Can it be the reason why Uriah Heep never were taken seriously....

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by antonkk, Feb 8, 2015.

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  1. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Great song that I've never heard until now. Another stellar performance by David and the band. I think you said Nigel is on this. It's great to hear them play in this style, and show their musical roots. Fantastic!
     
  2. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Yes, this and Dreammare.
     
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  3. tkl7

    tkl7 Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Lewis Center, OH
    Sad news regarding Lee Kerslake - he apparently has months to live.:
    Terminal Lee Kerslake Wants Ozzy Platinum Discs Before He Dies
     
  4. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I think the original posted video, which didn't show David Byron in too favorable a light, was supposedly the reason for not being taken seriously. I suppose there might be some folks who think that the Heep band members aren't/weren't technically adept...but that's not what started the thread.

    Personally, I think all the Heep musicians (and there's been 25 or so!) have been good. Well, I guess I should say the ones I've heard (as I don't care for the '80's decade at all so I don't know enough to offer an opinion).
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I get that ... but really if I cared what someone looked like I would probably have to throw half my albums out .... at least ... and I might only listen to female artists too :)
     
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  6. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2018
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Well, I probably shouldn't have done it...but I listened to Free Me off of Innocent Victim (1977) as I've been reading about what a huge seller this was in Germany. A syrupy AM radio ditty. If somebody loved this song and then went to see Heep in concert, they'd end up with a heart attack.
     
  8. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Try this one. This is better, I think.
     
  9. Sanguinus

    Sanguinus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Glendale
    It's funny since people call Deep Purple the poor man's Zeppelin anyway despite being just as good, if not better.
     
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  10. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Mettler: What gave you the idea to do harmonies in that way? Did it come out of something you were listening to, or did it come from your own thought process?
    Box: I think it’s because we had five strong singers. It was just born out of that, really. And then we took that a little step further, I might say, a la Three Dog Night — that step-harmony [sings, “la-la-la-la”]. Our first American tour [in 1971] was with Three Dog Night, actually, and I think a lot of what they did rubbed off on us too. They had the three lead vocalists — Danny [Hutton], Cory [Wells], and Chuck [Negron] — and they were fantastic at doing that step-harmony stuff, which we were doing as well.
    It was brilliant to see them do that. I think our first show in America was in Indianapolis [on March 26, 1971, at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum] in front of 10,000 people, and previous to that, I think we played to 500 people in a club! (chuckles)


    Read more at Mick Box Is Very ’Umble About Uriah Heep’s Sonic Legacy
     
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  11. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    A bit. But until the guitar, just past the 3 minute mark, wouldn't even know it's Uriah Heep. A big change.
     
  12. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Thanks! That is a nice interview. I will note that the stepped harmonies had started way before the Three Dog Night tour in '71. As Box says and as we can all hear by listening to, for example, Bird of Prey.

    He sounds like one really nice guy. Just a fan of Jeff Beck, etc.
     
  13. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    moscow
    Innocent Victim is my favorite Heep record. Brilliant from start to finish and Free Me is a great single. I'm pretty sure people are aware that Heep are not Motorhead or AC/DC and are no obliged to sound the same all the time. Does Lady in Black sound like Easy Livin'? Hard Luck Woman doesn't sound like classic KISS so what? Salisbury Hill doesn't sound like classic Gabriel so what? Walk like an Egyptian sounds like no other Bangles tune so what? Hey, even Paranoid sounds more like Ramones than the rest of slow doomy Sabbath. Please, allow some diversity in music. And once again, Free Me is a KILLER track, great hook, catchy as hell.
     
  14. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    moscow
    That's a very traditional Heep ballad. There were tunes like that all over Byron era Heep.
     
  15. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Point taken. Come Away, Melinda, obviously doesn't sound the same as Gypsy. (I was kinda joking about the heart attack.)
     
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  16. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
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  17. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    I can honestly say I’ve never heard anyone on this forum, (or anywhere else) refer to Deep Purple as “the poor man’s Led Zeppelin”.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2018
  18. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Neither have I.
     
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  19. ILoveMyDogs

    ILoveMyDogs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    Nope. Neither have I.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2018
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  20. ILoveMyDogs

    ILoveMyDogs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    That was a good one! Loved it! :righton:

    ***

    I watched the initially OP posted "live" video of Return to Fantasy again and still don't get it.

    To me, David Byron looks and acts perfectly normal for a 70ies hard rock front man.
     
  21. Finch Platte

    Finch Platte Lettme Rundatt Bayou

    Location:
    NorCal
  22. Indeed, poor works just fine on its own





    :biglaugh:
     
  23. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    I revisited the Innocent Victim album last night. I bought it not long after it's release, but haven't heard it in many years. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The production quality is excellent, and it has some fine moments. My two favorites are "Illusion" and "Free and Easy" which is an excellent rocker. Overall, it's pretty solid.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2018
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  24. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Of that era, I probably like Firefly the most. The Hanging Tree and Wise Man.

    But post-Byron, until Shaw, is all in retrospect (not in real time) and is dipping in and out for these thread conversations. So for me there's no emotional attachment or history.

    I still don't equate "synthesizer", for instance, when I think of how to describe Heep to someone. I think Hammond organ, wah wah guitar, strong melodies, twin guitar, vocal harmonies. Rainbow Demon is the first song to use that heavy synthesized sound, so by then it was too late to change my own perception.
     
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  25. Rufus rag

    Rufus rag Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    My fave from the Lawton era is Fallen Angel. The Kerslake/Hensley penned 'Come Back To Me' is beautiful . The title track would be in my top 20 Heep songs.
     
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