Accident of Birth

Bruce Dickinson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 3, 1997)
• Original Release Date: June 3, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cmc International
• ASIN: B000001YAB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,190 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Freak

2. Toltec 7 Arrival

3. Starchildren

4. Taking the Queen

5. Darkside of Aquarius

6. Road to Hell

7. Man of Sorrows

8. Accident of Birth

9. The Magician

10. Welcome to the Pit

11. The Ghost of Cain

12. Omega

13. Arc of Space

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dickinson's best album outside of Iron Maiden, July 11, 2006

By 

R. Gorham "RCG2" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Accident of Birth (Audio CD)

THE BAND: Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Adrian Smith (guitars), Roy Z (guitars, mellatron, piano), Eddie Casillas (bass), David Ingraham (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1997) 13 tracks clocking in at approximately 58 minutes. The digitally remastered version (2005) contains 9 bonus tracks - 1 new track, and 8 demo or radio edits. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing pictures of Bruce (2 with Adrian), the players, song titles/credits & lyrics, and thank you's. Recorded at Silver Cloud and Sound City Recording studios in Los Angeles, CA. All songs written by Dickinson and Roy Z (except "Welcome To The Pit" & "Road To Hell" by Dickinson and Smith). Illustration from long time Iron Maiden collaborator, Derek Riggs. Label - CMC International Records.

COMMENTS: To date, Bruce has half a dozen or so solo albums... and "Accident Of Birth" is still my favorite. Roy Z is the man behind the production - brilliant sound, as well as his guitar and piano playing. Adrian Smith has confirmed that he belongs with Dickinson wherever he goes. Confirmation that Smith is/was one of the driving forces with Dickinson in one of Britain's finest metal acts ever - Iron Maiden. "Accident" starts of with one of my all-time favorite Bruce tunes (with Samson, Iron Maiden or solo)... "Freak" - it's hard driving, fast paced and in your face - truly a great beat with storied lyrics. Other stunning tracks include the acoustic "Taking The Queen" (another great story being told), the heavy 6+ minute "Darkside Of Aquarius", "Man Of Sorrows" with its piano and orchestra arrangements, as well as the title track - one of the heavier tracks on the disc. The album closes with two stellar tunes featuring some amazing acoustic, spanish and electric guitar work - "Omega" and "Arc Of Space". This is one of those albums that contains no filler... I can let this play all the way through and enjoy every track. A classic (5-stars).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Iron Maiden Should Have Sounded Like In The Mid-90's., April 25, 2000

By 

Erik Rupp (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Accident of Birth (Audio CD)

On ACCIDENT OF BIRTH Bruce Dickinson returns to Iron Maiden territory without copying their exact style. In fact, AOB sounds like a mid 90's updating of the classic Maiden sound. "Starchildren," "Darkside Of Aquarius," and "The Magician" all have the classic Maiden blending of power and melody, and all sound fresh and exiting - not at all dated. Maybe that's the best thing about this album; it sounds timeless. Adrian Smith's contributions are a welcome treat as well, but this album is Bruce and Roy Z's show. And what a great show it is. All Maiden fans should own this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If You Like Iron Maiden, You'll Love This, January 4, 2005

By 

James Choma - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Accident of Birth (Audio CD)

If you're a fan of Iron Maiden's music and you don't have this, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album, and it's follow up, "The Chemical Wedding." These two albums contain some of the best Heavy Metal music released during the late 1990's. Had the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal genre not fallen out of commercial favor during this period, you'd have heard more about this album.

This is Bruce Dickinson's fourth solo album (the fifth if you count "Live From Studio A"), and I think it's probably his best. I especially like that he teamed up with Adrian Smith, lending a heavy amount of credibility in the guitar department.

Bruce has said that "'Accident of Birth' is about a family from Hell. Except they're in hell and one of them has accidentally been born, and they want him back and he doesn't want to go. For all the same reasons that you wouldn't want to go back to your family if they're a pain in the rear, he doesn't want to go back to his family. Ok, so they're in Hell, that makes a little difference too."

Any of these songs would have been great additions to the Iron Maiden catalog. Had this been released as an Iron Maiden album, it would probably rank as one of their best. My favorites are "The Magician," "Welcome to the Pit," and "Taking the Queen." Great guitar playing, and excellent songwriting make this one of my favorite albums.