Bruce's Solo Discography Ranked - The Complete List

[Mosh]

My fav Bruce song would have to be Sacred Cowboys. Reminds me of RTTH

This (poorly written) 8 year old comment is no longer true. Shocking!

 

[Diesel 11]

This (poorly written) 8 year old comment is no longer true. Shocking!

For curiosity's sake, where does Sacred Cowboys rank for you now and what would you consider your favorite Bruce song at this point in time?

 

[Mosh]

For curiosity's sake, where does Sacred Cowboys rank for you now and what would you consider your favorite Bruce song at this point in time?

Sacred Cowboys is probably one of the lesser songs on the album but I still think it has a nice chorus. I would take it over Shoot All the Clowns, Fire, and maybe Laughing In the Hiding Bush.

Don’t have a favorite Bruce song but the contenders would probably be Chemical Wedding, Book of Thel, Darkside of Aquarius, and Omega.

 

[Deleted member 7164]

Strongly agree with @Zare. This song, along with Cyclops, would most benefit from Roy Z’s production.

The worst decision in Bruce's career made by his management...

 

[Jer]

55: Sacred Cowboys

Some of the songs left in the countdown are proof that you can sell people crap and make them eat it...

 

[Jer]

... except they're better than either of those 2.

...and all of them are worse than "The Apparition", I suppose...??

 

[Number 6]

...and all of them are worse than "The Apparition", I suppose...??

Precisely. Because, unlike "The Apparition", none of them are 10/10s.

 

[Diesel 11]

54: No Way Out... To Be Continued
Average Score: 7.05/10
Bonus Tracks 22/31

Here we go! One of the legit @Forostar classics. I remember when I first heard BTP and Foro sent me NWOTBC and "The Breeding House". I was blown away by the former and enjoyed the second. Funny because that one has fallen but "The Breeding House" only continues to rise. I think this is a pretty good ranking for the song, though I'm sure Foro would disagree. Also, it's interesting that people prefer the second song to the first. FYI, "Sacred Cowboys" and "No Way Out... To Be Continued" both have 7.05/10, but that's only because I rounded both of them up.

Choice comments:

Not bad, but a bit overlong with a lot of dull parts. Continued is much better.

The No Way Out... songs are brilliant.

I honestly don't get either of the No Way Out songs.

Insanely good song.
When I bought the Tears of the Dragon CD-single I was stunned by it. No way I expected that b-sides could be as strong as this! The melodies are excellent, and the guitar work and vocals are gorgeous.

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 1
9 - 5
8 - 5
7 - 3
6 - 2
5 - 3
4 - 0
3 - 1
2 - 1
1 - 0

Overall:

Spoiler

54 - No Way Out... To Be Continued
55 - Sacred Cowboys
56 - 1000 Points of Light
57 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
58 - Hell No
59 - All The Young Dudes
60 - Inside The Machine
61 - Real World
62 - Winds of Change
63 - Meltdown
64 - Gypsy Road
65 - Fire Child
66 - Shoot All The Clowns
67 - Octavia
68 - Dreamstate
69 - Hell On Wheels
70 - Fire
71 - Believil
72 - I Will Not Accept The Truth
73 - Mars Within
74 - Armchair Hero
75 - Toltec 7 Arrival
76 - God's Not Coming Back
77 - Darkness Be My Friend
78 - Confeos
79 - Headswitch
80 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
81 - Rescue Day
82 - No Lies
83 - Re-Entry
84 - Midnight Jam
85 - Over And Out
86 - Dracula
87 - Cadillac Gas Mask
88 - Tibet
89 - Elvis Has Left The Building
90 - Americans Are Behind
91 - Lickin' the Gun
92 - R 101
93 - Ballad of Mutt
94 - Zulu Lulu
95 - The Post Alternative Seattle Fall Out
96 - I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer

Albums:

Spoiler

Tattooed Millionaire 7/10
Balls To Picasso 5/10
Skunkworks 6/13
Accident of Birth 1/12
Tyranny of Souls 2/10
Bonus Tracks 22/31

 

[Deleted member 7164]

That one is far better than all remaining TM songs to say the least...

 

[Diesel 11]

53: Faith
Average Score: 7.05/10
Skunkworks 7/13

I hate to be the bearer of more sad news, but yes, another Skunkworks song has reached the list three spots away from the top 50. I like "Faith" quite a lot myself, sad that the album has so few fans on here. More than half of Skunkworks is now on the list, which is a shame because there are several songs I would've rated higher personally. Also, this time the 7.05 didn't come from rounding; it's a perfect 7.05/10.

