Customer Reviews

Uriah Heep

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can I say? For a while, Uriah Heep were my favorite band in the world. And this was mainly due to this excellent album, which remains the best one they ever made. I'm 19 years old and classic rock IS MY LIFE! I have absolutely no need for today's insipid, pseudo-rock rubbish. Anyway, there's no doubt in my mind that "Gypsy" is one of the top five greatest hard rock songs ever, maybe even THE best. Everything about this song is just so ferocious that it crushes everything in it's path. That opening part is a powerful, hard-hitting display of aggression that few, if any, other bands could match. And what about the breath-taking vocals of Dave Byron? All I can say is WOW! This guy had a pair of vocal cords that could strip the paint from your walls! He was definitely the most overlooked vocalist in the world of rock 'n roll. "Walking In Your Shadow" and "Real Turned On" are simply funk at it's very best, with killer, grooving beats and ripping guitar leads (especially the latter). "Come Away Melinda" is strikingly lovely and shows the softer side of Byron's voice. The song is sung through the eyes of a little girl whose mother has died in the war, giving it even more sentimental value. "Bird Of Prey" and "Dreammare" are both a total trip. This must've been Heep's version of psychedelia. Needless to say that both of them are very eerie and haunting, especially the organ intro to "Dreammare", which gives me the chills every time I hear it. "I'll Keep On Trying" is another heavy rocker, like "Gypsy". Mick Box's frantic wah-wah solo is a real highlight. And the end is simply awesome, with all the instruments pounding away maniacally before...WHAM! the song comes to a devastating finish. Man, you couldn't copy this intensity in a million years. And to close this epic monster, there's "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)", a multi-part epic about the evils of war. The end is one of the most beautiful moments in all of music. Uriah Heep never got the credit they deserved as an incredible rock band. They were every bit as good as most of their contemporaries.

1970 was a good year for rock music. The boundaries of blues and Psychadelic Rock was being pushed farther and farther evolving into Progressive rock and Heavy Metal. Bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zepplin, Atomic Rooster and Uriah Heep among others all released classic and influential Hard Rock masterpieces. The debut from the latter band stands as a very unique (for it's time) and massively heavy album. Every track is a winner. And the heaviness doesn't let up, save for 2 tracks; Come Away Melinda (a dark balad) and the Jazz-rock of Wake up (Set Your Sights). Heep definitely stood on their own apart from their peers while pioneering a style that would become just as influential as anything by Sabbath or Zeppelin. Awesome riffs with a dark edge blend with a distorted organ for a truly heavy sound. The psuedo-operatic vocals would become almost standard for future Heavy Metal bands. Listen to falsetto "Aaaaah's" on Bird of Prey and you'll recognize Heeps huge influence on Merciful Fate and King Diamond. Shades of Heep can be found in bands like Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and other NWOBHM bands as well.

To be honest, I did not like this when I first heard it 12 years ago. I was 19 and just starting to get into early 70s heavy metal (which I totally love). The sabbath like guitars and organ harmonized together beautifully and perfectly but I thought that Byron's vocals just spoiled everything.

Now, as a 31 year old and having been exposed to thousands of bands since then, listening to this stuff is like a breath of fresh air. I actually like Byron's vocals because I can see how it helped pioneer the marriage of melodic/operatic styles with hard rock and influenced many bands in the process.

My favorite is definitely, 'Walking in Your Shadow' with its majestic Tom Jones meets Sabbath delivery. 'Set Your Sights' and 'I'll Keep Trying' are also works of hard rock beauty; precisionary instrumentation and wide ranged melodic vocals. However, I still can't, with all my might, stomach 'Bird of Prey'. Byron is still a bit fluffy for my tastes on that one.
Everything else is top notch. The manic, fuzzed out craziness of the instrumentals in Gypsy is just mind blowing!

First,let me admit that I got this lp late in life.The opening cut Gypsy,with an over the top organ solo sets the pace for the essential meisterwork that follows.Special mention must be made of the screaming wah wah guitar solo on Keep on Trying,Mick Box destroys!This is surely one of the top five groundbreaking albums(for heavy metal)of all time.You will not be dissappointed,no matter what age you are.

