IRON MAIDEN Guitarist ADRIAN SMITH Reflects On 35th Anniversary Of The Number Of The Beast Album - “People Were Calling Us Devil-Worshippers, And Nothing Could Be Further From The Truth”
June 29, 2017, 6 years ago
Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith recently spoke with Las Vegas Weekly, and during the chat he talks about the 35th anniversary of the band’s legendary album, The Number Of The Beast.
Las Vegas Weekly: This year marks the 35th anniversary of The Number Of The Beast album. What comes to mind when you look back at the experience of writing and recording that record? It’s your second album with the band, the first with (Bruce) Dickinson. There was a lot going on. Yeah, there were a lot of changes going on. We were sort of a band on the up, still trying to make a name in America. It seems so recent, but it’s a long time ago.
Adrian Smith: “I started writing a little bit on the album and started to express myself a bit more. Steve (Harris) came out with some great stuff, obviously the title track. It was a strong album. We recorded it in London, and we didn’t do that again for a number of years.”
Las Vegas Weekly: Did you have a sense that you’d made an album that was really going to have an impact?
Adrian Smith: “It did create a bit of a stir, to say the least, especially at that time in America. People were calling us devil-worshippers, and nothing could be further from the truth. We’re pretty straight-ahead guys from London - at least as far as I know.”
Read more at Las Vegas Weekly.
