Description

2017 press on black vinyl with gatefold cover and printed innersleeve

Immediately following his departure from metal legends Iron Maiden, singer and jack of all trades Bruce Dickinson signed a new deal stateside to Mercury Records and went to work on his second solo effort. His Polygram debut, Balls to Picasso, is somewhat of a disappointment and, for the most part, an ill-conceived project. Eager to get away from the classic galloping we’ll-march-to-the-war Maiden sound, the singer joins forces with a band by the name of Tribe of Gypsies. The band (which managed to generate quite a buzz on its own but alas never found a home for itself) features Roy Z, Dickinson’s chief collaborator/songwriting partner for this album. Eddie jokes aside, if Dickinson wanted to get away from the classic Iron Maiden sound, he sure does a good job on this album. Unfortunately, the singer fails to come up with anything truly groundbreaking or even interesting here (save for the album closer, “Tears of a Dragon” which is an absolutely magnificent track. Maybe it’s the cut’s familiar Iron Maiden aesthetic, or perhaps it’s Dickinson’s wonderful vocal delivery. Who really knows. But what is known is that it’s by far the album’s best song. Superficially, it threads typical Dickinson territory. However, upon closer inspection, it’s obvious that with lyrics like ‘where I was, I had wings that couldn’t fly’, there’s no love lost between the singer and his former bandmates. It’s clear that the singer makes a clear open and shut case for his need to ‘release the wave and let it wash over me’ as he sings about unburdening himself from the artistically stifling direction of his previous outfit. Looking back, the singer made very few new friends with this release and would go on to record far superior solo records like Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. These last two records in particular would see the singer receive worldwide press accolades and a warm reception from some old-school Maiden fans. Again, deservedly and predictably, the album’s closer, which musically veers into familiar Maiden territory, is probably what the singer’s fans expected all along.

Track listing:
1. Cyclops
2. Hell No
3. Gods Of War
4. 1000 Points Of Light
5. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
6. Change Of Heart
7. Shoot All The Clowns
8. Fire
9. Sacred Cowboys
10. Tears Of The Dragon