Κυρίες.....Κύριοι...
Ιδού....
Ο δίσκος των δίσκων....
Το Number Of The Beast...........
Για τι να πρωτομιλήσω....
Για την δύναμη που βγάζει απο τον πρώτο δευτερόλεπτο μέχρι το τελευταίο;
Για την εκπληκτική παραγωγή του Martin Birch; (πάλι αυτός;)
Για τα τραγούδια που είναι ΕΝΑ κι ΕΝΑ;
Για τις κιθάρες που είναι ΑΠΙΣΤΕΥΤΑ απλές και heavy;
Για την σπουδαιότερη μεταγραφή που έγινε ποτέ στην μουσική βιομηχανία; (αυτή του Air Raid Siren)
Άντε ας τα πάρουμε απο την αρχή...μην μας παρασέρνει ο ενθουσιασμός μας...
Σαν σήμερα 29 Μαρτίου του 1982 οι Iron Maiden κυκλοφόρησαν έναν δίσκο που θα άλλαζε ριζικά την μοίρα τους, αλλά και εκατοντάδες εκατοντάδων -μην πω χιλιάδες χιλιάδων και φανώ υπερβολικός, αν και αυτό ισχύει- ανθρώπων, που είτε τους έκανε να πιάσουν μια κιθάρα, ή ενα μικρόφωνο, είτε ενα μπάσο, είτε -σαν κι εμένα- drumsticks για να κοπανήσουν τύμπανα....
Για την μεταγραφή που σας έλεγα, δεν είναι άλλη πέρα απο αυτή του-πολυπράγμων- Bruce Dickinson, που ήρθε απο τους -όχι και άσχημους- Samson και να αλλάξει το ρου αυτού του συγκροτήματος, με την φωνή του, τις εμπνεύσεις του, την σκηνική του παρουσία, ο ΑΠΟΛΥΤΟΣ frontman...
Πολύ τους κατηγορήσανε για σατανιστές, λόγω του τίτλου, αλλά η αλήθεια είναι ότι το ομώνυμο τραγούδι ήταν έμπνευση απο εναν εφιάλτη που είδε ο Harris (αρχηγός του συγκροτήματος) μετά απο την προβολή της ταινίας Damien Omen II. Επίσης στην αρχή του τραγουδιού ακούγεται απαγγελία απο την αποκάλυψη του Ιωάννη (13:18)
To Children of the damned είναι βασισμένο στην ομώνυμη ταινία, και σε μια απο τις ραδιοφωνικές του εκπομπές ο Bruce Dickinson αποκάλυψε ότι ο Ronnie James Dio εμπνεύστηκε επίσης απο την ταινία για να γράψει με τους Black Sabbath το Children of the sea...
Το Prisoner εμπνευσμένο απο την τότε Βρετανική ομώνυμη σειρά...
Ο δίσκος έγινε κλασικός...Στην Ελλάδα πριν απο 15 χρόνια στην πρώτη ψηφοφορία που είχε γίνει απο το μεγαλύτερο heavy metal περιοδικό της χώρας, ψηφίστηκε πρώτο και με διαφορά...
-στην δεύτερη ψηφοφορία πριν απο λίγα χρόνια βγήκε δεύτερο, μετά το Master of puppets- Στον Καναδά τριπλά πλατινένιος, στην Αγγλία πλατινένιος, στην Γερμανία χρυσός, στην Αμερική έφτασε στο billboard200 στο νούμερο 33 κι έγινε πλατινένιος...
Έχει ψηφιστεί ως ένα απο τους δίσκους 1001 δίσκους που πρέπει να ακούσεις πριν πεθάνεις, είναι ενας απο τους 100 καλύτερους δίσκους που έβγαλε η Αγγλία, νούμερο 17 στους 100 καλύτερους κιθαριστικούς δίσκους
Υπάρχει μια ιστορία που θεωρείται "αξιοσημείωτη" ο παραγωγός Martin Birch πηγαίνοντας για το στούντιο, το αυτοκίνητό του έπαθε βλάβη, η οποία του κόστισε 666 λίρες!
Το ιστορικό track list είναι το εξής:
1. Invaders
2. Children Of The Damned
3. The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number Of The Beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Gangland
8. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Οι Bruce Dickinson -φωνή,φωνάρα- Steve Harris -μπάσο- Andrian Smith -κιθάρα- Dave Murray -κιθάρα- Clive Burr -τύμπανα- δεν θα ξαναβρεθούν σε άλλο δίσκο μαζί, γιατί ο Clive Burr θα αποσυρθεί απο την σκλήρυνση κατα πλάκας που τον ταλαιπωρούσε- κρίμα
Οι μη-μυημένοι ας διαβάσουν μόνο τους στίχους στο Hallowed be thy name...
the rest...n'joy
He's walking like a small child
But watch his eyes burn you away
Black holes in his golden stare
God knows he wants to go home
Children of The Damned
He's walking like a dead man
If he had lived he would have crucified us all
Now he's standing on his last step
He thought oblivion well it beckons us all
Now it burns his >hands< he's turning to laugh
Smiles as the flame sears his flesh
Melting his face screaming in pain
Peeling the skin from his eyes
Watch him die according to plan
He's dust on the ground what did we learn
You're Children of The Damned
Your back's against the wall
You turn into the light
You're burning in the night
You're Children of The Damned
Like candles watch them burn
Burning in the light
You'll burn again tonight
Children of The Damned
"We want information, information, information."
