It was drummer Clive Burr’s last album with the band, and his only one with writing credits. The Story Behind The Number Of The Beast… Beyond the music lies one of the more interesting stories behind the recording of any album, including a B-side that never made it onto the record (see below)… Without question, The Number Of The Beast is an essential album that belongs in the collection of every heavy metal fan. Dickinson has described performing the song live as “narrating a movie to an audience.”

This band favorite has been played on virtually every tour since 1982. In addition to the album’s title track (which caused a lot of false accusations about the band being Satan worshippers), and “Run To The Hills” (a fan favorite), this album also features “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (a song that is arguably the best closer on any album in heavy metal history). Even though it’s the band’s third studio release, in many ways, it feels like their debut album because it set the tone for everything that would follow over the next 35 years (and counting). The Number Of The Beast is the album that introduced many fans to Iron Maiden (myself included).

In fact, according to producer Martin Birch, Steve Harris wanted to explore a new direction, but didn’t think that Di’Anno could handle the vocals. With all due respect to original vocalist Paul Di’Anno, it’s no coincidence that the band took off with Dickinson’s first release. Although Maiden’s journey officially began in 1975, it wasn’t until Bruce Dickinson joined the band that they really hit their stride. On March 22, 1982, Iron Maiden began a journey towards becoming one of the most successful bands in heavy metal history with the release of The Number Of The Beast.

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