The Number of the Beast (album)
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| The Number of the Beast | |||||
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| Studio album by Iron Maiden | |||||
| Released | 29 March 1982 | ||||
| Recorded | Battery Studios 1981 – January 1982 |
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| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 44:50 | ||||
| Label | EMI | ||||
| Producer | Martin "Headmaster" Birch | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Iron Maiden chronology | |||||
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The Number of the Beast is a heavy metal album released in 1982 (see 1982 in music) by Iron Maiden on EMI in the UK and originally Harvest Records/Capitol Records in the U.S. (now on Sanctuary Records/Columbia Records). IGN named it the third greatest Heavy Metal album of all time. Metal-Rules.com named this the second greatest heavy metal album of all time.[1] The album is also a part of EMI's "Albums That Shaped Rock History" series. This was the band's third studio album and debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden.
Of all the songs in the album, "The Number of the Beast," "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" remain on the set lists of nearly all of the band's concert tours, with the latter two often used to close a show.
The Beast on the Road was the tour supporting the album.
Contents |
[edit] History
Even though Iron Maiden were on the brink of worldwide superstardom after their breakthrough second album, Killers, vocalist Paul Di'Anno left the band at the conclusion of its 1981 world tour. The Number of the Beast thus marked Bruce Dickinson's debut with the band.
The album made UK Number 1, with the single "Run to the Hills" reaching number 7 and the title track reaching number 18. On the Billboard Music Charts, "Hallowed Be Thy Name" hit number 50 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album peaked at number 33 and number 150 on the Pop Albums and Billboard Top 200, respectively and went Gold in the U.S. in 1983 and Platinum a few years later.
The album was also the centre of much controversy, particularly in America, due to the lyrics of the title track and the cover art. It was widely panned by mainstream media upon its release, including Rolling Stone, who claimed that it "blusters along aimlessly, proving again that bad music is hell."
Since this album (and its tour, Beast on the Road), "The Beast" has become something of a nickname for the band and possibly Eddie, as suggested by albums such as Best of the Beast (which featured a 'best of Eddie' mural on the cover), Beast over Hammersmith, and the DVD Visions of the Beast.
This album is the only one to feature song writing by drummer Clive Burr. This is one of several reasons why the album was so different from previous ones other than the obvious change in lead singer. It was the first album with writing by Adrian Smith (see below track listing for details), and the first to feature writing by the 'new' Steve Harris (his older style had been written for different musicians, and in a different time) - the entire writing system was different. However, it is one of the few albums not to feature a Dave Murray song.
[edit] Lyrical references
"Children of the Damned" is based on the films Village of the Damned and Children of the Damned, which in turn were adapted from the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham.
"The Prisoner" was inspired by the British TV show of the same name, and features dialogue from its title sequence. Iron Maiden later made another song based on the series, "Back in the Village" from Powerslave.
The title track opens with a spoken introduction which draws heavily from the King James Version of Revelation 13:18, and is apparently inspired by Tam o' Shanter by Robert Burns.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original track listing
- "Invaders" (Steve Harris) – 3:23
- "Children of the Damned" (Harris) – 4:34
- "The Prisoner" (Adrian Smith, Harris) – 6:02
- "22 Acacia Avenue" (Smith, Harris) – 6:36
- "The Number of the Beast" (Harris) – 4:50
- "Run to the Hills" (Harris) – 3:52
- "Gangland" (Smith, Clive Burr) – 3:47
- "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (Harris) – 7:10
[edit] 1995 reissue bonus disc
- "Total Eclipse" (outtake from albums sessions) (Paul Di'Anno, Harris, Burr)
- "Remember Tomorrow" (live in Italy, October 1981) (Di'Anno, Harris)
[edit] Remastered track listing
- "Invaders" (Harris) – 3:23
- "Children of the Damned" (Harris) – 4:34
- "The Prisoner" (Smith, Harris) – 6:02
- "22 Acacia Avenue" (Smith, Harris) – 6:36
- "The Number of the Beast" (Harris) – 4:50
- "Run to the Hills" (Harris) – 3:52
- "Gangland" (Smith, Burr) – 3:47
- "Total Eclipse" (Di'Anno, Harris, Burr) – 4:28
- "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (Harris) – 7:10
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 3x Platinum[2] | 300,000 |
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The album was ranked number 17 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.[3]
- It was also ranked 3rd of IGN's 25 most influential metal albums.[4]
- The cover art was parodied by crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death for the cover art of their 1999 album Bigger Than the Devil. It was also parodied on a T-shirt by underground New York Hip Hop Label Uncle Howie Records[5]
- The Number of the Beast album cover art was originally intended for the Iron Maiden single "Purgatory". The band had felt that it was too high of caliber for just a single and requested a less complex cover be prepared in its place.
- In 2000 Q magazine placed The Number of the Beast at number 100 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2001 the same magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time.
- Two tracks from the album have since been re-released as CD singles. "Run to the Hills" was released in 2002 as a benefit for former drummer Clive Burr. "The Number of the Beast" itself was released in the first week of 2005, reaching number 3 in the charts.
- This is the first Maiden album not to feature any instrumentals.
- New York progressive metal band Dream Theater covered the album as a whole several times on an international tour in 2002.
- The BBC made a documentary of this album in their Classic Albums series.
- During the making of the album, record producer Martin Birch had been in an accident and crashed his car into one driven by a "religious nutter" on a rainy Sunday evening. When he got his car back from the mechanic the bill came back in the exact amount of £666.66. Birch, "terrified", demanded the bill be rounded up to £667. Also, the title track reached number 18 in the UK charts - the sum of three sixes. Other stories about various strange occurrences at the recording studio have circulated.
- Rod Smallwood had to telephone Patrick McGoohan to ask permission to use the intro to The Prisoner on the album. According to witnesses the usually calm Smallwood was completely star struck during the conversation. McGoohan was reported to have said "What did you say the name was? Iron Maiden? Do it."
- "Run to the Hills" is featured on the video game SSX on Tour as the opening theme. A cover version is included in the video game Rock Band.
- "The Number of the Beast" is included as a master track in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and a cover version is available as a downloadable track in Rock Band.
- "22 Acacia Avenue" is the second song in the "Charlotte the Harlot" saga.
- On a recent "Bruce Dickinson Rock Show" on BBC Radio 6 he told Ronnie James Dio that Children of the Damned was inspired by "Children of the Sea".
- In Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the first venue is 22 Arcadia Avenue, a spoof of "22 Acacia Avenue". Rock Band features a venue located at 22 Acadia Avenue.
[edit] Personnel
- Bruce Dickinson – vocals
- Dave Murray – guitar
- Adrian Smith – guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Clive Burr – drums
with
- Martin "Farmer" Birch – producer
- Nigel "It Was Working Yesterday" Hewitt-Green – engineer
- Rod Smallwood – band manager
- Ross Halfin – photography (main photographer)
- Derek Riggs – cover and sleeve illustration
- Simon "Chope 'Em Out" Heyworth – digital remastering on enhanced CD edition
- Matthew Rayeski - creative inspiration
- Doug Hall – producer on enhanced CD edition
- George Chin – supplementary photography
- Robert Ellis – supplementary photography
- Denis O'Regan – supplementary photography
| Preceded by The Gift by The Jam |
UK Albums Chart number one album April 10, 1982 - April 23, 1982 |
Succeeded by 1982 by Status Quo |
[edit] References
- ^ Metal-Rules.com
- ^ CRIA Gold & Platinum certifications for October 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
- ^ http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854
- ^ IGN: Top 25 Metal Albums
- ^ Non Phixion
