Bird Of Prey This is the version of the song that appeared on the US version of the album, and at this stage I have to assume that it is also the version used on the Gypsy b-side. We'll go through the song properly when we run through the Salisbury album, but for our purposes it needs to be represented here in context with the releases.
Gypsy - (the real version) We start with this pounding uptempo organ chord pattern, and then the bass comes in, and then the guitar. We break down into a staccato section and then we get a nice but of punchy riffing. This opening almost works like an overture, and then we move into a slower, steady pounding beat. Byron comes in with his opening vocal. We get a full throated vocal, and everything comes together beautifully. The end of each verse section has a nice harmony vocal "ahhhh" and we get a good indication from the very first Heep track of the way the will present their harder edged songs. After the first two verses we move into the highlight of the song for me, and that is Ken Hensley's frantic punching organ lead break. We start off with these manic chord thumps and slides, and move into to nice arpeggio stuff. It powers along in a high octane manor until everything drops out and the organ gives us an atmospheric, sort of horror movie section, and then it punches in at full power again. This time we get a short sweet bit of lead guitar from Mick Box that leads us back into the vocal section. At the end we get a somewhat frenetic, free form jam style finish, that come s to a crescendo and then end in a big power punch with the vocal "ahhhhhhhhh". This is a powerful, punchy and manic opening to the first album. It is probably this song that drew me to give these guys more of a listen. My nature to listen to albums and not singles or individual songs much, meant that this would have been very early on in my listening to them, and it certainly left the right impression.
Excellent theme, an example of how the riff with the Hammond would become the Uriah Heep brand. I know at least three versions: 1-Album version (my favorite) 2-The single edited version (appears as a bonus track in the 2006 remaster) 3-The extended version at 7:07 min! that appears in the 2003 remaster as a bonus track It could be said that it is the most solid song of the album, it is not surprising that it is chosen as a first single Edit I don't know why but sometimes it reminds me (like other songs on the album) the Yes first album, I imagine that because of the sound or the structure or the arrangements.
I was one of those that helped push the album into the top 20 in Australia (as a 14 year old). One of my (many) early album purchases & still a favourite (amongst many many others) today. I love the diversity of sound. I love the Lucy Blues track - beautifully played by all especially the piano & organ but not to overlook the guitar. Very few bands that played heavy music were able to blues based music with such fine touch. A fine example why some of the heavy bands of this era (eg Uriah Heep/Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin) are so much more than the mostly one dimensional heavy metal bands that came along later. Thanks for starting the thread Mark. I will be along for the entire journey. Their first 6 albums are as good a run of albums as anyone. Melissa Mills - now didn't she go on to have a stunning career........ as a nodody. I'm not convinced that she actually listened to the album before putting poison pen to paper.
The organ intro is essential for me. I imagine I would have been excited if I heard this single version on the radio but it isn’t as good as the album version.
I think that's an important thing to remember/know for anyone listening to these bands. I think one of the issues for a lot of post eighties bands was the tendency to be a bit one dimensional.
From the A Time of Revelation box set booklet; “Very’eavy Very’umble spawned ‘Gypsy’ - a stomping favourite, “Our anthem” - Mick Box. “The funny thing was we wrote it at the Hamwell Community Center, Shepherds Bush, and Deep Purple were rehearsing in the room next door to us. You can imagine the kind of racket we were both making between us.”
I just took another look at the opening post with the band member lineup and will note, again from A Time of Revelation booklet: “However, it was far from plain sailing as the band proceeded to go through no less than four drummers during their first year and a half of trading. Alex Napier, the drummer from Spice, was replaced by Nigel ‘Ollie’ Olsson (who was suggested to Uriah Heep on those earlier Avenue recording sessions by Reginald Dwight who later asked Ollie to rejoin him with success in the USA and a name change to Elton John) and it was this lineup which completed the Very’eavy Very ‘umble album....” note: Ollie’s surname is spelled Olsson, Olson (in photo next to text) and Olssen (in chart of band members towards back of the book). So don’t blame me for misspelling!
