Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast - 1982
The painting, by Derek Riggs, was originally created for the song "Purgatory",
but Rod Smallwood deemed it of too high a calibre for a single release and decided
to save it for The Number of the Beast.
The album was also the centre of controversy, particularly in America, due to the lyrics of the title track and the cover art depicting Eddie controlling Satan like a puppet, while Satan is also controlling a smaller Eddie. Smallwood explains that the concept was to ask 'who's the really evil one here? Who's manipulating who?'
According to Riggs this was inspired by a Doctor Strange comic book 'which had some big villain with Doctor Strange dangling on some strings like a puppet, it was something I read as a child back in the 1960s I think', while the images of hell were 'taken from my knowledge of medieval European Christian art.'
The painting, by Derek Riggs, was originally created for the song "Purgatory",
but Rod Smallwood deemed it of too high a calibre for a single release and decided
to save it for The Number of the Beast.
The album was also the centre of controversy, particularly in America, due to the lyrics of the title track and the cover art depicting Eddie controlling Satan like a puppet, while Satan is also controlling a smaller Eddie. Smallwood explains that the concept was to ask 'who's the really evil one here? Who's manipulating who?'
According to Riggs this was inspired by a Doctor Strange comic book 'which had some big villain with Doctor Strange dangling on some strings like a puppet, it was something I read as a child back in the 1960s I think', while the images of hell were 'taken from my knowledge of medieval European Christian art.'