August 25, 2025 • 7 mins
In 1994, having left Iron Maiden for a time (he rejoined in 1999), Bruce Dickinson released his second solo album, entitled Balls To Picasso. Named in honour 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, produced by Shay Baby and recorded with Z's band Tribe Of Gypsies, it went through various iterations before its release. The original album included a number of classic tracks and live favourites 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 entitled More Balls To Picasso, reimagines it as a fresh and contemporary release.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 labour of love. 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.' 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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon, Bruce. How are you doing today.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm doing great, mate, dude.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I got to tell you something more. Balls to Picasso.
I listened to it three times in a row. Every time,
each time it came to an end, I went to
do it again, do it again, because I can't get
enough of what you're doing on this album.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you're digging it because I mean,
back in nineteen ninety four we did it, and we
all always felt that that was just such an undiscovered
album after we did like Action the Birth and Chemical Wedding,
and those records really really really put my you know,
solo stuff, you know, you know, really back in front
(00:37):
of people. And I think that the record suffered not
just because of you know, not being heavy enough, not
you know, but also because of when it was released
just after I've left made, and I think a lot
of people really struggled with that. But now, you know,
thirty years after, there're people who have not really been
(00:57):
exposed to the records. So it took opportunity to really
beef it up, not just with just some extra guitars,
but you know, reimagining the mixes, doing stuff, improving all
the sounds on the record and picking the whole record
up so it really sounds like a contemporary record, and
(01:19):
some of the some of the lyrics on it, I'm like, wow,
I mean, I'm like, you know, cyclops I mean nineteen
ninety four, and I'm talking about people living their lives
and cameras and through their you know, seeing everything through
the lens of just a big Cyclopean world. And that's
(01:39):
damn it. That's the world we're living in now. You know.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, even even look at the lyrics of Gods of
War because I mean, I mean even the chanting that's
in there. So with the indigenous chanting that's going on
the lyrics of this song, people have got to pay
attention to what you're what the message is here, because
it's happening. It's happening.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, most of that record is happening now, it really is.
I mean, Sacred Cowboys it's happening now, the clowns it's
happening now, you know. So A thousand Points of Light
it's happening now.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I'll tell you, with that song, A Thousand Points of Light.
Right away, the very second that I heard it, I
envisioned people meeting over there at sam Ash or the
Guitar Center and jamming together. This is one of those
songs that everybody's going to come together. Go on, Oh really,
let me show you my interpretation of the song.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's uh, it's it's it's a
really cool right, It's a fantastic record. Of course, we're
playing some of it live as well. You know, we're
going to be doing doing stuff of Mandrake off this
one off action of Birth of Chemical Wedding. We're doing
a actually we've got a skunk Works track that we
can throw in there as well some nights. We've got
(02:49):
a Maiden track we're going to throw in there some
nights as well. Yeah, we've got a Maiden. We rehearsed
up a Maiden tune which they've made them never played
this song. And I'll only do Maiden songs that I
wrote one hundred percent. So you know, this is a
(03:11):
tune that I wrote one hundred percent and which Maid
and them never ever played. So I thought, hey, good
opportunity to give it a go. Yeah. And the actually
fact it wasn't even me the thought of it. It
was actually my wife who said you should do that track.
I went, oh, you know, yeah, but yeah we got yeah, yeah, yeah,
that shows you should every day you get over in
the morning, you should do that track. And then when
(03:32):
I said to the band, you know what, how do
you feel about maybe we should just learn this track,
and they all jumped on me and went, that's amazing,
that's awesome. We should absolutely do that track. I went, okay,
and now and it does sound fantastic. I think people
are going to lose their lose their underwear when they
hear it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Please do not move. There's more with Bruce Dickinson coming
up next. He thanks for coming back to my conversation
with rock and roll legend Bruce Dickinson. What was it
like to sit inside the engineering room with Antonio, because,
I mean, what you guys have produced on this new one,
you know, more Balls to Castle. I mean, there's just
such a collaboration of sound here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So this is all a combination of the producer of
Brendan Duffy. So Brendan came into my life at the
back end of the Mandread project, okay, and he was
basically instrumental in sorting out the mix, which was difficult
(04:35):
because this was a whole bunch of things that had
been stitched together over the course of twenty years or
there or thereabouts, and some of the things were compatible,
some of them are not compatible. It was, frankly, it
was a bit of a mess in terms of trying
to make a coherent album out of it. And he
(04:57):
did a great job. And then we went in and
did Atmoss version of it, which he specializes in as well.
