Customer Reviews

Best of Bruce Dickinson

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Most of you probably know that Bruce Dickinson was and is the lead singer of the legendary metal band Iron Maiden. For 2 albums he was replaced by Blaze Bayley who never managed to step out of Bruce's mighty shadow. Blaze issued an excellent solo album called Silicon Messiah in 2000, a must for any metalhead. But I digress. On to the matter at hand.

The two CD version of The Best of Bruce Dickinson is suppose to a limited edition so hurry up and grab your copy. The first disc is a retrospective of Bruce's solo career. All but 2 of the tracks are taken from the following studio albums Tattooed Millionaire , Balls to Picasso, Skunkworks , Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding and the 2 live albums Alive in Studio A and Scream For Me Brazil. The other 2 tracks are new and are exclusive to this CD.

The two new songs are called Silver Wings and Broke. Silver Wings returns us to one of Bruce's favourite subject that is air combat in WW2. Silver Wings would fit right in the era that produced Aces High and Tailgunner. Its fast and melodic with great guitar work. Broken, could of come of the Chemical Wedding album an it is a slower crunchier song that will get your head banging in a second.

The Tattooed Millionaire album is represented by its title song and by Born in 58 both are solid hard rock numbers. Including Son of Gun would have been nice since it's a very good track but no matter the selections included are top notch.

Alive in Studio spawned the live version of Laughing in the Hiding Bush, originally on the Balls to Picasso studio album, not my first choice but a solid song none the less. I would of preferred the inclusion of Cyclops, Shoot All The Clowns or Sacred Cowboys or the already mentioned Son of a Gun but that's a minor quibble.

Tears of the Dragon is from Bruce's most underrated album Balls to Picasso and is a masterpiece. Bruce's vocals are in top shape and the instrumentals are first rate. A very powerful song. I wish more songs from this album were included in this greatest hits.

Skunkworks is which seems to be destined to be Bruce's most disliked solo album is only represented by the very good Back From The Edge. Personally I find Skunkworks to be a very enjoyable and would liked to have seen included its best track which is Solar Confinment. The album itself is a slight departure from Bruce's and usual style but the album itself is an unqualified succes.

The excellent Accident of Birth is represented by four tracks including its title track. The other 3 being Darkside of Aquarius and Road to Hell and Man of Sorrows. All excellent choices. Darkside of Aquarius being the best among the bunch. I think its one of the best songs Bruce has done. Excellent guitars and Bruce's vocals are powerful and smooth.

Bruce's best album, Chemical Wedding is only represented by 2 tracks including its title track. One of the 2 tracks , Book of Thel, is taken from the Live Scream For Me Brazil Album. In all fairness the whole Chemica Wedding album could have been included in the greatest hits CD.Easily one of the best heavy matal records of the 90's.

Despite my slight quibble with the track selections this is one tremendous CD with nary a dud among the tracks. With only 5 solo studio albums it gives you an idea of Bruce's songwriting talent that he could of easily of had a second CD dedicated to his greatest hits.

The second CD is more for completist and huge Dickinson fans. Highlights include a the live Jerusalem, the pre Maiden Bring Your Daughter to The Slaughter, the no relation to the maiden song of the same name The Wicker Man from the Chemical Wedding session and Bruces first ever recording called Dracula. Even back then he had the powerful vocals.

If you are an Iron Maiden or heavy metal fan and are on a limited budget and want to give Bruce's solo material a try. I suggest you buy this album and the Chemical Wedding.

I love what Bruce has done during his solo career. All of his solo efforts have been original, and yet still hold that Maidenisc sense of power. Bruce and Roy Z along with the addition of A. Smith have a very solid linup now. If you have heard "Accident Of Birth" and "Chemical Wedding" you should already know that.

This "Best Of Bruce" Cd takes you on a ride. There are songs from all of his solo CD's, and even a version of "Bring Your Daughter....". The second CD is full of stuff that you've probably never heard, and I'm sure you'll enjoy. One thing is certain about this CD....It's got everything. Even the ballads on this are great.

