If you believe press, sometimes it will lead you up the garden path. When Bruce left Maiden to record this, Steve Harris was quoted somewhere as saying he had heard this, and that he had gone soft. This steered me clear of this album, until much later (explained below).
And so – we have a different album again from his first effort, Tattooed Millionaire. It is a mixture of average and brilliant, with Bruce appearing to be trying to move in a different direction from his Maiden days. Songs like Cyclops and Hell No, Laughing In The Hiding Bush and 1000 Points Of Light are still in the heavy direction, while the brilliant Tears Of The Dragon is probably the song that made his solo career.
I can admit that when I first got this, I was suitably unimpressed. Why? Well, now, I can't tell you. It was one of those albums that just didn't pass muster on the first round of listening (there have been a few like this that are in the top eschelon – Megadeth's Youthanasia was one, if you can believe it...). Perhaps, on maturing, I accepted it for what it is, rather than trying to judge it with the words of musicians I held almost complete respect for foremost in my thoughts.
Memories : Working at Shell Select Ryde, always listening to metal. One of my regulars spent six months trying to talk me into buying this album. “It's bloody brilliant! I can't believe you haven't got it yet!”. I finally relented, listened to it, didn't like it, and told him so. He now, of course, has the last laugh...
Rating : 8 years ago, probably 1 or 2. Today...3.5/5.
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