An absolute must have for any true Heep fan. There are 8 songs on the album. The only questionable song is Wake Up (Set Your Sights). All others are excellant tunes. Gypsy is a rock classic. Bird of Prey is not far behind. Alot of good guitar, organ, and vocals.

Released in June 1970.

DAVID BYRON - Lead Vocals
KEN HENSLEY - Organ, Slide Guitar, Mellotron, Piano and Vocals
MICK BOX - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
PAUL NEWTON - Bass Guitar, Vocals
OLLIE OLSSON - Drums, Percussion

Most of the album was written by the guitarist Mick Box, and the sadly underrated legend David Byron. They did this job very well!
My opinions about these songs:

GYPSY - A timeless classic. Not the first hard rock song, but
with this song they were the pioneers of this sound. Anyway a
great track from the beginning to the end: endless riffs,
organ playing at the middle of the song, screaming guitar solo,
killer ending. 5/5

WALKING IN YOUR SHADOW - Altough not a classic, a good riff
and some entertaining vocals by Byron. Some rhythmical & musical
change in the middle, which is very fine. 4/5

COME AWAY MELINDA - A nice ballad. The vocals again top notch.
Great to hear this side of the band sometimes. 4/5

LUCY BLUES - This is the third song in the original EUROPEAN
version (the american version had a different song, titled
'BIRD OF PREY' - this has got slightly different lyrics, but a
marvelous rocker 5/5). A decent blues song 3/5.

DREAMMARE - Now this is a damn good rocker in the Heep way,
it should be a better known song, and played live. Hensley's
organ kicks butt! A predecessor of the forthcoming Heep sound.
A forgotten early gem. 4.5/5

REAL TURNED ON - At this point, Ken Hensley uses slide guitar,
and for a good reason. Great blues-rock again from the band.
4/5

I'LL KEEP ON TRYING - Musical changes makes this song so
precious, especially the middle part: beatiful. 4.5/5

WAKE UP (SET YOUR SIGHTS) - The band easily perform a slightly
jazzy song. The second part is a slower, dreamy sequence. 4/5

I highly recommend you to buy the debut of this great, highly underrated band.

It was June of 1970 and a new English band, with the funny name borrowed from one of the unsavory villains in Dicken's classic novel David Copperfield, came on the scene with their new/old sound. Curiously their music seemed to be dichotomy of complex and simplicity. Upon analysis, their seemingly intricate music breaks down into uncomplicated hooks and refrains that present day, so called garage bands could learn a few things from.

Another interesting thing about this album is many Prog Heads (Aficionados of the progressive genre of music)consider this album was the seminal progressive rock/metal recording. Though Uriah Heep's debut is obviously a hard rock/heavy metal masterpiece it has progressive elements which sewed the seeds of the future progressive movement. You say, yes but Pink Floyd was around and recording three years prior to to Heep. True but many feel early Floyd music was more psychedelic than progressive. What's the difference? I don't know but that's just one of the many points of discussion in this most ambiguous of musical genres.

The musical signature of Uriah Heep is unmistakable with a throbbing beat of organ and guitars and the capable vocals David Byron and back up vocals of the entire band and dark songs in an almost spooky vein. Many of the songs like "Gypsy, "Bird of Prey" and "Dreammare", even exude a raw sexuality. Something that has been overlooked through the years is just how good and versatile these musicians were.

Probably nothing new for the period but Uriah Heeps's obvious strength is picking out simple melodies and playing with and strengthening them with superb guitar and keyboard playing. Also as I mentioned the soaring harmonic background vocals by the band helped give the band a hook that many others were lacking.

It is a shame that these strengths which I have listed, other than guitar, with minor exceptions are not evident in most bands of today. If a band has keyboard player, which most don't, his or her role has been diminished and the signature background vocals that Heep utilized with such flair, also seem to be de-emphasized.

Uriah Heep were never really a headline band. Yes they had their die hard fans, still do, but they were never close to the big bands of the day. I even saw them live once in a dance bar format. (attendance probably two hundred) That is too bad, for I always felt their early music was very strong and deserved more attention but then again I feel the same about many bands.

