It's 10 years since the release of X, Kylie's 10th studio album. Originally titled Magnetic Electric, the title was changed as fans were referring to it as 'Album X' during the production period, in reference to the album being Kylie's 10th, and seemed like an appropriate, celebratory title to mark Kylie's return to music. It's also been noted that the album shares the same title as INXS' 1990 album, which features the song 'Suicide Blonde' (written about Kylie), and was released 10 years to the week since Michael Hutchence's death.

 

During her recovery from cancer treatment, Kylie started the initial writing process by jotting down lyrics, influenced by both doubts and aspirations for the future. The project was paused for the resumption of the newly titled Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour but truly went underway once the tour was completed. Demand to work with Kylie was high, particularly after Parlophone's A&R sent out briefs to various artists, writers and producers of various notability. The music produced was largely electro pop, but influences of rock, R&B and disco can be heard too. It was a sound that was generally praised by critics and most agreed it was a triumphant return to the pop scene, with the commercial success supporting this.

 

Today, X remains one of the most loved Kylie albums by fans, with even the songs that didn't make the final cut considered among her best. As X reaches its 10th anniversary, let's celebrate this mighty album, bursting with innovative, energetic music that carries the same passionate, refreshed spirit Kylie injected into making it.

 

 

Tracking List

01. 2 Hearts

02. Like a Drug

03. In My Arms

04. Speakerphone

05. Sensitized

06. Heart Beat Rock

07. The One

08. No More Rain

09. All I See

10. Stars

11. Wow

12. Nu-Di-Ty

13. Cosmic

I have a mixed feeling about the album. The first half of the album is amazing but the second half sounds like b-side fillers except WOW and Stars.

 

Some other tracks should've been included, like Lose Control and Magnetic Electric.

 

It's still mind-boggling why Nu-di-ty and Cosmic were included, they sound like unfinished demos.

 

The megamix released prior to the album release sounds amazing.

Edited December 1, 20177 yr by Red Blooded Man

This album, even in its final form, ranks as one of my favourites from Kylie. You can tell she was buzzing with ideas after not being in the studio for so long and created some fresh and sophisticated pop music alongside the happy, playful songs. There is a little bit of filler but even then I enjoy them - the problem lies more with the standard of the songs that were left off the album. Songs like 'Wow' B-sides, 'I Don't Know What It Is' and 'Magnetic Electric' are fantastic and it's such a shame they didn't make it to the final tracking list. Parlophone should have released an X: 10th Anniversary edition and added a disc of bonus content!

I still remember buying the Deluxe edition of it on release day, 10 years seems mental.

 

I look back on the era fondly, the album has some gems but I really think had the likes of Rippin' Up The Disco, Fall For You, Magnetic Electric, Do It Again etc. been included on the tracklist over deadwood like Heart Beat Rock, All I See, Cosmic etc. it'd have been a more perfect, cohesive collection. Still a fab album though, just wish more thought would have been given to the tracklist.

I have to say the much of artwork from X era is pretty awful.

 

My track list:

01. 2 Hearts

02. Like a Drug

03. In My Arms

04. Speakerphone

05. Sensitized

06. Lose Control

07. The One

08. No More Rain

09. Fall For You

10. Stars

11. Wow

12. Rippin' Up the Disco

13. King or Queen

Edited December 5, 20177 yr by Red Blooded Man

I agree about the artwork. I know it sounds superficial but I can’t think of x without thinking how much I hate the cover and her looks in the videos.

 

I’m in the camp that doesn’t like two hearts either so this also set a bum note from the outset. But I agree many of the other tracks are sublime. I will never understand why the one failed to fire. It was a turning point as from then on it seemed kylie was no longe guaranteed hits, no matter how good the material.

Here is the list of all songs from the X Sessions (to my knowledge at least). I've not included earlier demos, neither for those that actually made the final tracking list or for those that remained off the album (there were two versions of 'Fall For You', for instance).

 

Album Songs

 

Bonus Tracks / B-sides

 

Unreleased / Demos (sung by Kylie)

Everything I Know

 

Demos (sung by other artists)

 

Other

Boys Boys Boys (Cathy Dennis, Mark Ronson)

Deepest Blue (Karen Poole, Greg Kurstin)

- live version, later recorded for The Abbey Road Sessions

Hush Hush (Steven Anderson) - this could be 'Sexual Gold'

Singing in My Sleep (Scissor Sisters)

Tell It Like It Is (Richard Stannard, Stuart Crichton)

That's Why They Write Love Songs - live version

I will never understand why the one failed to fire. It was a turning point as from then on it seemed kylie was no longe guaranteed hits, no matter how good the material.

 

Because they cancelled the physical single at the last minute, and in 2008 as a 4th single from the album she pretty much solely relied on those.

Because they cancelled the physical single at the last minute, and in 2008 as a 4th single from the album she pretty much solely relied on those.

 

Sounds like the dumbest move I've ever heard...

Yep, such a shame about the cancelled physical release. Probably wouldn't have given it that much longevity, not without promo at least, but physicals could easily have boosted the song into the Top 20 for a week. For a song that is so fondly regarded by fans, a Top 20 peak would have been much more reflective of that. There doesn't seem to be any particular reason given as to why the physical was cancelled.

