URIAH HEEP - Very 'eavy very 'umble / Salisbury - Best vinyl releases ?

I am upgrading my vinyl collection from time to time. After I had the chance to buy some UK originals of old DEEP PURPLE albums many years ago, I am in the mood to find great pressings of the first two URIAH HEEP albums.

In my collection I have a german 1976 pressing of the debut album with the following matrix information:

S 85690 A-3 Made in Germany
S 85690 B-2 76 Made in Germany

To these ears, it sounds nice...but I am not sure if the sound is slightly different between Side A and Side B due to the fact that these are different cuttings. Would be great if anybody did some comparison and could write some information.

For "Salisbury" I have also a german pressing with the following matrix information:

S 85691 A-4 Made in Germany
S 85691 B-4 Made in Germany

This one sounds also very nice, but I am looking for the best pressings of both records. Thank you very much.

 

...by the way: I also heard that some of the "Salisbury" pressings / cuttings have some left-channel-issues on Side B. Would be great to know which ones are affected, so I can avoid them.

 

Nobody ???

 

Depends what you want. As they were signed to Mercury the masters would have been in the US as that was Mercury’s policy.

So those should be the best source, but Gilbert Kong’s cutting style may or may not be for you.

 

I prefer the UK / EU tracklisting, so I am looking for german or UK pressings in best quality. Any opinions ?

 

No URIAH HEEP maniacs here ????

 

I'm interested in which reissue vinyl of Salisbury would be good. I have a VG+ copy of Very Eavy on Bronze and it has that murky early 70's Heep sound.
I have a Japanese vinyl replica CD of Salisbury, it's my go-to version at the moment but it would be nice to have it on vinyl without inner groove distortion.

 

I listened to my german "Very 'eavy" LP from 1976 with headphones today - and it doesn't sound murky. Great sound I think....

Now I am listening to my "Salisbury" german LP (A-3 / B-3). Great sound so far, but I detected a little left-channel issue (a volume thing for about 1 second, sounds like a slightly damaged tape) in the second half of the song. Is this part of the mastertape or did the german cutting tape have this issue ?

 

Is there anybody out there who compared the german Island pressings (pink rim with A-1 / B-1) with the regular bronze LPs ?

 

I’m afraid I only have the original UK Vertigo pressings, so am not able to answer your question. I was so happy with the sound of these, that I just never bothered buying any other versions just for the sake of comparison.

There are quite a few Uriah Heep fans on this forum, but obviously, they don’t have the same mass appeal as the Beatles or Zeppelin, so the chances of finding someone around here who has extensively compared different pressings are going to be fairly low.

As for your left-channel issue, is it actually during the second half of the song, ‘Salisbury’? Let me know, and I will check it for you.

 

Thank you for reply. Yes, I think there are not many people here with useful information...
The little left-channel-issue is in the track "Bird Of Prey".

 

I still need information about the best available vinyl editions of the first two albums please.

 

It would be so nice if some HEEP vinyl fans could provide some information.

 

I'd love to help, but I've only single LP copies of those two albums and have done no comparisons with other pressings.

 

For the best you will have to go with UK pressings.
Vertigo if price is not of concern, Bronze if value and s/q is.

 

Thank you very much, but did you ever compare UK and german pressings for example ?

 

I have not.
A forum bud has a A1/B1 GRM VERTIGO and I loaned him my A2U/B2U UK Bronze and he said it easily bettered it.
I only have the US debut to compare.
Only other UK titles I have are Look At Yourself...a Porky and 2nd issue Vertigo.

 

Would be so great to listen and compare examples of the german and UK pressing of the debut...if it really sounds better, I would buy a UK, but I have to check before...

 

I wish I could help you, but in the States, I only ever see the US pressings. But I see plenty of those!

I am almost positive I picked up a UK Bronze copy of Salisbury recently, but I haven't played it. I could give you my impression when listening, but unfortunately I can't compare it to other European pressings. I'm not even certain I have a US pressing of that title....

 

Yes, it is always hard to judge without listening / comparing different editions. I don't want to pay lots of money for a pressing I've never heard...and I am not sure if it fits my taste soundwise.

 

I just discovered this thread.

I have some vinyl pressing of these albums, also a pink rim Island for the debut.

I can upload some samples.

 

I do have the following pressings:


Debut album:

Uriah Heep - ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble

Uriah Heep - ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble

Salisbury:

Uriah Heep - Salisbury
(this pressing sounded very thin and bright, I did not like it and sold it again)

Uriah Heep - Salisbury
(this pressing I liked much better, not too bright, not too dark, but it does not have the gatefold cover which I knew when I was growing up - my sisters had this record when I was a kid)

 

I have that Island pressing, and I also have a Bronze pressing.

I have to listen again for a comparison, but I remember there wasn't a huge difference between the two (but I haven't done any critical comparisons). My Island pressing is in slightly better condition, I think.

 

At what time roughly?

 

Must be around 2'40 mark, short before the choir starts again...you can hear it with headphones only.