March 22, 1982, was a spring day, just like any other spring day. Or, so we thought. Bwah-ha-ha-ha! Little did we know that Iron Maiden, then just another heavy metal band, had made their deal with Old Scratch, no doubt trading their souls for rock and roll immortality. For back in England, in the bleak months of January and February, dark deeds were afoot. Lights in the Battery Studios were blinking on and off for no reason. Recording equipment was inexplicably malfunctioning. Record producer Martin Birch was involved in a car crash with a mini-van full of nuns – the repair bill: 666 pounds! You could almost hear the evil voice of Vincent Price intoning the book of Revelations.

And, that’s not all. Iron Maiden had replaced its lead singer with Bruce Dickinson, whose vocal power and range was so unearthly it enabled Steve Harris to stretch his wings (they were black, I’m sure) and write songs the band could not have performed months earlier. What songs he wrote, too. “The Number of the Beast” “Run to the Hills” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” would become, if not standard hymns at Satanic rituals, then heavy metal classics to be performed more than 30 years into the future. Harris was inspired by nightmares about Damien, the devil’s spawn in the Omen movies, The Village of the Damned, and The Prisoner, a BBC TV series. The only temptation the band did not indulge was paying Vincent Price's going rate for reading -- 25,000 pounds.

The Prisoner

The Number of the Beast was released in the UK and the US on March 22, 1982, and became Maiden’s first #1 album (UK), selling over 14 million units worldwide. The album is commonly acknowledged to be near the top of any list of greatest heavy metal records, a “must have.” It features great songs and singing, melodious and technical playing, speed, aggression, and a touch of the supernatural, of course. Even Eddie was impressed.

With The Number of the Beast, and the ensuing world tour, Iron Maiden planted its flag (also black, I’d wager) atop the heavy metal mountain. The only people unhappy with the album and Maiden were a certain segment of American society, who burned their records, protested their concerts, and didn’t bother to read their lyrics. The album with the Biblical name peaked at #33 in the US, where folks couldn’t accept that Iron Maiden was just five nice lads from England. Or, were they? After all, from this date on Iron Maiden referred to itself as “The Beast.” Does it make you wonder, or does the cynic in you figure it’s all part of a brilliant marketing strategy?

Dave Murray – Adrian Smith – Bruce Dickinson – Steve Harris – Clive Burr

It's just another spring day -- Enjoy!