Uriah Heep was one of those bands I discovered completely by accident growing up as a teenager in the seventies.
Like everybody else back then, I had heard "Easy Livin," which up to that point in time had been Heep's one song to receive any airplay on American album rock radio. The song was from Demons And Wizards, an album which was selling well for the band despite getting largely terrible reviews.
"Easy Livin" was itself a pretty decent little workingman's sort of rock tune that sounded good enough sandwiched in between say, "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" by Foghat and "Thirty Days In The Hole" by Humble Pie on the local FM rock station.
Prior to Demons And Wizards, Uriah Heep's records had included one recorded with a symphony orchestra (Salisbury) and another more known for the mirror on it's cover than for the music inside (Look At Yourself). Uriah Heep was also going through band members the way other bands of the day went through cigarette rollling papers.
For Demons And Wizards, founding Heepsters Mick Box (guitar) and principal songwriter Ken Hensley (keyboards) had added drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist extraordinaire Gary Thain to the lineup, which by now also included vocalist David Byron. It was this lineup they finally settled on for the next four albums, which would prove to be both Uriah Heep's commercial and creative peak period.
So anyway, like everybody else back then, I had read the unanimously bad reviews of Uriah Heep's albums. This was a band that rock critics loved to hate like no other since the universally despised Grand Funk Railroad. In what may well be one of the most scathing album reviews I've ever read, one guy writing about Demons And Wizards didn't even stop with the music. After trashing the album, the critic punctuated his verbal arrows by going after the band's looks, calling them "ugly as muttonchop mongrels."
Ouch!
But that's how it was with Uriah Heep back then. The original "no respect" band, they still managed to eventually sell a buttload of records and develop a reputation for high energy — even if occasionally somewhat sloppy — live shows that made them one of the world's top concert draws by the mid-seventies.
With their history of critical disrespect, combined with a legendary reputation for excess both on and offstage (one that would eventually claim the lives of two original band members), it's long since been suggested that Uriah Heep was the actual real-life inspiration for the brilliant rock "mockumentary" film This Is Spinal Tap.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
great stuff glen. i just may have to pull out my old Uriah Heep records. after not listening to music like that for a while, it's really fun to hear such keyboard-heavy rock.
also, didn't know that Wetton had been involved with them. that's kinda strange!
2 - Glen Boyd
Thanx Mark. As you can probably tell, Writing this one really took me back. Wetton basically really got around back then trying to make a buck before finally settling down for a quick minute with Asia, where of course is where he finally was able to do so.
Great technician that he was/is though, Wetton's style just never quite matched the more flamboyant theatrics of the late, great Mr. Thain in Uriah Heep.
Thanx again for the comment.
-Glen
3 - Tim Hall
Did you know Heep recording a new album later this year?
BTW, they replaced Wetton with Trevor Bolder (ex Spiders from Mars), who's still with the band 30 years later.
4 - Glen Boyd
Hey Tim,
Yes I knew that Trevor Bolder from The Spiders From Mars was part of the current lineup, who I also understand are quite good from a musicians standpoint.
My focus in this article however was the so-called "classic lineup." My editor tells me someone from their official website has been in contact about this article, so hopefully we will be able to get something up about the bands current activities sometime in the future.
In the meantime, I thank you for the comment.
-Glen
5 - Tim Hall
Depends when you consider the 'classic era' ended; when they sacked Byron in 1976, or Ken Hensley's departure four years (and four albums) later. Bolder joined (along with John Lawton on vocals) immediately after Byron's departure. That lineup may not have made much on an impact in the US, but had some hits in Europe.
I'm not quite old enough to have seen the classic lineup, but I've seen the current incarnation several times. They still rock, and they clearly enjoy being on stage; Mick Box always has a great big grin on his face.
BTW, your article implies that David Byron joined the band at some point after they started ("which by now also included vocalist David Byron"). Byron was a founder member along with Box and Hensley; the photo on the debut album is him covered in cobwebs.
6 - Glen Boyd
Tim Hall wrote:
I'm not quite old enough to have seen the classic lineup..
Way to make a guy feel really old Tim. Nice job there pal. Perhaps the truth is that I am not "young" enough to have seen the current incarnation. Either way, to my knowledge at least its been decades since Uriah Heep played a show in Seattle (where I live).
Anyway, I wrote this article pretty much strictly off my memories and for some reason had thought Byron joined around the time of "Look At Yourself" as the band went through a lot of members before stabilizing somewhat with "Demons And Wizards."
So if I was wrong about that detail, I stand corrected. And I thank you for pointing it out.
-Glen
7 - JR
To my mind, Abominog is one of the great unsung albums of the early-eighties metal revival. That album was solid from beginning to end. I picked up some of the earlier albums like Magician's Birthday after that, but I wasn't nearly as impressed with those. That was in the LP era and I haven't heard them in years, so I don't what I'd think now. I did pick up Abominog on CD and somehow it didn't sound as good; I think it got a lousy transfer on the first go 'round. (I also seem to remember the tracks being in a different order, but I'm a bit fuzzy on that.)
