Uriah Heep - (1979) Live in Europe

Uriah Heep - 1979 Live in Europe

Live, released in 1986

It’s John Lawton that makes the Uriah Heep fans need to have this live record which took in various places around 1979. I have been a big fan of Lawton since I knew him for the first time with Germany’s Lucifer’s Friend. In fact, I’d rather have Lawton than Bernie Shaw as replacement of David Byron. Yes, Lawton’s voice is unique and there is no similarity with Byron. The joining of Lawton to Heep had made the overall sound of Uriah Heep was different from the previous early years. As it’s quite different you might find some tracks who originally were sung by Byron do not sound quite smooth in this live performance. In this case, Bernie’s voice quality sounds similar in some ranges with Byron. That’s why I basically have no major issue having Bernie Shaw sings Byron’s tracks. You might find how struggling Lawton to match with the first three tracks : Easy Livin’ (3:14), Look At Yourself (5:18), and Lady In Black (7:26) (originally sung by Hensley. Thanks, Eugene, for the correction). Not really bad but I find the soul’s lost. Fortunately there are Ken Hensley and Mick Box who can make the overall music still sound Heep. When Free Me (4:53) is performed, yes .. this is really unique Lawton! The other disappointing one is during “Sweet Lorraine” (12:44) which does not sound quite right.

This is not bad at all, but I’d only recommend this for the die hard fans only.

Track Listings

Record One, Side A
1. Easy Livin’ (3:14)
2. Look At Yourself (5:18)
3. Lady In Black (7:26)
4. Free Me (4:53)
Record One, Side B
1. Stealin’ (4:54)
2. The Wizard (3:35)
3. July Morning (12:35)

Record Two, Side A
1. Falling In Love (3:04)
2. Woman Of The Night (3:12)
3. I’m Alive (4:04)
4. Who Needs Me (9:46) [Not included on the original cd release]
Record Two, Side B
1. Sweet Lorraine (12:44)
2. Free 'N' Easy (2:53)
3. Gypsy (4:52)

Total Time: 82:30
Bonus tracks:
1. Cheat 'N' Lie (6:11) out-take, previously unreleased
2. One More Night (4:55) out-take, previously unreleased
3. Easy Livin' (3:26) alternate version, previously unreleased
4. Sealin’ (5:12) alternate version, previously unreleased
5. Lady In Black (7:26) alternate version, previously unreleased
6. Gypsy (4:40) alternate version, previously unreleased
Line-up/Musicians

- Mick Box / guitars
- John Lawton / vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboard, guitars, vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Trevor Bolder / bass

Uriah Heep - (1978) Fallen Angel

Uriah Heep - (1978) Fallen Angel

(Review from progarchives.com)

The third and final Uriah Heep album with John Lawton on vocals, and the last for the time being with the long serving Lee Kerslake on drums.

While Ken Hensley still dominates the song writing, the rest of the band also make contributions. Lawton for example wrote 2 tracks, and co-wrote a third. Unfortunately, with Hensley having contributed so much to previous albums, his inspiration appears to be declining rapidly, and the rest of the band do not share his worthy credentials in that field. Understandable as this is, It does make for a somewhat disappointing album. Things would get worse on subsequent output before they got better and taken in context, this is far from being a bummer. The band themselves (Hensley and Box) in the sleeve notes for the 1997 remaster felt that the album was a bit "poppy", and this a fair description.

Ironically the best track is Lee Kerslake ballad “Come back to me” (co-written with Hensley), written as an anguished plea to his then recently estranged wife. Lawton’s vocals are ideal for the song, which he sings with great passion.

The tracks are all short, the longest being the title track at just over 5 minutes. On "One more night", Lawton almost carries off an Elvis impersonation, but on most of the tracks, the performance is all too similar and lightweight. In retrospect, it's all to obvious that the band had taken their eye of the ball, and were drifting away from their roots, into a more commercial area which did not fit well with their strengths. It would be several years until they found their way again.

By the way, the sleeve was a vast improvement from "Innocent victim", with a rather attractive image of a female warrior who has just vanquished her next meal, in the gatefold cover.

Track List :
01. Woman Of The Night (4:07)
02. Falling in Love (2:59)
03. One More Night (Last Farewell) (3:35)
04. Put Your Lovin' On Me (4:08)
05. Come Back To Me (4:22)
06. Whad 'Ya Say (3:41)
07. Save It (3:33)
08. Love Or Nothing (3:02)
09. I'm Alive (4:18)
10. Fallen Angel (4:51)

Line-up :
- Mick Box / electric and acoustic guitar
- Trevor Bolder / bass guitar
- John Lawton / lead vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, syn-drums, back-up vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboards, synthesizer, slide and acoustic guitar, back-up vocals

Uriah Heep - (1977) Innocent Victim

Uriah Heep - (1977) Innocent Victim

(Review from progarchives.com)

Once you get past the rather grotesque and somewhat inappropriate cover picture, Uriah Heep’s second album with John Lawton on vocals is a pleasant, if rather lightweight offering.