I would highly urge you to get a copy of this. If you like Maiden, you should already be a Dickinson fan. Bruce is doing just fine as a solo artist, and the band members Bruce has put together make Iron Maiden look like a thing of the past. I hate to say that, but it's true. Bruce makes great music, and he has had no trouble proving that over the years.

I can't wait for his new CD to come out. If it's anything like his last two releases, we're all in for a real treat!!!

Keep it up Bruce!!!.....You Rule!!!

P.S. Please tour South Florida, like Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm.

A smooth ride for a compilation, especially one spanning different band musicians, different Eras in Bruce's life, and the varied styles of music he embraced.

It is striking that when the inimitable Iron Maiden vocalist works solo, he expresses a fresh creativity lacking in some of Maiden's music. His gift is not just his compelling voice.

With the Irons Bruce is only a part contributor; the collaboration creates moments of brilliance and yet (while I love that band so much) there seems to be an adherence to formula, going onto 'auto pilot' where they revert to safe devices that worked in the past yet were only exciting the first time. A bit too earnest to loyally be "really Iron-Maiden-y." The BEST Maiden always seemed like moments of nerve-edge discovery, as with Sabbath and Rush and all great metal. Chasing those past moments to try and keep a sound doesn't work, the same way you can only visit a place once "for the first time."

In a way Maiden can not outrun itself, like it were this big Komodo Dragon that just is what it is and can't be really different than the beast it is.

Bruce solo seems to have a greater freedom of movement and a more morph-able creative identity. Yet the music has a truth much closer to the surface which ties it all together (compare the lyrics of "Broken" and "Tears of the Dragon" for personal upheavals & the will to overcome.) There is really so much on these two discs... all I can say, is even the track selection & sequencing shows Bruce has a pretty good idea of where the successes & failures lie in songwriting.

And songwriting IS the triumphant key to why this Best Of is really so good, and a great album all in itself. It all works so deftly, no musical opportunity missed, yet nothing wasted or outstaying its welcome. This IS where Bruce D has now arrived and, in a sense, always was. Empowerment!

Some rarities that are major surprises, so the 2-disc version is a must.

After I got all the Iron Maiden CD's, I wanted to check out Bruce's solo stuff. I got the 2 disc edition of this album, and I was BLOWN AWAY!!

The first disc starts of with Broken, recorded exclusively for this set, and perfectly sets the mood. It shows that you're in for metal in a way you've never quite heard before. Then, you get some tracks from the first two albums:Tatooed Millionaire, a live cut of Laughing in the Hiding Bush, and Tears of the Dragon. The first two songs mentioned get your head banging and your feet tapping. TOTD however, slows down and gives you pure music of epic dimensions. Now that your heart beat has slowed down, you're surprised with The Tower. This song has a great chorus, and really sounds like great heavy metal. The lyrics really stand out, sounding like a tarot card reading. Next, Bruce presents Born in 58 and Accident of Birth. These songs, while very good, do not stand out as much as the rest of the CD, which is a real shame. Time to pick up the pace with Silver Wings and Darkside of Aquarius. While the former song was written just for this set, a few years before DOA, these two songs really seem like a pair, with fast beats, catchy choruses, and the same kind of groove. Now, you get another epic song: Chemical Wedding. This song stands out with its excellent vocal delivery, and its ability to keep your blood pumping, even though it is a slow song. The next track, Back from the Edge, has got to be one of my favorites. I love the vocals. I love the chorus. I love how the guitars sound like they're being played underwater. For this song, it is IMPERATIVE that you have a high quality sound systems. The last 2 tracks, Road to Hell and Book of Thel(live) are the same deal as tracks 6 and 7. Good, but they don't really stand out as much.

The second disc is well worth the money, but my fingers are tiring, so I won't go into too much detail. The first track is Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter, the original cut. I personally think that this version is better than the Maiden version, but you may disagree. The other songs I really like are Wicker Man (not the Maiden song), Real World, Re-Entry, and I'm in a Band with and Italian Drummer. This disc also includes a track of Bruce talking about the second disc for about 15 minutes. Pretty cool.

The bottom line, you MUST BUY THIS ALBUM! It is a pure representation of heavy metal, nay, music in general, in it's greatest form. And make sure you get the two disc set. It's worth the extra money. Trust me.