I've only just realised but, as well as the mess of the release of 'The One', Kylie was pushing three singles at once back in Q1 2008: the videos for 'Wow' and 'In My Arms' were both released at the tail end of January, with 'Wow' pushed in Australia and the UK and 'In My Arms' pushed in various European countries in February, then 'All I See' was promoted in the US. I didn't realise just how messy it was! Perhaps 'In My Arms' would have fared better in the UK if its release wasn't dampened by being promoted elsewhere in the world a couple of months earlier.

I actually liked the album cover but as an album, x is a very mixed affair for me. There are a handful of strong songs - it was criminal though to overlook the release of like a drug as a single and leaving the one until the 4th single - it should have been released earlier & supported by a physical release and better video. X contains quite a few mediocre songs including no more rain, sensitised, all I see and in my arms. It also includes the dreadful nu-di-ty and boring lifeless song speakerphone.

 

There are a number of songs which didn’t make the album which are far stronger than some of the album tracks. Lose control, white diamond, spell of desire, magnetic electric, I’m ready and I’m in the mood for love were all great tracks. At least magnetic electric appeared on the Asian reissue CD.

 

In my view, they tried to experiment with too many different styles and the end result is a mix mash of songs which aren’t fluid together or consistent in quality. Some of the tracks sounded dated and less credible and innovative than her earlier parlophone albums like light years.

Edited December 29, 20177 yr by slowdown73

Speakerphone, Wow, Stars and Nu-Di-Ty were my jams back then.

Pretty sure Boombox is a Body Language era song and Everything I Know is from the same time as I Believe In You.

I really like this album bar a few songs (Nu-di-ty and Cosmic wtf?).

 

I loved the artworks, it was all very different Kylie, yet very Kylie at the same time. I thought it was a really triumphant return for her, just a shame she didn't manage to get a #1 single out of it, that would have been the cherry on the top of the cake.

 

I as originally quite meh with the album title, I loved 'Heartbeat Rock' as a potential title, and I quite like Magnetic Electric too. However once I understood the reasoning I thought it was actually quite an apt title really.

I actually liked the album cover but as an album, x is a very mixed affair for me. There are a handful of strong songs - it was criminal though to overlook the release of like a drug as a single and leaving the one until the 4th single - it should have been released earlier & supported by a physical release and better video. X contains quite a few mediocre songs including no more rain, sensitised, all I see and in my arms. It also includes the dreadful nu-di-ty and boring lifeless song speakerphone.

 

There are a number of songs which didn’t make the album which are far stronger than some of the album tracks. Lose control, white diamond, spell of desire, magnetic electric, I’m ready and I’m in the mood for love were all great tracks. At least magnetic electric appeared on the Asian reissue CD.

 

In my view, they tried to experiment with too many different styles and the end result is a mix mash of songs which aren’t fluid together or consistent in quality. Some of the tracks sounded dated and less credible and innovative than her earlier parlophone albums like light years.

 

 

I couldnt agree more.

I didn't know that Excuse My French & When The Cat's Away are someone else's voice . :blush: All this time I've been enjoying them as if they were Kylie.

I'll still enjoy them, but..... :nocheer:

I loved the artworks, it was all very different Kylie, yet very Kylie at the same time. I thought it was a really triumphant return for her, just a shame she didn't manage to get a #1 single out of it, that would have been the cherry on the top of the cake.

I love a lot of the styling from this era. She seemed to experiment a lot more than she has done in the past or since and it just makes the X era that bit more special and unique. I always thought she was channelling a Bowie-esque image in the album cover, plus I really love those bouncy curls she has in the '2 Hearts' video.

 

Pretty sure Boombox is a Body Language era song and Everything I Know is from the same time as I Believe In You.

Think you could be right, I just went with what the uploader said tbh. 'Boombox' does sound very Body Language actually.

 

I didn't know that Excuse My French & When The Cat's Away are someone else's voice . :blush: All this time I've been enjoying them as if they were Kylie.

I'll still enjoy them, but..... :nocheer:

Tbf the demo singer has got Kylie's style down to a tee.

I made my own version of X, I've changed it a few times over the years, but now I think I've come up with a tracklist that I am happy with, and would like to see what everybody else thinks =

 

01. 2 Hearts

02. Like A Drug

03. In My Arms

04. Speakerphone

05. Magnetic Electric *

06. Sexual Gold *

07. The One

08. Cherry Bomb *

09. Lose Control *

10. Rippin' Up The Disco *

11. Wow

12. Fall For You *

13. No More Rain

14. Stars

 

Deluxe Edition

15. Ruffle My Feathers *

16. White Diamond *

 

 

I have scrapped 'Sensitized', 'Heart Beat Rock', 'All I See', 'Cosmic' & 'Nu-Di-Ty', not saying that they're all bad (apart from the last 2), but to be honest I think the first 2 are more b-side material and 'AIS' doesn't belong on the album at all.

 

I've tried not to make too overlong as there are several unreleased tracks that are amazing, and it took me forever to come up with a condensed tracklist. 14 for the standard edition is enough and added another 2 for the deluxe edition and I know not all of them are cohesive, however keeping a few personal moments such as 'NMR' & 'Stars' and including 'WD' Is just a nice little touch in my opinion and offers a break from the uptempo electro bangers.

What are we thinking about Two Hearts ten years on?

 

Always seemed like such a misfire, especially with In My Arms and Wow sitting right there. They then suffered from messy releases and being held back.