The Number of the Beast was met with critical and commercial success, and became the band's first album to top the UK Albums Chart and reach the top 40 of the US Billboard 200. The album produced the singles "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast", the former of which became the band's first top-ten UK single. The album was also controversial, particularly in the United States, due to the religious references in its artwork and the title track's lyrics. Since the release of The Number of the Beast, "The Beast" has become an alternate name for Iron Maiden and was later used in the titles of some of their compilations and live releases, including Best of the Beast and Visions of the Beast.
Writing and recording
The Number of the Beast is Iron Maiden's only album to include songwriting credits for Clive Burr, and was the band's first album to feature writing by guitarist Adrian Smith.[3] In addition, the release saw Steve Harris adopt a different approach to writing, which would cater more to new vocalist Bruce Dickinson. The album's producer Martin Birch remarked, "I simply didn't think [former vocalist Paul Di'Anno] was capable of handling lead vocals on some of the quite complicated directions I knew Steve wanted to explore... When Bruce joined, it opened up the possibilities for the new album tremendously."[4]
According to several interviews Dickinson was heavily involved in writing several of the album's songs, and in particular the tracks "Children of the Damned", "The Prisoner" and "Run to the Hills".[5] Owing to his previous band Samson's ongoing contractual issues, Dickinson could not legally have any writing credit.[6] The recording and mixing of the album had to be completed in only five weeks,[7] after the band had spent too long constructing the new songs.[8] This was allegedly because the group were for the first time creating a new album from scratch, with very little material written prior to the record's pre-production stage.[3] However, live recordings show that five of the album's songs had been premiered live already at a few shows towards the end of the Killer World Tour in November and December 1981.[9] Given that "Invaders" is a re-write of an earlier song, "Invasion", this suggests only two tracks – the title track and "Gangland" – originated after the 1981 tour ended.
Music press reports told stories of unexplained phenomena occurring during the sessions at Battery Studios, such as lights turning on and off of their own accord, and the recording gear mysteriously breaking down.[10] These odd occurrences climaxed with Birch being involved in a car accident with a mini-bus transporting a group of nuns, after which he was presented with a repair bill for £666.[11][12]
Artwork
Iron Maiden performing at Spain in 1982
As with all of Iron Maiden's albums during the 1980s and early 1990s, the sleeve artwork was painted by Derek Riggs. The cover was originally created for the song "Purgatory", but manager Rod Smallwood deemed it of too high a calibre for the release of a mere single, and decided to save it for The Number of the Beast.[13] The original 1982 artwork includes a blue sky in the background; a mistake by the printers of the cover, this was corrected to black when the album was remastered for compact disc in 1998.[12]
The album attracted controversy, particularly in the United States, due to the lyrics of the title track and the cover art depicting Eddie controlling Satan like a puppet, while Satan is also controlling a smaller Eddie. Smallwood explains that the concept was to ask "who's the really evil one here? Who's manipulating who?"[13] According to Riggs, this was inspired by a Doctor Strange comic book, "which had some big villain with Doctor Strange dangling on some strings like a puppet – it was something I read as a child back in the 1960s, I think," while the images of hell were "taken from my knowledge of medieval European Christian art which was full of such scenes".[14] In addition, Satan was supposed to have wings made out of lightning and smoke (which can still be seen vaguely in the final piece) but due to time constraints, Riggs was unable to complete it as intended. He also made Satan look like Salvador Dalí as a joke.[15]
According to US professor Bryan A. Bardine, "this album evokes power, passion and music that present darker themes and images."[16]
"It's probably thick," remarked Kiss bassist Gene Simmons of the sleeve. "It's probably got elves and dragons holding it up!"[18]
In 2015, this cover art makes an appearance in the "Speed of Light" music video depicting Eddie fighting Satan (now known as "The Beast") in a form of Mortal Kombat video game.[19]
"Run to the Hills" was released as a single on 12 February 1982, two weeks before Iron Maiden's UK tour, acting as a preview for the forthcoming album, which would not be released until two days after the British dates ended.[7] Released alongside a music video, made using live footage and clips from Buster Keaton films,[7] the single performed remarkably well, earning the band their first top ten entry in the UK Singles Chart.[20] As they were rushing to complete the album in time, as well as record and mix the single for an even earlier release, the band hastily selected "Total Eclipse" as the B-side.[8]
