In 1994, having left IRON MAIDEN for a time (he rejoined in 1999),Bruce Dickinson released his second solo album, titled “Balls To Picasso”. Named in honor of the cubist pioneer whose representations of spherical objects were as squares, and reflected on the cover in graffiti style on a tiled bathroom wall, the album belied its irreverent title by solidifying Dickinson‘s reputation as a serious solo artist.
His first record with collaborator Roy “Z” Ramirez, and recorded with Z‘s band TRIBE OF GYPSIES, it went through various iterations before its release, produced by Shay Baby. The original album contained a number of classic tracks and live favorites from Dickinson, including the singles “Tears Of The Dragon” and “Shoot All The Clowns”, alongside the much-loved epic “Laughing In The Hiding Bush”, which was the original title for the album.
Yet despite its positive reception at the time, it never quite captured Dickinson‘s original vision which was even more expansive in scope and ambition. However, with the ability to revisit his solo catalog — and following on from Dickinson‘s hugely acclaimed album “The Mandrake Project” in 2024 — the brand new part re-recorded, remixed and newly mastered version of the album, now titled “More Balls To Picasso”, reimagines it as a fresh and contemporary release; a roaringly full-throttle and ambitious collection of supremely crafted and realized songs.
Dickinson says of it: “While mixing all my catalogue into Dolby Atmos I had a nagging desire to revisit and reinvent the record. So putting more balls into ‘Balls…’ was a labor of love. Of course, we beefed up the guitars — courtesy of our ‘Swedish shredder’ Philip Näslund — and we added some really beautiful work by Adassi Addasi on ‘Tears…’ as well. Fellow Brazilian composer Antonio Teoli added some stunning orchestral arrangements, and in a unique contribution, added indigenous instruments from the Amazon (recorded by himself when he lived there!) at the beginning of ‘Gods Of War’.
“‘Shoot All The Clowns’ gets the benefit of a horn section fronted by the Berklee College Of Music, and all of the record gets the benefit of the mix by Brendan Duffey, (who worked on ‘The Mandrake Project’),with notes along the way from Shay Baby, the original father of the album.”
Additionally, “More Balls To Picasso” includes two previously unreleased live-in-the-studio tracks, “Gods Of War” and “Shoot All The Clowns”. It will be available as a splatter vinyl double album and tri-panel digisleeve CD album.
“More Balls To Picasso” track listing:
01. Cyclops
02. Hell No
03. Gods Of War
04. 1000 Points Of Light
05. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
06. Change Of Heart
07. Shoot All The Clowns
08. Fire
09. Sacred Cowboys
10. Tears Of The Dragon
11. Gods Of War (live in the studio)*
12. Shoot All The Clowns (live in the studio)*
* Previously unreleased
This summer, Dickinson will embark on his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album “The Mandrake Project”, with a setlist encompassing his entire solo career. “The Mandrake Project Live 2025” North American tour kicks off in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues on August 22 and takes the band across North America, including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky),with more to be announced. The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City of Light in São Paulo.
Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the “The Mandrake Project Live 2025” North American tour will once again be his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O’Callaghan (bass),alongside the group’s latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson‘s “Rain On The Graves” single). Roy Z is not part of the touring lineup.
Roy played guitar on “Balls To Picasso” and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce‘s subsequent four solo albums, “Accident At Birth” (1997),“The Chemical Wedding” (1998),“Tyranny Of Souls” (2005) and “The Mandrake Project” (2024).
“The Mandrake Project” arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.
Bruce and Roy recorded “The Mandrake Project” largely at Los Angeles’s Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for “The Mandrake Project” was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on “Tyranny Of Souls” in 2005.
Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on “The Number Of The Beast” album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.
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