This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most important heavy metal albums. We are talking about the third album by heavy metal classics Iron Maiden, the cult 1982 album The Number Of The Beast, which influenced and still influences a huge number of musicians and is loved by probably all heavy metal fans. This album brought the band worldwide fame.
In honor of the anniversary Warner Music (BMG for the US) have announced the release of a vinyl anniversary reissue of the record. The new vinyl package, in addition to the album itself, will include the live album Beast Over Hammersmith – officially available on vinyl for the first time – featuring a live concert from the legendary London Hammersmith Odeon show in March 1982 from the Beast On The Road world tour. Recorded just days before the release of Number Of The Beast. It was at this concert that these now-classic songs at the time were still brand new, unfamiliar and the first time fans heard them live. A real piece of history in the making.
In addition, the new version of The Number Of The Beast will include an alternate track list to the original vinyl release with the replacement of the song “Gangland” with the more powerful and beloved “Total Eclipse”. The edition includes exclusive liner notes written by Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris, as well as restored and expanded illustrations taken from the Beast Over Hammersmith CD format previously only available on the limited edition Eddie’s Archive boxset originally released in 2002.
Steve Harris comments:
On this vinyl release we get the chance to put Total Eclipse in its rightful spot on the album for the first time. 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.
All this pleasure will be on three vinyls:
The Number Of The Beast
- “Invaders”
- “Children Of The Damned”
- “The Prisoner”
- “22 Acacia Avenue”
- “The Number Of The Beast”
- “Run To The Hills”
- “Total Eclipse”
- “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
Beast Over Hammersmith
- “Murders In The Rue Morgue”
- “Wrathchild”
- “Run To The Hills”
- “Children of The Damned”
- “The Number Of The Beast”
- “Another Life”
- “Killers”
- “22 Acacia Avenue”
- “Total Eclipse”
- “Transylvania”
- “The Prisoner”
- “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
- “Phantom Of The Opera”
- “Iron Maiden”
- “Sanctuary”
- “Drifter”
- “Running Free”
- “Prowler”
