The Number of the Beast (Live 1985)

The Zoo Crew is cranking up the volume with Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast (Live 1985)," a track that’s pure heavy metal lightning for all you Zoo Freaks out there. This song, originally from their 1982 album, has some wild stories behind it. Bassist Steve Harris has said the title track was sparked by a nightmare he had after watching the horror flick *Damien: Omen II*, mixed with inspiration from Robert Burns’ poem *Tam o’ Shanter*. The creepy spoken intro, meant to mimic a passage from the Book of Revelation, was almost voiced by horror icon Vincent Price, but his £25,000 fee was too steep for the band’s budget. Instead, they tapped English actor Barry Clayton, who nailed the eerie vibe for a fraction of the cost. During recording at Battery Studios, spooky stuff went down—lights flickered on and off, gear broke for no reason, and producer Martin Birch got a repair bill for £666 after a car crash with a van full of nuns. Talk about freaky coincidences!

The song stirred up a storm when it dropped, especially in the U.S., where religious groups branded Iron Maiden as Satanists over the “666” lyrics and Derek Riggs’ devilish album art, which showed Eddie as a puppet master. Protests and album burnings followed, but Harris laughed it off, saying critics “completely got the wrong end of the stick” and hadn’t even read the lyrics. Fun fact: the iconic cover was originally sketched for the single “Purgatory” from their *Killers* album, but manager Rod Smallwood thought it was too epic for just a single and saved it for *The Number of the Beast*. Bruce Dickinson, the band’s powerhouse vocalist, called the album a “musical equivalent of a planetary line-up,” a once-in-a-blue-moon moment that shot them to stardom.

Iron Maiden kicked off their journey in 1975 in Leyton, East London, when Steve Harris, a young bassist with a love for prog rock like Genesis and hard rock like Black Sabbath, decided to form a band. After quitting his job as an architectural draftsman, Harris pulled together a rotating crew of musicians, but the lineup didn’t solidify until guitarist Dave Murray joined in ’76. They hustled through the gritty pub scene, building a cult following with raw energy and theatrical flair. By 1979, their self-released *The Soundhouse Tapes* EP caught fire with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal crowd, landing them a deal with EMI. Their 1980 self-titled debut, with its punky edge and Eddie mascot, set the stage, but it was 1982’s *The Number of the Beast*, with Dickinson’s operatic vocals replacing Paul Di’Anno’s grittier style, that made them global metal titans.

You can keep up with Iron Maiden on their official website, where they post tour dates, merch, and news about their epic 50th-anniversary *Run For Your Lives* tour in 2025. They’re active on Facebook, sharing throwback pics and fan love, and on Instagram, where you’ll find killer stage shots and behind-the-scenes vibes. Over on X, they drop quick updates and banter with fans. For deeper dives, check out fan hubs like the Iron Maiden Fan Club on Facebook, where diehards swap stories and rare vinyl finds, or the Iron Maiden Fan Forum, a treasure trove of trivia and tour memories. Up the Irons!