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The Magician's Birthday

Uriah Heep - The Magician's Birthday Audio CD

A fair review of the Uriah Heep "The Magician's Birthday" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Uriah Heep reviews here, or go back to the Uriah Heep tabs.

Band: Uriah Heep
Title: The Magician's Birthday
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Sunrise 2: Spider Woman 3: Blind Eye 4: Echoes in the Dark 5: Rain 6: Sweet Lorraine 7: Tales 8: Magician's Birthday

And as the hours roll by...
It is a fine record considering the band must have been tapped creatively and physically. `Demons and Wizards' consolidated Uriah Heep's international success and was their first big hit in the States but unfortunately the band didn't take the time to enjoy it and were rushed back into the studio to produce their second LP of 1972, `Magician's Birthday'. While it isn't as good as the two previous records, it does boast for the first time in Heep's history, the same lineup on consecutive albums. The chemistry of the Box, Byron, Hensley, Thain and Kerslake Uriah Heep would be volatile, ultimately short-lived but beloved among fans. Favorites include the two most famous cuts "Sunrise" and "Sweet Lorraine", both songs single material and immediately memorable for their harmonies and progressive rock power. The title track, speaking of progressive, is sort of a long disjointed monster. . . . . not the pile of overdone dung that marred the `Salisbury' record, but nowhere as compelling as "July Morning". "Rain" is a grand ballad sung beautifully by Byron and "Blind Eye" is an interesting idea that mixes acoustic with a galloping lead guitar from Mick Box. Again `Magician's Birthday' is not as great as the sum of some of its parts but the band was still force. . . the decline would soon begin.

never knew of these people until I heard "Sweet Lorraine" on Youtube
So I listened(Pink top 1976) these guys are incredibly better than music I preivously thought incredible(Rush, Floyd, UFO, ect) though eccentric, the music is talented with an eccentric lead singer. So I'm young, at least I like it/not hate it!(some say "38" ain't young or old) In fact, I love it! I know someone named Lorraine and the track kind of got my attention lyric wise. Though David Byron's mic(not the man's singing) sucked in the concert, I heard this in the original recording and he sounds sharper and more cutting then that conecert, probably some tech glytch in the microphone. Why did Ken Hensly get a superior mic? A good organist though he is! The drummer is incredible in the concerts as is the organist. The gitar/bass play in differing medolic/rythmns. In an interview, the group said thier concerts are more flippent and vigorous than thier bluesy albumns, yet I like it that way! I do prefer Byron's voice on the albumns. Other tracks are just as incredible usually the gitar player(either Mick Box or Ken Hensly who plays it differnt) gets my attention especially "Spider woman" and mostly the distinct bass gitar playing in soulful upper end in the rest of these tracks(and in Sweet Lorraine) on par with the late sixties/early seventies(though rarely) also in the nineties one can develope a taste for bass listening and playing it if one listens to this wonderful "Ear candy" as someone pointed out. Usually a blues element, the upper ended style(still referring to Gary Thain's bass gitar playing) is used in a lot of(real) rock and roll of this decade. Lee Kerslake's percussive element is so fast as to seem to blend to one noise(as the front end of a car's engine in high RPM, w/o exhaust pipe sound) but you only notice his energy in concerts. The albumns are more precice/less tempo. More drum element though. If you have liked classic rock since teen hood(even if your young) you can adapt quickly and enjoy, if you don't(and this is in reference to what other people have said) Ken's heavy organ music will overwhelm you. You need to develope a taste for experimental music like this to like it at all!(like dark dark beer or something) When I was a kid I couldn't have. Yes's Tony Kaye got me interested in Organ music when I was 21. Geddy Lee in bass when I was nineteen or something. that was nearly 20 years ago! Took long to develope a liking to music with such heavy elements of instrumentalists.

heep's line-up finally stable
songs that range from thoughtful, to thought provoking, to good hard rock'in. " magician's birthday" (1972) the fifth release from the band and the first to have the same line-up as the previous album (demons and wizards)is a truimph. (dig mick box's guitar solo groov'in with lee kerslake's drumming on the title track, wow). with top notch perfomances from vocalist david byron, bassist gary thain, and everybodys everything ken hensley. combined with meaninful lyrics and great art work. "the magician's birthday" is a must for any music collection. recomended for tastes that range from classical to metal. check out these songs: "sunrise", "tales",and "blind eye". enjoy this masterpiece, JACK E. STRICKLIN
.

Hard rock guitar attack!
The guitars are hard and crunchy and exude vintage hard rock tone. TMB is a great album that needs to be introduced to a new generation of hard rockers. The bass and drums are fat, thick, and punchy. They work well together anchoring the bottom end. The album's overall texture is very compressed, very milky. The vocals are dynamite, as always. This was the era when it was acceptable to be a heavy group and have a singer who would belt out real singing. Contrast Uriah Heep with vocals from much of today's metal scene: barking, yelling -- tattooed, pierced, aggro lead singers refusing to clean their bedrooms, etc. What happened?

The Magician's Birthday succeeds in every song, and I don't really hear a dull spot. It is well sequenced and the momentum never falls flat. The lyrics are cool. I love the dark, 'psychedelifantasy' motif which is explored in many settings. Other 'Heep records have a similar feel.

Some people think this album is inferior to and less cohesive than Demons and Wizards but I disagree. It is a shame that these tracks don't get regular airplay on major rock radio stations. We would have better heavy metal in the mainstream if more people could tune in on the way to work.

TMB typifies the nearly lost art of melding acoustic and heavy electric guitar in a heavy metal record. Keyboards and synths contribute atmosphere for more of that weird fantasy element, while the aggressive drums and bass prevent things from ever going soft.

Buy this record and TURN IT UP. It's one of those records that sounds better loud, or you might as well not listen at all. And for all you apartment dwellers, cranking it up in the car just doesn't do justice. So pick a day and piss off your neighbors :D .

Magician's Birthday (CD)
The disc and case were in perfect condition, if you like Uriah Heep I recommend this disc.

You can see a complete list of all Uriah Heep discography, or go back to the Uriah Heep tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.