Iron Maiden : The X Factor (Expanded Edition)

IS SOMEONE IN HEAVEN ?

ARE THEY LOOKING DOWN ?

'CAUSE NOTHING IS FAIR

JUST YOU LOOK AROUND

I Made A Couple Of 

Album Covers

 To Choose From 

 The X Factor 

is the tenth 

studio album by

 English heavy metal band

Iron Maiden 

released on 

 October 2nd, 1995

 through EMI Records.

 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. 

This is reflected in

 the cover artwork, 

which graphically depicts

 the band's mascot, 

Eddie, 

being vivisected

 by a machine.

Background

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."

The cover art, 

depicting Eddie

 undergoing 

another lobotomy, 

was created by

  Hugh Syme. 

Due to the cover's

 "lifelike" style, 

the band was forced 

to release the album 

in a reversible sleeve,

 with a less graphic view 

of Eddie 

from a distance.

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 alternative 

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." 

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.

(* ALL THREE SONGS HAVE BEEN ADDED HERE !!)

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.

The band 

supported the album

 by touring, 

which titled

  The X Factour.

 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

Iron Maiden

• Blaze Bayley – vocals
• Janick Gers – guitar
• Dave Murray – guitar
• Steve Harris – bass guitar, production, mixing
• Nicko McBrain – drums

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