IRON MAIDEN – THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST LP – Nr MINT A2/B4 UK 1982 ORIG HEAVY METAL

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
(EMI Records  1982  EMC3400)
Matrix No’s: A2/B4 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band’s discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, eleven live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.

Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several line-up changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums, including 1982’s The Number of the Beast, 1983’s Piece of Mind, 1984’s Powerslave, 1985’s live release Live After Death, 1986’s Somewhere in Time and 1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band have undergone a resurgence in popularity, with their 2010 studio offering, The Final Frontier, peaking at No. 1 in 28 countries and receiving widespread critical acclaim. Their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, was released on 4 September 2015.

Despite little radio or television support, Iron Maiden are considered one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, with The Observer reporting in 2015 that the band have sold over 90 million copies of their albums worldwide. The band won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement in 2002. As of October 2013, the band have played over 2000 live shows throughout their career. For the past 35 years, the band have been supported by their famous mascot, “Eddie”, who has appeared on almost all of their album and single covers, as well as in their live shows.

The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in March 1982. It saw the debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and the final appearance of drummer Clive Burr.

The Number of the Beast met with considerable critical and commercial success and was a landmark release for the band, becoming their first album to reach No. 1 in the UK albums chart, and be certified platinum in the US. The album also produced the singles “Run to the Hills” and “The Number of the Beast”, the former of which was the band’s first top-ten UK single. The album was also controversial – particularly in the US – due to the religious nature of its lyrics and its artwork.

Since the release of The Number of the Beast and its subsequent tour, The Beast on the Road, “The Beast” has become an alternate name for Iron Maiden, and was later used in the titles of some of their compilations and live releases, including Best of the Beast and Visions of the Beast.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Steve Harris, except where noted.

Personnel