Tattooed Millionaire

When Sony reissues a title on Legacy, it usually means that the album has some type of historic value — something that has withstood the test of time and is considered a classic in its genre. In 2002, Columbia/Sony reissued Bruce Dickinson's first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire, on Legacy and added five bonus tracks. By that time, Tattooed Millionaire was 12 years old, and the question is: Does this album (originally released in 1990) deserve to be called a classic? Absolutely. Dickinson's solo career got off to an excellent start with Tattooed Millionaire, and the interesting thing is that this CD was such a departure from the singer's work with Iron Maiden. In the '80s, Iron Maiden was the essence of larger-than-life fantasy metal — the Brits' lyrics often dealt with the supernatural, and Maiden fans tended to crave equally fantasy-oriented headbangers like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Candlemass, King Diamond, Ronnie James Dio, and Queensrÿche. But Tattooed Millionaire isn't fantasy metal; instead, Dickinson surprised listeners with an unexpected pop-metal direction. This time, Dickinson is more Steven Tyler than Rob Halford — more Jon Bon Jovi than Ronnie James Dio. And he is obviously enjoying this pop-metal/hard rock direction a great deal; the British singer certainly sounds inspired on gems like the Aerosmith-influenced "Lickin' the Gun" and the power ballad "Son of a Gun." The bonus tracks (mostly B-sides of early-'90s singles) are also excellent, and they range from a gutsy cover of AC/DC's "Sin City" to the contemplative ballad "Winds of Change" (which has a somewhat Bob Dylan-ish quality and hints at what Dylan might sound like if he embraced hard rock instead of folk-rock). Some of Dickinson's fans prefer him as a supernatural-minded fantasy metaller, but from a hard rock/pop-metal standpoint, this reissue is a treasure.