Choice comments:

​

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 3
9 - 2
8 - 4
7 - 5
6 - 3
5 - 1
4 - 0
3 - 0
2 - 1
1 - 1

Overall:

Spoiler

53 - Faith
54 - No Way Out... To Be Continued
55 - Sacred Cowboys
56 - 1000 Points of Light
57 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
58 - Hell No
59 - All The Young Dudes
60 - Inside The Machine
61 - Real World
62 - Winds of Change
63 - Meltdown
64 - Gypsy Road
65 - Fire Child
66 - Shoot All The Clowns
67 - Octavia
68 - Dreamstate
69 - Hell On Wheels
70 - Fire
71 - Believil
72 - I Will Not Accept The Truth
73 - Mars Within
74 - Armchair Hero
75 - Toltec 7 Arrival
76 - God's Not Coming Back
77 - Darkness Be My Friend
78 - Confeos
79 - Headswitch
80 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
81 - Rescue Day
82 - No Lies
83 - Re-Entry
84 - Midnight Jam
85 - Over And Out
86 - Dracula
87 - Cadillac Gas Mask
88 - Tibet
89 - Elvis Has Left The Building
90 - Americans Are Behind
91 - Lickin' the Gun
92 - R 101
93 - Ballad of Mutt
94 - Zulu Lulu
95 - The Post Alternative Seattle Fall Out
96 - I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer

Albums:

Spoiler

Tattooed Millionaire 7/10
Balls To Picasso 5/10
Skunkworks 7/13
Accident of Birth 1/12
Tyranny of Souls 2/10
Bonus Tracks 22/31

 

[Diesel 11]

52: Gods Of War
Average Score: 7.09/10
Balls To Picasso 6/10

An interesting song for MaidenFans - some love it, others don't care much for it. What some people like, others dislike. Not much else to say... We're about to hit the Top 50, BTW. What song do you expect to see kick it off?

Choice comments:

Did you just vote for Gods of War? Good god, man! Are you on glue?!

I am not a huge fan of the chorus. As if Bruce is overstretching it somewhat.

Cry OOOOOH HOOOO HOOOOOO the GOOOODS OF WA HAAAR

For the rest, one of the least dynamic tracks, and a relatively dull song on the album.

THATS THE BEST BIT!!!!

THEY HOOOOOWL AND PRRRAAAY FOR MOOOOOREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Unreal

But it's CRRRYYY for more, isn't it?

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 2
9 - 3
8 - 5
7 - 7
6 - 1
5 - 2
4 - 0
3 - 0
2 - 2
1 - 0

Overall:

Spoiler

52 - Gods of War
53 - Faith
54 - No Way Out... To Be Continued
55 - Sacred Cowboys
56 - 1000 Points of Light
57 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
58 - Hell No
59 - All The Young Dudes
60 - Inside The Machine
61 - Real World
62 - Winds of Change
63 - Meltdown
64 - Gypsy Road
65 - Fire Child
66 - Shoot All The Clowns
67 - Octavia
68 - Dreamstate
69 - Hell On Wheels
70 - Fire
71 - Believil
72 - I Will Not Accept The Truth
73 - Mars Within
74 - Armchair Hero
75 - Toltec 7 Arrival
76 - God's Not Coming Back
77 - Darkness Be My Friend
78 - Confeos
79 - Headswitch
80 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
81 - Rescue Day
82 - No Lies
83 - Re-Entry
84 - Midnight Jam
85 - Over And Out
86 - Dracula
87 - Cadillac Gas Mask
88 - Tibet
89 - Elvis Has Left The Building
90 - Americans Are Behind
91 - Lickin' the Gun
92 - R 101
93 - Ballad of Mutt
94 - Zulu Lulu
95 - The Post Alternative Seattle Fall Out
96 - I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer

Albums:

Spoiler

Tattooed Millionaire 7/10
Balls To Picasso 6/10
Skunkworks 7/13
Accident of Birth 1/12
Tyranny of Souls 2/10
Bonus Tracks 22/31

 

[Jer]

53: Faith

I wish it had a happy end, like the fairy tales pretend there can be...

 

[Jer]

We're about to hit the Top 50, BTW. What song do you expect to see kick it off?

I think we're past due for another song from Tyranny Of Souls. Maybe "Devil On A Hog"?

 

[Diesel 11]

51: No Way Out... Continued
Average Score: 7.1/10
Bonus Tracks 23/31

The second "No Way Out" song brings us right up to the gates of Urizen that will soon open for us to allow us passage into the Top 50. This song is a great way to end Disc 2 of the BTP extras, and people seem to like it more than the first one (except Foro). It's got a vibe that I very much enjoy, personally. Sad to see it and its brother leave us, but the list will only get better (debate!) and the next 50 are going to include some of the greatest songs of all time. Hype!

