Virtual XI

Virtual XI
Studio album by
Publication (s)	March 23, 1998
admission	Mid 1997 - February 1998
Label (s)	EMI Electrola GmbH & Co. KG
Format (s)	CD, LP, MC
Genre (s)	Heavy metal
Title (number)	8th
running time	53:22
occupation	Singing : Blaze Bayley Guitar : Janick Gers Guitar: Dave Murray Drums : Nicko McBrain Electric bass : Steve Harris
production	Steve Harris
Studio (s)	Barynard Studios, Essex (England)
chronology The Best of the Beast (1996) Virtual XI Brave New World (2000)

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Virtual XI   DE 16 04/06/1998 (7 weeks)   AT 24 04/05/1998 (6 weeks)   CH 39 04/05/1998 (3 weeks)   UK 16 04/04/1998 (3 weeks)   US 124 04/11/1998 (1 week)

Virtual XI ( English for: " Virtual Elf ") is the eleventh studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden . It was released on March 23, 1998 and was produced by Steve Harris .

background

The name Virtual XI refers to the 11th studio album and eleven players who belong to a soccer team. The band, especially Steve Harris, are very big football fans, and so the album even came with a poster on which the band posed for a group photo together with big football stars.

The album was produced by band boss Steve Harris in his home studio. Nigel Green was his assistant. Critics accuse Harris that, among other things, the decision to produce the album himself led to failure. In fact, the sound is sometimes quite pressureless and hardly comparable to other Iron Maiden productions.

This criticism led Steve Harris to hand over his place to Kevin Shirley on subsequent productions . Iron Maiden has been criticized in North America for promoting AOL on album and bonus CD. The European versions do not include this advertising.

The album cover was designed by Melvyn Grant , who was also responsible for Fear of the Dark . The cover returns to the tried and true drawn style. It shows band mascot Eddie reaching for a boy who is diving into virtual reality with glasses .

tour

The album was toured almost all of 1998 on the Virtual XI tour, in Germany with Helloween and Dirty Deeds, on the US tour with Dio and WASP. The tour ended in South America in autumn 1998. Iron Maiden had an allergy -Blaze Bayley's Disease cancel some shows in the states. After the tour ended abruptly, it was announced that both Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson would be returning to Maiden. This marked the end of Bayley's career as the third Maiden singer.

Track list

1. Futureal (Blaze Bayley, Steve Harris) - 2:55
2. The Angel and the Gambler (Steve Harris) - 9:51
3. Lighting Strikes Twice (Dave Murray, Steve Harris) - 4:49
4. The Clansman (Steve Harris) - 8:58
5. When Two Worlds Collide (Blaze Bayley, Dave Murray, Steve Harris) - 6:16
6. The Educated Fool (Steve Harris) - 6:44
7. Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Steve Harris) - 8:02
8. Como Estais Amigos (Blaze Bayley, Janick Gers) - 5:29

Song information

• The song Futureal is about virtual worlds and computer games and thus builds a bridge to the Iron Maiden computer game Ed Hunter , which was released in 1999. Images from the computer game can also be seen in the inlay of the CD.
• The Clansman is heavily influenced by the movie Braveheart .
• The Educated Fool was the first piece that Steve Harris had written after the death of his father (the line " I want to meet my father beyond " refers to it).
• Como Estais Amigos is dedicated to soldiers who died in the Falklands War . For the next 17 years it was to be the last final song on a Maiden album that was not composed or co-written by Steve Harris.

Single releases

The Angel and the Gambler

The Angel and the Gambler was released as a double single on March 9, 1998. As a bonus, Part 1 contains a double-sided poster, and Part 2 contains three double-sided cards. While the first single featured computer-animated artwork, the cover of the second single was one of the few from the post-1993 period drawn by Derek Riggs . Both singles contain a live track and a video. A picture single was also released - the cover was also from Riggs. The Afraid-to-Shoot-Strangers video shows the band live with Blaze Bayley and video sequences from the second Gulf War . The song was sung by Blaze Bayley. The Man on the Edge -Video shows the band live in a top-of-the-Pops - a spin-off in Masada , Israel .

The Angel and the Gambler Part 1

1. The Angel and the Gambler (Album Version)
2. Blood on the World's Hands (Live on November 1, 1995 in Gothenburg , Sweden )
3. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Video)

The Angel and the Gambler Part 2

1. The Angel and the Gambler (Edit)
2. The Aftermath (Live November 1st, 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden)
3. Man on the Edge (Video)

The Angel and the Gambler Picture Disc

1. The Angel and the Gambler (Edit)
2. Blood on the World's Hands (Live on November 1, 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden)

Futureal

Futureal was released as the second single on September 28, 1998. It contains two live songs and a video. The CD also has a CD-ROM part ready. The cover shows Eddie from the game Ed Hunter, the single was accompanied by a poster showing a futuristic version of the Powerslave artwork (and Derek Riggs was also created).

1. Futureal (Album Version)
2. The Evil That Men Do (Live November 1, 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden)
3. Man on the Edge (Live November 1, 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden)
4. The Angel and the Gambler (Video)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Charts DE Charts AT Charts CH Charts UK Charts US
2. ^ Iron Maiden - Virtual XI (7.5 / 10) - Great Britain - 1998
3. ↑ ^{a b} Virtual XI ( Memento from March 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ INSIDE THE SCREAM IS SILENT INSIDE IT MUST REMAIN
5. ^ The Iron Maiden Commentary ( Memento of April 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive )