Bruce Dickinson is the past and (as of 1999) the present singer of Iron Maiden. His solo career started while still in Maiden, with the song "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" (from the "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child" soundtrack), and the lackluster "Tattooed Millionaire." He has one of those classic voices that shaped the sound of Iron Maiden and they will never be the same without him. (Guess they knew that as Bruce is now back with Maiden.) Bruce also lent his voice out to pay tribute to Black Sabbath on "Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black"

Tattooed Millionare Bruce Dickinson-Tattooed Millionaire (Columbia) 1990

1."Son of a Gun" (5:53)
2."Tattooed Millionaire" (4:27)
3."Born in '58" (3:39)
4."Hell on Wheels" (3:39)
5."Gypsy Road" (4:00)
6."Dive! Dive! Dive!" (4:40)
7."All the Young Dudes" (3:48)
8."Lickin' the Gun" (3:16)
9."Zulu Lulu" (3:27)
10."No Lies" (6:17)

Bruce's first solo disc was release between Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son" and "No Prayer" albums. I'm not much into this one as I think the song writing and production are rather boring compared to the phenomenal work to come. Bruce Dickinson reminds me so much of Ian Gillan, who also has one of those classic metal voices with a defining sound. Like Gillan , who himself has a slew of solo discs out, Bruce can improve even the most boring music just by putting his voice over top of it. Janick Gers, who will soon join Maiden replacing the departing Adrian Smith, co-wrote most of the songs of this album. Of course everybody knows that Adrian Smith soon hooked up with Bruce to put out two of his best releases ever. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. "All the Young Dudes" is a Mott the Hoople song. Mott the Hoople, remember them?

Balls to Picasso Bruce Dickinson-Balls to Picasso (Mercury) 1994

1."Cyclops" (7:56)
2."Hell No" (5:11)
3."Gods of War" (5:01)
4."1000 Points of Light" (4:24)
5."Laughing in the Hiding Bush" (4:20)
6."Change of Heart" (4:59)
7."Shoot All the Clowns" (4:23)
8."Fire" (4:27)
9."Sacred Cowboys" (3:51)
10."Tears of the Dragon" (6:20)

This is Bruce's first solo disc after leaving Maiden. "Balls to Picasso" is BIG improvement over the lackluster "Tattooed Millionaire" and much more enjoyable than any of the Blaze Bailey-era Iron Maiden discs. Favorite tracks are "Cyclops", "Hell No", and "Tears of the Dragon."

Skunkworks Bruce Dickinson-Skunkworks (Castle) 1996

1."Space Race" (3:47)
2."Back from the Edge" (4:16)
3."Inertia" (3:03)
4."Faith" (3:36)
5."Solar Confinement" (3:19)
6."Dreamstate" (3:49)
7."I Will Not Accept the Truth" (3:44)
8."Inside the Machine" (3:27)
9."Headswitch" (2:14)
10."Meltdown" (4:34)
11."Octavia" (3:15)
12."Innerspace" (3:32)
13."Strange Death in Paradise" (5:00)

Great disc with some killer riffs and hooks but not quite as good as "Accident of Birth." I have read a lot of reviews that say that this disc is a masterpiece or Dickinson's best solo disc. Well, I wouldn't say that, but it is pretty darn good. I only wish Maiden's last few discs would've been at least this good. One negative comment though, it's really annoying that the lyrics are all printed backwards. What exactly was the point of that? At least when Aerosmith did it, it had relevance to the stinking album title ("Done With Mirrors").

Accident of Birth Bruce Dickinson-Accident of Birth (CMC International) 1997

1."Freak" (4:16)
2."Toltec 7 Arrival"-instrumental (0:37)
3."Starchildren" (4:17)
4."Taking the Queen" (4:49)
5."Darkside of Aquarius" (6:42)
6."Road to Hell" (3:57)
7."Man of Sorrows" (5:20)
8."Accident of Birth" (4:23)
9."The Magician" (3:54)
10."Welcome to the Pit" (4:43)
11."The Ghost of Cain" (4:13)
12."Omega" (6:24)
13."Arc of Space" (4:18)

Adrian Smith joins Bruce Bruce (ha! Gotta be a fan to get that one) on this, the best Iron Maiden, er, uh, I mean, Bruce Dickinson album to date. No really, had this disc been released under the Iron Maiden moniker, this would have been the greatest Maiden disc since "Seventh Son." Unlike Bruce's past solo discs, this one sounds the closest to his former band. Definitely blows away anything Maiden has put out without Bruce in the band. The front cover art is even done by long time Maiden artist Derek Riggs. Now, this disc I would say is a masterpiece! I actually went to the store to pick this one up when it first came out. I planned on spending the $15+ to buy it new but found a "used" copy for $7.00. Hmm, I doubt it was used as it was too new, probably a promo although it has not cuts, holes, etc.

The Chemical Wedding Bruce Dickinson-The Chemical Wedding (CMC International) 1998

1. "King in Crimson" (4:43)
2. "Chemical Wedding" (4:06)
3. "The Tower" (4:45)
4. "Killing Floor" (4:29)
5. "Book of Thel" (8:13)
6. "Gates of Urizen" (4:25)
7. "Jerusalem" (6:42)
8. "Trumpets of Jericho" (5:59)
9. "Machine Men" (5:41)
10."The Alchemist" (8:27)

A great disc, but once again, I don't think that it is better than the phenomenal "Accident of Birth. " The production on this disc is stellar; crunchy heavy guitars and thunderous drums. The song writing is strong as well, with every song containing at least one vocal and/or musical hook. The anti-Christian/religion lyrics are getting a bit old now.

Bruce-Dickinson-Scream for Me Brazil (Sanctuary) 1999

1. "Trumpets of Jericho" (6:25)
2. "King in Crimson" (4:56)
3. "Chemical Wedding" (4:33)
4. "Gates of Urizen" (4:21)
5. "Killing Floor" (4:12)
6. "Book of Thel" (8:26)
7. "Tears of the Dragon" (8:07)
8. "Laughing in the Hiding Bush" (4:01)
9. "Accident of Birth" (4:19)
10. "The Tower" (7:42)
11. "Dark Side of Aquarius" (7:32)
12. "The Road to Hell" (4:58)

With Bruce returning to Maiden, I suppose either he or his record company didn't want to lose the interest he had built up in his solo career, so a live album was released. This particular show features an abundance of material from "Chemical Wedding." Would have liked to have seen a few more songs from "Accident of Birth" and perhaps even a Maiden song. Could have lived without the expletives as well. Should also make mention that the phenomenal Roy Z (Tribe of Gypsies/Warrior) plays guitar at this show.

 

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