This is part I of the Man On The Edge single from
The X Factor album. It was released as sort of a box set with five postcards
and room in the box for five CDs: part I and II of Man On The Edge, part I
and II of
Lord Of The Flies (Part II was never actually released), as well as
The X Factor album.
The highlight of the single is 'Judgement Day', a Bayley/Gers composition that didn't make it
onto the album. The single's cover picture is a gruesome shot of Eddie's lobotomy which
was also included inside the uncensored version of the album. While it is possible to
understand the picture and acknowledge the way it fits into the "Eddie mythology",
its extreme realism is a bit disturbing. Riggs's comic-book horror style is much better
than this type of explicitness. But it is a worthwhile single nonetheless.
This is the same version as the one that appears on the
X Factor album.
The Edge Of Darkness (Harris, Bayley, Gers)
This is the same version as the one that appears on the
X Factor album.
Judgement Day (Bayley, Gers)
'Judgement Day' is a song that never made it onto
The X Factor album, although it is definitely good enough to have been included.
The main thrust of the song is that a person's appearance is no indication of their character,
perhaps hinting at the evil that exists inside the hearts and minds of many "beautiful"
people. Musically the song has a fairly fast riff and manages to avoid the overly upbeat mood
that sometimes ruins otherwise good songs.
Both 'Justice Of The Peace' and 'Judgement Day' were written at the time of the X-Factor
but didn't make the album as you can only get 74 minutes of music on a
CD!
Rod Smallwood
Blaze Bayley Interview, Part I (Wilfort, Bayley)
This is an interview with Blaze Bayley that seems to be dated relatively soon after the release of
The X Factor. The topic of discussion is Blaze's auditions with Maiden and
his perceptions of Maiden's songwriting and recording style. Unfortunately, this is not
a complete interview – it begins somewhere in the middle and abruptly ends
several minutes later. It would have been probably better to include the whole thing,
since there's certainly plenty of space for it on the disc.
I Live My Way (Harris, Bayley, Gers)
This song can only be found on the
picture disc
of the Man On The Edge single and on the 2-CD Japanese edition of
The X Factor album, which is a shame because it's a nice little rocker.
The lyrics deal with the fact that we should all make the best out of our lives and they
offer a message of hope for those who doubt themselves.
Both 'Justice Of The Peace' and 'Judgement Day' were written at the time of the X-Factor
but didn't make the album as you can only get 74 minutes of music on a
CD! 
