Author Topic: Bruce Dickinson Top 30 (Now Sharing: Wolfking) (Read 23798 times)

wolfking · « **Reply #70 on:** April 11, 2010, 05:36:42 AM »

Quote from: GuineaPig on April 10, 2010, 07:01:19 PM

However, similar to "Omega," its awesomeness is directly correlated to the amount Adrian Smith solos on that song. Another one of his best.

That statement is 100% TRUE!!!

GuineaPig · « **Reply #71 on:** April 11, 2010, 09:11:06 AM »

3. Tears of the Dragon (from Balls to Picasso)

Far and away Bruce Dickinson’s most successful song from his solo career, “Tears of the Dragon” was also one of only three tracks written solely by Dickinson during this time (along with “No Lies” and “Man of Sorrows”). The only Dickinson single to chart in the States (it also went to #1 in Brazil), it was from a commercial standpoint superior to any other song he released. But it was well deserved; “Tears of the Dragon” is an amazing song, and I suspect a fair number of people will be disappointed that I did not put it at #1. I don’t really need to describe it, as every Bruce fan will have heard it many times. Lyrically, melodically, musically, it all clicks; it’s just a great song in every way. Roy Z puts in one of his best solos over a Maiden-esque gallop, and I love the reggae bit afterward that unfortunately got cut out of the song in all Smith-era renditions of the song. Fantastic song, and as shown on the various live albums Bruce has done, an absolute crowd favourite. As a little treat to offset explaining something everyone’s heard, here’s something you may not have heard: a version of the song with H playing the solo. Filmed on the European leg of The Chemical Wedding tour (which Roy Z was absent from) in Vosselaar, Belgium, it’s a great version. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tznq05ZBcTc

Zydar · « **Reply #72 on:** April 11, 2010, 09:20:51 AM »

Great to see this awesome song, it's my favourite of his solo work

TAC · « **Reply #73 on:** April 11, 2010, 03:47:45 PM »

Quote from: Zydar on April 11, 2010, 09:20:51 AM

Great to see this awesome song, it's my favourite of his solo work

My #1 Bruce song too.

Zantera · « **Reply #74 on:** April 11, 2010, 04:33:15 PM »

Great ballad idd, though i've always thought that NtSotS is superior to it.

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #75 on:** April 11, 2010, 04:46:38 PM »

Such a cheesey name for a song though. Seriously.

EDIT: hey where's Laughing in the Hiding Bush?!

MykeHavoc · « **Reply #76 on:** April 11, 2010, 05:50:34 PM »

I was cranking Chemical Wedding today and Book of Thel came on. That intro is so gnarly. Definitely in my top ten favorite builds.
I'm betting that's number one on the list. I wouldn't put it that high, but it hasn 't been listed and it's top 25 material for sure.

GuineaPig · « **Reply #77 on:** April 11, 2010, 06:05:38 PM »

Quote from: sneakyblueberry on April 11, 2010, 04:46:38 PM

Such a cheesey name for a song though. Seriously.

EDIT: hey where's Laughing in the Hiding Bush?!

It's not that great a song, imo. It's a good song, but even in its far superior live form it wouldn't make this list.

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #78 on:** April 11, 2010, 06:16:41 PM »

Quote from: GuineaPig on April 11, 2010, 06:05:38 PM

Quote from: sneakyblueberry on April 11, 2010, 04:46:38 PM
Such a cheesey name for a song though. Seriously.

EDIT: hey where's Laughing in the Hiding Bush?!

It's not that great a song, imo. It's a good song, but even in its far superior live form it wouldn't make this list.

Fair enough. The marquee version would prolly be top ten for me.

Zook · « **Reply #79 on:** April 12, 2010, 04:28:13 PM »

I have a bootleg and Bruce introduces Laughing In The Hiding Bush with "here's a song written by a three year old". lol

GuineaPig · « **Reply #80 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:00:53 PM »

Quote from: Zook on April 12, 2010, 04:28:13 PM

I have a bootleg and Bruce introduces Laughing In The Hiding Bush with "here's a song written by a three year old". lol

It's because his son inspired the lyric.

