-S)
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Single with 3 non-album tracks. Non of them very memorable though. Still cool that I only paid about $1 for it. It's worth that!
ACCIDENT
OF BIRTH (1997) RAW POWER
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Line-up: Vocals: Bruce Dickinson Guitar: Roy Z Guitar: Adrian Smith Bass: Eddie Cassillas Drums: David Ingraham |
Another album that sucks, NOT!!!!! Bruce' best solo effort, by far. This is stinkin' heavy, and rocks big time! The fact is that this sounds like Maiden in their prime. Adrian Smith joins Bruce, and Roy Z is back. Killer combinations usually gets killer results. "Darkside Of Aquarius" could just as well be Iron Maiden, and the list of excellent heavy metal tunes goes on and on on this one. The cool cover is penned by old Maiden cover-painter, Martin Riggs. A MUST!!
Killer tracks: Darkside Of Aquarius, Road To Hell, Man Of Sorrows, Accident Of Birth
ACCIDENT
OF BIRTH (1997) RAW POWER (CD-S)
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This is a promo-single, and I guess it's kind of hard to get. It contains a non-album track, penned by Dickinson & Smith. I can't by the life of me see why this was not included on the album, 'cause it rocks big time! Really cool cover too, again drawn by Martin Riggs.
THE
CHEMICAL WEDDING (1998) AIR RAID
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Line-up: Vocals: Bruce Dickinson Guitar: Roy Z Guitar: Adrian Smith Bass: Eddie Casillas Drums: David Ingraham |
Another awesome disc from Bruce. This time it's a concept-album. It's all about this fellow who wants to learn how to make gold. A bit darker, and not so in your face, but almost as good as the former album. It might sound a bit complex at first, but I don't think anyone need more than 2 round, before this goes down with any headbanger. This was to be the last studio album from Bruce Dickinson before he rejoined Iron Maiden.
Killer tracks: Jerusalem, Killing Floor, Chemical Wedding
SCREAM
FOR ME BRAZIL (1999) AIR RAID
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Second live offering by the Air Raid Siren in person. This strikes me as a somewhat unnecessary release. Guess it was put out as a compromise, when Bruce rejoined Iron Maiden. Bruce is very eager to continue to pursue his solo-career, although he now is back home where he belongs. (His next release shows just that). 'Scream For Me Brazil' is a manifestation of what we witnessed on the Chemical Wedding Tour. The album is quite good, actually. It's another nice edition to the collection. Some of the songs are even better in a live setting. But if you wanna get into Bruce career, buy the regular release instead.
THE
BEST OF BRUCE DICKINSON (2001) METAL-IS (2-CD)
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CD1: The Best Of Bruce Dickinson
CD2: Special Edition: Tracks From The Vaults
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The interesting thing about a 'Best Of..'-album, is seldom the stuff that's on the other regular albums. It's the stuff the record companies put on to please the fans, who already have all the other stuff. And on this 'Best Of..'-platter, we are treated to some real goodies. A whole bonus disc, with 14 tracks, all 'From The Vaults'. There are even 2 new tracks on the regular release (disc 2 is supposed to be a limited offering only). From "Wicker Man" (not to be mistaken for the Iron Maiden version on 'Brave New World') to the songs not even titled yet (like "Acoustic Song"), this disc shows how talented Bruce Dickinson really is. It's a mystery to me why none of these songs were released earlier! So this compilation is truly one of the best ones ever released! The only foul taste in my mouth is that Bruce releases this stuff sort of like 'please don't forget my solo-career'. His 8 solo-releases so far, contains 2 live offerings, and this 'best of'-deal. Maybe he should have concentrated on more original material instead.
TYRANNY OF SOULS (2005) MAYAN/SANCTUARY
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Line-up: Bruce Dickinson - Vocals Roy Z - Guitars, Bass on 7, 9 David Moreno - Drums Ray "Geezer" Burke - Bass on 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 Juan Perez - Bass on 2, 3 Maestro Mistheria - All Keyboards |
After Bruce joined Maiden again, one could only hope for a new solo album from the air raid siren himself. It took 7 years before we got treated with this one. 'Tyranny Of Souls' is a little more diveresed than the last 2 efforts from Bruce. It ranks nicely alongside his other solo albums, and one might look upon it as sort of a culimination of all his prior work. "Adbuction" is the first song here, and this is probably the most Maiden-sounding tracks on the CD. Bruce also shot a music video for this track. "Soul Intruders" is up next, and this could have fitted nicely on "Accident Of Birth". The songs is a typcal Roy Z/Bruce Dickinson collaboration. "Kill Devil Hill" is another Roy Z signature, with a riff heavier then a freight train, but with a much more melodic chorus. "Navigate The Seas Of The Sun" brings it down quite a bit, with acoustic gutars and all. The song reminds me of the softer sides of "Balls To Picasso". And so on goes the entire album. I can't imagine any fan of Dickinson not liking this album, as it has the man's trademarks written all over it. It is no wonder that this man is one of my all time vocalist heroes.
Killer tracks: Soul Intruders, Kill Devil Hill, River Of No Return, Tyranny Of Souls
Bruce Dickinson guest appearances:
V/A - 'Nativity In Black- A Tribute To Black Sabbath'
Ayreon - 'Universal Migrator Part 2'
Tribuzy - 'Execution'
Roy Z guest appearances:
Steel Prophet - 'Dark Hallucinations'
Warrior - 'Ancient Future'
Warrior - 'The Code Of Life'
Tribuzy - 'Execution'
Chris Dale guest appearances:
Tribuzy - 'Execution'
Related artists:
Iron Maiden, Psycho Motel, Warrior, Rob Rock, Balance Of Power
