Tattooed Millionaire('90): **1/2
This is a solid hard rock album, with a light, fresh feel to it. Definitely
different than Iron Maiden. It's got a cover of the David Bowie song "All
the Young Dudes" on it, which is ok. "Dive! Dive! Dive!" is pretty funny.
Bruce is one sick Brit. My favorite off this album is "Gypsy Road," a
slow, quiet song about getting out there.
Balls to Picasso('94): ***1/2
Bruce returns with a completely new lineup behind him, and a slightly
heavier sound. Eight minute long "Cyclops" starts the album with a touch
of paranoia. "Gods of War" is a great loud song. "1000 Points of Light"
is a few years late, but cool. The final track "Tears of the Dragon,"
doesn't exactly fit with the rest of the album, but only because it is
a totally excellent, emotion-filled song. By far the best Dickinson
song to date.
Shoot All The Clowns-Single CD1('94): ***
As with most singles I buy, I got this one because it was there (for $4.25
used.) In addition to four Bruce Dickinson and Co. Trading Cards, this disc
has three tracks on it. Shoot All the Clowns is a remix, and that's about
all it is. Very similar to the original. The next, Tibet, is nearly
impossible to describe. If Steve Harris knew that Bruce was even capable
of this type of thing, Bruce would have been kicked out of Maiden long, long
ago. The final track is an extended version of Tears of the Dragon. It has
and added beginning and ending, and it's quite different otherwise as well.
While really cool, I still think I like the original better.
Skunkworks('96):
I still don't have this CD. Nothing hit me from it
the couple times I listened to it, but I wasn't listening too closely. Now with Bruce returning to more metal-oriented music, I see little point in getting this one.
Accident of Birth('97): ****
This was probably the most anticipated album that's come out in my time on the Web. Thus, it begs the question, is this album all that the die-hard Bruce fans claimed it would be? Is it the second coming of heavy metal, sent to save the world from
the false gods of MTV and uninspired music? Well, no. Relax everybody. It's a good metal album, maybe even a great metal album, but there is still plenty of music as good or better coming out today. So there is no reason this album should have gotten any special attention. What it IS is Bruce's best album yet, and a matricidal dagger aimed at the lumbering beast known as Iron Maiden. Despite help from Adrian Smith, this album doesn't have a lot in common with Maiden, although there are little bits here and there that make me laugh at their obviousness. There are some really great songs, like "Freak," heavy and dark, "Darkside of Aquarius," my new favorite Bruce song, "Road to Hell," simple and impossibly catchy, and "Omega," slower yet powerful. But then there's stuff like "Man of Sorrows" and "Welcome to the Pit," that, while decent songs in themselves, really seem to work as giant speed bumps in the otherwise smooth highway. There is great diversity on this album, and it's metal all the way through. And Bruce's voice sounds great. But remember, this isn't an album to worship, it's simply an album to listen to over and over again until you wear out the CD.