The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes

The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes
Studio album by Babylon Zoo
Released	12 February 1996
Recorded	1995
Genre	Alternative rock, space rock
Length	54:47
Label	EMI
Producer	Jas Mann Steve Power
Babylon Zoo chronology
The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes (1996) King Kong Groover (1999)
Singles from The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes
"Spaceman" Released: 15 January 1996 "Animal Army" Released: 15 April 1996 "The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes" Released: 23 September 1996
Alternative cover
US edition cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Alternative Press	[2]
Michigan Daily	[3]
New York Times	(mixed)[4]
Select	[5]

The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes is the debut album by British alternative rock band Babylon Zoo, released in February 1996. The album features the single, "Spaceman", which charted at number one in the UK Singles Chart after being featured in a popular Levi's jeans TV advertisement in late 1995. The album failed to match the success of the single "Spaceman"; it peaked at number 6 in the UK Albums Chart on 17 February,^[6] and cascaded out of the Top 40, lasting only a further two weeks on the chart.^[7]

Other singles released from the album were "Animal Army", which reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart, and "The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes", which reached number 32.

The album's title comes from a moniker singer Jas Mann was given at school.

Reception

The album received mixed reviews. Alternative Press awarded the album four stars out of five, equating to "Well Done". They remarked: "[T]he whole thing sounds like Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, remixed by the guys from the Underworld."^[2] Neil Strauss of the New York Times described the album as "wonderful and satisfying in the short term but ultimately disposable." He did say, however that the highlight of the album is "Spaceman".^[4]

The Michigan Daily described "Spaceman" as "one of the best of a bad lot".^[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic described Mann's work as "pretentious, not ambitious".^[1]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jas Mann.

1. "Animal Army" – 5:55
2. "Spaceman" – 5:41
3. "Zodiac Sign" – 4:58
4. "Paris Green" – 4:43
5. "Confused Art" – 4:32
6. "Caffeine" – 6:34
7. "The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes" – 4:27
8. "Don't Feed the Animals" – 1:38
9. "Fire Guided Light" – 6:43
10. "Is Your Soul for Sale?" – 5:52
11. "I'm Cracking Up I Need a Pill" – 3:46

• A CD promo sampler was also issued that includes the tracks "Spaceman", "Zodiac Sign", "Animal Army" and "I'm Cracking Up I Need a Pill".

Charts

Chart	Position
Australia (ARIA Albums Chart)[8]	28
UK Albums Chart[9]	6

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes - Allmusic review AllMusic
2. The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes review. Alternative Press. June 1996. p.69.
3. Phares, Heather (22 April 1996). "Babylon Zoo: The Boy With the X-Ray Eyes". Michigan Daily Google Books. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
4. Strauss, Neil (26 March 1996). "CRITIC'S CHOICE/Pop CD's;Pushing Beyond Grunge". New York Times.
5. Harrison, Ian (February 1996). "New Albums". Select. p. 89. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 38. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
7. "1996 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive - 9th March 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
8. Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
   • Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Discography Babylon Zoo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
   • Top 100 peaks: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
9. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/32407/babylon%20zoo/