"Who are you?"
"The new number two."
"Who is number one?"
"You are number six."
"I am not a number, I am a free man."
I'm on the run, I kill to eat.
I'm starving now, I'm feeling dead on my feet.
Going all the way, I'm nature's beast.
Do what I want, I'll do as I please.
Run! Fight! To breathe! It's tough!
Now you see me (haha!) Now you don't.
Break the walls, I'm coming out.
Not a prisoner I'm a free man,
And my blood is my own now.
Don't care, where the past was,
I know where I'm going...Out!
If you kill me, it's self-defense,
If I kill you, then I call it vengeance.
Spit in your eye, I will defy,
you'll be afraid when I call out your name.
Run! Fight! To breathe! It's gonna be tough!
Now you see me, and now you don't.
Break the walls, I'm coming out.
I'm not a number, I'm a free man,
Live my life where I want to.
You'd better scratch me from your black book,
'cause I'll run rings around you.
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 have understanding
reckon the number of the beast
for it is a human number
its number is six hundred and sixty six.
I lived alone
my mind was blank
I needed time to think to get the memories from my mind
What did I see?
Could I believe?
That what I saw that night was real and not just fantasy
Just what I saw
in my old dreams
were they
reflections of my walk man staring back at me?
'Cause in my dreams
it's always there
the evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair
Night was black
was no use holding back
'Cause I just had to see
was someone watching me
In the mist
dark figures move and twist
was all this for real
or just some kind of hell
6-6-6 the Number of the Beast
Hell and fire was spawned to be released
Torches blazed and
sacred chants were phrased
as they start to cry
hands held to the sky
In the night
the fires are burning bright
the ritual has begun
Satan's work is done
6-6-6 the Number of the Beast
Sacrifice is going on tonight
This can't go on
I must inform the law
Can this still be real
or just some crazy dream?
but I feel drawn
towards the chanting hordes
seem to mesmerise...can't avoid their eyes
6-6-6 the Number of the Beast
6-6-6 the one for you and me
I'm coming back
I will return
And I'll possess your body
and I'll make you burn
I'll have the fire
I'll have the force
I'll have the power
to make my evil take its course
White man came across the sea
He brought us pain and misery
He killed our tribes, he killed our creed
He took our game for his own need
We fought him hard we fought him well
Out on the plains we gave him hell
But many came too much for Cree
Oh will we ever be set free?
Riding through dust clouds and barren wastes
Galloping hard on the plains
Chasing the redskins back to their holes
Fighting them at their own game
Murder for freedom a stab in the back
Women and children and cowards attack
Run to the hills, run for your lives
Run to the hills, run for your lives
Soldier blue in the barren wastes
Hunting and killing their game
Raping the women and wasting the men
The only good Indians are tame
Selling them whiskey and taking their gold
Enslaving the young and destroying the old
Shadows may hide you but also may be your grave
You're running today maybe tomorrow you'll be saved
You pray for daylight to save you for a while
You wonder if your children will face the killer's smile
Dead men -- tell no tales
In Gangland -- murder's up for sale
Dead men -- tell no tales
In Gangland -- where jail birds die
Face at the window leers into your own
But it's only your reflection still you tremble in your bones
How long can you hide? How long till they come?
A rat in a trap but you've got to survive
Once you were glad to be free for a while
The air tasted good and the world was your friend
Then came the day when the hard times began
Now your alone but alive for how long?
A knife at your throat another body on the pile
A contract to keep and it's service with a smile
Murder for vengeance or murder for gain
Death on the streets or a blackened out jail
In Gangland you tell no tales
I'm waiting in my cold cell, when the bell begins to chime.
Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time.
'Cause at 5 o'clock they take me to the Gallows Pole,
The sands of time for me are running low...
Running low--ooohhh...
When the priest comes to read me the last rites,
I take a look through the bars at the last sights,
Of a world that has gone very wrong for me.
Can it be that there's some sort of error?
Hard to stop the surmounting terror.
Is this really the end, not some crazy dream?
Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming,
It's not easy to stop from screaming,
But words escape me when I try to speak.
Tears flow but why am I crying?
After all I'm not afraid of dying.
Don't I believe that there never is an end?
As the guards march me out to the courtyard,
Somebody cries from a cell "God be with you".
If there's a God then why does he let me go?
As I walk my life drifts before me.
Though the end is near I'm not sorry.
Catch my soul, it's willing to fly away.
Mark my words believe my soul lives on.
Don't worry now that I have gone.
I've gone beyond to see the truth.
When you know that your time is close at hand,
Maybe then you'll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusion.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...Hallowed be Thy name
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...Hallowed be Thy name
Yeah..................................
