Bruce Dickinson’s solo catalog keeps getting bigger, literally. BMG Records has released Dolby Atmos versions of 2 of his solo albums, ‘Skunkworks’ and ‘Tattooed Millionaire,’ both newly mixed by Brendan Duffey, the same engineer behind the acclaimed Atmos version of Dickinson’s most recent solo album, ‘The Mandrake Project.’
‘Skunkworks,’ originally released in 1996 and produced by Nirvana’s Jack Endino, has grown considerably in reputation since its initial divisive reception. The album pushed Dickinson into experimental and alternative territory, pulling in grunge, progressive, and psychedelic influences at a time when that kind of genre-blending was genuinely unusual in metal circles. Dickinson is unambiguous about where he stands on it now: “It will blow your socks off. It’s a record of which I’m immensely proud. In many ways, it was a bit advanced for its time because we were bringing in all kinds of influences that other people in metal were scared of. It’s very emotional and quite dark in places.”
‘Tattooed Millionaire,’ Dickinson’s 1990 solo debut, came together with a very different energy. Written in 2 weeks with Janick Gers and produced by Chris Tsangarides, it delivered a more direct hard-rock sound and generated 4 UK Top 40 singles, including a cover of David Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes.” Dickinson describes the Atmos upgrade plainly: “Now with modern technology, we can beef it all up and make it BIG in Atmos world. The album sonically sounds really good.”
Both releases follow last year’s critically acclaimed Dolby Atmos reworking of ‘More Balls To Picasso,’ continuing a methodical and rewarding deep dive into Dickinson’s solo output with the kind of audio care these records deserve.