Art of Life

Infobox Album
Name = Art of Life
Type = Album
Artist = X Japan


Released = August 28, 1993
Recorded =
Genre = Power metal
Symphonic metal
Length = 28:58
Label = Atlantic
Producer = X Japan
Reviews =
Last album = "Jealousy"
(1991)
This album = "Art of Life"
(1993)
Next album = "Dahlia"
(1996)

"Art of Life" is an album released by X Japan on August 28, 1993. It consists of only one song of the same name, which is nearly 29 minutes long, and was written and composed by Yoshiki Hayashi. The heavily orchestrated piece (recorded with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)Fact|date=June 2007 is partly based on Schubert's unfinished Symphony No. 8 and comprises several passages of varying speed and instrumentation, including eight minutes performed solely on piano. It was rarely played live, an early performance taking place on July 30, 1992 at Nippon Budokan [cite web | title=Hideto Matsumoto, 1992 biography | work= hide-city.com | url=http://www.hide-city.com/free/biography/1992.html] and two more on December 30 and 31, 1993, at the Tokyo Dome. These were later released on the "Art of Life Live" album and the "Art of Life 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome" VHS/DVD, respectively. It was also performed at the band's reunion concert on March 28, 2008 at the Tokyo Dome, but was cut short when Yoshiki collapsed mid-way through the song, just before the piano solo. [cite web | title= Article concerning collapse | work= jame-world.com | url=http://www.jame-world.com/uk/theme.php?id=259] The rest of the song was played at the same venue, two days later.

Track listing

#"Art of Life" – 28:58

References