IRON MAIDEN
THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST
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On this episode, we do an Album Dive on the most satanically and brilliantly influenced Iron Maiden album this side of Satan’s backside: The Number of the Beast!! JOIN US as we discuss the tracks and get into some history and fun facts pertaining to the album and meet our latest “celebrity” guest (to grace the couch with Milley.)
BRUCE DICKINSON - VOCALS
DAVE MURRAY - GUITARS
ADRIAN SMITH - GUITARS, BACKING VOCALS
STEVE HARRIS - BASS, BACKING VOCALS
CLIVE BURR - DRUMS
MARTIN BIRCH - PRODUCER, ENGINEER
NIGEL HEWITT-GREEN - SECOND ENGINEER
DEREK RIGGS - ALBUM COVER
RECORDED AT BATTERY STUDIOS, LONDON, ENGLAND
RELEASED 3-22-1982
Martin Birch began his career as audio engineer for Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple. Black Sabbath brought him on to produce the Heaven and Hell album in 1980 as he’d already worked with Dio. In 1981 he began working exclusively with Iron Maiden producing every album from 1981’s Killers to 1992’s Fear Of The Dark after which he retired. He appears in the “Holy Smoke” video. He has either produced or engineered albums for Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Jon Lord, Wishbone Ash, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Gary Moore, Cozy Powell and Michael Schenker group.
Nigel Hewitt-Green was chief recording engineer at Battery Studio, London. He has worked with The Cure, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Whodini, A Flock Of Seagulls, The Cars, Billy Ocean, Zodiac Mindwarp, Scorpions, Lillian Axe, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Bruce Dickenson, Dio, Testament, Enuff Z’ Nuff, Bryan Adams, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
Derek Riggs is responsible for creating Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie The Head. It was originally created to possibly be the cover of a punk album. Iron Maiden’s management came across it and asked him to add long hair. This became the cover of their first album. He worked with them until they started accepting other artwork beginning with Fear Of The Dark. He’s also done album covers for Bruce Dicksinson, Budgie, Chris Impellitteri, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, The Iron Maidens and others.
TRACK LISTING:
1 Invaders 3:20
2 Children Of The Damned 4:34
3 The Prisoner 5:34
4 22 Acacia Avenue 6:34
5 The Number Of The Beast 4:25
6 Run To The Hills 3:50
7 Gangland 3:46
8 Hallowed Be Thy Name 7:08
TOTAL LENGTH: 39:11
CERTIFICATIONS:
U.S. / PLATINUM
U.K. / PLATINUM
CANADA / 3X PLATINUM
AUSTRIA / GOLD
GERMANY / GOLD
ITALY / GOLD
SWITZERLAND / GOLD
#1 ON HMV’S “THE BEST BRITISH ALBUMS OF THE PAST 60YRS” IN 2012
#2 ON METAL RULES LIST OF TOP HEAVY METAL ALBUMS
#4 ON ROLLING STONES “100 GREATEST METAL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”
#15 ON CLASSIC ROCKS “100 GREATEST BRITISH ROCK ALBUMS”
#17 ON GUITAR WORLDS “100 GREATEST GUITAR ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”
3RD BEST SELLING METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR BEHIND VAN HALEN’S DIVER DOWN AND JUDAS PRIEST’S SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE
00.00: Intro/”Celebrity” Metal Nerdery PSA from Sam Illiott/Album Dive: Number of the Beast (looking back…) and the birth of the modern Maiden sound/Wait, HOW MUCH!?/album art mishap
09.11: The 80’s and Satan’s influence on Metal/Wait…What? Where!?
12.46: Maiden takes home the bronze for 1982 (and other rankings/accolades/commendments, etc)/first time we heard Number of the Beast, Headbanger’s Ball and Grim Reaper
17.12: Album line-up/Clive and Nicko/Production credits (and something tangentionally tangential)/Lillian Axe?/The Spandex years
23.59: Album cover artwork/”Electric Matthew Says Hello”
27.00: Track listing: Invaders (good Maiden “opening”)/Children of the Damned, Metal Nerdery album tracking critique and discussion and “The Combined Unpopular Opinion”
33.07: The Prisoner/The Melody of Maiden and Freedom Rock/Guitar solo awesomeness: Adrian vs Dave
39.17: 22 Acacia Avenue (and the Charlotte Series)/Speak to me, Aerosmith!/Adam’s recommended N.O.T.B. track listing and the end of “side one”.
43.30: Flip sides/“Woe to you…”/666/Iron Maiden’s Back in Black/Run to the Hills, Maiden’s video style and the delirium of the phlegms
50.18: Gangland (a different kind of intro...and a deeper cut)/Sam Illiott’s radio spots
53.39: Hallowed be thy Name/Maiden’s impact on progressive metal/misheard lyric moment…wait, WHAT!?/inspiration behind the song/Vincent Pricey/Sam Illiott signin off/SPREAD THE WORDERY ABOUT METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!