Uriah Heep - (1970) Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble

Uriah Heep - (1970) Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble

Studio Album, released in 1970

Very 'eavy... Very 'umble is the debut album of British hard rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in the United States as Uriah Heep with alternate sleeve artwork, and with "Bird of Prey" in place of "Lucy Blues."

The album was generally panned by the mainstream critical press upon its release, although it has since been acknowledged as an early classic of the heavy metal genre. The most famous criticism came from Rolling Stone magazine reviewer Melissa Mills, who began her review, "If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more."

The original vinyl release was a gatefold-sleeve, featuring David Byron on the front sleeve, almost unrecognisable beneath the cobwebs.

The album was first released on the Vertigo label in the UK, as was the follow-up Salisbury (album), but both were quickly reissued by Bronze when the band signed to that label. [wikipedia]

Right off the bat, when the needle digs into the first track ever by Uriah Heep, you know you're in for a wild ride. Suddenly, "Gypsy" stops dead in the middle, then continues its swirling cacophony of organ and guitar fisticuffs while lead singer David Byron belts out verbose bombast about a vagabond queen whose dad needs to be taken down a notch. (Rick Nielsen shoplifted the main riff for Cheap Trick's "Ballad of TV Violence.") And even that mega-opus opening can't topple the taloned "Bird of Prey," by far one of the zaniest pomp/metal/choral chemical explosions in history.

The inclusion of "Birds" on this American pressing makes the slab superior to the homeland edition, Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble, which substitutes the comparatively lucid ballad "Lucy Blues." If you need more, "Real Turned On" and "Walking in Your Shadow" set prescient standards in the undefined genre that transmogrified into metal, while "Dreammare" serves up a steaming broth of psycho goth and roll.

Brooding psychedelic breaks and progressive runs are snapped back into place through sheer sonic thrust, and the recording range has even kept these medieval shenanigans up to snuff, lo, these many years since the somber Uriah Heep first descended from its deadly castle. Somewhere between the powerhouse operatics of Deep Purple and the sonorous sorcery of Black Sabbath lurks this vital component in the alchemy of heavy metal. Incidentally, the band name is derived from a character in David Copperfield. [AMG]

Track Listings

Side A
1. Gypsy (6:37)
2. Walking In Your Shadow (4:31)
3. Come Away Melinda (3:46)
4. Lucy Blues (5:09)

Side B
1. Dreammare (4:39)
2. Real Turned On (3:37)
3. I’ll Keep On trying (5:24)
4. Wake Up (Set Your Sights) (6:22)

Total Time: 40:05
BONUS TRACKS ON 1996 REMASTERED CD:
1. Gypsy (2:57) edited and remixed version, released on several singles and compilations
2. Come Away Melinda (3:42) alternate version, previously unreleased
3. Born In A Trunk (3:45) out-take, previously unreleased alternate version of a song released for the first time on 'The Lansdowne Tapes' (1993)

BONUS TRACKS ON 2003 EXPANDED DE-LUXE CD:
1. Bird Of Prey - original single b-side version (=US album version)
2. Born In A Trunk - alternate version, previously unreleased
3. Come Away Melinda - alternate version, previously unreleased
4. Gypsy - extended mix, previously unreleased version
5. Wake Up (Set Your Sights) - alternate version, previously unreleased
6. Born In A Trunk - instrumental version, previously unreleased
7. Dreammare - BBC live version, previously unreleased
8. Gypsy - BBC live version, previously unreleased

Line-up/Musicians

- David Byron / lead vocals
- Ken Hensley / organ, slide guitar, Mellotron, piano and vocals
- Mick Box / lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Paul Newton / bass guitar, vocals
- Ollie Olsson / drums, percussion

Our Thanks To:
- Alex Napier / drums on all tracks excepting 'Dreammare' & 'Lucy Blues'
- Colin Wood / keyboard on 'Melinda' & 'Wake Up'