And while we were sitting there chatting away, we were
just so you know, on the same in the same
groove about music, and he mentioned his buddy Antonio, and
Antonio came along and said, hey, yeah, I could put
(05:18):
all this indigenous percussion on the beginning of God's War.
And Antonio Turlo too Early is a Brazilian composer lives
in la and he lives in the rainforest. He digitally
recorded all of their indigenous instruments so that all went
on and I went, oh my god, that is just amazing.
(05:39):
What could we do with the rest of the record.
So he then said, look, I've always do you know,
I'm a classical composer. I went, I didn't know that.
He said yeah, I said that, So could I have
a go at Tears of the dragon. I went, oh yeah,
and while you're at it, strings on change of Heart.
So so he went and did that, and then I said,
I always kind of wanted a horn section on on
(06:03):
you know, shoot all the clowns. And Brendan went, you
know what, I'm doing a dig a doctor a PhD
In music correspondence course with you know, University of Berkeley.
He said, So my professor, who's my tutor or whatever,
happens to be a horn player, said and it turns
(06:24):
out that he's a huge fan. So these I've actually
got to Berkeley University horn professors playing horns and assembling
a horn section. And they played, they did the horns,
you know, so it was just so cool. And then
Philip nasluand and you know a Philip and Chris and
(06:46):
the guys in the band in my band at the
moment contributed doing extra guitars. I mean, some of them
are quite subtle. Some of them are just like really
rip your face off, but they were really make the
records sound. So now you know, it's rights.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You got to come back to this show anytime in
the future. We didn't even get to scratch the surface
on this one, so please let's get back together.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, I'm down with that obviously. I've got a little
bit of traveling to do first.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
You'd be brilliant today, okay, yeah, thank you man,
Good afternoon, Bruce. How are you doing today.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm doing great, mate, dude.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I got to tell you something more. Balls to Picasso.
I listened to it three times in a row. Every time,
each time it came to an end, I went to
do it again, do it again, because I can't get
enough of what you're doing on this album.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you're digging it because I mean,
back in nineteen ninety four we did it, and we
all always felt that that was just such an undiscovered
album after we did like Action the Birth and Chemical Wedding,
and those records really really really put my you know,
solo stuff, you know, you know, really back in front
(00:37):
of people. And I think that the record suffered not
just because of you know, not being heavy enough, not
you know, but also because of when it was released
just after I've left made, and I think a lot
of people really struggled with that. But now, you know,
thirty years after, there're people who have not really been
(00:57):
exposed to the records. So it took opportunity to really
beef it up, not just with just some extra guitars,
but you know, reimagining the mixes, doing stuff, improving all
the sounds on the record and picking the whole record
up so it really sounds like a contemporary record, and
(01:19):
some of the some of the lyrics on it, I'm like, wow,
I mean, I'm like, you know, cyclops I mean nineteen
ninety four, and I'm talking about people living their lives
and cameras and through their you know, seeing everything through
the lens of just a big Cyclopean world. And that's
(01:39):
damn it. That's the world we're living in now. You know.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, even even look at the lyrics of Gods of
War because I mean, I mean even the chanting that's
in there. So with the indigenous chanting that's going on
the lyrics of this song, people have got to pay
attention to what you're what the message is here, because
it's happening. It's happening.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, most of that record is happening now, it really is.
I mean, Sacred Cowboys it's happening now, the clowns it's
happening now, you know. So A thousand Points of Light
it's happening now.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I'll tell you, with that song, A Thousand Points of Light.
