Uriah Heep's by-the-books progressive heavy metal made the British band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early '70s. Formed by vocalist David Byron and guitarist Mick Box in the late '60s.
Uriah Heep are an English hard rock band that was one of the most popular groups of the early 70s.
The band released several commercially successful albums in the 1970s such as Uriah Heep Live (1973), but their audience declined by the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK. Uriah Heep maintain a significant following in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the Balkans, Japan and Russia, where they still perform at stadium-sized venues. Uriah Heep were the first Western band to play in Soviet Russia, under Gorbachev's policy of glasnost. They have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Their debut album, Very 'eavy... Very 'umble (which was self-titled in the United States), introduced a heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix. The album's title references the signature phrase of the Dickens character Uriah Heep ("very 'umble") from the novel David Copperfield from which the band took its name . Their second album, Salisbury, was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. Their third album, Look at Yourself, released at the end of 1971, included the song "July Morning". Subsequent releases would find the group's ever-shifting lineup (between 1969 and 1980, the band changed drummers five times, bassists four times, and lead singers five times) frequently exploring fantasy-oriented lyrical themes, often in lengthy, multi-part compositions, largely penned by Ken Hensley, who would eventually come to dominate the band during his tenure. On December 8, 1975, New Zealand-born former bassist, Gary Thain, was found dead in his Norwood Green home, aged 27, having overdosed on heroin. Following the 1976 replacement of vocalist David Byron (with John Lawton — formerly of bands Lucifer's Friend and The Les Humphries Singers), Uriah Heep turned away from fantasy-oriented lyrics and multi-part compositions back toward a more straightforward hard rock sound typical of the era. In 1977 they scored a top 40 chart hit in Australia with "Free Me" which went all the way to #1 in New Zealand. The replacement of Lawton with vocalist John Sloman for the 1980 album Conquest was not well received by most fans, and Ken Hensley's acrimonious departure in September of that year left the group in a state of collapse. It fell to guitarist Mick Box to pick up the pieces and soldier on with a new singer Pete Goalby of Trapeze fame. Two early 1980s releases, Abominog and Head First, updated the band's sound and generated a brief, newfound interest in Uriah Heep among younger heavy metal fans. Mick Box and Bernie Shaw performing live in London David Byron died of an epileptic seizure and liver disease on February 28, 1985, at the age of 38. Uriah Heep continued to tour and release both (occasional) studio and (frequent) live albums. The lineup was unchanged from 1986 until early 2007, being veteran Mick Box at the helm, Trevor Bolder on bass, Lee Kerslake on drums, vocalist Bernie Shaw and Phil Lanzon on keyboards. Their principal tour circuit is in Germany, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian Peninsula, Japan, and Russia, although they returned to Britain for a tour or a showcase concert most years. For several years this was The Magician's Birthday Party (named for one of their most popular albums), in London. Mick Box also acted as manager until, on April 5, 2005, the band retained Simon Porter as their manager. In early 2007 drummer Lee Kerslake had to leave the group due to ill health. In March 2007, the band recruited Russell Gilbrook as their new drummer, and immediately started recording a new studio album entitled Wake the Sleeper. Originally slated for a Summer 2007 release, Universal Music finally released Wake the Sleeper on June 2, 2008.
Discussion Forum
This group does not have any discussions yet.
Comment Wall
Comment
You need to be a member of Uriah Heep to add comments!
Comment by RJhog (Admin) on January 13, 2015 at 10:32pm
17-track Live At Koko to arrive in February
Uriah Heep have confirmed the release of a DVD entitled Live At Koko on February 20.
The 17-track performance was shot in London in March this year, and will be available as a 2CD/DVD set.
In September mainman Mick Box accepted a Progressive Music Award on behalf of the band. They were given the Outer Limits gong in recognition of a catalogue of material that’s “most definitely progressive although not necessarily in the traditional sense.”
Heep released 24th album Outsider earlier this year. It was their first after the death of bassist Trevor Bolder from cancer last year. Box said: “We were waiting for Trevor to get well again – but life took another turn and then he was no longer with us. In the studio we never stopped talking about him as if he was still there’ his spirit was there all the way through.”
URIAH HEEP RETURNS WITH POWERFUL NEW RELEASE: OUTSIDER: Uriah Heep, one of the pivotal hard rock groups to emerge from England in the late 1960s returns with Outsider, its 24th studio album, and the first since 2011's critically acclaimed Into the Wild album. Outsider will be released on June 6th in Europe, June 9th in the UK and June 10th in North America on Frontiers Records. “We are very proud of our history” says founder/guitarist Mick Box, “but it is equally important to keep producing new material. This new album, Outsider, is very much a rock album in true 'Heep' style. It shows that we still have the same passion and energy for our music that we have always had.” From the opening chords of the album's hard driving rocker, “Speed of Sound”, to the more introspective closer, “Say Goodbye”, Outsider proves that Uriah Heep has remained a musical powerhouse, and one that can effectively balance its legendary sound with a distinctly contemporary approach. The record, which was produced by Mike Paxman (Asia, Status Quo), also introduces bassist Dave Rimmer, who joined the band last summer after the untimely death of long time member, Trevor Bolder.
Says Box of his late friend, Bolder: “We lost a world class bass player, singer, songwriter and friend. While Trevor was ill, he wanted us to continue working, so we used a bass player called Dave Rimmer, who Trevor approved of. It was only natural that Dave carried on with the band.” After major tours of Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and South America, upon the release of Outsider, Uriah Heep will launch a world tour that will take in many continents as the band promotes the new album to an eager international audience.
Formed in London in 1969 by guitarist Mick Box and late singer David Byron as “Spice”, the group evolved into Uriah Heep (the name was taken from a character in Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield) when they began conceptualizing the first record. The album Very 'eavy, Very 'umble, launched the band's distinct sound in 1970, one that was built around layered harmony vocals, swirling keyboards, and heavy guitar riffs. Current lead singer Bernie Shaw and keyboardist Phil Lanzon have been ever present since the mid-1980s, and drummer Russell Gilbrook joined Uriah Heep in 2007. The band's repertoire features hits over five decades from the 70s through to the present day including tracks such as; “Gypsy”, “ Easy Livin'”, “July Morning”, “Look At Yourself”, “Stealin'” and “Lady in Black”, which went to #1 in Germany on three different occasions, and once stayed at #1 for 6 months. They have gone on to sell 40 million records, and have toured globally for 5 decades, visiting no less than 56 countries, headlining numerous festivals and arena tours, including being the first western rock band to play Russia, in 1987. Founder Mick Box has remained throughout.
Track listing for Outsider: Speed Of Sound, One Minute, The Law, The Outsider, Rock The Foundation, Is Anybody Gonna Help Me?, Looking At You, Can't Take That Away, Jessie, Kiss The Rainbow, Say Goodbye.
You need to be a member of Uriah Heep to add comments!