Growing up in the 80s, songs like this one spooked me as well and I remember my mom tearing down my Iron Maiden flag I had in my room. Looking back at this video, I can see they were performing with unbelievable musicianship while kinda goofing off and having fun with it.
Yeah the 80s were something. We got mislabeled a lot because they didn’t understand what we did. When my mom found my merciful fate album. It was trashed. Ha but we just kept going on. Rock on brother.
This album exploded when it came out, Bruce Dickinson’s voice goes so well with Maiden’s music. I love that YEAH! He opened up with. If you want get a taste of what Maiden sounded like with his predecessor, Paul Di’Anno, take a listen to the KILLERS album, it’s really worth while. 🤘🏼
Fun fact, the guy in the red devil suit with the Pitchfork became their drummer on the next album and is still their drummer to this day, Nicko mcbrain
Bruce Dickinson (vocals) joined Iron Maiden as their 2nd lead singer in 1982... he replaced vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who recorded the first 2 Maiden albums - 'Iron Maiden' (1980) and 'Killers' (1981). Paul Di'Anno was a punk rock-style singer who joined Iron Maiden in 1977 during their club days... he had this gruff, bluesy vocal that gave Iron Maiden an edge, and was a terrific frontman. He helped the band their start and early sound, which got them signed in 1979. What happened was, Iron Maiden was touring constantly for 2 years and Paul Di'Anno was burning out under pressure from alcohol & drug use on the road... he bottomed out in 1981 and had to be replaced. Di'Anno says he never regretted leaving Iron Maiden... it just wasn't his gig anymore. During those early years, Bruce Dickinson was the vocalist of another UK heavy metal band called Samson, under the stage name 'Bruce Bruce'...😂He recorded 2 albums w/ Samson - 'Head on' (1980) and 'Shock tactics' (1981), and he had seen Iron Maiden live when Samson played w/ them... When Di'Anno was out of Maiden, Bruce Dickinson jumped at the chance to join Iron Maiden... his transition was not easy. he and Steve Harris (bass) clashed on who would take center stage at Maiden concerts... Maiden's producer Martin Birch pushed Dickinson's vocals to the limit cos he wanted a great album to introduce a new singer to the Maiden fanbase. Thankfully, the 3rd Maiden album 'The number of the beast' was a huge success, and Iron Maiden went on to dominate the 80's metal scene. However, a decade later, Bruce Dickinson announced that he was leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 for a solo career... Iron Maiden also saw longtime producer Martin Birch retire... so they were left in a really unfortunate position. In 1995, they announced a new singer Blaze Bayley and the album 'The X Factor'... By that point, heavy metal music was reviled by the public and Maiden fans did not warm up to Blaze Bayley's vocals, which were less operatic and more like Di'Anno's... They did not want Iron Maiden without Bruce Dickinson. Meanwhile, Bruce Dickinson also saw his solo records flounder... he finally reunited w/ Iron Maiden in 1999, thus ousting Blaze Bayley, and Iron Maiden was back w/ guitarist Adrian Smith also returning, making Maiden a 3-guitar band for the 1st time.
