For me, Uriah Heep could not fail. They may have made a few “not so great” albums, but they sure gave it everything they had. I can’t say enough about the music found on The Magician’s Birthday (1972), followed by the Warner debut of Sweet Freedom (1972 – with “Stealin'” – “…when I should have been buyin'”), Wonderworld (1974), and a recent Wake The Sleeper (2008). Of course, those are just personal favorite selections. They left little that wasn’t appreciated. But oh what a revolving door the band had with frequent personnel changes.
Mick Box, the one solid mainstay from day one, is obviously the great architect of the band. While we miss David Byron, the vocalist who was dismissed for his excesses in 1976, and who died in 1985, Ken Hensley, the keyboardist through their peak years, Lee Kerslake, the veteran drummer of several tenures, and the long run of Trevor Bolder, who died in 2013 , the band did quite well with the likes of short-termers, John Wetton, and Gary Thain (who died in 1975), and long-termers, Phil Lanzon, and Bernie Shaw.
However, the good news for Uriah Heep fans is this:
On June 10 in the US (June 9 in the UK, June 6 elsewhere in Europe), Frontiers Records will release the 24th studio effort by Uriah Heep called Outsider. With eleven new tracks, Outsider will be issued on CD, vinyl LP, and digital download MP3 from various fronts.
Track-listing: Speed of Sound, One Minute, The Law, The Outsider, Rock The Foundation, Is Anybody Gonna Help Me?, Looking At You, Can’t Take That Away,Jesse, Kiss The Rainbow, Say Goodbye
Great artwork!
Agreed, Gregg.
Uriah Heep’s legendary live album is still a routine contributor within the inventory of my life-long enjoyment of music. David Byron’s high-pitched “waaaaawww’s” throughout the coda of July Morning still gives me goosebumps after nearly forty years of listening pleasure.