This is one of the finest collections I've ever bought. Bruce is, as everybody knows, one of the best, if not the best, metal singers out there. When he left Maiden I thought he was crazy, but this overview of what he did on his own is phenomenal.

The overall sound is in the same realm as Maiden, but it's harder, with a lot more variety and experimentation, which works very very well.

The 'Best of' disk has everything from one of my favorite ballads, 'Tears of the Dragon', to my favourite high-energy metal song, 'Silver Wings' (probably one of the best songs I've ever heard, comparable to 'Aces High', but with double-bass). And a load of awesome, distinct, metal songs in between.

The 'B-Sides' disk, though, is a real surprise, as it has just as many A+ tracks as the 'Best of' disk has. That 'Wicker Man' (a different song than the Iron Maiden one), 'Man of Sorrows', and 'No Way Out' have never been released as celebrated singles is beyond me. And the rest of the tracks show some true musical diversity, from some blues (Ballad of Mutt), a hilarious Zappa rip-off (In a Band with an Italian Drummer), medival-sounding acoustic song (Acoustic Song, Darkness be my Friend), the original version of 'Bring Your Daughter...' (which I prefer to the Maiden version), and 'Dracula', the first thing Bruce ever recorded (in 1977).

If you love Maiden, it's a similar sound and way better than the stuff they did in Bruce's absence. If you have the rest of Bruce's albums, it's worth it for the B-Sides and the two awesome new songs on the first disk ('Broken' and 'Silver Wings'). If you don't know Maiden or Bruce, shame on you, but pick up this album because it's a helluva lot better than anything you hear on the radio.

All too often rare surprise tracks are terrible. Die-hard fans may enjoy poorly recorded, shamefully written songs, but less ardent fans lose interest quickly. I had this kind of worry when I first played the second disc of The Best of Bruce Dickinson. It's 70+ minutes of rare tracks, and some of 'em are completely bizarre. But there's some great songs here -- most of them well-recorded -- which are worth additions to a Bruce fan's collection as well as a Maiden fan's. "No way!"

WAY!

During his time with Maiden, a movie company commissioned Bruce to write a song for the film A Nightmare on Elm Street. That song wound up being "Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter." Steve Harris ended up liking the song so much that he put it on Maiden's No Prayer for the Dying, and the original has been stashed away until now! It actually sounds very similar to the Maiden version, except the guitars are less elaborate and the recording isn't as good. There's another early version of a Maiden tune here as well. It's the 1997 recording of "The Wicker Man!" Originally, the song had been planned to go on Accident of Birth, but never quite got finished. Whereas "Bring Your Daughter..." is very similar to its reiteration through Maiden, the original "Wicker Man" is an entirely different beast. It's slower, with completely reworked arrangements and melodies. A line or two of the lyrics made it over, but that's about it.

"Darkness Be My Friend" is the lugubrious, sparsely orchestrated ballad recorded during the Tattooed Millionaire sessions. Bruce's frail vocals are accompanied by soft acoustic guitars and a sorrowful synthed flute. It's a brilliant song, and at little more than two minutes, one can only complain that it isn't longer. "Acoustic Song" is another quiet tune with spare instrumentation. An early recording of the power ballad "Man of Sorrows" is present, this one with a definite sense of gloom and a "wider" sounding mix, a great effect undermined only by the robotic drum machine.

There's some weird stuff here too. "The Ballad of Mutt" sounds like the kind of song you here in one of those dingy Blues bars. His voice is hoarse and low, like an old blues singer. "I'm in a Band with an Italian Drummer" is goofy, lyrically nasty, and fun. It's impossible not to find the chorus catchy, although it's hard to make out words in the rapid-fire verses. This song is a novelty more than anything else, but it incites a good laugh the first time you hear it.

A live cut of "Jerusalem" (from The Chemical Wedding) is featured, where the heavy metal base is informed by a touch of folk music. The delivery is intense, although I think this the studio form of this song should have been put on disc 1 (which had 15 minutes of room left on the CD) instead. Ah well.