This song was inspired by a nightmare Steve Harris (the bassist)had after watching the movie The Omen 2. I've been listening to Iron Maiden since 1982, at the age of 15. To give you a complete list of Iron Maiden recommendations, see my list below. Iron Maiden is: Bruce Dickinson - Vocals Born: August 7, 1958 (age 63 years) Started with Iron Maiden in 1981, left in 1993 and rejoined in 1999 and present singer Steve Harris - Bassist and Founder Born: March 12, 1956 (age 66 years), Started the band in 1975 and has never left Dave Murray - Guitarist Born: December 23, 1956 (age 65 years), 1976-1977, 1978- present Adrian Smith - Guitarist Born: February 27, 1957 (age 65 years), 1980-1990, 1999-present Janick Gers - Guiarist Born: January 27, 1957 (age 65 years), 1990 - present Nicko McBrain - Drums Born: June 5, 1952 (age 69 years), 1982 - present Some of these you have already done. Highlight of songs I'd recommend are: From Iron Maiden album------ Phantom of the Opera - A must for live version Strange World (this one will be totally different Iron Maiden) From Killers ------ Murders in the Rue Morgue (Very loosely influenced by Edgar Allen Poe's short story, a story of a fugitive being sought for murder) Genghis Khan (an instrumental - perfect for air drumming) Innocent Exile (continues the theme of Murders in the Rue Morgue of an unjustly accused fugitive) Killers (A journey into the twisted mind of a deranged killer) Prodigal Son(about a repentant man reminiscent of the prodigal son parable found in Luke 15 of the bible) Purgatory(lyrics of song read like a poem) Drifter (focuses on the possibility of new beginnings) From The Number of the Beast------ Invaders (It graphically depicts the violence and horror of a defense against a Viking invasion) The Prisoner (based on the UK television series that ran briefly in the late 1960’s) 22 Acacia Avenue (The continuation of Charlotte the Harlot) The Number of the Beast (Inspired by a dream Bassist Steve Harris had after watching the movie the Omen2) Run to the Hills (about the European arrival in America told from the perspective of both the oppressed Cree and the invading Anglo-Saxon soldiers) Hallowed be Thy Name (about a man who is about to be put to death and what he goes through) From Piece of Mind------ Where Eagles Dare (based on an Alistair Maclean novel, (1967), and film (1968) about a WWII rescue of an American general from a Nazi stronghold in the Bavarian Alps Revelations (Starts with the Hymnal from Oh God of Earth and Alter, the next two verses on the Hindu philosophy, the third verse in Yoga a snake called Kundalini that lives at the base of your spinal cord, during meditation a spiritual entity is created symbolizing the transcendental union with God) Flight of Icarus (loosely based on the ancient Greek myth of Icarus) The Trooper (based on the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava 1854,which took place during the Crimean War) To Tame a Land (the song relays the story of Paul Atreides, Paul Muad'Dib, from the book Dune by Frank Herbert) From Powerslave------ Aces High (about aircraft dog fighting between the British and German fighter pilots of WWII) 2 Minutes to Midnight - About the Doomsday clock for the End of the World Back in The Village (The continuation of the song The Prisoner) Powerslave (about an arrogant pharaoh in his dying hours, he can't understand why he's about to die and fights it in vain) Rime of the Ancient Mariner - (From the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (story about about an ocean voyage) From Somewhere in Time------- Wasted Years (A song about the admonition to appreciate the present and not to take things for granted) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (based on a short story of Alan Sillitoe which was made into a 1962 film Alexander the Great (About the story of Alexander the Great From 7th Son of a 7th Son (a concept album)------ Infinite Dreams (Detailing someone who is tormented by paranormal dreams and nightmares) The Evil That Men Do (Title taken from a quote in Shakespeare Julius Caesar but the song is unrelated) The Clairvoyant (relates the reflections of the 7th Son of the 7th Son on his life and his powers) From Fear of the Dark------ Wasting Love (About the emptiness of relationships without love. Another Maiden ballad) Fear of the Dark (About being afraid of the dark and the things in the dark that might be there - absolute a live performance for this one) From Brave New World------ The Wicker Man (about the apathy of our modern society and our egotistic disinterest of what is happening until something happens to us) Ghost of the Navigator (The lyrics are a metaphor of life, with the ship sailing west towards the setting sun representing death) Brave New World (Loosely based on the 1932 novel by Aldous Huxley) Dream of Mirrors (Yet another song about reoccurring and maybe premonitory dreams) Out of the Silent Planet (Supposedly inspired by the 1956 science -fiction film Forbidden Planet) From Dance of Death------ No More Lies (The lyrics deal with someone knows his time has come with the possibility of reincarnation) Dance of Death (Originally inspired by Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal - Another one to do as a live performance) Paschendale (about the Battle of Passchendaele during WWI) From A Matter of Life and Death------ Brighter than a Thousand Suns (About the dawn of the nuclear bomb age) The Longest Day (about the WWII Normandy Invasion) Out of the Shadows (Questioning the meaning of life) That should give you a good list. Up the Irons
Yo biz. Killers album was good. We rocked that album but when this shit hit the scene. It was a force to be reckoned with. Man those of us that rocked the 70 and 80. Man we was spoiled rotten with rock and metal. It gave s everything. It changed us. Man it was great being in a concert with thousands who were like me. 🤘
Biz, his name is Bruce Dickinson and he sounds as good now as he did back then. I've seen them several times over all these years and they never disappoint. Helluva stage show and Bruce's vocals are still phenomena and he never stops moving around the stagel. Thanks for doing this one!
