Anyone here for Uriah Heep? As far as I know, they are one of the few bands from the 70s who has yet to get a renaissance or even a streak of remasters of their classic albums. Way back in '71 with «Lady in Black» I took an instant liking to the band. Never a bona fide favourite band like Deep Purple or Kiss (I was a wee lad at the time, so don't hold that against me), but a favourite nevertheless. I've always expected albums such as «Demons and Wizards», «Look at yourself» and «Salisbury» to be re-released with a bunch of bonus tracks. And as far as I can understand, Uriah Heep would be right up Steven Wilson's alley when it comes to remastering. But alas! All we have so far (and as far as I know of) is a couple of «DeLuxe» editions (even though there is very little «luxe» to be found on them). A personal favourite besides «Demons and Wizards» is «Return to Fantasy» with its amazingly good title track. Uriah Heep is, in 2019, sort of the band that time forgot. And the name is a riot, of course. Lifted from a character from Dicken's David Copperfield. So what's your take on Heep, ladies and gentlemen?
@TinMachine The Uriah Heep albums have been released at least twice with bonus tracks and some of them 3 times. They have also been remastered a number of times. Some have even been released as 2 cd sets. Uriah Heep - Demons And Wizards - 2 cd track listing Uriah Heep - The Magician's Birthday - 2 cd track listing Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself - 2 cd track listing The first 2 albums were resissued as 2 cd sets as well. They were going to release more of the 2 cd sets but my understanding is that the reissue program for more of the 2 cd sets was cancelled. I was hoping they would at least finish all of the albums with David Byron.
Uriah Heep - Demons And Wizards Expanded De-luxe Edition Bonus Tracks: 10) Why (extended version) 11) Rainbow Demon (single edit) 12) Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (out-take) 13) Home Again To You (demo) 14) Green Eye (demo) 2003 Sanctuary Records UICY-75655 2 CD Set CD 1 - Original Album remastered CD 2 - 14 previously unreleased versions of Heep classics 1) Easy Livin' 2) Rainbow Demon 3) Traveller In Time 4) Paradise 5) The Spell 6) All My Life 7) Home Again To You 8) Why 9) The Wizard 10) Poet's Justice 11) Circle Of Hands 12) Proud Words 13) Green Eye 14) Why 2017 BMG/ Sanctuary BMGCAT2CD58
Yeah, the latest remasters are done by Andy Pearce and are great sounding and packaging is very nice as well.
So when did the albums start to dip in quality, in your opinion? I remember enjoying "Fallen Angel" but "Conquest" was probably the last Heep album I bought.
I love the Pete Goalby years but they they are not universally appreciated by many fans, however, you might enjoy some of their newer albums which have more of a "classic" Heep sound. Last year's Living The Dream is a real cracker.
I didn't care for Fallen Angel and never had Conquest. Abominog was pretty good but had more of a commercial influence. The albums with John Lawton have their moments but are more spotty in my opinion. It sort of felt like they lost their identity after Thain, Byron and Hensley all left.
Uriah Heep - The Magician's Birthday 2 CD Set CD 1 - Original Album remastered CD 2 - 15 previously unreleased tracks 1) Echos In The Dark 2) Sweet Lorraine 3) Blind Eye 4) Tales 5) Silver White Man 6) Sunrise 7) Crystal Ball 8) Spider Woman 9) The Magician's Birthday 10) Rain 11) Silver White Man (no vox) 12) Happy Birthday 13) Sunrise (single version) 14) Sweet Lorraine (single version) 15) Gary's Song - Crystal Ball 2017 BMG/Sanctuary BMGCAT2CD59
IMWAN • [2019-11-22] Ken Hensley "The Bronze Years 1973-1981" 3CD/1DVD box set (HNE UK) Description Few artists can claim to have had a musical career and pedigree as long, varied and impressive as song writer, keyboard player, guitarist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ken Hensley. Having originally formed The Gods in mid-1960s London with future Stones and Mayall guitarist Mick Taylor, The Gods recorded two LPs for Columbia. Ken Hensley made brief appearances with Toe Fat and Head Machine in 1969 before joining London’s Spice in time for the band’s first album, “Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble”, and a swift name change to Uriah Heep. Although no Hensley originals appeared on Heep’s debut, all 6 tracks on their second album “Salisbury” were written or co-written by Ken. In fact, even after five albums with Uriah Heep, where Ken was becoming the principal songwriter, he still had enough material to write and record his first solo album in 1973. Released by Bronze