The UK band’s third studio set marked their first with former Samson singer Bruce Dickinson, who joined the lineup after the 1981 firing of frontman Paul Di’Anno.
“The Number Of The Beast” delivered Iron Maiden their commercial breakthrough, earning gold and platinum records in multiple countries and the band’s first UK No. 1 album; the singles “Run To The Hills” and the title track led to international airplay at a time when the newly-launched MTV provided an outlet for the group’s iconic heavy metal imagery in a series of music videos to promote the album.
The 40th anniversary reissue features a slight change in the track listing from its original release, replacing “Gangland” with “Total Eclipse.”
“On this vinyl release we get the chance to put 'Total Eclipse' in its rightful spot on the album for the first time,” says Steve Harris. “The reason it didn’t make it in the first place was that it was all a mad rush when we were finishing the record and we had to get the 'Run to the Hills' single out before the tour and we basically had to pick a B-side, and it was between 'Gangland' and 'Total Eclipse' and we just picked the wrong one, really! I think 'Total Eclipse' is a stronger song and the album would have been stronger if it had been on there.”
Included in the new vinyl package is “Beast Over Hammersmith” - available now officially for the very first time on vinyl - featuring the live concert from March 1982’s now legendary Hammersmith Odeon London show from the Beast On The Road World Tour. Recorded only days before the release of “The Number Of The Beast” album, it gave fans a chance to hear the new material for the very first time.
The package features exclusive liner notes written by Harris, as well as restored and expanded artwork taken from the CD format of “Beast Over Hammersmith”, previously only available in the Limited Edition Eddie’s Archive boxset originally released in 2002.
Iron Maiden are currently playing dates on the North American leg of The Legacy Of The Beast Tour.
Get your copy of the 40th anniversary vinyl reissue here.
See also:
Iron Maiden release Stratego live video
Watch Iron Maiden headline Rock In Rio 2022
Iron Maiden thank fans for support of European tour
Iron Maiden introduce Samurai Eddie at 2022 tour launch
Search Iron Maiden at hennemusic
