Bruce Dickinson, a British heavy metal singer, has released seven studio albums, two live albums, one compilation, ten singles, three video albums, fourteen music videos, and one box set. In 1979, after playing in local groups, Dickinson joined hard rock band Samson. He departed after two years to become Iron Maiden's lead vocalist. His debut with this band is considered a "masterpiece", which was followed with a series of top-ten releases. In 1989, while Iron Maiden were taking a year off, Dickinson and former Gillan guitarist, Janick Gers, composed a song for a film soundtrack. His solo debut, Tattooed Millionaire (1990), was an effort that favoured a hard rock/pop metal approach, different from what fans assumed would be an aggressive, Iron Maiden-like album. Four songs—the title track, "Dive! Dive! Dive!", "Born in '58", and a cover version of David Bowie's "All the Young Dudes"—were released as singles. Dickinson returned to Iron Maiden, accompanied by Gers as the new guitarist, and the project went on hiatus. Dive! Dive! Live! was a live video recorded from a concert in Los Angeles, California, in August 1990, and released in July 1991.
After a farewell tour in 1993, Dickinson left Iron Maiden and started working on a second album with Tribe of Gypsies guitarist and band leader, Roy Z. In June 1994, he released Balls to Picasso, which reached the top 30 in several countries. Allmusic deemed the album "somewhat of a disappointment" which failed to "come up with anything truly groundbreaking", except for "Tears of the Dragon", which was released as a single, along with "Shoot All the Clowns". Roy Z departed to continue with his work and Dickinson recruited new members, with whom he released the double-disc live performance, Alive in Studio A. The third album, Skunkworks, was released in 1996, marking a "highly approved stylistic shift". The single "Back from the Edge" was released to promote this effort. A live video and an EP were recorded from a concert in Spain, and released in Japan, as Skunkworks Live.
Due to musical differences, the Skunkworks line-up split up, and Dickinson once again was joined by Roy Z, along with then ex-Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith. The follow-up album, Accident of Birth (1997), marked a return to a heavier sound for Dickinson. The title track and "Man of Sorrows" were released as singles. The next year he released a semi-concept album on alchemy, The Chemical Wedding, which was described as a "modern metal aesthetic". The "muscular anthem", "Killing Floor", was the album's single. The live album, Scream for Me Brazil, documented a 1999 live performance in São Paulo during the supporting tour. That year, Dickinson and Smith rejoined Iron Maiden, and the project once again went on hiatus. He released a "best of…" album in 2001, which included two new songs, "Broken" and "Silver Wings". On 23 May 2005, Dickinson released his first album in seven years, Tyranny of Souls. To commemorate this, all of his past releases were remastered, with his studio efforts containing bonus tracks, and the live recordings merged into a single box set, entitled Alive. The 2006 DVD, Anthology, contained three live performances, all of the promo videos, and over an hour of extras. Since Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981 he's sold well over 100 mln albums as of 2024.
Albums
Studio albums
Year Album details Peak chart positionsUKAUTFINBruce Dickinson in Finnish Charts: 1990–1994 1995–2025 GERJPNNLDSWESWIUS1990Tattooed Millionaire Released: 8 May 1990 Label: EMI (CDP 79 4273 2) Format: CD, LP, CS 14 — 7 39 — — 33 35 1001994Balls to Picasso Released: 6 June 1994 Label: EMI (8-29682-2) Format: CD, LP, CS 21 26 6 46 25 82 8 29 1851996Skunkworks Released: 19 February 1996 Label: Sanctuary (SMEDD196) Format: CD, LP, CS 41 — 14 — 69 — 40 — —1997Accident of Birth Released: 3 June 1997 Label: Castle (0000124RAW) Format: CD, LP, CS 53 — 13 52 30 93 46 — —1998The Chemical Wedding Released: 14 September 1998 Label: Sanctuary (SMRCD214) Format: CD, LP, CS 55 — 22 41 64 — 31 — —2005Tyranny of Souls Released: 23 May 2005 Label: Sanctuary (MYNCD035) Format: CD 65 56 10 39 75 96 10 73 1802024The Mandrake Project Released: 1 March 2024 Label: BMG Format: CD, LP, digital 3 1 2 1 — 6 1 2 176 "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
Live albums Year Album details Notes1995Alive in Studio A Released: February 1995 Label: Castle (RAWDD102) Format: CD, LP, CSThe album was released as a double-disc set. The first CD was recorded live in the studio, and the second one at the Marquee Club. It peaked at number 96 in the UK.1999Scream for Me Brazil Released: 2 November 1999 Label: Sanctuary (NR 4502) Format: CDThis was a 70-minute-long disc recorded in São Paulo, 1999, during the "Chemical Wedding world tour". It is the second Bruce Dickinson tour to include Adrian Smith on guitar. The album peaked at number 177 in the UK.