Choice comments:

Continued, I cannot get into at all. It's just not the type of song I want to hear from Bruce Dickinson. The silly keyboard, Peter Gabriel vibe, and weird baritone vocals are just off-putting. "To register surprise" is delivered in a cringeworthy manner, ditto on "I've been working hard for this...all my life...and I like it this way." It's just an incredibly cheesy song, even for Bruce.

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 1
9 - 3
8 - 6
7 - 3
6 - 6
5 - 1
4 - 0
3 - 0
2 - 1
1 - 0

Overall:

Spoiler

51 - No Way Out... Continued
52 - Gods of War
53 - Faith
54 - No Way Out... To Be Continued
55 - Sacred Cowboys
56 - 1000 Points of Light
57 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
58 - Hell No
59 - All The Young Dudes
60 - Inside The Machine
61 - Real World
62 - Winds of Change
63 - Meltdown
64 - Gypsy Road
65 - Fire Child
66 - Shoot All The Clowns
67 - Octavia
68 - Dreamstate
69 - Hell On Wheels
70 - Fire
71 - Believil
72 - I Will Not Accept The Truth
73 - Mars Within
74 - Armchair Hero
75 - Toltec 7 Arrival
76 - God's Not Coming Back
77 - Darkness Be My Friend
78 - Confeos
79 - Headswitch
80 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
81 - Rescue Day
82 - No Lies
83 - Re-Entry
84 - Midnight Jam
85 - Over And Out
86 - Dracula
87 - Cadillac Gas Mask
88 - Tibet
89 - Elvis Has Left The Building
90 - Americans Are Behind
91 - Lickin' the Gun
92 - R 101
93 - Ballad of Mutt
94 - Zulu Lulu
95 - The Post Alternative Seattle Fall Out
96 - I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer

Albums:

Spoiler

Tattooed Millionaire 7/10
Balls To Picasso 6/10
Skunkworks 7/13
Accident of Birth 1/12
Tyranny of Souls 2/10
Bonus Tracks 23/31

 

[Diesel 11]

50: Welcome to the Pit
Average Score: 7.14/10
Accident of Birth 2/12

Welcome home to another Accident of Birth song. Welcome to the hard place. "Welcome To The Pit". Typically considered AOB's worst (real) song, and yet it's managed to beat out nearly 50 others to get this far up in the countdown. That's proof positive that Accident of Birth truly is an incredible album. Welcome to the Top 50. We're gonna have a blast.

Choice comments:

I really like Welcome to the Pit.

The only bad song on the whole album. Very generic and plodding. Also feels like it goes on forever.

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 1
9 - 3
8 - 8
7 - 3
6 - 2
5 - 2
4 - 0
3 - 2
2 - 0
1 - 0

Overall:

Spoiler

50 - Welcome To The Pit
51 - No Way Out... Continued
52 - Gods of War
53 - Faith
54 - No Way Out... To Be Continued
55 - Sacred Cowboys
56 - 1000 Points of Light
57 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
58 - Hell No
59 - All The Young Dudes
60 - Inside The Machine
61 - Real World
62 - Winds of Change
63 - Meltdown
64 - Gypsy Road
65 - Fire Child
66 - Shoot All The Clowns
67 - Octavia
68 - Dreamstate
69 - Hell On Wheels
70 - Fire
71 - Believil
72 - I Will Not Accept The Truth
73 - Mars Within
74 - Armchair Hero
75 - Toltec 7 Arrival
76 - God's Not Coming Back
77 - Darkness Be My Friend
78 - Confeos
79 - Headswitch
80 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
81 - Rescue Day
82 - No Lies
83 - Re-Entry
84 - Midnight Jam
85 - Over And Out
86 - Dracula
87 - Cadillac Gas Mask
88 - Tibet
89 - Elvis Has Left The Building
90 - Americans Are Behind
91 - Lickin' the Gun
92 - R 101
93 - Ballad of Mutt
94 - Zulu Lulu
95 - The Post Alternative Seattle Fall Out
96 - I'm In A Band With An Italian Drummer

Albums:

Spoiler

Tattooed Millionaire 7/10
Balls To Picasso 6/10
Skunkworks 7/13
Accident of Birth 2/12
Tyranny of Souls 2/10
Bonus Tracks 23/31

#5: Skunkworks
Average Score: 6.67/10
Released 19 February 1996
Dickinson / Dickson / Dale / Elena

When one of the greatest icons of metal suddenly decides to hang up his metallic boots and instead switch over to the alt scene, you know there's gonna be an uprising. That's exactly what happened when Bruce Dickinson released one of the weirdest albums in metal history - Skunkworks. People didn't know what the fuck to think, and in the end, the album flopped, old fans evaded him, and an already depressed, angry, and unhappy Dickinson was thrown far into the pits of despair. For a while it seemed that the end of his music career was nigh - then came a call from old friend Roy Z, and the chance to make a masterpiece... That said, Skunkworks already is a masterpiece. It's a very personal record and Bruce doesn't shy away from speaking his mind in some of his least understood, and least appreciated songs. While the love for this album isn't great on this forum, hopefully as time continues to turn, more people will come to find this dark, gloomy, but ultimately well-assembled hybrid crossing the boundaries of metal and alt, and come to appreciate it for what it is: a truly great album.

