Alive in Studio A / Alive at the Marquee Club

This live album is more a best of his older pre-wedding stuff. His approach is a lot more rockish than Maiden, with punk and some folk influences. This was the first thing I got from him, and it blew my mind. Just straight-up rock in your face. The songs are so catchy, you cannot stop yourself from singing along classics like Tears of A Dragon or 1000 eyes. Bruce’s vocals are a lot better than in Iron Maiden I think. His vocal approach tends to be a lot rougher and less high-pitched on this album, which is I think, more his style. He can wail at times, like in songs like Change of Heart, or Cyclops, but he only does this with taste and precision.

The music is a raw rock sound, still metal, but a lot more blues oriented than the usual metal from that time (this album was released in 1995). There is no pointless wanking solo-wise, and that is refreshing, since I am not a huge fan of long winding solos, depending on the guitarist of course. The bassist is also a nice highlight, as his fills are very tasteful and even complex at points.

If you expect a maidenish sound from him, don’t buy this, you will be disappointed if you are not open to his newer sound. There are 2 cd’s in the package, but they basically have the same songs on them, just one live album and one studio album (not with new songs, mind you)