Editing The Number of the Beast (album) (section)

==Release and controversy==
[[File:Bruce Dickinson 08.jpg|thumb|left|Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris performing in 1982. The Beast on the Road tour was marred by several protests organised by religious activists in the US.]]

''The Number of the Beast'' was released on 22 March 1982 through [[EMI]] and its sister label [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] in the United States. The album was strongly opposed by some [[social conservatives]] in the United States, where Iron Maiden were accused of being [[Satanism|Satanists]]. Public burnings of the band's catalogue were organised, although one religious group smashed the records with hammers, for fear of inhaling fumes from burning vinyl.  It is unclear whether their caution was based on toxicological or theological concerns.<ref name="NOTBDVD" /><ref name="Kerrang! Legends32">{{cite journal |title=Raising Hell |journal=Kerrang! Legends |first=Simon |last=Young |year=2006 |volume=112 |issue=2 |page=32 |publisher=Bauer Media Group|bibcode=2006S&T...112f..54K }}</ref> The subsequent tour was subject to boycotts and demonstrations: venues were sometimes surrounded by activists who handed out leaflets and, in one case, a 25-foot cross was carried in protest.<ref name="NOTBDVD">{{cite AV media |date=4 December 2001 |title=[[Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast]] |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Eagle Rock Entertainment|Eagle Vision]]}}</ref><ref name="CR" /> Harris has stated, "It was mad. They completely got the wrong end of the stick. They obviously hadn't read the lyrics. They just wanted to believe all that rubbish about us being Satanists."{{sfn|Wall|2004|p=228}}

The album was reissued in 1995 with a bonus CD containing two songs ("Total Eclipse", and a live version of "Remember Tomorrow") that had been the B-sides of the album's two singles. The US version of the 1995 reissue incorrectly gives Paul Di'Anno a songwriting credit for "Total Eclipse";<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=The Number of the Beast ''Limited Edition 2 CD Set'' |others=[[Iron Maiden]] |year=1995 |publisher=[[Castle Communications|Castle]] }}</ref> the song had actually been written by Harris, Murray, and Burr.<ref name="linernotes">{{cite AV media notes |title=The Number of the Beast ''Remastered'' |others=[[Iron Maiden]] |year=1998 |publisher=[[EMI]] }}</ref>

The album was also reissued in 1998 by EMI and [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]/[[Columbia Records|Columbia]] in the US as an enhanced CD version, which included photos, band history and the music videos for the songs "The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills", in addition to "Total Eclipse", which was restored to the album's track listing (having been excluded from the original edition due to space constraints).{{sfn|Wall|2004|p=225}} This version mistakenly lists the track lengths for "22 Acacia Avenue" and "The Number of the Beast" as 4:49 and 3:50; they are in fact 6:38 and 4:51, respectively.<ref name="linernotes" />

On March 18, 2022 (UK, Europe) and March 25th (USA) the band will release a new cassette version of the album for the fortieth anniversary of the album's original release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/iron-maiden-the-number-of-the-beast-40th-anniversary-commemorative-retro-cassette-format-release-announced/|title=Iron Maiden: 'The Number Of The Beast' 40th Anniversary Commemorative Retro Cassette Format Release Announced|website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|date=18 February 2022|access-date=18 February 2022|archive-date=18 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218144223/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iron-maiden-the-number-of-the-beast-40th-anniversary-commemorative-retro-cassette-format-release-announced/|url-status=live}}</ref>