The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 975

Number 975

Iron Maiden

"Number Of The Beast"

(1982)

Genre:Hard Rock

"Torches blazed
and sacred chants were praised
As they start to cry
hands held to the sky
In the night the fires burning bright
The ritual has begun
Satan's work is done
666 the number of the beast
Sacrifice is going on tonight"

Yes, i know what your thinking, this should have been the Number 666 in "The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time"

No?

er , well, anyway i was never a big fan of "Hard Rock" when i was younger and i quite happily ignored this genre until the 90s. I was to much into my Neil Young, Pink Floyd and Joe Jackson.

Still, my friends were very much into this music. I remember Friday nights out at someone's garage (i don't know what Americans call a garage, maybe shed? *shrugs*) esquires Gary [Gazza] Shackleton and Wayne [Hawkeye] Johnstone both with long hair "headbanging" to a stereo set up, blaring to annoy the farm life around them. (i was the token hippy who went along with tapes of Neil and Pink hoping to get some airplay.....i did once they all passed out from to much pot and to much booze)

"The night was black was no use holding back
'Cos I just had to see was someone watching me
In the mist dark figures move and twist
Was this all for real or some kind of hell
666 the number of the beast
Hell and fire was spawned to be released"

After i discovered Nirvana, (didn't you know it was me?) Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains I realised I was enjoying the heavier sounds of rock. My long hair had gone and i was now conformed just like the other "cattle" of the working world.
This is when i explored Metallica Black Album (reborn i was) and the other ilk of Megadeth, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.
They were no longer "scary and popular dumb" to me. All of these groups provided me with fantastic listening and story telling such as "One" by Metallica & "Wasting Love" by Iron Maiden.

"Woe to you, Oh Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the
beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short...
Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the
beast for it is a human number, its number is Six hundred and sixty six."

Because of these groups i moved into progressive rock which inevitability parked me to today in alternative rock (see, its a long road on the rocky road of music) ok that was cheesy

"I'm coming back I will return
And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn
I have the fire I have the force
I have the power to make my evil take it's course"

Deny it as much as you want, but all in all some of these groups have earned there place in "Anyones" Definitive 1000.

I wonder if Gary and Wayne are keen on a friday night, soon to "headbang to the stereo" one more for the road. Hoo Ya !

For more Iron Maiden see Number 755
For Neil Young see Number 938 & Number 677
For Joe Jackson see Number 490
For Nirvana see Number 480
For Black Sabbath see Number 979 & Number 826
For Megadeth see Number 981
For Pink Floyd see Number 497
For more Pink Floyd visit MM Vol 1 #138
For Pearl Jam see Number 505
For more Pearl Jam visit MM Vol 1 #116
For Scorpions see Number 545
For Metallica see Number 484
For more Metallica visit MM Vol 1 #033
For even more Metallica visit MM Vol 2 #136

What does Rolling Stone think of Iron Maiden?
Rock & roll may be here to stay, as Danny and the Juniors once declared, but few styles in rock have endured like heavy metal. Long after such progenitors as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad have passed into history, eager young longhairs around the globe still crowd into arenas clamoring for yet another dose of high-decibel distortion, fretboard virtuosity and vocal belligerence. Although Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast isn't as dreadfully bland as the Rainbow LP, it comes uncomfortably close. Unlike the band's previous efforts, which retained much of the bluesy kick of early heavy metal, The Number pursues a slicker, more up-to-date sound with mixed results. Regrettably, the focus has shifted away from Dave Murray and Adrian Smith's lead guitars, and much of the album is in the hands of the rhythm section and newly acquired singer Bruce Dickinson. Despite an occasional flash of inspiration, like the driving riff that fuels "Run to the Hills," The Number of the Beast blusters along aimlessly, proving again that bad music is hell. ~ [Source:Rolling Stone 1982] {bad music? Oh dear}
For Danny & The Juniors see Number 573
For Led Zeppelin see Number 577 & Number 957

For Deep Purple see Number 686

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at (Nope they hated it) and the Album ranked at Number (Nope, doesn't even know its out yet)

This song has a total rating of 50.7 out of 108

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
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