Finally, a gallimaufry of every tune I couldn't intelligently work into a cohesive paragraph. "Real World" is good ol' hard rock a la Bruce with a touch of something like Aerosmith. "No Way Out" is garnished with glowing guitars and strings striking in jagged patterns, with a slick vocal melody juxtaposed with slammin' percussion. "Midnight Jam" is a spooky, echoic tune. "Re-Entry" exposes a Celtic influence over a bit of rock n' roll with its acoustic instrumentation and melodies. "Dracula" is the first song Bruce ever recorded. It may not be pretty, but it's good to have. Compare his thin voice here to the monstrous dynamics of "The Alchemist." Whoa!

To sum it all up, it's not the (...) disc I thought it'd be! It's a great companion to disc 1 (which I reviewed elsewhere, if you want to see it).

This is a great mix of material from Bruce Dickinson, the once and future voice of Iron Maiden. Since his departure from Maiden in 1992 to his return in 1999, Bruce released some of the best solo albums ever. I'm going out on a limb here, but I saw Bruce becoming the next Ozzy Osbourne, someone who left a big act (Black Sabbath) and struck gold, finding fame & fortune as a solo act. The critical and commercial success of Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding was what I believe was going to push him over the hump of being "the former Iron Maiden vocalist". Steve Harris, seeing how a rather large chunk of the Maiden crowd gravitated towards Bruce's solo material and dropped the "new" Maiden like a bad habit, had to do some serious pride & ego swallowing and ask Bruce to come back. So now, we get this compilation, "The Best of Bruce Dickinson" which showcases some of Bruce's best material from Tattooed Millionaire, Balls to Picasso, Skunkworks, Accident of Birth, The Chemical Wedding, and Scream for Me Brazil. (Alive in Studio A was a re-recording of material from Tattooed Millionaire and Balls to Picasso). We get "Born in '58" and the title track from Tattooed Millionaire (no "Son of a Gun" though, probably the best song on the album next to the title track), "Tears of the Dragon" from Balls to Picasso, "Back from the Edge" from Skunkworks (no "Solar Confinement", in my opinion the best track off the album), "Darkside of Aquarius", "Road to Hell" and the title track from Accident of Birth, "The Tower" and the title track from The Chemical Wedding, and "Laughing in the Hiding Bush" and "Book of Thel", both live off Scream for Me Brazil. However, it's the 2 new tracks in which Bruce really shines. "Broken" starts off the disc and is a very heavy and moody piece. "Silver Wings" has quickly become one of my favorite Bruce Dickinson solo songs. Perhaps as a tweak to Steve Harris, the song is VERY reminiscent of Powerslave-era Maiden, and if one listens to the solos (both done by the awesome Roy Z), one can almost swear that it's Adrian Smith doing the first solo and Dave Murray doing the second. Whether Bruce's intention was to show the fans, or 'arry, that he can still write an awesome speed metal, Iron Maiden type song I don't know, but the track is awesome. The second disc consists of rare tracks and b-sides from his various solo albums, including "Re-Entry", the original and moodier "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter", the pre-Maiden "Wicker Man" and one of Bruce's first ever recorded songs, "Dracula". "No Way Out... Continued" is from the infamous never-completed Keith Olson project, and is reminiscent of Rage for Order-era Queensryche. "Darkness be My Friend" is one of my favorite Bruce b-sides, an acoustic composition by Bruce (the "flute" in the song, by the way, is former Ozzy Osbourne keyboardist Don Airey. It's a keyboard, not a flute, as confirmed by Bruce himself). For Maiden fans who shunned Bruce after he left Maiden, jump aboard and listen to what you've been missing. For Bruce fans, pick it up, as this is the definitive "best of" album in my opinion, and a great tribute to Bruce.

A great mix of new and old from Bruce Dickinson the voice of IRON MAIDEN. Bruce has had a prolific solo career that is only recently getting the credit it deserves. This set is the best of his solo work and includes a few Maiden staples that were originally penned by Bruce (the air raid siren) Dickinson.

