10 Albums With Creepy Recording Stories
4. Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden were on the cusp of something extraordinary by the time they hit their third record. Along with acquiring air raid siren Bruce Dickinson, songwriter Steve Harris was also writing some of the band's most demented material to date. Though the Number of the Beast became the album that launched them into the stratosphere, a near fatal accident sent eerie alarm bells throughout the studio.
While the initial recording sessions were going well, producer Martin Birch was involved in a car accident one night after tracking some of the songs. Birch was left relatively unscathed, but was horrified once he got the statement of the car's damages. Upon finishing the sessions for the title track, Birch got the bill with the ending balance reading a total of £666.
Though claiming to not be superstitious, Birch didn't want to take any chances and politely asked if the company could ring him up for £667 instead. After a few days of recuperation, Maiden got back into the studio and put the finishing touches on their metallic masterstroke. Though Satan may have come calling for their producer, no one was getting in the way of Maiden while under the watchful eye of Eddie.