The X Factor | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 October 1995 | |||
Recorded | August 1994 – August 1995 | |||
Studio | Barnyard (Essex, England) | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 70:54 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer |
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Iron Maiden studio albums chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from The X Factor | ||||
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The X Factor is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden,released on 2 October 1995 through EMI Records. [2] CMC International released the album in North America. It is the first of two albums by the band to include Blaze Bayley,formerly of Wolfsbane,as vocalist,replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career. It also saw the departure of the band's longtime producer Martin Birch,who retired shortly after the release of their previous album, Fear of the Dark (1992). The album takes a darker tone than the band's first nine releases,due to the lyrics being based on personal issues surrounding Steve Harris at the time,who was in the midst of a divorce. [3] This is reflected in the cover artwork,which graphically depicts the band's mascot,Eddie,being vivisected by a machine. [4]
The album title came about at the start of the recording. According to producer Nigel Green:"We all felt that the way things were progressing –the songs,Blaze's new involvement,the sound,the commitment –the new album really would have that extra quality,that bit of magic,that 'X Factor'. This became the working title for the album and we liked it,so we kept it. It is also very apt as this is our tenth studio album and "X" can bring up many images." [5]
The cover art,depicting Eddie undergoing another lobotomy,was created by Hugh Syme. [6] Due to the cover's "lifelike" style, [4] the band was forced to release the album in a reversible sleeve, [7] with a less graphic view of Eddie from a distance. [8]
The album was the last until 2015's The Book of Souls to use the classic variant of the band's logo:every studio release from Virtual XI to The Final Frontier used an alternate that removed the extended ends of the "R","M",and both "N's".
The X Factor is also unusual in that it yielded several band compositions that did not make it onto the album. "We actually ended up doing 14 songs and we used eleven," said Steve Harris,"which is very unusual for us." [3] The three songs that did not make the cut,"I Live My Way","Justice of The Peace" and "Judgement Day," were released as B-sides to the album’s singles. The latter two would also be featured on the Best of the 'B' Sides collection.
The X Factor was Maiden's tenth consecutive UK top ten album but spent only four weeks on the chart –making it their shortest-staying studio album. [9]
The band supported the album by touring. Much like the tour for the following album, Virtual XI ,several dates in the United States were canceled as Bayley suffered from occasional vocal issues from the band's heavy concert schedule. [10] [11]
"Man on the Edge" and "Lord of the Flies" were released as singles. Both of these songs,and "Sign of the Cross," remained in Iron Maiden set lists following Bruce Dickinson's return. Live versions of these songs with Dickinson on vocals can be found on "The Wicker Man" single and the live albums Death on the Road , Rock in Rio and Nights of the Dead respectively,while the same live takes of "Man on the Edge" and "Sign of the Cross" were later re-released on Iron Maiden's 2011 compilation album From Fear to Eternity .
"The Edge of Darkness" is based on the 1979 film Apocalypse Now ,adapted from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness , [12] "Man on the Edge" is based on the 1993 movie Falling Down , [13] and "Lord of the Flies" is based on the William Golding novel of the same name. [4] "Sign of the Cross" is based on the Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose . [4] Live recordings of "Blood on the World's Hands" and "The Aftermath" from the X Factor were issued as B-sides and also on the Best of the 'B' Sides compilation.
Blaze Bayley later recorded a re-arranged version of "Sign of the Cross" on the live album As Live as It Gets .
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 2/10 [15] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 [16] |
The X Factor was met with lukewarm responses from critics. AllMusic rated the album two stars out of five,stating that "suffering from a lack of powerful riffs and tightly written songs,The X Factor is a lackluster latter-day album from Iron Maiden. Although the band doesn't sound particularly bad on the record,they don't sound inspired and there's a noticeable lack of energy to the performances which makes the lack of imagination all the more apparent." [14]
Sputnikmusic were somewhat more positive about the release,deeming the album "a change for Iron Maiden,and a very important one at that" as it "paved the way for future albums of similar length". [16] They also praised the "often criticized" Blaze Bayley,whose voice they claimed "was perfect for the new release." [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sign of the Cross" | Steve Harris | 11:16 |
2. | "Lord of the Flies" |
| 5:02 |
3. | "Man on the Edge" |
| 4:10 |
4. | "Fortunes of War" | Harris | 7:25 |
5. | "Look for the Truth" |
| 5:10 |
6. | "The Aftermath" |
| 6:20 |
7. | "Judgement of Heaven" | Harris | 5:10 |
8. | "Blood on the World's Hands" | Harris | 6:00 |
9. | "The Edge of Darkness" |
| 6:39 |
10. | "2 A.M." |
| 5:37 |
11. | "The Unbeliever" |
| 8:05 |
Total length: | 70:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Justice of the Peace" |
| 3:34 |
2. | "I Live My Way" |
| 3:48 |
3. | "Judgement Day" |
| 4:02 |
Total length: | 11:24 |
Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes. [17]
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] | 64 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] | 19 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] | 19 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] | 8 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [22] | 29 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] | 2 |
French Albums (SNEP) [24] | 11 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [25] | 16 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [26] | 23 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [27] | 5 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [28] | 17 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [29] | 6 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [30] | 15 |
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) [31] | 21 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [32] | 4 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [33] | 27 |
UK Albums (OCC) [34] | 8 |
US Billboard 200 [35] | 147 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
Italian Albums (FIMI) [36] | 55 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [37] | 75 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [38] | Silver | 60,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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Iron Maiden is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 14 April 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and Harvest and Capitol Records in the US. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. In 1998, along with the rest of the band's pre-1995 releases, Iron Maiden was remastered with "Sanctuary" added in all territories. However, 2014 vinyl reissues, 2015 digital releases and 2018 CD reissues use the original track listing across the globe. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton.
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Blaze Bayley is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994. He was also the lead singer of Iron Maiden during Bruce Dickinson's absence from 1994 to 1999. Since then, he has pursued a solo career and has released ten studio albums. Blaze was voted number 67 in Sweden Rock magazine's top 100 singers of all time.
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