On March 22, 1982, "Iron Maiden" released their third studio album, "The Number Of The Beast".
This is the album that shaped the sound of "Iron Maiden", their breakthrough album to the US, the album that put them on the world metal map and their first album that really strives for perfection.
So let's tell you 40 interesting facts about it:
1. The name of the song and the album title were influenced by bassist Steve Harris' nightmare about the 1978 film "Damien: Omen II". The film dealt with a 13-year-old "Anti-Christ" boy.
2. This is the band's first album with singer Bruce Dickinson and the band's last with drummer Clive Burr.
3. It is also the band's only album to give writing credit to drummer Clive Burr.
4. It's also the first to give writing credit to guitarist Adrian Smith.
5. The album is one of three "Iron Maiden" albums, in which there is a "one-time" lineup that has not played on any other album.
6. This is the first time the band has entered the studio without any pre-written material.
7. Despite this, the album was written, recorded, and mixed from start to finish in just five weeks. A deadline that was set by the record company.
8. Due to Bruce Dickinson's contractual commitment to his previous band "Samson", he was not allowed to get credit for writing the songs on the album.
9. Bruce Dickinson contributed quite a bit to the writing process, including songs: "Children of the Damned", "The Prisoner", "Run to the Hills" and "Gangland".
10. During the recordings of the album, Bruce Dickinson contributed his vocals to the song "I'm on the Run" by the band "Krokus".
11. Rumor has it that the recording process was accompanied by supernatural phenomena and unexplained glitches. Recording equipment that wasn't working, lighting that turned on and off independently, and strange noises.
12. These rumors were fueled following an accident legendary producer Martin Birch had suffered during the recording of the album, in which a minibus of nuns was involved. The costs of repairing the damage amounted to £ 666. Birch finally paid £ 667 just to avoid encountering the "number of the beast".
13. The album provoked a great deal of anger among clerics and conservatives, especially in view of the album cover and the line "666 the one for you and me" from the theme song, which led people to believe that "Iron Maiden" is a Satanic band. The same people organized protest demonstrations in which copies of the album were burned.
14. The great protest provoked by the album led the band to plant a hidden message in the song "Still Life" from the next album "Piece of Mind", in response.
15. Producer Martin Birch noted that working on the album felt to him like working on the album "Machine Head" of "Deep Purple".
16. The opening song "Invaders" was originally called "Invasion". It was rewritten by the band ahead of the recordings and deals with the conquest of England by the Vikings.
17. Bassist Steve Harris thought that the song was not good enough and that the only reason it entered the album, was that they just did not have enough time to write another song.
18. The song "Children of the Damned" was inspired by the horror films "Village of the Damned"
And "Children of the Damned." In an interview with Bruce Dickinson from 2010, he noted that the song was influenced by the "Black Sabbath" song "Children of the Sea".
19. "The Prisoner" is based on the British mythological series from the seventies of the same name.
20. The spoken words at the beginning of the song are taken from the narration of Patrick McGoohan, from the original series itself. The band had to get his permission to use it in the recording.
21. The song "22 Acacia Avenue" features the character of the prostitute "Charlotte The Harlot" from the band's first album - "Iron Maiden".
22. The character will also appear in the songs "Hooks In You" from the album "No Prayer for the Dying" and "From Here To Eternity" from the album "Fear Of The Dark".
23. On the cover of "Somewhere in Time" album, Eddie stands at "22 Acacia Avenue". On the back cover you can see "Charlotte The Harlot" in the red window above the pub.
24. The narration at the beginning of the theme song "The Number Of The Beast" is taken from the New Testament - "the Apocalypse of John" also known as the "Book of Revelation" 13:11-18. The number of the beast mentioned there is 6 + 6 + 6 = 18 as the number of the verse (18).
25. The band thought that horror film star Vincent Price would be the best fit as a narrator, but he demanded £ 25,000 for the recording. The band eventually compromised on Barry Clayton who also appeared in a number of horror films in the 1970s.
26. Bruce Dickinson's creepy and famous scream at the end of the theme song's intro, was released from his throat due to frustration from producer Martin Birch's repeated demands to play the opening over and over again. The scream was so good that Birch and the band decided to keep it.
27. "Run to the Hills" is the first single the band released with Bruce Dickinson. It is also the first of the band to enter the top ten in the British charts. The lyrics describe the white man's takeover of the American continent, with the first verse written from the Indian's point of view, while the second verse was written from the white man's point of view.
28. As the B-Side of the song "Run to the Hills", the band opted for "Total Eclipse". The only song from the album sessions written in collaboration with guitarist Dave Murray. Later the band regretted not including the song on the album instead of "Gangland".
29. That was corrected in 1998, when a new version of the album was released, including the song "Total Eclipse" between "Gangland" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
30. The band released "Run to the Hills" again as a single in 2002, with the aim of raising funds to help drummer Clive Burr, who suffered from medical problems and multiple sclerosis.
31. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" depicts what happens in the head of the death row inmate, awaiting execution.
32. Steve Harris was influenced in writing the song from the 1974 song "Life's Shadow", by the band "Beckett".
33. The band sued "Iron Maiden" and the lawsuit ended in 2008 in a settlement in which "Iron Maiden" paid "Beckett" royalties.
34. The album cover was originally intended to serve as the cover of the single "Purgatory" from the album "Killers", but when band manager Rod Smallwood decided to save it for the next full album.
35. After the release of the album, the band embarked on the second biggest tour of their career (the biggest was with the album "Powerslave"). During the tour, the band performed 184 lives shows in 18 countries, over 10 months.
36. Exactly nine years after the release of the album, on 22/3/93, the band released the excellent live album
"A Real Live One".
37. "Dream Theater" released a Bootleg in 2006, with cover versions of the entire album from beginning to end.
38. "The Number of the Beast" is the album that puts "Iron Maiden" on the world metal map and is the band's first to reach number one on the UK charts.
39. This is the best-selling album among the band's albums, with sales of about 20 million copies worldwide.
40. The album is found in almost every self-respecting metal album rating list, but not only. For example, it's on the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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