Choice comments:

Skunkworks isn't just my favorite Bruce album -- it's my favorite album period. By anyone. That's because I spent a ton of time listening to it, and it slowly opened up to me. I was attracted to it because it's such a personal album. It's like Bruce said, "Fuck my fans. I'm making this album for me." I find the songs honest and vulnerable. Bruce bares it all the way nobody else I've ever heard has. At first, I didn't get it, though. The album's almost entirely in metaphors, and I had to figure out what he was trying to emote lyrically, but as time wore on, it just all came together. Not only could I figure out what Bruce was trying to tell me about himself, but I was able to relate it back to myself. It's a very introspective and artistic album.

I had the most trouble with Skunkworks, when it came out. It was so unexpectedly different, also in terms of melodies (or lack thereof), that in the first weeks I could only like 3 or 4 songs very much. Now, Back from the Edge might be my favourite Bruce song, or at least top 3.

it's such a stellar record in my opinion.

It's definitely not bad. Better than Tattooed Millionaire by some distance.

When Skunkworks came out, I was disappointed. There was a sticker in the CD with an address, where you could write to to get info on upcoming Bruce activities. I wrote a letter complaining about how bad the album was. Never got anything back... I hope Bruce never got to see it, otherwise, I'm sorry Bruce, I was wrong! (for the most part)

Skunkworks clicked with me at last... sort of. I still think it's Bruce's worst album, but it's not outright terrible anymore.

Skunkworks is blah

Bruce was making great solo albums (skunkworks aside which was hideous)

SKUNKWORKS is a brilliant album, massively underrated.

A little uneven, but its high points absolutely crackle. "Solar Confinement", "Innerspace", and "Strange Death In Paradise" are stunning classics. "Faith", "Inside The Machine", and "Meltdown" are also very strong. The closest thing to a dud is "Dreamstate", which is still pretty decent. Love this album.

It's tough to write about this. Once again, there's a great opener in Space Race, and Solar Confinement is a decent tune too, but otherwise I have a lot of trouble distinguishing between the songs - they just sound the same! I'm not saying that it's objectively a bad album, and I understand Bruce put everything he had into making it at the time, but I just can't get into it. Maybe I'm just not fond of the grungey guitartone and production, I don't know. Ultimately, it sits firmly at the bottom of my list, and I don't see anything happening that will change this unfortunately.

This is the first Bruce solo album that has a definite tone maintained all throughout. It’s not incredible, as it lacks some really great standout songs, but it’s definitely enjoyable and quite consistent too. One of its main problems is repetition, that hurts various tracks quite a bit, e.g. Solar Confinement and I Will Not Accept the Truth. I wouldn’t call it a disappointing chapter, but he woul go on to release much better albums.

Votes:

Spoiler

10 - 1
9 - 1
8 - 5
7 - 5
6 - 3
5 - 1
4 - 0
3 - 0
2 - 1
1 - 1

Overall:

Spoiler

5 - Skunkworks
6 - Tattooed Millionaire

 

[Jer]

#5: Skunkworks

Well, I can't say I'm shocked, but I am disappointed. This album is clearly better than Balls To Picasso and Tyranny Of Souls, IMO. At least it beat out the obvious bottom choice, Tattooed Millionaire...

 

[Number 6]

At least it beat out the obvious bottom choice, Tattooed Millionaire...

My bottom choice is Skunkworks. Then comes Balls To Picasso, and only after that, Tattooed Millionaire.

 

[Diesel 11]

@Jer I disagree with you on it being better than TOS, because I love that album, but it is very close to TOS and AOB. I honestly can't decide if I like Tyranny or Accident better. Chemical is still best, Balls is still worst, Skunkworks is #4 and Millionaire is #5.

All of them are excellent albums but each are excellent in a different way. Only TM and BTP have any "bad" songs on them.

 

[Diesel 11]

My bottom choice is Skunkworks.

Sad jams, Piggy!

 

[Number 6]

I think the lowest score I gave to an album track here was 5/10, and that was only once ("Son of a Gun"). The "bad" Bruce songs are exclusively confined to the bonus material for me, none actual albums have any bad songs. Not even by Bruce standards.