Iron Maiden’s KILLERS album is pure fire, Biz!🔥🔥🔥 Plus, this is the last album for their drummer, Clive Burr. Niko McBrain comes next. 🤘🏻 Oh yea, this song is about a nightmare that bassist Steve Harris had.
I have seen them so many times since the 80’s. All over the US, and when I was stationed in Germany a few times. I have tickets to see them in DC this Fall. Always a great show!
This is the song that put Iron Maiden on the Map! This was a huge hit. Caused some parent groups to go nutz. .lol... little did those parents know what was coming in 20 years lol
Steve Harris (bass) of Iron Maiden wrote 'The number of the beast' about a nightmare... In 1982, it became the band's first #1 UK album and went platinum (1 million copies) in the US. However, the American religious right at the time accused Iron Maiden of 'devil worship' at the time... vocalist Bruce Dickinson recalled at the time that they treated that uproar as "silliness".
This song is about the movie Race with the Devil starring Peter Fonda. Most of their songs are about horror movies or war movies. Bassist Steve Harris writes most of the lyrics ♥ thanks for great reaction! Rock on 🤘!
"The Bruce Dickenson Rule" : 'The people in the back of the crowd deserve the same show as the people in the front... so you can't do anything small. The people in the back won't see that. So you have to be BIG! Your movements have to be BIG! You have to make sure they get it in the back row!'
Don´t think too deeply into the whole Number of the Beast stuff. Iron Maiden did lots of songs based on old movies. The very usage of old movies footage shows the source of inspiration. It's more like a B terror movie than a real thing about satan and stuff
Great Halloween song. Fun and of course very talented band. As you might know, much of the themes of their music is based on history, myth and other old fables.
I saw this tour brah! Up in Oakland at a Day on The Green! Scorpions were also at the gig touring for the Blackout album! Kick Ass! As far as being looked at, it's a feeling ya get sometimes. 👀 A killer song on that subject is called Electric Eye by Judas Priest. Checkout the US Festival 83 version. I was at that gig too 😎 lol
I still have this album I won it for a roller skating ⛸ contest before the album was released in the stores, someone offered me 700.00 dollars a few years ago, but I still have it. PLEASE do more 🙏. Much love to you and your family 💕Brandi Modrak 💕❤
Yeah, it's just a horror movie vibe set to heavy music, fits the style and sound perfectly but plenty of parents were taken aback by this album and its overt title and album cover art, clearly that is the Devil and that appears to be a realm of fire filled with tormented souls akin to Hell, "Not sure I'm liking this music you are getting into, Johnny, I am concerned" haha
I have always said when people used to say this band or that band was Satanic, do you go to the movies? Do you think movies are Satanic? Music is just a different type of theatrics! Now, I might have done some of these requests already 🤷♂️ "Can I play with madness", "The Evil that men do", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". 🤘😈
I have always thought Nuber of the beasts melody have many similarities to "When the saints go marchin in" but a lot harder ;) is it a coincidence or conscious of Maiden?
