Customer Reviews

Salisbury

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Salisbury is just the second album from this legendary band and is a staggering improvement over the first. The collection of songs is dominated by the sixteen-minute title track, a monumental achievement in progressive rock which looks more and more impressive with the passage of the years, and "Lady in Black" the memorable acoustic singalong ballad that went on to become one of the bands most well-known and requested songs. A fine album whose only real drawback may be that with only six songs (seven in the remaster) it leaves Heep fans wanting more. The scary thing is that the band had yet to really hit their stride.

simon the bullet freak was on the original--in america, at least. that wouldn't make it a bonus track, but it sure as hell is an interesting infectious song!

I recently purchased Salisbury on CD. I have had it for many years on LP. IT was one of those albums that my friends and I listened to when we were young with doobie. It has some really excellent moments on it, in my opinion more than their other albums. There may be a couple of songs I skip over such as Bird of Prey but others like The Park, Simon the Bullet Freak, and of course Salisbury are not to be missed.

I recommend this album to any Uriah Heep fan.

I do prefer the cover art that was on the original American release but that is just because it is what I am used to seeing. The music is the same and it is pure magic head food.

Julien

As a follow up to their debut a little more than six months previous, the British quintet known as Uriah Heep indulged in their progressive tendencies much more so on `Salisbury' than on their first record. You need look no further on the album sleeve than notice the sixteen minute title track, complete with extended brass section, to get a full taste of this aspect of the band's sound. That aside, `Salisbury' has a few very good songs of normal length including two of the Heep's best known tunes, "Bird of Prey", which is the album opener and is a stunning display of early heavy metal and the quiet, mythical opus "Lady in Black" which is an amazingly atmospheric piece. Ken Hensley, who was absent from the composer credits from the first record, no doubt due to the typical contractual reasons, really threw himself into `Salisbury' and assumed the mantel of chief composer. He also took lead vocals on both "Lady" and "High Priestess". David Byron lends his signature croon on the other pieces including an eerie falsetto on "The Park" and a more trademark macho vocal on "Bird" and "Time to Live". I really do like this record for the most part but "Salisbury" the song is an endurance run for the listener and for me kills the LP, well not totally. "Bird of Prey" and "Lady in Black" are true classics are reasons enough to ignore the tedium of the marathon title song and enjoy `Salisbury' on the former's merits not the latter.

I got this album when it first came out as a teenager while growing up in Europe. "Lady in Black" is probably in a way this album's mystical core drawing on Arthurian/pagan lore -- a British anti-war (read: anti-Vietnam) song:

--- It is poignant in its two-chord arrangement, and especially in that it is a wise woman (or wicca) who carries the wisdom to the weary warrior. The Feminine knowing the way to sanity. (And it's a man writing this review :)

I also consider "Lady in Black" a gender complimentary song to "The Wizard" on Uriah Heep's "Demons and Wizards" album that came out later. The Lady and the Wizard would have gotten along very well.

As to the cover you see here, this was the original UK/world release design:

--- Due to political sensitivities about the Vietnam war, it was banned in the U.S. A poor quality, brownish, monochrome drawing of some other less "modern war-machine" subject was substituted.

It's nice to see the original, as-it-was-meant-to-be cover again after all these many years. Like seeing an old friend :)

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Last but not least, I was a big fan of Uriah Heep back then for their songs often had a deeper social meanings and yearnings. This album is no exception.

This album was released in 1970, together with Zeppelin, purple, Sabbath. Uriah Heep started their debut.
The songs here are classic masterpieces in their early 70's hey day, check out them in the first album like lady in black, high priestess, bird of prey, the park etc......what a goldies collection it is! Heep is also good as Led Zeppelin, Purple, Black Sabbath in the 70's rock classic era.
Long time ago the American journalist at the rolling stone magazine Melissa Mills wrote that I will rather to commit suicide than listening to this band.
Yes Melissa Mills was a fool poor journalist,....she didn't know how good this band is!
In fact that URIAH HEEP sold out their albums/recordings worldwide 30 million albums until today!! well you know this now,....Is Uriah Heep still a bad
group ??? you should answer it by your selves! This band is a goldies... this project 1970 SALISBURY was an ambitious project of the band. buy it don't miss it!