One of the most influential Heavy Metal singers of all time, Bruce Dickinson not only mesmerized fans with Iron Maiden’s studio albums but also with his powerful live performances. His nickname “Air-Raid Siren” perfectly matches the power of his voice and has inspired countless singers around the world.
Live albums are always a great way to get a sense of how a band sounds in concert and Dickinson is a fan of that kind of record. He once revealed which one he believes is the greatest of all time.
The live album Bruce Dickinson said is the best of all time
The record that Bruce Dickinson said is the greatest ever made is Deep Purple‘s “Made in Japan”, released in 1972. “Hello cruel world, Bruce here from Iron Maiden. My Recollections about Deep Purple ‘Made In Japan’. It changed my life, it blew me away. (Beecause) I wanted to be everybody in that band, everybody. I blew up the speakers on my parents stereoggram playing that record, I knew every note on it. I actually used to jump around on sofas with a shitty guitar, trying to be Ritchie Blackmore and doing what I imagined he did on stage.”
“(So) I tell you, what a revelation. I think it is the greatest live album, the greatest Rock live album ever made and still is. I also had the privilege to work with Martin Birch, who told me all the stories about how it got made. That’s another story, but anyway, congratulations on having made it and still being here,” Bruce Dickinson said on Deep Purple’s official Youtube channel (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
He also praised that record in an interview in 1996 saying: “I don’t think there’s ever been a rock band since Purple that’s been… as good, frankly, at playing instrumentally, jamming, on stage and having moments of sheer brilliance. Nobody’s ever made a live record, heavy rock live record, as good as Made in Japan ever. Nobody. Which is an incredible testament to that band,” Bruce said.
Ian Gillan hated the record but Bruce Dickinson told him it was good
Bruce had the chance to meet Ian Gillan and become a good friend of the Deep Purple vocalist. When he discovered that the frontman didn’t that record he couldn’t believe it. He told that when talking about Maiden’s live record “Live after Death” (1985). “It was a real statement, a live double, like the ones we all loved when we were growing up. My favourite live album is Deep Purple’s ‘Made In Japan.'”
“But I recall reading Ian Gillan saying, ‘I thought it was a piece of shit, I sounded crap on it.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no. You’re wrong!’ The funny thing is, I’m the same with Live After Death. When Maiden fans tell me it’s our best live album, I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ But just recently I listened to Live After Death and it sounded pretty good. And “Scream for me, Long Beach!” has become a part of Maiden folklore,” Bruce Dickinson told Classic Rock in 2022.
He first met the singer when his former band Samson was using Gillan’s studio to record an album. The Deep Purple frontman showed up unannounced, listened to one track and said it was great, asking who the singer was. The funny part is that Bruce wasn’t feeling well that day and had to go straight to the bathroom to vomit. A little later Gillan himself appeared with a towel, helped him and even called a cab to take him home. Bruce said that every time they see each other Ian reminds him of that story.
Dickinson never had the chance to see Deep Purple live in the early days
Although he was a big fan of Deep Purple, he only had the chance to have the notion of how good they were playing live was through albums like “Made in Japan” and videos of the band. They were one of the groups he said, during a conversation the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood in 2025, which he really wanted to see but never had the chance when he was young. “I never saw any of the bands that I really, really wanted to see. Like Purple, never saw Purple,” he said.
But Dickinson had the chance to meet all the band members and can be considered one of the famous musicians who most paid tribute to them. He performed with the members of the group a few times on special occasions. More recently he led a tour with an orchestra as a tribute to the late keyboardist Jon Lord. Only Deep Purple and Jon Lord material was part of the setlist.
When it comes to studio albums, “Deep Purple In Rock” is the one which had the most profound impact on him, since it was the first album he heard by them and discovered what Hard Rock was. He also likes “Fireball” (1971) and “Machine Head” (1972).
I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago.
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After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world!
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