28th September 1998
1. Futureal (Harris, Bayley)
2. The Evil That Men Do (live) (Smith, Dickinson, Harris)
3. Man On The Edge (live) (Bayley, Gers)
- The Angel And The Gambler (video) (Harris)
This is a very good single. It's the second single from Virtual XI, though it probably should have been the first. The B-sides are good and the enhanced multimedia video is fantastic. The only complaint that could be made would be about the cover picture вЂ" why didn't they use Derek Riggs's picture? The Ed-hunter pictures are alright, but they're nothing compared to Rigg's pictures.
This picture comes as a poster in the single. Why isn't it on the front cover? It's a MUCH better picture than the ugly Ed-Hunter cover that they used. It looks like a futuristic Powerslave picture and the planets in the background are especially nice. This picture is good enough to have been the Virtual XI album cover. BRING RIGGS BACK!!!
Futureal (Harris, Bayley)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the Virtual XI album.
The Evil That Men Do (live) (Harris, Smith, Dickinson)
This song originally appears on the Seventh Son album sung by Bruce Dickinson. This version was recorded on 1st November 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden, during the X Factour with Blaze Bayley as the lead singer.
Listen for Blaze screwing up the lyrics here " It's pretty cool that they released this song with the screw-up intact. It apparently means that Blaze doesn't take himself too seriously.
Man On The Edge (live) (Bayley, Gers)
This live version of 'Man On The Edge' was recorded on 1st November 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden, during the X Factour.
The Angel And The Gambler (video) (Harris)
This is an extremely cool video! It begins with "live" shots of Maiden playing on a futuristic stage, the back of which is reminiscent of Star Trek's holodeck. The stage overlooks a computer-generated area with a massive crowd and space ships swooping about. The video is a mix of these live shots and other computer-enhanced imagery including Eddie from Ed Hunter, the alien bar from the Stranger In A Strange Land single, and the band playing poker with Eddie. In the finale, the band escapes in a sort of shuttle-craft while a gargantuan Eddie stomps the stage to pieces. This might be the best Maiden video yet!
