Uriah Heep 1970 - Album [50:52 music]

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[virgil283]

"Uriah Heep's origin goes back to 1967 when guitarist Mick Box formed a Brentwood band called The Stalkers, which began playing in local clubs and pubs...the name was changed to that of the well-known character from David Copperfield, Uriah Heep. They decided to widen the sound. "We'd actually recorded half the first album when we decided that keyboards would be good for our sound. I was a big Vanilla Fudge fan, with their Hammond organ and searing guitar on top, and we had David's high vibrato vocals anyway so that's how we decided to shape it,...."

.....; Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble

[tomkat]

I wore the grooves off a couple copies of Look at Yourself .. oh my

[Paul R.]

Not as well known is that Ken Hensley (Heep’s keyboard player and also main writer) is a killer slide guitarist. Check out this 2001 “reunion” vid of Circle of Hands where Hensley comes in with a soaring solo ~4:04.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se4YjAV4CZA

There’s one of his all time best lyrics in this tune too, very counter to the hippie “live for today” theme of the day:

“Sacifice, the future has it’s price,
And today is only yesterday’s tomorrow.”

BTW, listen to this on a good system or headphones: Cheapo speakers will NOT do it justice. Better yet, try to get the DVD* if you can: It’s mostly great stuff, and other than a little mic breakup in a couple spots, and a bit of channel imbalance here and there, the sound is extremely good for a live recording. The opening of “Paradise / The Spell” on this DVD is sweet, sweet, sweet. You also get to see Hensley switch instruments from acoustic guitar to organ to slide guitar and back to organ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWDdk0YXkfA

IMO they should have let him sing the alternate lead too, as he did on the original album. :-)

They also mess up by not doing the alternate lead bit toward the end, as they did on the album, here confusing the good vs. evil conflict, and another of Hensley’s most memorable lyrics, of evil defining itself:

“I have no need of moonlight
You’re wrong to trust in sunlight
For I exist, not just in storms,
But in life itself, in so many forms
To leave you cold...”

For a fanciful story from a (then) druggie, the guy had a handle on truth that few do.

These days, Hensley is a reborn Christian, and while not actively writing much Christian music presently, he still plays some of his compositions along that line now and then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT5POKQtRns

(Spoiler: Starts out slow, turns to fire and brimstone, slows back down, then turns to fire and brimstone again!)

[bigfootbob]

I saw them in Evansville, Indiana back then. The Heep opened for 3 Dog Night! Stupid promoter.

Uriah Heep got 3 standing O’s and the audience wanted more! 3 Dog Night came on to a chorus of boo’s and it continued for 2 songs when 3 Dog Night told the crowd to F-off and walked off the stage. Stupid promoter.

Uriah Heep had quite a night that evening. I bet they still remember it as a band.

[Paul R.]

Incidentally, on a little softer side, and flat out the best audio quality live performance rock recording I know of, is Heep’s “Acoustically Driven”. If you like the style, “Golden Palace” is exquisite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ukAIuc7PTc

Note that for whatever reason, my copy of the DVD sounds better than the CD, and in at least certain spots appears to be a different mix.

[Paul R.]

Yeah, that sort of thing happened to them on more than one occasion. Sometimes Heep simply blew away the crowd who was there mainly for the headliner, and then the main act couldn’t match them! They were that good, at their best, before the drugs, booze, and constant touring wore ‘em down. (David Byron, especially.) By the time I saw them in concert, with Blue Oyster Cult opening for Heep, B.O.C. was the better band live. But even then, Heep would kick out a darn good tune now and then. “Free Me” was a big hit in Europe.

After Mick Box reconstituted the band in 1981-2 they put the live show back together (it helps to have a lead singer who’s not become a hopeless alcoholic) and supplemented the loss of Hensley’s writing by doing some excellent covers here and there (”Prisoner”, “On the Rebound”, etc.) along with some pretty good stuff of their own (”Rollin’ the Rock”). Since then the writing has remained “variable”, with an occasional pleasant surprise, but I’ll say this for ‘em, they are hanging in there.

Rollin’ the Rock seems appropriate, what with Easter coming up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBpcPK54hiw

[OftheOhio]

Good one guys, never thought I would ever hear “Atomic Rooster” said again. I’m still rolling with my Garrard Zero 100 turntable from 1972, amazing piece of tech for it’s day. The strobascope was just fluff, but high tech fluff, lol.

[bigheadfred]

I see no mention of Salisbury. WHY?

Lady In Black a huge fave.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Discount electronics stores have turntables pretty cheap and I’m told those are now set up for computers.

[4yearlurker]

Saw Uriah Heep in 1974 at The Spectrum in Philly. It was a dance concert and you could walk very close to the stage. M. Box the guitarist was playing his ass off yelling:"F***ing Right!" I don't know why but the crowd started booing them and throwing pennies at the band! The lead singer grabbed the mic and said:"You can have your lousy f***ing six dollars back for all I care!" Great times!

[radu]

I’ve heard about those. A friend recently got one and said he’s downloading his albums as mp3 files. I need to get serious and look into that.

[Lurker]

First band I ever saw live. I believe it was 1974.