Bruce Dickinson has announced a reworked and reimagined version of his 1994 solo album Balls to Picasso. A new take on “Gods of War” can be streamed now.
Appropriately dubbed More Balls to Picasso, the collection includes a pair of previously unreleased live-in-the-studio bonus tracks, as well as the original LP tracklist — albeit with updated performances, production treatments, and mixing.
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As Dickinson explained in a press release, he had the idea to “revisit and reinvent” Balls to Picasso while mixing his back catalog for Dolby Atmos.
“So putting more balls into ‘Balls…’ was a labour of love,” he said. “Of course, we beefed up the guitars — courtesy of our ‘Swedish shredder’ Philip Naslund — and we added some really beautiful work by Adassi Addasi on ‘Tears of the Dragon’ 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.’”
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He continued, “‘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 [original producer] Shay Baby, the original father of the album.”
Released in 1994 as Bruce’s second solo album following his departure from Iron Maiden, Balls to Picasso saw the metal singer in a more alternative hard rocker mode, reflective of the scene at the time. While the album is somewhat of an outlier in his discography, songs like the aforementioned “Tears of the Dragon” and “Shoot All the Clowns” are considered among the best in his solo repertoire.
Given the timing of the announcements, it’s likely that Dickinson will bust out a couple tunes from the LP on his upcoming North American solo tour — his first solo outing on the continent in nearly 30 years. Dates kick off August 22nd in Anaheim, California, and you can get tickets here.
Pre-order More Balls to Picasso on vinyl and CD via Bruce Dickinson’s online store. Stream “Gods of War” and see the artwork and tracklist, as well as a video message from Bruce, below.
More Balls to Picasso Artwork:
More Balls to Picasso Tracklist:
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
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