As they had written too much material, they had to choose between "Total Eclipse" and "Gangland" for the "Run to the Hills" B-side, with the understanding that the other song would appear on the album.[8] Several band-members have since expressed regret over the decision, with Steve Harris commenting, "We just chose the wrong track as the B-side. I think if 'Total Eclipse' had been on the album instead of 'Gangland' it would have been far better."[8] On top of this, Harris has stated that the record's opening track, "Invaders", was not good enough, commenting that it "could have been replaced with something a bit better, only we didn't have anything else to replace it with at the time. We had just enough time to do what we did, and that was it."[8] "Total Eclipse" was added to the 1998 CD reissue, and replaced "Gangland" on the 2022 40th Anniversary reissue vinyl.[21]
While the title track was considered by many religious groups in the United States as evidence that Iron Maiden was a Satanic band, the song was in fact inspired by a nightmare that bassist Steve Harris had, triggered by watching the film Damien: Omen II late at night.[3] In addition, Harris has stated that the lyrics were also influenced by Robert Burns' Tam o' Shanter.[12] The track opens with a spoken introduction from the Book of Revelation, read by actor Barry Clayton.[22] According to Dickinson, the band originally approached Vincent Price to record the passage, but were unwilling to pay Price's fee of £25,000.[23] Although the liner notes state that the passage is from Revelation 13:18,[24][25] the first line comes from 12:12.[26]
The closing song "Hallowed Be Thy Name" has remained in all but three of the band's setlists since the album's recording (the only exceptions being the Maiden England World Tour 2012–14, the second leg of the Book of Souls World Tour in 2017, and the Future Past World Tour in 2023).[12]AllMusic describes the track as "perhaps the most celebrated of the band's extended epics; it's the tale of a prisoner about to be hanged, featuring some of Harris' most philosophical lyrics."[27] Several band-members have since stated that it is one of their favourite tracks, with Dickinson describing it as "fantastic" and that performing it live is like "narrating a movie to the audience."[12] A live version of the song was released in 1993, gaining the band another top ten placement in the UK Singles Chart.[20]
"The Prisoner" was inspired by the British TV show of the same name, and features dialogue from its title sequence. The band's manager, Rod Smallwood, had to telephone Patrick McGoohan to ask permission to use the audio clips for the song and was extremely hesitant during his conversation with whom Smallwood himself describes as "a real bona fide superstar actor".[30] McGoohan was reported to have said "What did you say the name was? A rock band, you say? Do it."[30] Iron Maiden later made another song based on the series, "Back in the Village" from 1984's Powerslave.[31]
"22 Acacia Avenue" is the second song in the "Charlotte the Harlot" saga, which was originally written by Adrian Smith several years earlier, while playing in his old band, Urchin. According to Smith, Steve Harris remembered hearing the song at an Urchin concert in a local park, and modified it for The Number of the Beast album.[32] The Urchin song this song was based on was called "Countdown".[33]
Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris performing in 1982. The Beast on the Road tour was marred by several protests organised by religious activists in the US.
The album was strongly opposed by some social conservatives in the United States, where Iron Maiden were accused of being Satanists. Public burnings of the band's catalogue were organised, although one religious group smashed the records with hammers, for fear of inhaling fumes from burning vinyl. It is unclear whether their caution was based on toxicological or theological concerns.[12][40] The subsequent tour was subject to boycotts and demonstrations: venues were sometimes surrounded by activists who handed out leaflets and, in one case, a 25-foot cross was carried in protest.[12][41] Harris has stated, "It was mad. They completely got the wrong end of the stick. They obviously hadn't read the lyrics. They just wanted to believe all that rubbish about us being Satanists."[42]
Since its release, the album has received consistent critical acclaim, with AllMusic describing it as "among the top five most essential heavy metal albums ever recorded. A cornerstone of the genre."[27] Sputnikmusic calls it "a classic in the world of metal",[38] while BBC Music praised the record's complex arrangements, stating "Whereas even some of the venerable HM institutions (think Black Sabbath) would struggle to make material that was something more than a collection of minor-key riffs, Iron Maiden pull this feat off with considerable élan."[43]Q magazine placed the album at No. 100 in its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever" in 2000; in 2001 named it one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time";[44] and in 2006 placed it at No. 40 in its "40 Best Albums of the '80s" list.[45]IGN and Metal Rules placed it third and second, respectively, in their lists of the Top Heavy Metal Albums,[46][47] and Guitar World ranked it at No. 17 on their list of "100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time".[48][deprecated source]Classic Rock placed it at No. 15 in their list of the "100 Greatest British Rock Albums", describing it as "the most important metal album of the decade",[41] and it was voted No. 1 in HMV's list of "The Best British Albums of the Past 60 Years" in 2012.[49][50]The Number of the Beast is one of two Iron Maiden records listed in Robert Dimery's book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (1980's Iron Maiden being the other).[51] In 2017, it was ranked 4th on Rolling Stone' list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".[52]
In 2001, the BBC made a documentary about The Number of the Beast as part of the Classic Albums series, which was released on DVD in the same year.