Records, “Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf” featured Heep’s Gary Thain on bass and drummer Lee Kerslake. The resulting album was equal to anything recorded by Uriah Heep at their peak, and features wonderful material such as ‘Cold Autumn Sunday’, ‘Black Hearted Lady’ and ‘Go Down’, along with an alternative version of ‘Rain’ (also recorded by Uriah Heep). Bonus tracks are ‘From Time To Time (Edited Single)’, ‘From Time To Time (Mono)’ and ‘When Evening Comes (Edited Single)’ Continuing to write and record with Uriah Heep, Ken Hensley’s second solo album, “Eager to Please”, was also released by Bronze Records, and saw Ken joined by Mark Clarke on bass, Bugs Pemberton on drums and B.J. Cole on pedal steel guitar. The cover features a portrait by Alfred Heyworth, one of his final works of art. “Eager To Please” features the ‘Who Will Sing For You’ single as a bonus track. Dissatisfied with the direction Uriah Heep were taking Ken went solo in 1980 to record the self-explanatory ‘Free Spirit”, his third and final solo album for Bronze. Featuring classic tracks like ‘Inside The Mystery’, ‘Brown Eyed Boy’ and many more, this version also features the non-album B-Side ‘Inspiration’. Guest musicians include Deep Purple’s Ian Paice, Heep and Bowie bassist Trevor Bolder and The Who and Faces’ Kenny Jones. As a further bonus, shortly after inking a new deal in 2019 with Cherry Red Records to reissue his back catalogue, Ken spent some time on camera to discuss all three of his solo albums recorded for Bronze with renown rock journalist, Malcolm Dome. These three, insightful, revealing and often humourous interviews are a treat for Uriah Heep and Ken Hensley fans, presenting a unique and candid experience on DVD, filmed exclusively for this collection. Tracklist [CD1: Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf] 1. When Evening Comes 2. From Time To Time 3. King Without A Throne 4. Rain 5. Proud Words 6. Fortune 7. Black-Hearted Lady 8. Go Down 9. Cold Autumn Sunday 10. The Last Time Bonus Tracks: 11. From Time To Time (Edited Single) 12. From Time To Time (Mono) 13. When Evening Comes (Edited Single) [CD2: Eager To Please] 1. Eager To Please 2. Stargazer 3. Secret 4. Through The Eyes Of A Child 5. Part Three 6. The House On The Hill 7. Winter Or Summer 8. Take And Take 9. Longer Shadows 10. In The Morning 11. How Shall I Know Bonus Track: 12. Who Will Sing For You (Single) [CD3: Free Spirit] 1. Inside The Mystery 2. New York 3. The System 4. When 5. No More 6. Brown Eyed Boy 7. Do You Feel Alright 8. Telephone 9. Woman 10. New Routine Bonus Track: 11. Inspiration (B-Side) [DVD: Ken Hensley In Conversation With Malcolm Dome] 1. Ken Hensley Discusses Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (22:20) 2. Ken Hensley Discusses Eager To Please (18:31) 3. Ken Hensley Discusses Free Spirit (21:30) DVD5 NTSC Region: 0 Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Audio: 48/16 LPCM Total Running Time: 1:02:21 Amazon USA Available for pre-order soon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y4LNBVT/?tag=imwan-20 Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Y4LNBVT/?tag=imwan-21 This will be released in November if you don't already have these albums.
I share the enthusiasm of the OP for Return To Fantasy, and would welcome another (expanded) version of it.
"So what's your take on Heep, ladies and gentlemen?" Tried to get into them, but aside from the 1st album & a bit of "Salisbury" I still haven't. In fact I tend to dig bands influenced by them more. I'll look for a thread* of "top ten heep tracks" here (unless any y'all got got favorites to share?) *Alright found a thread from last month & will have a evening of Heep listening before my work week!
Loved me some Heep back in the day - well, the well-known albums and songs that you are all familiar with. I reckon the title track of the otherwise mediocre Return to fantasy album may be the best thing they ever recorded. And it's true, their output took a nosedive during the late seventies and the eighties. But I take it the OP is not familiar with their recent output. UH is still going strong, with Mick Box being the only original member, but with current singer Bernie Shaw being on board for more that 30 years. I think their last six or so studio albums are very good, from 1995's Sea of light onwards. You should all take a listen to their latest album Living the dream (2018) and you might be in for a surprise. It's really one of their best albums IMO.
I enjoy their music, at least during the Byron years, but I don’t think it’s aged all that well. From Very ‘Eavi.....up to Sweet Freedom is a very solid run, though: and the first live album is excellent.