In summary, Uriah Heep's self titled debut was certainly an excellent beginning and the good news is the best was yet to come.

Uriah Heep, why don't you have this album? It rocks like a bomb, and in all the right ways too. These guys were the next step in the metal transition of the seventies. This British band put together some amazing hard rock and metal very early on. This, their debut was released in 1970. These guys sort of balance on the line between Zeppelin, Priest, and Def Leppard. They are the missing link between Sixties Hard rock and Eighties Hair Metal... and man, they are pretty f'in rockin! This is the stuff right here... Lots of suprises keep this album fresh strait through. My baby's mamma hates this music.. which of course makes me like it LOUD! Nasty guitar licks, crazy high pitch vocals, background choruses that are totally awesome! (oooh aaah) This is lost artifact stuff amongst todays generation, but man.... something brought you here. I think it was destiny. Check out a really great album. Dio and Deep Purple got nothing on this one. Personal choices: GYPSY; BIRD OF PREY; and, sh*t the whole thing is great!

Uriah Heep never get the credit they deserve for forging what became heavy metal. While many people know "Easy Livin'" few know the previous albums, the best of which are Look At Yourself and this, the debut. Heep were serious musicians in both senses of the word, and the main difference between something like Yes (who I'd wager share many fans with the Heep) or Blood Sweat and Tears and Uriah Heep is that Heep is very definitely singing to or from the emotionally damaged, sonically twisted nether-regions of both musical structure and subject matter. Suprisingly upbeat and about as psychedlic as I can handle, this record is one of the first salvos in the metal pantheon and as such belongs in your collection, especially at this price. 'Nuff said. 'eavy and 'umble.

AH!TO BE LISTENING TO URIAH HEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME.IN 1970,WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST URIAH HEEP ALBUM,I PLAYED IT NIGHT AND DAY.I WAS ALREADY A BIG ELP,BLACK SABBATH,DEEP PURPLE,PINK FLOYD FOLLOWER,THIS DEBUT ALBUM WAS UNUSUAL AND DARING.NO TOP 20 HITS ON THIS MONSTER.SALISBURY,AN AMAZING COVER MAGNUM OPUS,ATTESTED TO URIAH HEEPS LONG ROCK/ORCHESTRAL ABILITY.LOOK AT YOURSELF,DEFINED THE BAND AS A HARD ROCKING,PRO-METAL GROUP."TEARS IN MY EYES"WITH KEN HENSLEY PLAYING A AMAZING SLIDE STRATOCASTER AND MICK BOX HAMMERING AS USUAL,STANDS OUT AS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST USA BREAKTHROUGH HIT,ALONG WITH "EASY LIVIN".DEMONS AND WIZARDS IS SIMPLY ONE OF THEIR BEST!SOLID SONG WRITING FROM BOX,BYRON AND HENSLEY.MYSTICAL,HEAVY,DRIVING AND A FIRST TIME ALBUM COVER BY NONE OTHER THAN ROGER DEAN!THE MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY,IS AN UNEVEN EFFORT BY UH,WORTH A LISTEN,BUT NOT AS GOOD AS THE PREVIOUS 4.SWEET FREEDOM,GOOD SOLID UH STRUCTURE AND A SUPRISE USA HIT,"STEALIN".RETURN TO FANTASY,MAY HAVE BEEN THE TURNING POINT FOR THE BAND,A DECENT LP.SO FOR A 5 YEAR SPAN 1970-1975 URIAH HEEP WAS AS INFLUENTIAL AND PROLIFIC AS MOST HEAVY METAL CONTEMPORARIES.UNFORTUNATELY FOR US,DRUG USE,EGO,CREATIVE DIFFERENCES,ETC.TOOK ITS TOLL AND THE CORE ELEMENTS OF THE BAND MICK BOX,DAVID BYRON AND KEN HENSLEY WENT THEIR SEPERATE WAYS.BUT SOME DAMN GOOD PROG-ART-ORCHESTRAL-HEAVY METAL LEFT IN THEIR WAKE!