GuineaPig · « **Reply #81 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:26:50 PM »

2. Book of Thel (from The Chemical Wedding)

So, now we’ve made it to #2. I figure by now most people had deduced what the top 2, let alone the top 3, were. That’s an extremely strong indication of how great this song is. Based loosely on the William Blake poem of the same name, “Book of Thel” is 8 minutes of roaring metal that piles great melodies and riffs on in heaps. The intro is great, and is one of the few moments on this album where one might be able to divine that Roy Z loves playing Latin rock as much or more than he does metal. It of course, leads into what is in my book (pardon the pun) the best riff on the album. It doesn’t start all at once; it gives us three false starts before it jumps away. Interesting note; what Bruce is whispering before the first verse starts is just a lists of names from a phone book, so I wouldn’t spend your precious time trying to decipher it. Bruce gives a fantastic performance here; as I said previously, the minimalist production really lets his strong, natural voice and trademark vibrato dominate the verses and chorus. As well, this song features what are in my opinion the best performances of the rhythm section of Casillas (one of two writing credits he received; the other was for “Fire” on Balls to Picasso) and Ingraham. The bass groove is solid the entire way through, and features some cool stuff in the pre-chorus. Ingraham also helps drive the song, and puts in some snazzy fills during the transition to the final verse. I always end up miming his four hi-hat hits back into the main riff. As is fitting with the great performances, “Book of Thel” contains one of the best instrumental sections of any Dickinson song, with a cool riff providing the backing for two great solos by H and Z, with an awesome sing-along harmony part bridging the two. The end features some more Blake poetry courtesy of Arthur Brown, providing a cool ending and a tie-in with the lyrics. Amazing song, and another I’d love to see live.

Zantera · « **Reply #82 on:** April 13, 2010, 02:11:41 PM »

Not surprising, and i agree.
When i first heard the "best of", and this song.. (think that performance is live), i was floored.
What an amazing intro+build-up, and then the drum-solo in the middle.
Completely cool, and the chorus is pretty much epic win as well.
One of his best.

GuineaPig · « **Reply #83 on:** April 13, 2010, 07:49:40 PM »

1. Jerusalem (from The Chemical Wedding)

Well, here we are at the finale. Not a huge surprise, as I’ve mentioned this song before as both my favourite Bruce Dickinson song as well as a strong candidate for my favourite song ever. Based on the William Blake poem (and later hymn) “And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time,” the first few verses are almost identical to Blake’s poem, with the choruses, bridges, and finale being penned by Dickinson. I don’t quite know how to distill this song into a recap; it’s a masterpiece. The melodies, the lyrics, the music, all work together to create an impeccable feel to the song. Dickinson gives what I think is his definitive vocal performance; nuanced, varied, beautiful. The song builds and builds throughout, giving a feeling of continually growing grandeur. After two great solos and a fantastic harmony, comes the finale: probably my favourite part of any song, ever. Simply fantastic, and I shouldn’t have to explain why. The song recedes to mandolins; and Arthur Brown delivers some more Blake poetry. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I feel like I did a really bad job of conveying why this song is so fantastic, but one should really experience the song instead of reading someone struggling to explain its awesomeness. It’s a damn shame there are no video bootlegs of this song floating around, as it was only a played a couple times in South America on The Chemical Wedding tour. Luckily, there’s an amazing live version on Bruce’s Best of... compilation.

Now, two treats for the end. First, “Jerusalem” the hymn! Not the same vocal melodies, but cool nonetheless, and you can see first-hand the similarities between the lyrics and the poem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFrVrBQh_50

Secondly, a fantastic unplugged rendition of “Jerusalem” by what appears to be a Brazilian school band. Awesome version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opKiq5Z8bGE

Anyways, thanks for reading. Don’t be afraid to post your opinions on favourite songs, lyrics, moments, solos, performances, etc.

