The real problem with Virtual

I've always enjoyed VXI. I bought it when it came out in 1998 when I was 18 years old. I'd been listening to Maiden for 10 years by that point and, despite the issues, it was still Maiden.

And I think I appreciate it a little more today. One thing I've always loved about Maiden, in particular Steve, is he doesn't shy away from his past, even albums that didn't sell well. The DNA of X Factor and VXI is still in their music to this day. Some albums work better than others, but they all work. And Maiden learns from each one and pushes forward. They don't do the Judas Priest bullshit of pretending it doesn't exist. They acknowledge it and wear it on their sleeve proudly. I like their sleeves.
 
Nicko said so in a 1999 interview with Metal Hammer. This is cited in Lawrence Paterson's book "At the End of the Day", where this is followed by Blaze's own speculation that Nicko had gotten hold of some soundboard recordings from Blaze's poor nights and used them to persuade Steve.
Dang. I'll try to get a hold of that.
 
Not for me at least. The production wasn't great, but my main issue with music, usually, is the composition and performance. In VXI's case, the composition was hard for me to swallow for a long time.
I agree. All the remixes in the world cannot save Nicko's (lack of) performance on this album. There is no bad song on this album, in my opinion... nor are there great ones, perhaps just seeds thereof.
 
Okay but, this is an example of repetition I really like from this album. The basis of the song is solid but up to this point it hasn’t been a classic (the chorus never seems to hit a home run despite how often they repeat it). But then everything gets stripped back and Blaze’s voice takes center stage, and the way the band builds this up to a climax, with Steve’s bass, the massive symphonic backing, and Nicko’s drumming, before exploding into the solo section, is just awesome. It’s simple but so effective.

I really like Virtual XI. It’s far from perfect, but it’s got some interesting compositions and at this point in their career Jan and Dave have really become a great guitar duo. Janick really rarely phoned it in during the ‘90s, and there are some amazing solos on this record and guitar riffs and leads that make for a really nice, melodic sound. I also think Blaze still sounds good on the album, but you can tell that there are moments that could’ve used a second take.

So I like almost all of the songs (“The Educated Fool” kind of falls under the meh category because it gets choppy and the chorus is bleary, but man the instrumental section is still cool as hell and I like the song’s set up). What do I think is the problem with VXI? Well, it’s kind of difficult to get at because I think it’s kind of two fold.

1). Listening to both TXF and VXI makes it clear just how much energy the band seemed to lose between the two records. The biggest example is in Nicko’s drumming. Holy cow does he phone it in. I wonder if the rough TXF tour dampened his spirit going into this record. We know after the VXI tour he really pushed for Blaze to be given the boot, so it might have started even before then. When you’re used to a professional like Bruce it must be hard adjusting to someone who is practically a noob when it comes to big tours. That and coupled with Blaze’s vocal problems, must have been rough.

Additionally, I think a lot of people view this record as a brighter and more energetic sequel to TXF, but even if the songs have left most of the depression and anger behind, this record is tinged with sadness in all the guitar parts. It sounds like a band that’s bleeding (even if that makes for great melodies like I mentioned earlier).

2). This is the album where the band really becomes The Steve Harris Show. The bad reviews of TXF really seemed to make the man just dig his heels in further, and I respect that because he made the music he wanted to, the way he wanted to. But you can tell that some of the decisions he made are just weird. The production is fairly clear, but definitely limp (which adds to the guitar melodies shining forth but means the record has lost the traditional Maiden bite). I won’t say anything about the repetition, because I get what he was going for (a live mantra for crowds to chant along with), but at the very least “The Angel and the Gambler” being the first single is bizarre. And the way the band doesn’t go back and fix when they fuck up (when “Clansman” dives into the chorus that first time is an oof) shows how little Steve cared about doing a great record and instead tried to get a specific feel (probably a live feel knowing him). The overall feel sounds like Steve has been at the helm too much without returning to be tempered again in the forge. The sound is night and day when you listen to Brave New World, which despite being somewhat of a continuation of VXI, has so much more power than this album does.

So I think those are the issues I see with this record. I still really like it though, just looking at the post-reunion era I prefer it to AMOLAD and TFF. It was born out of a specific period of time by a specific group of musicians and at the end of the day: it is what it is, and I like it for being the album that it is. There’s still a lot to love here in spite of the issues.
I agree about ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger'' (the calm middle part, the melodies, the build-up, Nicko's drumming, solos, symphonic backing). The slow chorus is a nice contrast to the fast verses and instrumental section.

I love the album. I like all songs. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it has some amazing moments (especially melodies and riffs, solos and songs, ofc). I agree that Janick and Dave have really become a great guitar duo at this point. Blaze's vocals are better than in TXF album imo (live too).

The album is indeed brighter and more energetic than TXF and has a ''fun vibe'', but yes, the sadness can be heard in the guitar parts/ melodies.