Uriah Heep even got some airplay out of Abominog, particularly with "That's the Way That It Is". Which, by the way, is a guitar part that I still play all the time in my noodling-in-front-of-the-TV moments. It's also fun to play for friends, who are sure they know the song but always seem to confuse it with something else.
8 - Vern Halen
Demons & Wizards, MAgician's B'day. Look at Yourself - when I was a kid, the Heep was right up there with Zeppelin, Sabbath, Grand Funk & Deep Purple. My friends and I weren't able to sort those bands for quality for many years - no one knew Heep was kind of a second tier rock act. ButI'm beginning to think that success in any aritstic field is kinda hit and miss - there's no telling why Sabbath has enjoyed mega sucess while Uriah Heep just gets rememberedin occasional blogs.
Hey, Glen - maybe that's another thing the Rockolgist can look at - why do some deserving bands flounder while other dimwits make it big?
Great article - my appreciation for the li'l ol' band named after a Charles Dickens' character went up a notch!
V.
9 - Glen Boyd
Hey, Glen - maybe that's another thing the Rockolgist can look at - why do some deserving bands flounder while other dimwits make it big?
Well thats the million dollar question innit? Sabbath's reviews in the aerly days were as bad as Heeps were (well almost). I think the point where Sabbath began to get respect was basically when a lot of the rock writers got younger -- basically people who grew up with them became writers themselves. Abominog aside -- the original Uriah Heep didnt stay together long enough to witness their band (possibly)eventually get some respect.
Interesting idea for a future column though Vern. I'll definitely give it some thought.
Glad you guys are liking these though. Many thanks.
-Glen
10 - Manfred Blank
Sad news came today from Heep: Lee Kerslake had to quit due to health problems. Now they are auditioning drummers for the new album they are about to record in spring.
Hope, he gets well soon. Lee is such a nice person. I met him several times and he always likes a good joke (there is a picture on my homepage where he talks to my drummer and apparently is making jokes about his weight!
Mani
11 - Glen Boyd
I got news about this myself yesterday from Dave White at Uriah-Heep.com
Yes Lee was a very nice, very funny guy. I only met him once (see my story above about wanting to keep a mudshark alive by putting salt in bathtub water)--but I have very vivid memories of him as a super nice, down to earth guy. Hell of a drummer too.
Hopefully Lee gets his health issues sorted (whatever those might be) and wishing both him and the rest of Heep all the best.
-Glen
12 - Scott
Excellent article Glen. I saw Uriah Heep in 1976 at my first "real" concert. They opened for Kiss in the old Hollywood Sportatorium. I remember that they were by and large ignored by the crowd, even tho they rocked pretty hard. Never been a big fan...but they did rock hard and I enjoyed the show!
13 - Glen Boyd
Glad you enjoyed the article Scott. 1976 was a bit past their prime, which I put at about roughly 72-74. I think Gary Thain would've probably been gone from the lineup around then. Also, the Kiss spectacle was also going full-tilt back then so I imagine Heep may've been a little bit tame for an audience hungry for explosions and fire breathing bat lizards (sorry Gene). Heeps time in the spotlight was very short, but I think they made some decent, if really underrated records, while they were on top.
Thanx for the comment Scott.
-Glen
14 - Bryan Barbee
Good lord Uriah Heep, it makes me sad to hear some of them have died. I remember handing the bass player some herbs and spices at the Salem armory during the show,when they opened for Savoy Brown, terrific band. The next year they were the headliner. The thing about the Armory was you were right there, up close. Thanks for the look back. Need to do some Easy Live live livin..
15 - Glen Boyd
You probably saw them within a night or two of the show I describe here Bryan (Savoy brown headlined -- Heep was back the following the year as the headliner).
What a trip!
Thanx for the comment.
-Glen
16 - wes
Your article suggests Mr. Byron joined the band on Demons and Wizards. This is completely incorrect, as David sang on every album from the first through "High and Mighty". By the end one gets the feeling they were quite dead as an act from "Return to Fantasy" on. This is beyond misleading, as Heep continued with amazing mettle and has played before more people than most bands could ever dream of, all over the world. Mick Box
deserves as much respect for his determination as he does his wonderful noise, and while Ken certainly had his ass kicked many times by critics no one really recalls, in fact he is one the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met. His liner notes for the Heep re-issues are brutally honest, and I found myself defending him more than he did as I read them. I believe the Heeps story is an important one in rocks crazy history and a hell of a lot of people that have listened, witnessed and played with them would agree. In that spirit, I'm happy to see your article, and hope you don't imagine my comments aren't appreciative. Thanks. TheOuterBoogie
17 - Kevin
Heep -- great band!
there's even a new Byron Band CD out titled "One Minute More" via Robin George. check out
damagecontrolmusic.co.uk
I would love to hear from anyone who saw HEEP way back. have been trying to catalogue their live history for eons.
Kevin