![]() Not everything is gold material, however. In any case, don’t let this ruin your enjoyment of this pinnacle moment of early prog rock – the slightly longer “alternative mix” (featuring a “new” piano overdub) and a live late 1971 version also highlight the bonus disc. Whether it’s just his own ego talking or genuine resentment of Mann not allowing anyone to even touch his Minimoog is up for debate. After initially saying Mann added “really nice” colors to it in his original 1971 liner notes, Hensley has changed his mind and surprisingly gone negative about his contribution to this iconic masterpiece, now saying that Mann’s Moog lines were just a non-important “noodling exercise” that went “against my better judgment” and that fans don’t miss it when Heep plays the tune live. The centerpiece of the album is, of course, “July Morning,” which features some wacky then-new Moog sounds of Manfred Mann. It’s now 2017, and it still sounds like a kick-ass Allman Brothers tune. Hensley’s slide work, which brilliantly complements Box’s metal riffage, was pretty innovative for its time. Tears in My Eyes” is kicked into high gear by southern rock-styled slide guitar courtesy of Hensley (who also sings strong lead vocals on the title track). “Shadows of Grief” is psychedelic pseudo metal and “What Should Be Done” has bluesy piano chords in the style of Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright.” Even singer David Byron’s histrionic falsetto wails rival Ian Gillan’s (though no one can ever seriously top the latter’s dramatic vocal power on anthems like Purple’s “Child in Time” except for perhaps Rob Halford).įor much of the rest of Look at Yourself, you hear a group branching out but still holding onto the hard-edged sound they’d become known for, led by powerhouse organist/guitarist/vocalist Ken Hensley and lead guitarist Mick Box. You can hear it on the song “Look at Yourself” for one of the clearest examples. And yes, they had a distinct Deep Purple influence too. ![]() Lucky for fans and their own sake, it worked out well for everyone.īesides Deep Purple, Uriah Heep was one of the first to fuse heavy metal with progressive rock. The band says in new liner notes by rock writer Joel McIver that it had a lot of creative energy to use for this, their third LP in less than 18 months. record, which was their second of 1971, following up the February release of sophomore effort, Salisbury. In those days, record companies and management pressed bands hard to keep momentum going and cash coming to the point where they had to release a new record every year – sometimes more than one, as was the case with Heep and their L.A.Y. UH had big expectations of itself for their third release. Reviewed here is the new two-disc digipack reissue of Look at Yourself, which (still) comes with a pretty cool foil “mirror” on the front cover that displays a blurred/distorted image of the person seeing it, as well as a bonus CD with 11 tracks of previously unreleased material. And though 1970 debut album …Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble is seen as an early heavy metal classic, their most widely praised LPs among both fans and critics are Look at Yourself and D&W, the latter of which contains fantasy-based themes that future bands such as Iron Maiden would later champion in their own admired works. “Lady in Black,” “The Wizard,” “Easy Livin’,” “July Morning,” and “Gypsy” are some of the most popular Heep songs in their catalog. While fellow British brethren Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple got the global glory and long-lasting fame they deserved for their innovations in the heavy rock realm, the Heep, even with 40 million records sold worldwide to date, never got as much name recognition but still earned the admiration of musicians all around the world. On March 31, BMG/Sanctuary Records began a reissue campaign for Look at Yourself, Demons and Wizards, and The Magician’s Birthday, which are the third, fourth, and fifth albums, respectively, from one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, Uriah Heep.
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