Admit it, there’s a band you always wished you’d been into from the earliest possible opportunity, whether from their demo beginnings or a particular era when the band was at its prolific best. Uriah Heep is one of those bands for me and if it wasn’t for a fellow scribe giving me a lesson in all things Heep during numerous metal and beer nights then I suspect I would still not really have given Uriah Heep the time of day. Thank goodness for metal mates, oh and beer of course.
During the 80s whilst frequenting a scratty metal/rock club called Scrumpies I’d heard the odd tune such as “Gypsy” but more importantly the dance floor hell of “On The Rebound” echoed in my ears as every aging rock dinosaur danced to a tune I had always felt was diluted house wife rock shite. Coupled to that, the same geezers would take the piss out of newbie acts like Metallica/Slayer/Exodus etc. thereby giving me even more ammunition to despise the rock ostriches with their heads firmly implanted in the ground and only coming up when an old Led Zep, Purple, Priest (at a push) or Rush song came on.
Be that as it may, time has a way seducing the open minded listener and Uriah Heep has seduced me over and over again during the last five years or so. This compilation is very different to the “Celebration – 40 Years In Rock” released last year, as Mick Box, surviving original member and ever persistent creative juggernaut, has chosen all the tracks on this huge release of songs. Compilations rarely have all your favourites as one song from every studio release appears here, up to and including the phenomenal last album “Wake The Sleeper” from 2009.
Taking the time to read the introductory notes and expansive historical narrative is very worthwhile even before pressing the play button. Given the extensive Heep back catalogue, it was never going to be easy to choose the odd track from some 21 studio albums but Mick has done a fine job in being objective about the whole project. “On The Rebound” begins the compendium and is a fitting opener, given the compilation title. Given that there are 36 tracks on offer here sequencing them must have been a nightmare but I reckon Mick has done a superb job in getting the balance just right. The album flows seamlessly between an all out rocker such as “Overload” to a timeless classic such as “The Wizard”.
Admittedly there are tunes I had actually not heard at all, but it is easy to understand the inclusion of “I Hear Voices” and “Rockarama”.
Each CD is heaving with adorable and exquisite rock classics such as “Lady In Black”, “Easy Livin’”, “Look At Yourself”, “Stealin’”, I could list them all here I suppose. If your favourite is missing then just add it to the play list as Uriah Heep’s music has an undying quality that has stood the passage of time and seen genres come and go. CD2 contains the only unreleased track; “You Are The Only One”, from the “Wake The Sleeper” sessions, which the cynics will automatically question as to whether fans will invest in this just to hear that extra track. I can certainly name a plethora of compilations that stink of cash-in but based on the musical output this is a fantastic collection of songs showcasing why this band has been around for over 40 years and still going strong. I guess the awesome “Gypsy” was always going to close this compilation as I was left wondering why I never actually got into Uriah Heep 25 years ago when I should have, darn it.
If you want to hear some exceptional classic rock and have never really given Uriah Heep a try, then this is available for less than a tenner and is surely worthy of the price. Me, I’m going to buy all the albums I don’t own by this band.
http://www.uriah-heep.com
http://www.myspace.com/uheep
