BRUCE DICKINSON Names IRON MAIDEN's 'Most Underrated' Song

Bruce Dickinson has revealed what he believes is IRON MAIDEN's most underrated song. Taking to the stage at in Tampa, Florida on Thursday night (January 20) during his North American spoken-word tour, the polymath regaled the crowd with tales from his life in and away from fronting one of the biggest bands in metal.

As reported by Eonmusic's Eamon O'Neill, Dickinson was welcomed by a huge round of applause and wasted no time in delving straight into his life story, from his unconventional upbringing to his unlikely and oftentimes hilarious public school years.

Recalling his time with NWOBHM contenders SAMSON — whom he fronted from 1979 to 1981 — he quipped: "We made every mistake it's possible to make in the music industry — in a concentrated time."

Going on to talk about key events in his career with IRON MAIDEN, including the band's triumphant headline slot at Brazil's Rock In Rio festival in 1985, he also touched on his lack of contribution to the creation of the "Somewhere In Time" album. Recalling the writing sessions for the 1986 set, he admitted: "I was in a weird place. I was ready for the funny farm."

It was during the fan-submitted question and answer section that the Ed Force One pilot was asked what he thought was MAIDEN's most underrated track. "I'm a really big fan of 'Total Eclipse', he said, without hesitation, referring to the B-side to his debut single with the band, 1982's "Run To The Hills". Elaborating, he explained that the track "Gangland" was originally slated to appear on the flipside. However, the band had a change of heart. "That sounds great. This is so good that we can't do it as the B-side," he explained. Expanding on "Gangland", which is the penultimate track on the "The Number Of The Beast' album, Bruce divulged: "'Gangland' went on the album, and we actually forgot to mix the guitar solos. There's a bit in there, and there's no guitar solo. To this day, I think we forgot."

Read the entire report from Eonmusic.

Dickinson kicked off his two-month North American spoken-word tour last Mondsay night (January 17) at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dickinson is considered one of the world's most storied musicians. Aside from decades spent delivering high-octane performances with his larger-than-life persona in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce has lived an extraordinary off-stage existence too. A true polymath, his accomplishments include: pilot and airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, beer brewer, motivational speaker, film scriptwriter, twice-published novelist and Sunday Times best-selling author, radio presenter, TV actor, sports commentator and international fencer… to name but a few.

IRON MAIDEN's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", was released in September via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.