The songs are pretty straightforward, leaning more towards melodic rock than prog. Once again, Hensley favours his synthesiser over the Hammond organ sound which laid the foundations of the band’s early work, creating a more orchestral backing. There are a couple of good ballads in “Choices" which has great power, and the softer "Illusion. “Free me” is a catchy pop tune. It’s not exactly challenging but should have been at least a minor hit in the UK, as it was in several other countries.

"The dance" is almost funky, a style which suits Lawton's voice far better than it would have Byron's. Finally, there are a number of more traditional rock tracks such as "Keep on ridin'", "Flyin' high" "Free'n'easy" and "Cheat'n'lie"

Ultimately I am left with a feeling that the band's inspiration, and especially Hensley's, is drying up rapidly. This is perhaps further evidenced by the fact that non band member Jack Williams wrote two of the songs, and co-wrote a third with Hensley.

Track List :
01. Keep On Ridin' (3:41)
02. Flyin' High (3:18)
03. Roller (4:38)
04. Free 'N' Easy (3:02)
05. Illusion (5:02)
06. Free Me (3:35)
07. Cheat 'N' Lie (4:50)
08. The Dance (4:49)
09. Choices (5:42)

Line-up :
- Mick Box / guitars
- John Lawton / vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboard, guitars, vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Trevor Bolder / bass

Uriah Heep - (1977) Firefly

Uriah Heep - (1977) Firefly

(Review from progarchives.com)

While the history of Uriah Heep is littered with line up changes, the single most important one in terms of their sound took place between the previous album, “High and Mighty”, and this one. With David Byron having been sacked as lead vocalist, John Lawton (ex Lucifer’s Child) was brought in as his replacement.

In opting for Lawton, the other band members had decided to go for someone with a completely different voice and style, so right from the first few bars of “Firefly” the listener is aware of a fundamental change. Lawton’s voice is deeper and much rougher, with more of a blues/jazz tinge.

John Wetton also left the band before this album was recorded, being replaced by ex Spiders from Mars bassist Trevor Boulder. Boulder has gone on to become one of Heep’s longest servicing members, and is in fact still in the band today.

The music on “Firefly” is generally lighter than previous albums, with Hensley choosing to create an almost orchestral texture with the keyboards, on which the album is built. Yet again, Hensley dominates the song writing, with only one short track “Who needs me” being a rare Kerslake composition. The title track is a very soft but beautiful piece, a million miles from "Easy Livin’". Even when the band rock, such as on “Been away too long”, it’s not the all out wall of sound of the early days.

When listening to this album, it is necessary to first put aside any preconceptions about the music it will contain. It’s not really a follow up to “High and Mighty” but a new beginning for the band with a new direction and sound. Once that is accepted, it’s actually a very enjoyable album, with strong melodies, and tight musicianship.

Track List :
01. The Hanging Tree (3:42)
02. Been Away Too Long (5:04)
03. Who Needs Me (3:40)
04. Wise Man (4:44)
05. Do You Know (3:15)
06. Rollin' On (6:32)
07. Sympathy (4:50)
08. Firefly (6:18)
09. Crime Of Passion (Bonus, Single B-Side) (3:37)
10. Do You Know (3:16) (Bonus, Demo)
11. A Far Better Way (5:50) (Bonus, Outtake)
12. Wise Man (4:48) (Bonus, TV backing track version)

Line-up :
- John Lawton / lead vocals
- Mick Box / guitars
- Trevor Bolder / bass guitar
- Lee "The Bear" Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboards, guitars, vocals

Uriah Heep - (1975) The Best Of Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep - (1975) The Best Of Uriah Heep

Boxset/Compilation, released in 1985

Track Listings

1. Free me (3:35) from Innocent Victim 1977
2. Lady In Black (4:33) from Salisbury 1971
3. Sealin' (4:49) from Sweet Freedom 1973
4. The Wizard (2:59) from Demons And Wizards 1972
5. Look At Yourself (5:07) from Look At Yourself 1971
6. Gypsy (6:37) from Very 'Eavy ... Very 'Umble 1970
7. Easy Livin' (2:36) from Demons And Wizards 1972
8. Return To Fantasy (5:52) from Return To Fantasy 1975
9. Your Turn To Remenber (4:22) from Return To Fantasy 1975
10. Sweet freedom (6:37) from Sweet Freedom 1973
11. Shady Lady (4:46) from Return To Fantasy 1975
12. Firefly (6:18) from Firefly 1977

Total Time: 58:11
Line-up/Musicians

See original albums for line-ups