Iron Maiden

Album: Number of the Beast

 

 

THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST


Invaders        (  Harris  )
Children Of The Damned               ( Harris )
The Prisoner            ( Adrian Smith - Harris )
22, Acacia Avenue            ( Harris - Smith )
The Number Of The Beast        ( Harris )
Run To The Hills         ( Harris )
Gangland                ( Smith - Clive Burr )
Hallowed Be Thy Name         ( Harris )

Total Songs:  8
Total Time:  40:22
Produced and Mixed by Martin Birch
Recorded and Mixed @ Battery Studios, London, England
Managed by Rod Smallwood
Sleeve Illustrations by Derek Riggs

Interesting Facts
* "Run To The Hills" tells the tale of the massacre of the native Americans
  by the pillaging pale-faces from both points of view.  The first part of
  the song tells the side of the Indians.  The second part tells the side of
  the soldiers.  This was the band's first BIG hit single, especially in the
  states.
* "The Number Of The Beast" was inspired by the movie "Omen II."  It's about
  a dream/nightmare that Steve Harris supposedly had (not devil worship!).
  The scream at the end was originally a sort of attempt to get a great
  blood-curdling scream at the end like on THE WHO's "You Won't Get Fooled Again."
* "Children Of The Damned" is a song inspired by the movie of the same name.
* "Gangland", written by Clive Burr and Adrian Smith, is a bit jazz
    influenced, with the drum intro written by Clive (of course).
* "The Prisoner" is based on the 1960's British TV series of the same name, starring Patrick
    McGoohan.  This series has become kind of a cult and you can buy the whole set on video.
    In the series, a British secret agent quits the secret service and is gassed as soon as he gets
    home.  He wakes up in a place called "The Village" where people have their names
    replaced by numbers.  He is number Six and the numbers get smaller as you go up the
    hierarchy. Number One runs the place.
* "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is about someone with only a few hours left to live.
    He is about to be hanged, and this deals with how he faces his future.
* "Invaders"  is actually an extension of the old standard song "Invasion" (heard on The
    Soundhouse Tapes, and as a b-side to the Women In Uniform single). It is about the
    Viking invasion(s) of England.