I don't agree that much energy is lost between the 2 Blaze albums - the sound of the band became more proggy with long songs and they can't be fast all the time (like we can hear during the Reunion era). The energy in the songs is still there (especially Nicko's energy). Most of the choruses in the VXI album are slow and maybe that's why it left such an impression.

Kudos to Steve for not changing his style despite the bad reviews of TXF album. I think he managed to capture the right sound/feel for the VXI album. And why so many fans don't like the production of the album? I think it's very good, clear and with a brighter tone in guitars & melodies. Better than TXF production imo. Steve's only mistake for this album imo is that he used the long version of ''The Angel And The Gambler''. The repetiton (of instrumental sections and choruses) can be traced back to the 80's, so it's not a surprise.

VXI is one of my favorite albums! A product of its time. Very enjoyable album. I prefer it to quite a few Maiden albums.
The real problems with the album were the dry production and the Bruce Fanboys and Blaze Haters that couldn't even accept that masterpiece called The X Factor. Virtual XI has a huge Classic ( the Clansman) ,The Great opener Futureal, Two Worlds Collide, Lightning Strikes Twice, The beautiful and touchy Como Estais Amigos. Great songs. There are far worse albums in Maiden's catalog especially After the reunion IMHO. TAATG is too long , yes, but I enjoy the single version, pretty fun Song, Not a turd like The Apparition for example, and It worked well live. The Educated Fool Is really underrated and DLTTEOTS, being repetitive, is still solid with a beautiful crescendo before the solo
Dry production? I agree that there are worse songs than the ''weak VXI songs'' and what you said about ''The Educated Fool'' and ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stragner''. ''The Angel And The Gambler'' is a pretty fun song and I think that was the purpose of it. Like every other song in the album, it has fast passages.

''Futureal'', ''The Clansman'', ''When Two Worlds Collide'' and ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stragner'' are songs with a classic Maiden feel.
One thing I've always loved about Maiden, in particular Steve, is he doesn't shy away from his past, even albums that didn't sell well. The DNA of X Factor and VXI is still in their music to this day. Some albums work better than others, but they all work. And Maiden learns from each one and pushes forward. They acknowledge it and wear it on their sleeve proudly. I like their sleeves.
^ This. It's still 100% Maiden.
 
I agree about ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger'' (the calm middle part, the melodies, the build-up, Nicko's drumming, solos, symphonic backing). The slow chorus is a nice contrast to the fast verses and instrumental section.

I love the album. I like all songs. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it has some amazing moments (especially melodies and riffs, solos and songs, ofc). I agree that Janick and Dave have really become a great guitar duo at this point. Blaze's vocals are better than in TXF album imo (live too).

The album is indeed brighter and more energetic than TXF and has a ''fun vibe'', but yes, the sadness can be heard in the guitar parts/ melodies.

I don't agree that much energy is lost between the 2 Blaze albums - the sound of the band became more proggy with long songs and they can't be fast all the time (like we can hear during the Reunion era). The energy in the songs is still there (especially Nicko's energy). Most of the choruses in the VXI album are slow and maybe that's why it left such an impression.

Kudos to Steve for not changing his style despite the bad reviews of TXF album. I think he managed to capture the right sound/feel for the VXI album. And why so many fans don't like the production of the album? I think it's very good, clear and with a brighter tone in guitars & melodies. Better than TXF production imo. Steve's only mistake for this album imo is that he used the long version of ''The Angel And The Gambler''. The repetiton (of instrumental sections and choruses) can be traced back to the 80's, so it's not a surprise.

VXI is one of my favorite albums! A product of its time. Very enjoyable album. I prefer it to quite a few Maiden albums.

Dry production? I agree that there are worse songs than the ''weak VXI songs'' and what you said about ''The Educated Fool'' and ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stragner''. ''The Angel And The Gambler'' is a pretty fun song and I think that was the purpose of it. Like every other song in the album, it has fast passages.

''Futureal'', ''The Clansman'', ''When Two Worlds Collide'' and ''Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stragner'' are songs with a classic Maiden feel.

^ This. It's still 100% Maiden.
There are a lot of points I laughed at while reading this post but the funniest was “Steve’s only mistake”.

He quite literally recorded more wrong notes than right ones in The Clansman’s intro.
 
There are a lot of points I laughed at while reading this post but the funniest was “Steve’s only mistake”.

He quite literally recorded more wrong notes than right ones in The Clansman’s intro.
He quite literally did not. If you're gonna use the word literally, use it where it applies.
 
Sorry V-XI is poo. Nicko’s drum sound is poor. The guitar parts are meh and the use of repetitive choruses in the songs is as annoying as a dentist’s drill.
And last but not least, Balze, sorry I mean Blaze, is off key as per. What the flying fudge Harris was thinking when he employed Balze as Maiden’s singer I will never know.

Futureal is okay and The Clansman is a decent song, but hardly a classic.
 
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