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Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep - Uriah Heep Audio CD

A fair review of the Uriah Heep "Uriah Heep" 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: Uriah Heep
Rating:

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

Tracks: 1: Gypsy 2: Walking in Your Shadow 3: Come Away Melinda 4: Bird of Prey 5: Dreammare 6: Real Turned On 7: I'll Keep On Trying 8: Wake Up (Set Your Sights)

BREAKTHROUGH MUSIC THAT IS STILL AHEAD OF ITS TIME
IN THE EARLY 70TIES NOBODY REALLY HAD THIS KIND OF SOUND. . . . . HEAVY GUITAR LICKS. . . . GREAT ORGAN WITH FINE MELODIC VOCALS. . . . .
THIS MUSIC IS STILL HEAVY TODAY.

I CAN SEE THAT LOOK THAT SAYS "BEWARE!"
These guys were the next step in the metal transition of the seventies. Uriah Heep, why don't you have this album? It rocks like a bomb, and in all the right ways too. 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! .

Refreshingly different 70s hard rock
I was 19 and just starting to get into early 70s heavy metal (which I totally love).
To be honest, I did not like this when I first heard it 12 years ago. 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! .

The Magic of Heep Starts Here
Curiously their music seemed to be dichotomy of complex and simplicity. 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. 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.

.

And I'm A Uriah Heep Fan....
Now I am a Uriah Heep fan and have been since I bought "Look At Yourself" on vinyl back in 1972 when I was in 7th grade. Any die-hard Uriah Heep fan (ie the one's who actually own "Firefly" & "Innocent Victim" on vinyl) is going to listen to this album thru "Heep" colored headphones and be somewhat deafened by the vocals of David Byron. I actually borrowed the first Uriah Heep album from a friend on 8-track shortly there after. I thought the music was pretty good, but the vocals were very amateurish. Listening to this again 30 years later has not changed my mind or ears one bit (I recently purchased the mini-album box set which is the way to go for any fan). Byron is so off key and tries so hard to be Ian Gillan of Deep Purple it's laughable, really. "Gypsy" is a great song, and Byron's vocals are passable, but that's about it. Byron's singing improved dramatically with every successive album; but anyone who thinks his vocals on this album can even be rated as "fair" is not listening close enough or "fairly". A newcomer to Uriah Heep should purchase both "Look At Yourself" & "Demons And Wizards" for there initial Heep offering. Followed by "Live 1973" album if they really enjoy the first two. This album is best left for die-hard fans and completists.

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.