Disc 1 is basically the best of portion and contains a wealth of great music with TWO new tracks (Broken and Silver Wings). The music is diverse and even if you don't like Maiden you will find something to like on this disc (i.e. Tears of the Dragon is beautiful and inspiring)

Disc 2 is VERY COOL basically very rare tracks that have never been released (the original version of WICKER MAN and BRING YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE SLAUGHTER). PLUS the liner notes are written by Bruce himself. All in All a 5 star production at a very reasonable price. I'm very very pleased with this CD and IMHO I think fans of Maiden and Bruce will be too.

Up the Irons.

Roy Z has the Midas touch.
I guess I was too late picking this up as I was only able to get the one disc version. Oh well, It was still very satisfying.
Here's why:
(This may be out of order)
Broken- Anyone who's ever been beaten down can relate to this one. Just flat out screams," I'll never give up", ( I'm not broken). Great track

Tattooed Millionaire- I hated this track so much I deleated it from my library and did a virus scan then washed my hands,LOL! Utter crap! Sorry Bruce...You still Rock

Laughing In The Hiding Bush- Somebody please explain to my what the $#@@$this phrase means,lol! The track is kinda mediocre but
ok.

Tears Of The Dragon- Musically & Lyricly this is a great track
Kinda slow but I'm glad it's on here.

The Tower- Rock solid track w/ a great chorus

Born In 58- I totally hate this track...it falls so far out of bounds it leaves me scratching my head...what were you thinking?
Belongs on a pop chart somewhere in the hundreds,lol!

Accident Of Birth- Ahh...the meat & Potatoes for metal fans everywhere! Starts off like some great machine idling, then cranks up like some huge heavy metal bulldozer, running over everything in its path....RRRRR "Jesus had his day off when they pulled you through"

Silver Wings- Slow start is deceiving. Turns into one of my favorite tracks...Lets go kick some Luftwaff tail!!!

Darkside of Aquarius- Melancholy intro breaks into Cool story telling and spot on metal riffs...gotta love Bruces' Vox on this one. Roy Z Rox.

Chemical Wedding- Love the intro riff. It's sinister and menacing. It builds into a cool chorus and a Mozart/R.Rhoads style solo.....R.I.P.

Back from The Edge- Yakk...Too "Middle of the Road" for my taste.

Road To Hell- Solid riffs but also Middle Of The Road.

Book Of Thel- Creepy,Gloomy,Dark,Heavy Crunching Metal.....What's Not To Like? LOL! Loved the Crowd in This One.

Overall I'd buy this disc again in a heartbeat. I love the good tracks so much I can dissregard the bad ones...you should too!

Bruce Rocks!!!

A best of Bruce Dickinson album is an impossible thing because it can't possibly capture all of the best songs he's done. The entire Chemical Wedding album and Accident of Birth album would have to be included. As I am a major fan of Balls to Picasso and especially Skunkworks, I can't even imagine what the best of album should have had, save to say that it should have had almost everything. However, since it couldn't take everything, let's look at what it did take.
First off are the two new songs on the first CD. Broken and Silver Wings are both instant classics. I can't understand why these only just came out, and the album is worth the purchase for these alone. Tears of a Dragon is the best song I've ever heard, and it's hear for you to enjoy. My only gripe is that 2 songs from Tatooed Millionaire were included, and not Taking the Queen, or Strange Death in Paradise. However, the first CD is excellent. It's so worth the purchase.
And then there's the second CD. Wickerman is amazing and it's a shame it wasn't released earlier. If you haven't heard Re-Entry, then here's your chance. It's amazing, and it shows how versatile Bruce is as a singer. Aside from Ballad of Mutt, which I did like, the second CD is great for people who aren't familiar with Bruce's hard to find stuff. And thank heaven for the live version of Jerusalem, which is actually better than the studio version.
Overall, there was no way this album could have been perfect without including more of Bruce's work, but for what it is, I think it still deserves top marks. Maybe we could get a Best of Bruce Dickinson, part two. Along with Taking the Queen and Strange Death in Paradise, they could include Return of the King, American's are Behind, a live version of Space Race and the song Faith. If you aren't familiar with these then you don't know what you're missing. Faith is worth the price of Skunkworks alone.