In 2022, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the album's release, Number Of The Beast was named #1 of 'The 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982' list in Guitar World.[53]
Commercial performance
The Number of the Beast was a big commercial success worldwide.[42]The New York Times reported in 2010 that 14 million copies have been sold[54] and by 2023 it had sold circa 20 million copies worldwide.[55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67] It was the band's first record to top the UK charts, entering at No.1 on 10 April, maintaining the top position for a further week, and remaining in the Top 75 for a total of 31 weeks.[20] It entered the Billboard 200 at No.150 and peaked at No.33. The album reached the top ten in Austria and Sweden, and No.11 and No.13 in Canada and Norway, respectively.
It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 4 October 1983 (eventually going platinum in 1986). The album reached No.11 in Germany and was certified gold ten years later. It received a 3× platinum award in Canada for sales exceeding 300,000 units.
The two singles, "Run to the Hills" and the title track, debuted in the UK singles chart at No.7 and No.18, respectively. Both songs entered the Irish Singles Chart in the same order, and reached No.16 and No.19.
Versions and performances by other artists
On 24 October 2002, progressive metal outfit Dream Theater played the original album in its entirety at La Mutualité in Paris, France. The performance was recorded and has been released through the band's YtseJam Records label.[68]
Several of the record's songs have been used in video games: "Run to the Hills" is featured in SSX On Tour as the opening theme,[77]Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City,[78][79] and a cover version is included in Rock Band, the only song in the game listed as 'Impossible' for all instruments.[80] In addition, "The Number of the Beast" (as the original master recording), "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (the latter being a live recording found on Flight 666) were made downloadable to Rock Band on 8 June 2009; "The Prisoner" was made downloadable on 22 May 2012.[81] "The Number of the Beast" was also featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (master recording),[82] and on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.[83]
Release details and reissues
The Number of the Beast was released on 22 March 1982 through EMI and its sister label Capitol in the United States. The album was reissued in 1995 with a bonus CD containing two songs ("Total Eclipse", and a live version of "Remember Tomorrow") that had been the B-sides of the album's two singles. The US version of the 1995 reissue incorrectly gives Paul Di'Anno a songwriting credit for "Total Eclipse";[84] the song had actually been written by Harris, Murray, and Burr.[25]
The album was also reissued in 1998 by EMI and Sanctuary/Columbia in the US as an enhanced CD version, which included photos, band history and the music videos for the songs "The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills", in addition to "Total Eclipse", which was restored to the album's track listing (having been excluded from the original edition due to space constraints).[8] This version mistakenly lists the track lengths for "22 Acacia Avenue" and "The Number of the Beast" as 4:49 and 3:50; they are in fact 6:38 and 4:51, respectively.[25]
On March 18, 2022 (UK, Europe) and March 25th (USA) the band will release a new cassette version of the album for the fortieth anniversary of the album's original release.[85]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Steve Harris, except where noted
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Notes
↑ The original cover was a misprint, the sky behind Eddie turning out blue instead of the intended grey. All editions from 1998 onward are color corrected to reflect the band's original intent.
↑ "TNOTB 40 Years" (in Greek). treblezine.com. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
↑ "TNOTB 40 Anni". treblezine.com. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
↑ "TNOTB Anni". whiplash.net. 12 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
↑ "The Number of the Beast" (in French). rollingstone.fr. 19 February 2022. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p.166. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "The number of the beast".
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden released a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, and 1982's The Number of the Beast – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who in 1981 replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. The addition of Dickinson was a turning point in their career, establishing them as one of heavy metal's most important bands. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
Dance of Death is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released first in Japan on 2 September and then 8 September 2003 in the rest of the world excluding North America. The album was an analogue recording.