Right away, the very second that I heard it, I
envisioned people meeting over there at sam Ash or the
Guitar Center and jamming together. This is one of those
songs that everybody's going to come together. Go on, Oh really,
let me show you my interpretation of the song.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's uh, it's it's it's a
really cool right, It's a fantastic record. Of course, we're
playing some of it live as well. You know, we're
going to be doing doing stuff of Mandrake off this
one off action of Birth of Chemical Wedding. We're doing
a actually we've got a skunk Works track that we
can throw in there as well some nights. We've got
(02:49):
a Maiden track we're going to throw in there some
nights as well. Yeah, we've got a Maiden. We rehearsed
up a Maiden tune which they've made them never played
this song. And I'll only do Maiden songs that I
wrote one hundred percent. So you know, this is a
(03:11):
tune that I wrote one hundred percent and which Maid
and them never ever played. So I thought, hey, good
opportunity to give it a go. Yeah. And the actually
fact it wasn't even me the thought of it. It
was actually my wife who said you should do that track.
I went, oh, you know, yeah, but yeah we got yeah, yeah, yeah,
that shows you should every day you get over in
the morning, you should do that track. And then when
(03:32):
I said to the band, you know what, how do
you feel about maybe we should just learn this track,
and they all jumped on me and went, that's amazing,
that's awesome. We should absolutely do that track. I went, okay,
and now and it does sound fantastic. I think people
are going to lose their lose their underwear when they
hear it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Please do not move. There's more with Bruce Dickinson coming
up next. He thanks for coming back to my conversation
with rock and roll legend Bruce Dickinson. What was it
like to sit inside the engineering room with Antonio, because,
I mean, what you guys have produced on this new one,
you know, more Balls to Castle. I mean, there's just
such a collaboration of sound here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So this is all a combination of the producer of
Brendan Duffy. So Brendan came into my life at the
back end of the Mandread project, okay, and he was
basically instrumental in sorting out the mix, which was difficult
(04:35):
because this was a whole bunch of things that had
been stitched together over the course of twenty years or
there or thereabouts, and some of the things were compatible,
some of them are not compatible. It was, frankly, it
was a bit of a mess in terms of trying
to make a coherent album out of it. And he
(04:57):
did a great job. And then we went in and
did Atmoss version of it, which he specializes in as well.
And while we were sitting there chatting away, we were
just so you know, on the same in the same
groove about music, and he mentioned his buddy Antonio, and
Antonio came along and said, hey, yeah, I could put
(05:18):
all this indigenous percussion on the beginning of God's War.
And Antonio Turlo too Early is a Brazilian composer lives
in la and he lives in the rainforest. He digitally
recorded all of their indigenous instruments so that all went
on and I went, oh my god, that is just amazing.
(05:39):
What could we do with the rest of the record.
So he then said, look, I've always do you know,
I'm a classical composer. I went, I didn't know that.
He said yeah, I said that, So could I have
a go at Tears of the dragon. I went, oh yeah,
and while you're at it, strings on change of Heart.
So so he went and did that, and then I said,
I always kind of wanted a horn section on on
(06:03):
you know, shoot all the clowns. And Brendan went, you
know what, I'm doing a dig a doctor a PhD
In music correspondence course with you know, University of Berkeley.
He said, So my professor, who's my tutor or whatever,
happens to be a horn player, said and it turns
(06:24):
out that he's a huge fan. So these I've actually
got to Berkeley University horn professors playing horns and assembling
a horn section. And they played, they did the horns,
you know, so it was just so cool. And then
Philip nasluand and you know a Philip and Chris and
(06:46):
the guys in the band in my band at the
moment contributed doing extra guitars. I mean, some of them
are quite subtle. Some of them are just like really
rip your face off, but they were really make the
records sound. So now you know, it's rights.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
You got to come back to this show anytime in
the future. We didn't even get to scratch the surface
on this one, so please let's get back together.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, I'm down with that obviously. I've got a little
bit of traveling to do first.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
You'd be brilliant today, okay, yeah, thank you man,
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