Just as a heads up. On Sundays I'll be letting the thread sit, for folks to catch up, and chat about whatever we have been talking about, while I do my Surrounded on Sundays thread. As it is on topic, here is an album we did a couple of weeks ago - Gold From The Byron Era
Reference Guide Background Documentary Spice - What About The Music/In Love June 1970 Very 'eavy, Very 'umble 1 Gypsy Gypsy *single Bird Of Prey (US, and b-side)
I clicked on the other thread link and the first thing I noticed was that Hensley is credited as co-writer of Bird of Prey! I just checked wiki (for Bird of Prey entry) expecting to not see Hensley credited. But he was. So...depending on US or UK version, Hensley does have a songwriting credit. (I checked the box set, too...and find that Bird of Prey wasn’t on it. This means that, despite being a hardcore fan from the get-go, I must not have heard the song until I started streaming four or five years ago).
I never had an album with the song on it, so can’t comment from liner notes. Sometimes credits do get applied after-the-initial release. Being curious, I think I’ll check ASCAP or BMI. That’s the most exact. edit: found it. No Hensley. (From BMI) BIRD OF PREYTITLE TITLE DETAIL BMI Work # 117675 ISWC # T-010720896-7 Total Controlled by BMI: 100.00% SONGWRITER/COMPOSER CURRENT AFFILIATION CAE/IPI # BOX MICHAEL FREDERICK PRS 57455266 BYRON DAVID JOHN PRS 57670753 NEWTON PAUL PRS 58735841 PUBLISHERS CURRENT AFFILIATION CAE/IPI # UNIVERSAL SONGS OF POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL INC BMI
Side-bar, found as part of a Mick Box interview with a Japanese magazine (Sept. 2018): FIVE ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MICK’S LIFE THE JEFF BECK GROUP “TRUTH” or “BECK-OLA” VANILLA FUDGE “VANILLA FUDGE” or ROCK & ROLL” NEIL YOUNG “AFTER THE GOLDRUSH” or “HARVEST” THE WHO “LIVE AT LEEDS” GRAHAM NASH “SONGS FOR BEGINNERS” I am a Gemini so what I choose today I will change tomorrow but for today here is my list.
I actually once saw Uriah Heep as an opener for Def Leppard, at the Oakland Auditorium (The arena next to the coliseum). At the time the Pyromania album was massive, and going in I had no idea Uriah Heep was the opener. I was familiar with the Demons and Wizards album only, but I remember feeling that Heep with a 10+ year history at the time, shouldn't have been an opener for DL. I never had a ticket for that show, my buddy and myself slipped a cop some cash in the back of the building and ran in quickly as instructed, disappearing into the crowd. Plenty of people were doing this, and it was beyond a capacity crowd. I did consider it a treat having Uriah Heep there, and I thought it was a great show.
Gypsy is such a powerhouse to open an album. It's basically four chords with no chorus. First heared it as the B side of Easy Livin'. Wonder if an A side wound up as a B side on any other artists singles ?
While waiting for the next song I ended up putting together a Hensley Years playlist. Tried to be discerning but ended up with 35 songs/ 3 hours and 4 minutes. And that’s with restraint.
A Rolling Stones "review" that show that they were totally clueless to the style of music played by bands like Uriah Heep. Led Zeppelin & Black sabbath received reviews of similar high quality. To think that these F Wits have ties to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. No wonder it's a laughing stock. their first American release, proved that Humble Pie could be boring in lots of different ways. Here they were a noisy, unmelodic, heavy metal-leaden ****-rock band with the loud and noisy parts beyond doubt. There were a couple of nice songs ... and one monumental pile of refuse". He described the band's latest, self-titled release as "more of the same 27th-rate heavy metal crap".
Gypsy--unrelenting heavy rock of the highest calibre. An excellent showcase for Ken Henley's invigorating keyboard work, and front man Byron turns in a strong performance also. He sang this one like he meant it.
Written by Melissa Mills – 1970 Rating: Unfavourable “If this group makes it I’ll have to commit suicide" They did, the BlTCH didn't.
