Artist: Dickinson, Bruce
Label: Sanctuary Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 4/5
What is there even left to say about Bruce Dickinson, the singer of today’s mastodon metal giants Iron Maiden, that hasn’t been said long ago? He’s truly regarded as one of the best vocalists in the metal world, and his body of work with Iron Maiden is undoubtedly even more brilliant. His solo career is no less impressive, and you could easily slap the label “exceptional” on it! More than anything else, though, Dickinson sees himself, and comes across, as one hell of a „performer” in the positive sense of the word, of course. Anyway, Bruce finally decided the time was right to present his retrospective or rather his lifetime solo output in a single package, so he simply named it “ANTHOLOGY”, and chances are there won’t be any follow-up of the kind.
Basically, the DVD set contains an excellent selection of tracks, drawn from the singer’s enviable body of work, which show the artist’s development over his 20-year rich solo career in the best possible way. The content of the first DVD, titled “DIVE DIVE LIVE”, is in my personal opinion the best material, and it convincingly stands out on this release. It reaches back to the time when Bruce was at the peak of his vocal and performing powers, which you can feel right from the crowd’s reaction. The Skunkworks period is a touch more alien, but today it’s definitely a lot more digestible than it was back then. Who knows, maybe the songs ripened along with the author himself. Special praise on this release goes to the sound quality on the “SCREAM FOR ME BRAZIL” set (DVD 2). The sound is kind of “audience-based”, which is a bit odd given that the recording was originally meant for, and released a few years back as, an audio CD, but obviously the studio, hangovers and all, added its two cents this time. Either way, it sounds fresh and somewhat rejuvenated, since the viewer (er, listener) feels like part of the crowd, or like they’re listening to a really good bootleg.
The bonus DVD contains never-before-seen or released promo material, which, let’s just say, was never shown on MTV, since by his own words Bruce isn’t too fond of that kind of TV channel.
In a word, this is an extremely solid retrospective, a first-class historical cross-section of the career of one of the greatest and most influential singers, role models even, in the metal world. Don’t hesitate to buy it, because the point has been made. This sinful metal bundle of works by the one-of-a-kind “air-raid” siren screamer is like a household item in the shared family estate, simply an obligation for every household!
Lineup
Bruce Dickinson – vocals
Janick Gers – guitar
Alex Dickson – guitar
Roy Z – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Andy Carr – bass
Chris Dale – bass
Eddie Casillas – bass
Dickie Fliszar – drums
Alessandro Elena – drums
Dave Ingraham – drums
Track list
DVD 1. – “DIVE DIVE LIVE”:
01. Riding With The Angels
02. Born In ’58
03. Lickin’ The Gun
04. Gypsy Road
05. Dive Dive Dive
06. Drum Solo
07. Zulu Zulu
08. The Ballad Of Mutt
09. Son Of A Gun
10. Hell On Wheels
11. All The Young Dudes
12. Tattooed Millionaire
13. No Lies
14. Fog On The Tyne
15. Winds Of Change
16. Sin City
17. Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter
18. Black Night
“SKUNKWORKS LIVE”:
01. Space Race
02. Back From The Edge
03. Tattooed Millionaire
04. Inertia
05. Faith
06. Meltdown
07. I Will Not Accept The Truth
08. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
09. Tears Of The Dragon
10. God’s Not Coming Back
11. Dreamstate
12. The Prisoner
DVD 2. – “SCREAM FOR ME BRAZIL”:
01. King In Crimson
02. Gates Of Urizen
03. Killing Floor
04. Book Of Thel
05. Tears Of The Dragon
06. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
07. Accident Of Birth
08. The Tower
09. Darkside Of Aquarius
10. The Road To Hell
DVD 3. – Bonus DVD:
01. Tattooed Millionaire
02. All The Young Dudes
03. Dive Dive Dive
04. Born In ’58
05. Tears Of The Dragon
06. Shoot All The Clowns
07. Back From The Edge
08. Inertia
09. Accident Of Birth
10. Road To Hell
11. Man Of Sorrows
12. Killing Floor
13. The Tower
14. Abduction
