Customer Reviews

Very Heavy Very Humble

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

 

 

When this wonderful album was first released in June 1970, it was reviewed by the very influential Rolling Stone magazine in an appalling manner, I will briefly quote from the beginning of that review. "If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear anymore. Uriah Heep is watered down tenth-rate Jethro Tull, only even more boring and inane". One wonders how this unnamed journalist feels, now that Uriah Heep are celebrating 30 years in the business & over 100, million album sales, probably walking very gingerly round sharp objects, and reviewing Mozart. No such rash judgement from this dog though, as I've always rated this album very highly since buying it for it's cover alone having never heard the music before. Very'Eavy Very'Umble charges in with opening belter & all time Heep favorite "Gypsy" here in it's original 6 minute 55 second version before it was drawn out too nearly 20 minutes in the stage show to allow lead guitarist Mick Box & keyboard Wizard Ken Hensley to stretch out, or just possibly so they could sort their hair out, this was the seventies remember. But the star of the album has to be lead vocalist Dave Byron. In the world of heavy rock, nobody had a voice with such range, just listen to him pleading on "Come away Melinada" or riding the magic carpet ride of Dreamscape. Although Uriah Heep are still going strong, the line up has never been stable (they went through 3 drummers just trying to get this album down) Mick Box (still looking like one of the wacky characters from W.W.F) leads the band today after 4 lead vocalists, 5 keyboard players, & umpteen bassists & drummers, but last years offering charmingly titled "Sonic Origano" was one of the years best Prog / Rock master pieces. Mott the Dog.

This album was released in 1969, 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 gypsy, dreammare, I'll keep on trying, Come away melinda 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...

I first listened to this album by the early '70. The Heep Magic began by then and "Gypsy" had a lot to do with that magic. This is the first Heep album (UK release as they were british) and if you are a fan, you have to have it! Enjoy...

Uriah Heep burst out of the scene in mid- 1970 with `very `eavy...very `umble' which many critics immediately hated both in the UK and in the States. Famous Rolling Stone critic's quote aside, Heep would not only survive but thrive as a cult band with tremendous popularity to this very day on the continent. Often dubbed a poor man's Deep Purple, Uriah Heep may not have had the legendary success of the former, but they have out done Purple in terms of surviving as many personnel changes as possible. Mick Box is the lone member who has been with the band since its inception, now nearly forty years! Throughout much of the band's glory days, which really only lasted from 1970-1975, Box was joined by band co-founder and original lead vocalist David Byron and keyboardist, second guitarist and main composer Ken Hensley. These three formed the core of Uriah Heep's most recognizable lineups and also contributed greatly to the band being known derisively as the "Beach Boys of Heavy Metal" due to their soaring trademark vocal harmonies. The first album is very good and features the band's first really exceptional song- "Gypsy" which featured all of the elements of early heavy metal with its crunching guitar riffs and soaring vocals. Hensley also laid down a monstrous organ riff to complement Box and add to the song's power. Byron proved to be an expressive and talented vocalist but again he was complemented quite often by his band mates. Other standout tracks include "Walking in Your Shadow", "Dreamtime" and a cover of "Come Away Melinda" which highlighted the band's song dynamics and variety. When it came time for down and dirty blues, "Real Turned On", featuring stellar slide guitar work from Hensley, definitely fit the bill. "I'll Keep on Trying" and "Wake Up, Set Your Sights" were very much in the progressive vein of Heep's contemporaries. For very early seventies hard rock with a touch of Deep Purple but also with elements of Queen, then Uriah Heep's debut record deserves your notice and an occasional download or two - especially for "Gypsy"........she told me .....hold on...

Noch nicht so ausgereift wie die folgenden Platten, hat aber gute Momente. "Gypsy" gefällt mir nicht. Anspieltips "walking in your shadow", "Melinda" "Dreammare", die Bonus Tracks sind interessant. Seinen kreativen wie kommerziellen Frühling sollte die Gruppe bald mit "Salisbury" haben. Außerdem anschaffenswert: "Look at yourself", "Demons and Wizards" und "Magicians Birthday". Mit diesem cover schuf sich Uriah Heep ein dämonisches Image. Auf dem Cover ist übrigens David Byron abgebildet, der danach die Spinnweben lange nicht aus seinen Haaren entfernen konnte. Darauf wäre ich vor 28 Jahren nicht gekommen Thomas Richter

This is one of the better Heep albums in that it still has residual psychedelic elements in songs like "Dreammare" and "Gypsy", combined with some mammoth riffs by guitarist Mick Box (check out "I'll Keep On Trying", "Walking In Your Shadow", and the two tracks mentioned above). However, there is mercifully little of the often piercing, shrieking vocals that David Byron was later known for. It contains much Hammond organ, progressive diversions, and liberal usage of wah wah....everthing that made early 70's heavy rock fun and grooving. If you dig Deep Purple and/or early Sabbath, go get it!

This was only the beginning. I don't think this album deserves 3 stars. I 'd like to put 2,5 if there was the option. It has eight songs (not considering bonus tracks), but only four of them are good, in my opinion. Now, let's take a look (at the good ones): 1. Gypsy: I don't know what to say about this track, I don't simply like it. I think that it's one of the best classic rock tracks of all seasons. Very 'eavy.. that's what became Heavy Metal some years later. I never considered it boring, no matter how many times I listened to it. This is a diamond. 3. Come Away Melinda: A slow track, very emotional. It can touch your soul. Pay some attention to the lyrics, they are really good. A classic Heep song. 4. Lucy Blues: A blues track. I consider blues music very good; you can express your feelings in a very special way. This is simply a blues track, nothing more and nothing less. 7. I'll Keep On Trying: This song reminds me of another great classic rock group, Led Zeppelin. And that's enough. The other tracks (Walking In Your Shadow, Dreammare, Real Turned On, Wake Up) are not really bad. But I think they could be better. Of course, you can't ignore that it's a debut album and it can't be perfect. It's an experiment.. the best will follow.

Most of us have overlooked this group on behalf of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and so on. What a great mistake:they were really superb and the first releases true masterpieces.

This the first album and it' s surprisingly hard: guitar solo on "I'll keep on trying" is something you don't have to miss.
Mick Box shows his high technique and a new way of playing guitar; and what about the vocalist: one of the best ever, with such a pure voice , switching from hard songs to melodical ones without any problem.

So buy it and discover UH: this one and the following 4/5 albums are really milestones oif Hard and Heavy.