Customer Reviews

Salisbury

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

classic rockers and younger listeners should enjoy this second effort from the under-rated unapprecitaed uriah heep. i actually bought this to replace my vinyl copy and wasn't dissapointed. memorable songs that stand up to time. "high priestess", "lady in black", simon the bullet freak". a very strong recording that utilized early stereo effects and over-dubbing. (remember it was 1971.) over-the-top vocal arrangements makes it work. title track is a simply "brilliant"! totally wicked! ahead of their time. buy the expanded version. queen and the darkeness owe a lot to these guys.

I first heard the song Salisbury on an old "underground" FM station back in the early 70s. That song got a lot of playtime back then; it was one of the first "epic" songs that involved a symphony orchestra along with lots of great guitar work and vocals. I liked it so well, I went out and bought the vinyl. It took awhile, but finally it's out on CD. Lady in Black and High Priestess are also great "flash back" songs. I saw this group live at Kent State Univ.; they were touring w/Ten Years After. At the time, I much preferred TYA, but now, after all these years I can finally listen to different bands and not feel the need to compare them....They all had their unique sound, song selections, and strengths. This CD gets plenty of play time at my house! And, I can listen to the Salisbury cut over and over. Good stuff from a group that wasn't around that long, wasn't all that popular at the time, but now, can fairly be considered to be one of the better innovators and heavies from that era. I gave it 5 stars for the Salisbury cut alone, it's worth buying the album for that one song...the other songs are just added enjoyment!

I love this album from beginning to end. You can really sit back and get lost in it. My favorite cut is "Time to Live". What a finely written song and you know what it is about. Byron sings clearly and with great diction on all cuts but I love "Time to live" best......great wah wah guitar as well. Every cut here is clean and you can hear all instruments clearly. What else can I say. I am also a Hensley fan, especially "Proud words on a dusty shelf"...."From time to time" being my favorite on that one.

Do yourself a favor and buy this. In fact, I recommend the first five studio albums from these guys. Really ahead of their time and taking their name from a character in a Dickens novel. Great band, then anyway.

This title never ever really sounded good. I have a first edition vinyl LP I bought back in the day and the title track is unlistenable due to a very muddy mix. I thought the first LP was recorded and mixed much better. When the first CD version of this title was released I was happy that the mix seemed more open and the album was improved but it still had a thin trebly feel to it. This deluxe version fixes all the previous problems. While it does contain the original mixes, the remastering allows each instrument (including all that brass) to really shine. The sound is full and resonant and has some real "butt" to it. Adding a slew of unreleased or alternate tracks and a wonderful booklet full of the story behind the recording makes this a must have for the Heep head.

Sometimes the first is the best. Lady in Black is one of the best rock songs of all times. Uriah Heep has it's own unique slot in rock history. I got the LP shortly after it's release and a copy of it has been a staple in my collection ever since. Buy this CD!!

Back in the 70's I went to a high school in La Paz, Bolivia. The life of my mates and me revolved around rock -- and the range of superlative bands to choose from at the time, I realize now, was breathtaking. Uriah Heep were among those. But so was a great fusion Bolivian band called Wara. On their third album, Quimsa, Wara played an epic song called Nacimiento which, according to the album credits, is a traditional Andean song. We flocked to see Wara whenever they put on a rare concert date.

Imagine our surprise, then, when on a given Friday, gathered around my rickety turntable, we throw on Salisbury (my latest acquisition), and after a few minutes...Nacimiento comes on! Or The Park, as the Heep called it. Note for bloody note, too! Needless to say, that's all we could talk about the rest of the evening.

Had Heep plagiarized? We cast our minds back to the hushed up scandal Simon & Garfunkel generated when they credited the song El Condor Pasa to themselves, only to change it a few years later and amend the information to 'traditional Andean song'.

Check out Wara's version by writing 'Nacimiento Wara' on You Tube; it's got a beautiful section not used by Heep.

I purchased the original Salisbury Vinyl Album at a PX in Korea; while in the military. I held on to the album for years until losing my home to a fire. I am a HUGE Uriah Heep fan and saw them live 7 times. Over the years I had replaced some of my Heep albums with CDs; but never really searched out Salisbury. For some reason, the album popped into my head and I just went nuts craving it. The title song "Salisbury" is a masterpiece, showing the individual talents of each member in the group. I will cherrish this CD forever. I thoroughly enjoy listening to it every time I drive somewhere in my car. If you are a HEEP fan; I highly recommend this one. It is one of their best.

I remember hearing Uriah Heep way back but never got into them until recently when a friend turned me on to Demons and Wizards and Sweet Freedom. I was a big Wishbone Ash fan back in the day (Argus is still a masterpiece) and there are some similarities in their early albums - particularly their second albums. Both have an eclectic mix of hard driving rock, progressive rock, folk and jazz influences, and neither was likely to get much airplay. However Salisbury is a much stronger effort overall. When I first listened to it I was taken aback by the folk tinges of The Park and Lady In Black, but on further listening I really like them. I don't understand how the critics panned them - they are excellent musically, creative, original and entertaining. They were willing to try out new directions (maybe that's why?) and on this album they nailed them dead center - I think the critics display their own lack of musical talent and training by dissing this band.

It starts out with the hard rocking Bird of Prey - I loved it on the first listen, though maybe the middle section is a little strange. The folk-like melody of The Park is actually a beautiful tune that grows on me each time I listen to it, and it's got that neat jazzy stop-time on the middle. Time to Live is another good hard rocker much more like their first album. Then Lady in Black - first listen was "what the heck is this?". But again, the more I listen the better I like it. I could easily imagine rowdily singing the chorus in my local pub after a couple of pints.

Then things get progressive. First High Priestess has some neat time changes with a driving 15/8 melody (4/4 + 4/8), pretty advanced stuff for a rock band the critics hated. Then the title track - the only rock song I have ever heard with a wind ensemble playing - a very British touch indeed. And the arrangement isn't a lame commercial thing or a pretentious tone poem, it rocks, it swings, it energizes, it's the best orchestral arrangement I've ever heard for a rock band. A long song with many moods, great instrumentals all around, excellent singing, a hard driving jazzy 8/8 rhythm with the organ and the orchestra in the middle followed by a searing Mick Box guitar solo - wow! This piece is a masterpiece, the sound is vibrant and crisp. As a classically trained musician I absolutely love this.

The extra songs are good, at least the first 2, Simon the Bullet Freak - a nice rocker that was on the original American edition - and Here Am I. Here Am I is another melodic vocal with mellow wah wah guitar with a great rocking middle section. I don't care much about the alternate takes, I usually skip over them, but they're fine as well, they just duplicate what's already on the album.

Uriah Heep was my all time favourite back in high school.
'Look at Yourself' ("you've got a friend, just look at yourself")
the album was my intro to the Heep. I was to discover 'Salisbury'
next and was in love again! The title track was so different than
the usual 3 chord, 3 minute pop songs of the day. Simon the Bullet
Freak, The Park and Lady in Black all made for a worthwhile purchase.
Today I own 3 of the expanded editions. 'Demons and Wizards' rounds out
my current collection. One day I'll grow up...."not"
Breadmanwalking....

Like some of the other reviews say, worth it for the Salisbury cut alone. One of my all time most listened to Albums (vinyl) in past days. Probably have not heard it for a good 15 plus years. Got rid of all my vinyl albums a long time ago, and there are a few I wish I still had, this being one of them. So happy to finally have it on remastered cd.