Best of
It's difficult to dislike Bruce Dickinson. He might be a platinum-selling rock star, but he's as confused and immature as the rest of us. He doesn't know why he's here, beyond loving music. He quitIron Maidenand learned to fly because he felt he had to earn respect. He was locked into a cycle of self-mutilation. He recorded an album with legendary grunge producer Jack Endino. He had massive hits in South America. He nicked the guitarist fromA Tribe of Gypsiesand let go when he had to. He had three days to write a song to satisfy Mercury Records and all he had to go on was a cassette of Aerosmith'sRocksshoved under a hotel door. He was the perfect choice to write music for theNightmare on Elm Streetmovie, but in the excitement of producing a No. 1 hit, the original version of "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" was suppressed. It's here, as the opening track on a bonus vault CD, alongside an impassioned live reading of "Jerusalem," and the excellent "I'm in a Band with an Italian Drummer" and a characteristically self-effacing interview. And, as far as the hits go, they're all here, from the brutal "Darkside of Aquarius" to "Accident of Birth" to the nostalgic "Born in '58."--Everett True