Towards the end of 1988, Iron Maiden played the final show of their Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour. Up until that point, the band had kept a tight schedule with minimal time off since 1980. It was therefore decided that 1989 would be a year off. For most of the band, this meant a long-awaited and well-deserved break — but the ever-active Bruce Dickinson had other plans.
He had been approached to write a song for the film A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. This opportunity came at the perfect time, as he had recently reconnected with his old friend, former White Spirit and Gillan guitarist Janick Gers. Gers was going through a difficult period and was considering leaving the music industry, as he was out of work. Dickinson told him about the offer he had received, and that’s how “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter” was born.
The collaboration sparked something, and soon the two began working on Dickinson’s solo debut album. In just two weeks, Dickinson and Gers wrote what would become Tattooed Millionaire, at Gers’ home. They then entered Battery Studios with Chris Tsangarides to record the album.
The result was a straightforward, honest, and melodic hard rock album — a clear departure from the kind of metal Dickinson was known for in Iron Maiden. On this album, he experiments more with his vocals, and as always, he sings like a god.
My personal favourite on the album is “Born in ’58”, which is about Dickinson’s upbringing with his grandparents in Worksop. It’s a beautiful track, and perhaps the most personal song he’s ever written. A more humorous moment comes in “Dive! Dive! Dive!”, Dickinson’s second song about submarines — the first being Iron Maiden’s “Run Silent Run Deep.” An observant fan might argue that this isn’t true, as “Run Silent Run Deep” was released after “Dive! Dive! Dive!”. But the lyrics to “Run Silent Run Deep” were actually written back in 1986 for Somewhere in Time, although they weren’t used at the time.
“Dive! Dive! Dive!” isn’t the only link to Iron Maiden on the album. In “Son of a Gun”, Dickinson sings the line “Take me to Jesus – with Judas my guide.” This line later became the inspiration for Iron Maiden’s “Judas My Guide”, which appeared on Fear of the Dark two years later.
The album also includes a cover of David Bowie’s Mott the Hoople track “All the Young Dudes”, which in 1990 was an unusual stylistic choice for Dickinson. The song became a minor hit and reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. Several other covers were recorded, including a brilliant version of AC/DC’s “Sin City,” though that one didn’t make it onto the album.
Tattooed Millionaire was a commercial success and sold well, despite the fact that many Iron Maiden fans struggled to embrace its hard rock sound. The album also led to a successful tour, with shows across Europe and many in North America, where the concert film Dive! Dive! Live! was recorded.
Released 8 May 1990 on EMI.
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