Iron Maiden is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 14 April 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and Harvest and Capitol Records in the US. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. In 1998, along with the rest of the band's pre-1995 releases, Iron Maiden was remastered with "Sanctuary" added in all territories. However, 2014 vinyl reissues, 2015 digital releases and 2018 CD reissues use the original track listing across the globe. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton.
Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 1984 through EMI Records in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in North America. It was re-released by Sanctuary and Columbia Records in the United States in 2002.
Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 16 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use. Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 11 April 1988 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast (1982) and later Fear of the Dark (1992), The Final Frontier (2010), and The Book of Souls (2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Can I Play with Madness" was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Brave New World is the twelfth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 29 May 2000. It was their first studio release since the return of longtime lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, as well as the band's first studio recording as a six-piece, as Janick Gers, who replaced Smith in 1990, remained with the band.
Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Released on 11 May 1992, it was their third studio release to top the UK Albums Chart, and the last to feature Bruce Dickinson as the group's lead vocalist until his return in 1999.
Piece of Mind is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 16 May 1983 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. It was the first album to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who had recently left the band Trust and has been Iron Maiden's drummer ever since.
No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is their first album to feature Janick Gers on guitar, who replaced Adrian Smith. Smith left the band during the pre-production phase, unhappy with the musical direction it was taking, and only having contributed to one song, "Hooks in You". This was the third song in the "Charlotte the Harlot" saga. Gers previously worked with singer Bruce Dickinson on his first solo album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Ian Gillan, former Marillion singer Fish, and new wave of British heavy metal band, White Spirit.
Virtual XI is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 23 March 1998. It is the band's second and final album with Blaze Bayley on vocals. It also marks the first album to utilise a slightly modified logo, with the letters R, M, and N the same size as the other letters as opposed to them being extended. This goes on for the next few albums, until The Final Frontier, in 2010.
Rock in Rio is a live album and video by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, recorded at the Rock in Rio festival, Brazil in 2001 on the last night of the Brave New World Tour. The band played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their career and with the relatively recent return of lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith to the band, they recorded their fifth live release.
Death on the Road is a live album and video released by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden on 29 August 2005 on CD and vinyl, and on 6 February 2006 on DVD. The album was recorded at Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany on 24 November 2003, during the Dance of Death World Tour.
"Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson as vocalist. Credited solely to the band's bassist, Steve Harris, Dickinson contributed to the song but could not be credited due to a contractual agreement with his former band Samson. "Run to the Hills" remains one of the band's most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 10 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs
"The Number of the Beast" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is Iron Maiden's seventh single release, and the second single from their 1982 studio album of the same name. It was reissued in 2005 and also prior to that in 1990 in The First Ten Years box set on CD and 12" vinyl, in which it was combined with the previous single, "Run to the Hills".
A Matter of Life and Death is the fourteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 25August 2006 in Italy and Finland and 28August worldwide—excluding the US, Canada and Japan, where it was released on 5September. It is the first album in Iron Maiden's career to enter the US Billboard charts in the top10, achieving significant chart success in many other countries as well.
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is a concert documentary film featuring the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The film follows the band on the first leg of their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour in February and March 2008, during which they travelled on their own customised Boeing 757, Ed Force One, which used the call-sign "666".
The Final Frontier is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76 minutes and 34 seconds, it is the band's third-longest studio album to date, a duration surpassed only by 2015's The Book of Souls and 2021's Senjutsu. Melvyn Grant, a long-time contributor to the band's artwork, created the cover art. It is the band's final album to be released through EMI Records, marking the end of their 30-year relationship. It is also the last album to use the band's alternate logo. While not a concept album, themes of exploration, expectation, and discovery are frequent throughout. The Final Frontier is the band's first studio album in nearly four years, making it one of the longest gaps between albums.
From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990–2010 is a compilation album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally released on the eight studio albums from No Prayer for the Dying to The Final Frontier. The title is lifted from the 1992 single, "From Here to Eternity", although it is not featured in this release.
The Book of Souls is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 seconds. Its launch and supporting tour were delayed to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson time to recover from the removal of a cancerous tumour in early 2015. It is also their first album to be released on Parlophone, since the end of their 30-year relationship with EMI Records.
References
Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (thirded.). Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN1-86074-542-3.
Further reading
Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp.238–239. ISBN9781847862112. OCLC227198538.
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