Compilation albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions NotesUKFINGERSWE2001The Best of Bruce Dickinson Released: 25 September 2001 Label: Metal-Is (MISCD014) Format: CD 141 6 72 42It includes two new songs, "Broken" and "Silver Wings". The UK release added a fourteen-track bonus CD, containing rare songs that had only appeared as B-sides on singles.2018Scream for Me Sarajevo: A Story of Hope in a Time of War Released: 2 June 2018 Label: BMG Format: CD, LP — — — —
Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album UK FIN IRL USMain. 1990 "Tattooed Millionaire" 18 14 — — Tattooed Millionaire "All the Young Dudes" 23 10 25 —"Dive! Dive! Dive!" 45 — — — "Born in '58" 81 — — — 1994 "Tears of the Dragon" 28 6 — 36 Balls to Picasso "Shoot All the Clowns" 37 20 — — 1995 "Sacred Cowboys" # — — — — 1996 "Back from the Edge" 68 — — — Skunkworks "Solar Confinement" — — — — 1997 "Accident of Birth" 54 — — — Accident of Birth "Man of Sorrows" §# — — — —1998 "Killing Floor" § — — — —The Chemical Wedding2023"Afterglow of Ragnarok"4———The Mandrake Project2024"Rain on the Graves"————"Resurrection Men"———— "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country."§" denotes Japanese release only.# denotes UK promotional single release only.
Other charted songs Year Title Peak AlbumFIN2024"Many Doors to Hell"68The Mandrake Project
Video albums Year Video details Peak chart positions NotesUKDENFINFRAITASWE US1991Dive! Dive! Live! Released: 1 July 1991 Label: PMI (PMI49073) Format: VHS, LASERDISC — — — — — — — The show was filmed in Los Angeles, California, on 14 August 1990, during the Tattooed Millionaire U.S. tour leg. It was directed by James Yukich, known for his work with Iron Maiden's Live After Death.1997Skunkworks Live Video Released: 1997 Label: Victor (VIVP-66) Format: VHS — — — — — — — A live performance filmed on 31 May and 1 June 1996, in Pamplona and Gerona, Spain, during the Skunkwoks world tour. It was directed by Julian Doyle and released only in Japan.2006Anthology Released: 20 June 2006 Label: Sanctuary (SVE4011) Format: DVD 3 3 2 20 9 10 36A three-DVD package that contained the live performances, Dive! Dive! Live! (1991), Skunkworks Live Video (1997), and Scream for Me Brazil (1999), plus all the promo videos and over one hour of extras and unreleased footage.
Music videos
Year Title Director 1990 "Tattooed Millionaire" Storm Thorgerson "All the Young Dudes" "Dive! Dive! Dive!" Jim Yukich "Born in '58" 1994 "Tears of the Dragon" Howard Greenhalgh "Shoot All the Clowns" 1996 "Back From the Edge" Bruce Dickinson "Inertia" 1997 "Accident of Birth" "Man of Sorrows" "Road to Hell" 1998 "Killing Floor" Julian Doyle "The Tower" 2005 "Abduction"
Box sets YearBox set details Notes 2005 Alive Released: 23 May 2005 Label: Sanctuary (86393) Format: CD A three-disc box set, which compiled the live performances, Alive in Studio A/Alive at the Marquee (1995) and Scream for Me Brazil (1999). It was released on 23 May 2005 worldwide,—and on 21 June 2005 in the US—to celebrate the release of Tyranny of Souls.
Other appearances
Year Song Album Ref.1989 "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 OST "Smoke on the Water"The Earthquake Album by Rock Aid Armenia1992 "(I Want to Be) Elected"None (single)1994 "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath1997 "Bohemian Rhapsody" Friends for Life "Elected" Bean OST (originally released in 1992 for Comic Relief)1998 "The Zoo" ECW: Extreme Music "Trumpets of Jericho" Child's Play 4: The Bride of Chucky OST1999 "Black Widow" Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper2000 "Into the Black Hole" Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator "The One You Love to Hate" Resurrection "Wannabe Gangstar" Wheatus2005 "Shout it Out Loud" Sheep in KISS Make Up "Beast in the Light" Execution2008"Chemical Wedding"Chemical Wedding OST"Man of Sorrows"2010 "2 Minutes Silence" Video by The Royal British Legion2012 "Second Movement: Andante" Concerto for Group and Orchestra by Jon Lord2013 "Behind Blue Eyes", "Black Night", "Emerald" The Sunflower Superjam 2012: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
See also Iron Maiden discography Samson discography
References General
Specific
External links Bruce Dickinson's official website