Iron Maiden has announced a deluxe, three-LP vinyl reissue of their 1982 breakout album The Number of the Beast in honor of its 40th anniversary.
The package includes an updated track list of the original album, subbing out the song “Gangland” for the cut “Total Eclipse.”
“On this vinyl release we get the chance to put ‘Total Eclipse’ in its rightful spot on the album for the first time,” says bassist and songwriter Steve Harris.
“The reason it didn’t make it in the first place was that it was all a mad rush when we were finishing the record and we had to get the ‘Run to the Hills’ single out before the tour and we basically had to pick a B-side and it was between ‘Gangland’ and ‘Total Eclipse’ and we just picked the wrong one, really!” Harris adds. “I think ‘Total Eclipse’ is a stronger song and the album would have been stronger if it had been on there.”
Metalheads the world over will tell you that The Number of the Beast is already pretty strong, having spawned the Maiden classics “Run to the Hills” and the title track. The RIAA Platinum-certifed record also marked the debut of vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
Along with the revised track list, the reissue includes the live album Beast Over Hammersmith, which is making its vinyl debut after dropping as a CD in 2002. Beast Over Hammersmith was recorded in March 1982 just days before The Number of the Beast was released.
The Number of the Beast reissue will be released November 18.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.