| Title: | The UK Music Conference |
| Notice: | Welcome (back) to UK_MUSIC on node MARVIN. |
| Moderator: | RDGENG::CROOK |
| Created: | Mon Mar 28 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1381 |
| Total number of notes: | 39269 |
As this is the UK_Music conference, I considered to open a topic for a 20 year
british band which still rocks, Uriah Heep.
I'm a fan of Uriah Heep since their first album in 1970.
Uriah Heep, while beeing one of the founders of Heavy Rock, have always had a
very distinctive approach in the seventies. They avoided pure commercial success
in favor of promoting what we can call "progressive heavy rock". They always put
much energy into their music but also sentimental intensity and have been open
to classical music influence (Salisbury is a successful example of classical
influence). The band structure was similar to Deep Purple's (vocals, guitar,
bass, keyboards, drums) but with stronger backing vocals and a second guitar
from the keyboard/guitars player (Ken Hensley). The music was heavier than
Purple's (including Hensley's heavy church organ sound) more complex but also
less immediately accessible. This is not to compare these two great bands but
just to give an ideea of the styles. The sound quality of the first albums is
still very good compared to actual standards.
Heep played from the very heavy and energetic ("Gipsy", "Easy Livin'")
to the very soft (fully accoustical) songs ("The park", "Rain"..).
While never beeing commercial and despise early bad press atitude, Heep
developed a strong follow-on which explains the over 30 million albums sold.
The band has changed many times since the begining, two of the members beeing
dead (Gary Thain, the bass player and the original lead singer David Byron).
Their last album "Raging Silence" (1989) proves that the actual formula (with
Mick Box the guitarist and founder of Heep) has adapted itself very well and
delivers a very effective and still melodic rock.
For the fans, the "Easy Livin'" videocassette presents in 70' the Heep between
1974 (David Byron time) and 1985 (Peter Goalby on vocals), and it's real good
historical and musical value.
Sorin
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 704.1 | Doctor (Doctor) in the House... | YUPPY::OHAGANB | Dip the fuse in the kerosene | Fri Jul 20 1990 18:58 | 16 |
Oh dear! Are they still going? I really only know "Easy Livin" and
remember them for the awful "Abominog" album cover. If we're talking
seventies British hard rock here then I have go for Wood Green's finest..
..UFO ( bless 'em ).
Judging by the current yoof culture trends ( the Acid House/Psychedelic
marriage ) we're due for a seventies rock revival fairly soon. Which
means, Happy Mondays fans, you need'nt throw out those flares just
yet! Just try dancing to "Tales from Topographic Oceans" instead.
You'll need all the "E" in the world to get through that one.
Love and Flowers
Barry
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| 704.2 | ...Who?... | HEAD::KING | Mon Jul 23 1990 19:01 | 24 | |
Wow...
Somebody else interested in Heep!
#:-Q
I went to see them in Wolverhampton a few months back and they
were amazing (the Ground Dogs were supporting and were almost as
good...
Raging silence is brilliant (most of the old stuff is good too),
but it's a shame that there are so many compilations about as they
all contain the same stuff...not good eh? #:-(
Hope people reply to this item...I'll feel less weird then!!!
Eric the pot plant aged five 'n' a bit (Alias Chris)
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| 704.3 | KETJE::VLASIU | Tue Jul 24 1990 14:33 | 14 | ||
It's true that there are many compilations (about 5 or 6) based on on a
bunch of (it's true very good) songs. I think there was enough good
material on their LPs to easily release a 4 CD compilation with no
song repeating and still excellent..
For me the best albums are: "Demons and Wizards", "Look at yourself",
"Magician's Birthday", "Salisbury", "Very 'eavy very 'umble", "Live
1973", "Sweet Freedom", "Abominog", "Head first", "Return to fantasy"
and "Raging silence" (to name a few ..). And they have been careful
with the recording since the very begining.
Sorin
PS: there are Uriah Heep topics in the MUSIC and HEAVY_METAL (#679)
conferences too.
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| 704.4 | Byron dead ??? | WARHED::BALMFORTH | Tue Sep 04 1990 02:20 | 3 | |
The only lp I have is "Salisbury" which I consider to be excellent.
However I did not realize that David Byron is no longer with us. Is
this a recent happening or not ?
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| 704.5 | KETJE::VLASIU | Tue Sep 04 1990 19:24 | 14 | ||
David Byron was found dead from a heart attack in his own house in
1985. David has left Heep in 1976 (or 77) and aparently he had also
some drinking problems (co-founder Ken Hensley explains this in one of
the interviews from the excellent video cassette "Easy Livin'" which
traces Heep's activity since 1974 and upto 1986). It's sad that one
more rock artist has died young when he was still full of
possibilities. Byron has also some albums of his own, of which I know
"Take no prisoners" (it's very Heep and Mick Box and Lee Kerslake
participate on it).
Salisbury is one of Heep's best albums and as all their albums, it was
not affected by time.
Sorin
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