ARTIST: Uriah Heep
ALBUM / TITLE: 3 Albums Box Set (6 CDs Re-Issues/Remastered Deluxe Edition)
RELEASE YEAR / DATE: 2017
COUNTRY: UK
STYLE: Hard Rock
LABEL: Anctuary Records/BMG Company
DURATION: 05:41:45
FILE FORMAT: MP3
QUALITY: 320 kbps
Look At Yourself :
Tracklist:
1. Look At Yourself (2017 Remastered) ( 5:08)
2. I Wanna Be Free (2017 Remastered) ( 3:59)
3. July Morning (2017 Remastered) (10:33)
4. Tears In My Eyes (2017 Remastered) ( 4:58)
5. Shadows Of Grief (2017 Remastered) ( 8:38)
6. What Should Be Done (2017 Remastered) ( 4:14)
7. Love Machine (2017 Remastered) ( 3:36)
1. I Wanna Be Free (Alternative Mix) ( 4:19)
2. Tears in My Eyes (Alternative Mix) ( 5:53)
3. What Should Be Done (Alternative Mix) ( 4:34)
4. Shadows of Grief (Alternative Mix) ( 9:32)
5. Look At Yourself (Alternative Mix) ( 5:13)
6. July Morning (Alternative Mix) (11:17)
7. Why Fourteen Minutes (Alternative Mix) (14:16)
8. Love Machine (Alternative Mix) ( 3:55)
9. What's Within My Heart (Alternative Mix) ( 5:33)
10. July Morning (Alternative Mix Live) (11:27)
11. Look At Yourself (Alternative Single Version) ( 3:17)
Band:
- David Byron / lead vocals
- Mick Box / lead & acoustic guitars
- Ken Hensley / organ, piano, electric & acoustic guitars, lead vocals (1)
- Paul Newton / bass guitar
- Iain Clark / drums
The third time proved to be the charm for Uriah Heep: on Look at Yourself, the group perfects its fusion of heavy metal power and prog rock majesty, and the result is one of the best albums in the Heep catalog. The gauntlet is thrown down on the title track, a powerful rocker that layers its relentless hard rock attack with ornate vocal harmonies and quicksilver organ runs before climaxing with a tribal-sounding drum jam. The remainder of Look at Yourself presents an effective blend of gutsy guitar rock and organ-fueled prog excursions. In the rock arena, the gems are "Tears in My Eyes," a powerful rocker driven by an almost rockabilly-style riff that stops midway for a surprising vocal harmony break supported by smooth wah-wah guitar, and "Love Machine," a short, punchy slice of hard rock built on an infectious, stomping rhythm. However, the best track on the album is one of the more prog-oriented ones: "July Morning" starts with a pastoral organ riff, then builds into a heavy yet symphonic rock tune that divides its time between gentle acoustic verses and emotional, organ-fueled choruses before climaxing in a monstrous jam dominated by a swirling Moog synthesizer lead. Special note should also be taken of David Byron's vocal performance; his multi-octave, operatic style was no doubt an influence on later metal vocalists like Rob Halford. All in all, Look at Yourself is both one of Uriah Heep's finest, most cohesive albums and a high point of 1970s heavy metal.
Demons And Wizards :
Tracklist:
01. The Wizard (2017 Remastered)
02. Traveller in Time (2017 Remastered)
03. Easy Livin' (2017 Remastered)
04. Poet's Justice (2017 Remastered)
05. Circle of Hands (2017 Remastered)
06. Rainbow Demon (2017 Remastered)
07. All My Life (2017 Remastered)
08. Paradise (2017 Remastered)
09. The Spell (2017 Remastered)
01. Easy Livin' (Alternate Version)
02. Rainbow Demon (Alternative Version)
03. Traveller in Time (Alternative Version)
04. Paradise (Alternative Version)
05. The Spell (Alternative Version)
06. All My Life (Alternative Version)
07. Home Again to You (Alternative Version)
08. Why (Alternative Version)
09. The Wizard (Alternative Version)
10. Poet's Justice (Alternative Version)
11. Circle of Hands (Alternative Version)
12. Proud Words (Alternative Version)
13. Green Eye (Alternative Version)
14. Why (Alternate Single Edit)
This is the album that solidified Uriah Heep's reputation as a master of gothic-inflected heavy metal. From short, sharp rock songs to lengthy, musically dense epics, Demons and Wizards finds Uriah Heep covering all the bases with style and power. The album's approach is set with its lead-off track, "The Wizard": it starts as a simple acoustic tune but soon builds into a stately rocker that surges forth on a Wall of Sound built from thick guitar riffs, churchy organ, and operatic vocal harmonies. Other highlights include "Traveller in Time," a fantasy-themed rocker built on thick wah-wah guitar riffs, and "Circle of Hands," a stately power ballad with a gospel-meets-heavy metal feel to it. Demons and Wizards also produced a notable radio hit for the band in "Easy Livin'," a punchy little rocker whose raging blend of fuzz guitar and swirling organ made it feel like a '70s update of classic '60s garage rockers like the Electric Prunes or Paul Revere & the Raiders. However, the top highlight of the album is the closing medley of "Paradise" and "The Spell": the first part of the medley starts in an acoustic folk mode and slowly adds layers of organ and electric guitar until it becomes a forceful, slow-tempo rocker, while the second half is a punchy, organ-led rocker that includes an instrumental midsection where choral-style harmonies fortify a killer, Pink Floyd-style guitar solo from Ken Hensley. All in all, Demons and Wizards works both as a showcase for Uriah Heep's instrumental firepower and an excellent display of their songwriting skills in a variety of hard rock styles. As a result, it is considered by many fans to be their finest hour and is definitely worth a spin for anyone with an interest in 1970s heavy metal.
The Magician's Birthday :
Tracklist:
1.Sunrise (2017 Remastered)
2.Spider Woman (2017 Remastered)
3.Blind Eye (2017 Remastered)
4.Echoes in the Dark (2017 Remastered)
5.Rain (2017 Remastered)
6.Sweet Lorraine (2017 Remastered)
7.Tales (2017 Remastered)
8.The Magician's Birthday (2017 Remastered)
1.Echoes in the Dark (Alternative Version)
2.Sweet Lorraine (Alternative Version)
3.Blind Eye (Alternative Version)
4.Tales (Alternative Version)
5.Silver White Man (Alternative Version)
6.Sunrise (Alternative Version)
7.Crystal Ball (Alternative Version)
8.Spider Woman (Alternative Version)
9.The Magician's Birthday (Alternative Version)
10.Rain (Alternative Version)
11.Silver White Man (No Vox; Alternative Version)
12.Happy Birthday (Alternative Version)
13.Sunrise (Alternative Single Version)
14.Sweet Lorraine (Alternative Single Version)
15.Gary's Song (Alternative Version)
Personnel: David Byron (vocals); Ken Hensley (guitar, keyboards, Moog synthesizer); Mick Box (guitar); Brian Cole (pedal steel guitar); Gary Thain (bass); Lee Kerslake (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Lansdowne Studios, London, England in September and October, 1972. Includes liner notes by Ken Hensley.
Uriah Heep's 1972 release, THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY, followed in the same direction as its predecessor one year earlier, DEMONS AND WIZARDS--mystical lyrical themes are merged with heavy guitar riffs and prog-rock organ/synth explorations. Sonically, THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY is a tad more rough around the edges than DEMONS (keyboardist Ken Hensley is given more of a free reign on this album as well), but it's still unmistakably Uriah Heep. The album closing, ten and a half-minute title track is a bona fide Heep epic (with many mood shifts), while "Sweet Lorraine" catches the band at their most rough and rocking.