Cool Chris · « **Reply #84 on:** April 13, 2010, 09:20:48 PM »

Thank you for doing this GP. I have CW, AoB and ToS, and enjoy them a lot, though I don't listen to them much for some unknown reason. This thread has inspired me to revisit them

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #85 on:** April 14, 2010, 12:32:12 AM »

I've really enjoyed reading this list, GP (though I knew Jerusalem would be your no1 from the outset!). I think I'll have to hunt down the Best of compilation, it sounds like there are some real gems on there.

That video of the hymn reminds me of college, we sung that in assembly. Awesome! But its like "did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green?" "No. No they didn't"

Zantera · « **Reply #86 on:** April 14, 2010, 03:05:03 AM »

Nice thread, and Jerusalem is idd a great song.
I especially love the guitar-solo in it.

GuineaPig · « **Reply #87 on:** May 30, 2011, 05:01:03 PM »

Bumping this thread just to say this: by far the biggest omission for this list was "Innerspace." I should've had it in my top 15, maybe top 10.

wolfking · « **Reply #88 on:** May 30, 2011, 05:43:50 PM »

Quote from: GuineaPig on May 30, 2011, 05:01:03 PM

Bumping this thread just to say this: by far the biggest omission for this list was "Innerspace." I should've had it in my top 15, maybe top 10.

That whole album is very strong and underrated, I think I'd have quite a few songs in my top 25 from it. Overall, I'd say Skunkworks is my third fav Dickinson album.

I wouldn't mind having a go at a Dickinson top 25, what do you all think?

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #89 on:** May 30, 2011, 06:05:44 PM »

^ I will follow sans pants.

wolfking · « **Reply #90 on:** May 30, 2011, 08:51:35 PM »

Alright, give me some time and I'll start in a couple of days.

The King in Crimson · « **Reply #91 on:** May 30, 2011, 08:57:03 PM »

Following as well.

Mladen · « **Reply #92 on:** May 31, 2011, 12:57:33 AM »

Got into Bruce's solo career during April, a lot of good stuff in there. Can't wait for your list, wolfking.

Zydar · « **Reply #93 on:** May 31, 2011, 01:04:50 AM »

Looking forward to it wolfie

Jirpo · « **Reply #94 on:** May 31, 2011, 01:48:26 AM »

Great top 2 on that last one!

wolfking · « **Reply #95 on:** May 31, 2011, 04:53:36 AM »

Alright, good stuff. I plan to start mine tomorrow!

GuineaPig · « **Reply #96 on:** May 31, 2011, 05:34:07 AM »

Looking forward to it. There's enough variety in Bruce's discography that there'll be divergence.

wolfking · « **Reply #97 on:** May 31, 2011, 05:45:32 AM »

Thanks for the nice welcome in the thread title GP. Just going through some of my list now, man this is hard, so much great music and it's bringing back so many great memories. I might even make it a top 30,. The good thing is, my list will obviously have the staples that your list did, but a lot of different songs, and some nice surprises too. Look out for it this time tomorrow!!

TAC · « **Reply #98 on:** May 31, 2011, 05:56:44 AM »

Looking forward to it, Wolf!

wolfking · « **Reply #99 on:** June 02, 2011, 05:30:45 AM »

Bruce Dickinson's solo work has always been a true favourite of mine. Everything this man has done really is something special. I remember seeing Chemical Wedding in a cd store back about 10 years ago when I was heavily into Maiden. At that time I was unaware of Bruce's solo offerings. I immediately picked it up and since my first listen to that album, it's just been special, and would easily go in a top 20 albums of all time, maybe even 10, I couldn't believe the music that was offered on this cd, amazing.

It's extremely difficult to rate Bruce's songs like this. Of his diverse discography, I am a fan of all of it. Every album has a lot to offer, as well as Bruce's b-sides and rare cuts. His partnership with Roy Z really was a force to be reckoned with and with H on board for those two albums, they were just unstoppable. Like GuineaPig, I have taken songs from all albums plus obscure cuts. You really could make a top 25 list just with the whole AOB and CW albums they are that good, but I feel there are so many other Bruce songs that should be appriciated and really deserve a place in this list. There are so many songs I have left off. Anyway, I have cheated and decided to do a top 30.

