Alive in studio A (1995)

Lineup
Bruce Dickinson - Vocals, Guitar
Alex Dickson - Guitars
Chris Dale - Bass
Alessandro Elena - Drums

Recording info
Recorded at Metropolis Studio A, Late October 1994 (Alive in Studio A)
Recorded at the Marquee, London, 18/10-94 (Alive at the Marquee)
Produced by Spencer May

Tracks (Alive in Studio A) Cyclops Shoot All The Clowns Son of a Gun Tears of the Dragon 1000 Points of Light Sacred Cowboys Tattooed Millionaire Born In 58 Fire Change of Heart Hell No Laughing in the Hiding Bush

Tracks (Alive at the Marquee) Cyclops 1000 Points of Light Born In 58 Gods of War Change of Heart Laughing in the Hiding Bush Hell No Tears of the Dragon Shoot All The Clowns Sacred Cowboys Son of a Gun Tattooed Millionaire

Singles
None

Promo videos
None

This album was released to mark the end of the period of calling the band Bruce Dickinson. Bruce really felt that he had found the perfect line-up when the Balls to Picasso-tour was complete.

At first he had considered taking the Tribe of Gypsies with him on tour, with them first doing their own thing and then he would join them onstage and they'd do the Bruce Dickinson stuff, but that situation was not favourable for either parties. So he went for another solution which started with teming up with guitarist Alex Dickson, who had just left the band Gun. Bruce and Alex went around Europe and America doing acoustic TV-shows and radio gigs to promote the upcoming tour.

Eventually he found bassplayer Chris Dale (who had been in a band called Atom Seed) and Italian drummer Alessandro Elena. This was the line-up that would become Skunsworks and this album was released to mark the end of part one, the Bruce Dickinson solo priject and the beginning of part two, the band Skunkworks.

The album has two discs, Alive in studio A and Alive at the Marquee, the latter, unsurprisingly, recorded at the Marquee Club in London on October 18 1994 on the Balls to Picasso-tour. Alive in studio A, a live run through of the set at Metropolis Studios in London, was recorded in the week after the Marquee gig and was intended to be broadcast on US radio, but this never came to fruition.

It has been critisiced by many, due to the fact that the two CDs have a nearly identical track listing. In retrospect Alex Dickson wasn't too happy about the release either, thinking it sounded a bit like a demo tape.

Click here for the lyrics

American promo shot introducing the 1994 live band

Promoposter for the album