| |
Order the new CD, Celebration (CD/DVD Special Edition) by Uriah Heep and get a limited* autographed CD Booklet with purchase!
About Uriah Heep:
A technically brilliant heavy rock band, Uriah Heep was formed by David Byron and Mick Box. The pair had teamed up in the Stalkers during the mid-60's, and after that unit broke up they assembled Spice with Paul Newton and Alex Napier, recording a one-off single ("What About The Music"/"In Love") for United Artists Records. Spice evolved into Uriah Heep (the name was taken from a character in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield) when they were joined by Ken Hensley.
Before Uriah Heep were bonded under the experienced management of Gerry Bron, Hensley had played alongside Mick Taylor (later to become a member of the Rolling Stones) in the Gods, and with Cliff Bennett in Toe Fat. The rota of drummers started with former Spice man Alex Napier, followed by Nigel "Ollie" Olsson (later with Elton John). Finding a permanent drummer was to remain one of the band's problems throughout their early years.
Their debut, Very 'eavy...Very 'umble, in 1970, was a simplistic, bass-driven passage from electric folk to a direct, harder sound. They auditioned numerous drummers before offering the job to Keith Baker (ex-Bakerloo), who recorded Salisbury before deciding that the tour schedule was too rigorous for his liking and was replaced by Ian Clarke. Salisbury was a drastic development from the debut, with many lengthy solos and a 16-minute title track embellished by a 26-piece orchestra. The band were near the forefront of a richly embossed, fastidious style of music later to become dubbed "progressive rock."
During 1971 the line-up was altered again when Lee Kerslake, another former member of the Gods and Toe Fat, replaced Clarke following the recording of Look At Yourself. Gerry Bron had formed Bronze Records by 1971 and Look At Yourself, their debut for the label, became the band's first entry in the UK charts when it reached number 39 in November. An ex-member of the Downbeats and Colosseum, Mark Clarke, superseded Paul Newton on bass guitar but lasted just three months before his friend Gary Thain took over.
The stability of the new line-up enabled the band to enter their most successful period during the early 70's when the fantastical, eccentric nature of their lyrics was supported by a grandiose musical approach. The quintet recorded five albums, beginning with Demons And Wizards, their first to enter the US charts. The musical and lyrical themes continued on The Magician's Birthday, the double set Live, Sweet Freedom and Wonderworld (their last US Top 40 entry), as the band revealed a rare thirst for tough recording and performance schedules.
Thain was asked to leave in February 1975 after becoming too unreliable, owing to a drug habit. The experienced John Wetton, formerly of King Crimson and Family was expected to provide the impetus needed when he took over the bass guitar in March 1975. Wetton left after just over a year to back Bryan Ferry, although he featured on High And Mighty. Early in 1976, Uriah Heep were set to fold when internal arguments broke out and they found the previously winning formula had become archaic and undeniably staid. In Ken Hensley's own words, they were "a bunch of machines plummeting to a death." Hensley briefly walked out during a tour of the USA in the summer of 1976 and in a subsequent power-struggle, Byron was forced to leave.
Hensley had already embarked upon a short, parallel solo career, releasing two albums in 1973 and 1975. Hensley subsequently left the band, leaving original member Mick Box to pick up the pieces. A brief hiatus resulted and a new Uriah Heep that included Box, Kerslake, John Sinclair (keyboards), Bob Daisley (bass, ex-Widowmaker) and Peter Goalby (vocals, ex-Trapeze) was formed. Daisley quit in 1983 following the release of Head First, and was replaced by the returning Bolder. Their earlier extensive touring allowed them to continue appearing at reasonably sized venues, especially across America, and in 1987 they had the distinction of becoming the first western heavy metal act to perform in Moscow.
The quintet's 1995 recording Sea Of Light offered another evocative slice of Uriah Heep's trademark melodic rock, maintaining their high standards in fashioning superior AOR. Their European tour of the same year saw them reunite with former vocalist John Lawton as a temporary measure, with Bernie Shaw suffering from a throat problem. Three years later they released Sonic Origami, which contained some of the band's best work since the classic Byron days. Uriah Heep's entire Bronze catalogue has been lovingly reissued by Sanctuary Records, with each album including a plethora of extra tracks.
Uriah Heep has often been referred as "one of the greatest bands from the '70s" and have released 21 studio albums, all the while remaining faithful to their loyal and long standing fanbase. Paying tribute to their 40-year history, The Heep decided to look back to their past without melancholy or nostalgia with Celebration, re-recording 12 of their classics and introducing two new ones. The Special Edition version of Celebration contains a bonus DVD documenting their outstanding live show at the legendary "Sweden Rock Festival 2009." |