30. No Way Out...Continued (from The Best of Bruce Dickinson)

We kick it off with No Way Out...Continued, as GuineaPig stated earlier, from the lost sessions with Keith Olsen. I simply love the haunting keyboard riff throughout and it really just was a wonderful atmosphere. Great production too and Bruce's slightly rawer darker vocals fit the song really well. Interesting structure with the song slightly building through the verses. The climax of the amazing guitar solo is excellent and the modulation into the solo section is wonderful. Classy solo too, very smooth. I'm actually not sure who did the guitar solo on this one, as I'm pretty sure this was recorded before Bruce teamed up with Roy. I could be wrong, GuineaPig might know. A really good song, it really is album material.

29. Sacred Cowboys (from Balls to Picasso)

This one has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Simple tune, but a cracking tempo and nice riffing. Bruce's half rap works well over the rapid pace, with some interesting lyrics. The chorus is just too feel good, very melodic, somewhat generic, but just very fun. Roy's guitar work on this one kills. love the solo section and his choice of notes, a nice play over the quicker pace of the tune. Not much more too say, great tune.

28. Ghost of Cain (Bonus Track from Accident of Birth)

One thing I always loved about Bruce's work, is that his bonus tracks most of the time are just as strong as his album tracks, and Ghost of Cain is a prime example of that. I loved the remasters that were released a few years ago, they had so much extra material, some of the best releases I've ever seen. I think the main hook of this song is the wonderful melodies at the beginning, and the melodic chorus. The song seems to breathe really well and is just a joy to listen to, and it's very simple but it's just a fantastic song.

27. Chemical Wedding (from Chemical Wedding)

I know most people would say this is way too low in a best of Dickinson list, and they could be right. But as I stated before, his work is so damn strong, even a song ranked this low is amazing. Love the grinding riff here with the back end of the riff descending chromatically from D, C# to C, adding to the heaviness and atmosphere of the tune. The chorus is good, but IMO Dickinson has done better. The prechorus before the second chorus I must say is the best part of the song IMO. Roy's take on the guitar solo really adds to things too. His diminished runs add to the darkness and brooding atmosphere of the song, good stuff.

26. Return of the King (Bonus track from Chemical Wedding)

It baffles me that this tune never made it onto an album, but in retrospect, it does sound sonically different from the rest of the Chemical Wedding album. This actually sounds like it could have been written in the Accident of Birth sessions. This simply has a wonderful chorus, very melodic. Again like Cain, it's simple but just works really, really well. This one also has a great solo section, with both guitarists complementing each others style, although love H's solo, smooth as silk. More proof that Bruce's bonus tracks are A-side material.

GuineaPig · « **Reply #100 on:** June 02, 2011, 06:01:55 AM »

I think the thing that really elevates both "Cain" and "Return" is Bruce's performance. He's in great form on both of those tracks, with some really strong vocal melodies.

wolfking · « **Reply #101 on:** June 02, 2011, 06:21:29 AM »

Yeah, I think that's it, the vocal melodies are just very, very strong.

Mladen · « **Reply #102 on:** June 02, 2011, 07:49:40 AM »

Sacred cowboys and Chemical wedding would also manage to get in my top 30. I'm not familiar with other songs, are B-Sides that strong?

wolfking · « **Reply #103 on:** June 02, 2011, 08:18:22 AM »

Quote from: Mladen on June 02, 2011, 07:49:40 AM

Sacred cowboys and Chemical wedding would also manage to get in my top 30. I'm not familiar with other songs, are B-Sides that strong?

Yes, they really are that strong.

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #104 on:** June 03, 2011, 12:59:54 AM »

Totes agree with everything you said about Chemical Wedding (the song).

News: Track-by-track video for Paralyzed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5TbGbalPs&feature=youtu.be

Author Topic: Bruce Dickinson Top 30 (Now Sharing: Wolfking) (Read 23798 times)