Why did Bruce rejoin Maiden?

[Spiff]

I was wondering this the other day while listening to Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding.

Both are top albums, better (IMO, of course) than anything Maiden has done since Somewhere in Time, yet when Bruce gets an SOS from Steve and Co he rejoins Maiden w/ Adrian. But why?

With Maiden he had three number one albums, wrote Maiden's only number 1 single, had been the frontman of the biggest metal band of the 80s, and his promising solo career was taking off. So why rejoin Maiden when there wasn't really anything to achieve, as far as I can tell?

Was it because of money? Was it because he thought it would be fun? I would have much preferred a few more Brucey albums than his work on Brave New World and Dance of Death. Surely if Bruce didn't want to join, Maiden would have found a more than capable (and suitable) singer to replace Blaze.

Yeah, so I was just wondering.

 

[Mark]

He's stated before that he was tired of playing small shows - he wanted to do the large gigs again. Basically, he's a Leo.

 

[Shannow]

At work, I've worked on a lot of plant.

When I see it given to someone else, after I've moved on to other stuff, and see it start a decline, I want to step in and help.

I had a break from buying music, and didn't even know that Bruce had left. Saw the "new" album Virtual XI, and was apalled.

If he thinks even remotely like I do, you couldn't let that continue.

 

[Sydo]

I have no idea. Maiden is a joke compared to the Bruce solo efforts. A stupid, ugly, smelly joke.

 

[Shannow]

Sydo, I dunno what their problem is.

I was looking forward to a new album, and they came out with No Prayer, and I just about pissed myself laughing with it. Had a break, found Virtual XI, and was shocked beyond beleif.

Then Brave New World, which I really really like. Got X factor, and quite liked it.

Then Dance of Death, complete with the fucktedest cover I'd seen, and a genuine "stone'enge" moment (that I can't play at work because of copy protect).

It's hard

 

[Sydo]

I like The X Factor and enjoy parts from both Brave New World and Dance Of Death.
But those albums all sound really tired. The common argument is that 'but the band are not in their 20's anymore.. you can't expect them to rock like they used too'. Fuck that. Bruce (solo) does rock like he used to! Just compare his vocal effort of Dance Of Death to Tyranny of Souls. The dude ain't tired, he's bored with Maiden.

 

[Shannow]

I remember people on the BDBB suggesting that he was losing his voice (and agreeing with them), and then hearing ToS, and thinking exactly what you've suggested.

He's still got it.

 

[Spiff]

I listened to Tyranny the other day, and I don't think he sounds anywhere near as good as on Chemical Wedding and AOB. Marginally better than on Duck of Death, but I just don't like his style much anymore. Too strained, like. Still better than the Maiden stuff though.

 

[Sydo]

I agree Spiff. I like the album, but it hasn't hit me as being 'great' yet.
Yet still there's something there that keeps me wanting to listen to it again and again - which I have not felt about Maiden since.. since I started listening to them in '95.

 

[MeKaChrOme]

i agree that he doesn't sound as good as he use to, but he's still got quality to his voice... and as mentioned, he sounds a hell of a lot more enthusiastic about singing on ToS than on either of the last two Maiden releases...

 

[Goreripper]

Why wouldn't he sound enthusiastic singing his own songs, that he doesn't have to change because his bass player, who can barely write a decent lyric these days and barely could even in his heyday, doesn't like them? If I had full creative control over what I was doing, I'd be enthused about it too.

 

[Goreripper]

And I agree with Mark's comment too. If I was a star of Bruce's caliber, and I got offered the choice between playing club shows for fuck all, or arenas for big white bags with dollar signs on them, I'd do it too, even if it meant I had to sing songs that I didn't necessarily like.

 

[Mark]

Let 'er rip, Gorey

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I agree Gore, except for the part about Steve never really 'having it' back in the day. Some of his songs didn't 'have it', but at the same time, he also wrote some f'n classics.

I guess Bruce felt that he could do both and be happier doing both. ToS was a long time coming, because it kept being put off due to other commitments by both Bruce and Roy Z...they planned to get onto it sooner but didn't get around to it. Now there is talk of a Bruce DVD, possibly a covers album, and possibly some touring, so I think his vision of doing both is starting to come together, as he is still touring with Maiden, and there is talk of a new Maiden album starting to be written etc. Money probably played some part in it, but I wouldn't put it down to that.

 

[Sydo]

I guess being in Maiden can only help his solo career..
For example, his new album is advertised and available from www.ironmaiden.com - something which would never have happed during the mid-1990's. That sort of exposure must equal $$'s for Bruce.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

That is true too I guess. It may also encourage people to check out his past solo efforts, people who may not have even known much about them previously.

 

[Southy]

But that should of known about them, fuck them for not knowing......

 

[Goreripper]

I agree Gore, except for the part about Steve never really 'having it' back in the day. Some of his songs didn't 'have it', but at the same time, he also wrote some f'n classics.

I was exaggerating of course. It's hard to argue with "Hallowed be Thy Name" after all. But every time someone talks about Harris' songwriting, all I can ever think about is clangers like "Quest for Fire" and some of the lyrics in "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner".

 

[Spiff]

That's the problem when you're the main songwriter and also in charge of quality control.

 

[PIV Bassman]

Why did Bruce rejoin Maiden? Maybe he actually missed playing with the band that made him a household name. Maybe he actually DOES enjoy working with Steve Harris and the other band members and just needed a break to see what he could do on his own, to prove to himself he could produce decent material by himself (despite the fact most of 'his' music was written by other people anyway). After recording, touring, recording, touring and recording for the better part of ten years solid with the same band it's hardly surprising he wanted to have a crack at doing something else.

Steve Harris is a great song writer. It's easy to single out the clangers when there are so many great Maiden tracks to compare them to. No one song writer produces fantastic material all the time. Almost every album by every metal band has a couple of filler tracks. If it wasn't for Steve Harris and Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson would never have produced albums like The Chemical Wedding.

I've listened to Tyranny of Souls and I don't think it's half as good as Brave New World or Dance of Death for that matter. Some of the album is really second rate generic metal, very disappointing. The Chemical Wedding is far, far superior. TOS sounds as if it was slapped together in comparison.

Face it, if not for Maiden Bruce Dickinson would not BE the star vocalist he is today. Why wouldn't he want to go back and have another go after having an extended break?