Bruce Dickinson - The Best of Bruce Dickinson

 Awesome best of collection with 2nd disc of rarities
This set is worth the price alone just to have a hard copy of Jerusalem live. IMO, The Chemical Wedding is the greatest work Bruce has ever done and is greater than most Iron Maiden records too. So, for Bruce to throw something rare from that era, like the live cut of Jerusalem, is just gold to me. All of Bruce's studio albums are represented, as well as some B-sides, two brand, spanking new songs and alternate versions of songs, like the soundtrack version of Bring Your Daughter... I think Bruces's Wicker Man is better than Maiden's. Get this. Rock it. There are also some mellow acoustic numbers here. It's just a fantastic set. October 20, 2007

 The many sides of the Air Raid Siren do all fit together.
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. May 9, 2006

 Review of single disc version only...
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 $#@@ 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!!!



February 19, 2006

 Best....Compilation.....Ever!!
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. January 1, 2004

 Every bit as good as Maiden
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. November 3, 2003

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