Uriah Heep (band)
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Uriah Heep (1969 - ) is a British rock band, officially formed in 1969 in England, when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously a member of The Gods and Toe Fat) to join Spice, a band signed to his own Bronze Records label. Sometimes jokingly referred to as "The Beach Boys of heavy metal" for their melodic songs, and trademark multi-part harmony backing vocals, although their music draws on diverse influences including progressive rock, hard rock, early heavy metal, jazz, and even country on occasion.
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History
Their debut album, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble (which was self-titled in the United States), introduced a heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix. Their second album, Salisbury, was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. Subsequent releases would find the group's ever-shifting lineup (between 1969 and 1980, the band changed drummers five times, bassists four times, and lead singers twice) frequently exploring fantasy-oriented lyrical themes, often in lengthy, multi-part compositions, largely penned by Hensley, who would eventually come to dominate the band during his tenure.
Following the 1976 replacement of vocalist David Byron with John Lawton (formerly of the German band Lucifer's Friend), Uriah Heep turned away from fantasy-oriented lyrics and multi-part compositions back toward a more straightforward hard rock sound typical of the era. The replacement of Lawton with vocalist John Sloman for the 1980 album Conquest was not well received by most fans, and Ken Hensley's acrimonious departure in September of that year left the group in a state of collapse. It fell to guitarist Mick Box to pick up the pieces and soldier on. Two early 1980s releases, Abominog and Head First, updated the band's sound and generated a brief, newfound interest in Uriah Heep among younger hair metal fans. Box has been the band leader ever since, and in recent years, until April 2005, acted as their manager as well (as of April 5 2005, the band has retained Simon Porter as their manager, see announcement here: [1] (http://uriah-heep.com/newa/specialstatement.php)).
In spite of their huge popularity in Britain and continental Europe, Uriah Heep was never able to break into the American market in a big way, with the exception of three hit songs, "Easy Livin' " from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards, "Sweet Lorraine" from the 1972 album The Magician's Birthday, and "Stealin' " from the 1973 release Sweet Freedom. In Germany, their biggest hit was "Free Me", from the 1977 album Innocent Victim. The band released several commercially successful albums in the 1970s, but their audience declined during the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK, although they maintain a significant following in Germany, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian peninsula, Japan, and Russia.
Uriah Heep today
They still tour and release occasional studio (and frequent live) albums, featuring the same lineup since 1986. Their principal tour circuit is in the countries mentioned above, although they return to Britain for a tour each year that culminates in 'The Magician's Birthday Party' (named for one of their most popular albums) in November in London. This event consists of fan gatherings (a devoted fan is usually referred to as a Heepster) at local venues featuring current and former band members, and a concert, often with guest appearances by former members, (including Hensley, who has appeared onstage with the band at one show, and performed a separate solo concert as part of the festivities for another) which is filmed and released as a DVD and CD.
On April 26, 2005, the band announced on their website and in their Email newsletter that there would be no Magician's Birthday Party in 2005, as they are concentrating their efforts on writing and recording a new studio album to be released in early 2006 (see announcement on the band's website (http://uriah-heep.com/newa/eheep1305.php)).
Current Members
- Mick Box: Lead guitar/vocals 1969–present
- Lee Kerslake: Drums/vocals 1972–1979 and 1982–present
- Bernie Shaw: Lead vocals 1986–present
- Trevor Bolder: Bass guitar/vocals 1976–1981 and 1983–present
- Phil Lanzon: Keyboards/vocals 1986–present
Former Members
- Ken Hensley: Keyboards/guitar (especially "slide" guitar)/backing and occasional lead vocals 1969–1980
- David Byron: Lead vocals 1969–1976
- Paul Newton: Bass guitar/vocals 1969–1971
- Alex Napier: Drums 1969–1970
- Nigel Olsson: Drums 1970
- Keith Baker: Drums 1970–1971
- Ian Clarke: Drums 1971–1972
- Mark Clark: Bass guitar/vocals 1972
- Gary Thain: Bass guitar/vocals 1972–1975
- John Wetton: Bass guitar/vocals 1975–1976
- John Lawton: Lead vocals 1977–1979
- Chris Slade: Drums 1979–1981
- John Sloman: Lead vocals 1979–1981
- Gregg Dechert: Keyboards/vocals 1980–1981
- John Sinclair: Keyboards/vocals 1982–1985
- Bob Daisley: Bass guitar/vocals 1982–1983
- Peter Goalby: Lead vocals 1982–1985
- Steff Fontaine: Lead vocals 1986
Discography
Studio Albums: (Currently under construction)
- The Lansdowne Tapes (compilation of recordings by Spice and outtakes from the first three Uriah Heep albums) - Recorded 1968-1971, released 1994
- Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble (UK)/Uriah Heep (US) - 1970
- Salisbury - 1971
- Look At Yourself - 1971
- Demons & Wizards - 1972
- The Magician's Birthday - 1972
- Sweet Freedom - 1973
- Wonderworld - 1974
- Return To Fantasy - 1975
- High & Mighty - 1976
- Firefly - 1977
- Innocent Victim - 1977
- Fallen Angel - 1978
- Conquest - 1980
- Abominog - 1982
- Head First - 1983
- Equator - 1985
- Raging Silence - 1989
- Different World - 1991
- Sea Of Light - 1995
- A Time of Revelation (Four-disc Anthology including much previously unreleased material) Recorded 1968-1995, released 1996
- Sonic Origami - 1998
Live Albums:
- Uriah Heep Live - 1973
- Live at Shepperton '74 - Recorded 1974, released 1986
- King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert - Recorded 1974, released 1997
- Live in Europe 1979 - Recorded 1979, released 1986
- Live in Moscow - 1988
- Spellbinder Live - 1996
- Future Echoes Of The Past - 2000
- Acoustically Driven - 2001
- Electrically Driven - 2001
- The Magician's Birthday Party - 2002
- Live in the USA - 2003
- Magic Night - 2004
- Between Two Worlds - 2005
Compilation Albums:
- Anthology - 1986
- Lady In Black - 1994
See also
- David Byron
- Ken Hensley
- Spice
- Heepster
- Roger Dean - contains several album cover images
External links
Uriah Heep was one of the first bands to recognize the power of the internet, and maintain a very active web presence, with the band and fans from all over the world actively participating. Some of the most important Heep-related websites are:
- Uriah Heep official website (http://www.uriah-heep.com/)
- Ken Hensley official website (http://www.ken-hensley.com/)
- David Byron official tribute website (http://www.david-byron.com/)
- Mick Box official website (http://www.mick-box.com/)
- Official website for pre-1986 Uriah Heep (http://www.moreheep.com/)
- The Official Uriah Heep Discography (http://discography.heepfiles.net/)
- Official US Uriah Heep fan website (http://www.travellersintime.com/)
- "England's Own Uriah Heep" fan website (http://my.en.com/~uheep/)
- Netherlands Uriah Heep fan website (http://members.home.nl/uriahheep/index3.htm/)de:Uriah Heep
fr:Uriah Heep (groupe) nl:Uriah Heep pt:Uriah Heep sk:Uriah Heep sv:Uriah Heep (rockband)