'Number Of The Beast' Voted Best UK Album Of The Last 60 Years

Heavy Metal legends Iron Maiden have topped a poll of the best British album of the past 60 years with their landmark record, The Number Of The Beast.

The rockers beat off stiff competition from Eighties group Depeche Mode's album Violator and The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to take the top spot in an HMV survey to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Iron Maiden's 1982 album, which features their single track Run To The Hills, took a whopping 9.2% share of the 30,000 votes cast — being selected 2,754 times.

On being told of the award, lead singer Bruce Dickinson said: “We’re astonished and delighted to hear The Number of the Beast has been named No.1 in HMV’s Diamond Jubilee survey for the greatest British album category.

"Some of the most influential and classic albums from the past 60 years were in the running so it’s a testament to our incredibly loyal and ever-supportive fans who voted for us."

Elsewhere in the chart there was more success for The Beatles, with Abbey Road, Revolver, and The White Album all in the top ten.

Number Of The Beast is a damn fine album but not the best UK album of the last 60 years IMO. There are a ton of others I'd list before that.

Akeldama wrote:

Number Of The Beast is a damn fine album but not the best UK album of the last 60 years IMO. There are a ton of others I'd list before that.

Agreed

I'm a huge Maiden fan and they have better albums than TNOTB. But, it's very cool that they topped the list!

Man its just cool seeing a metal band rank number 1 in something, maybe it will make people better appreciate the metal world a little.

gershom wrote:

Man its just cool seeing a metal band rank number 1 in something, maybe it will make people better appreciate the metal world a little.

Don't hold your breath.

If you look at that list it's obviously a stupid popularity campaign waged on the internet...there's no way an artist like Adele who has only been out for about 3 years should be in a Top 10 list of the past 60. It's moronic.

All that poll really proves is that Maiden and Depeche Mode have very well organized facebook/internet fanclubs and can get people to vote in meaningless polls.

Don't get me wrong, Number Of The Beast is a killer record and deserves credit, but it just turned 30, it doesn't need to be compared to music from the 30 years prior that poll is supposed to represent.