Artist: Uriah Heep
Title: Live '73 Deluxe Expanded Edition
Type: Album
Label: Sanctuary Records

There seems to be a lot of Uriah Heep releases hitting the shelves at the moment – and in my view that can only be a good thing. After Celebration: 40 Years Of Rock we had the excellent On The Rebound: A Very ‘Eavy 40th Anniversary Collection and now here’s the deluxe expanded reissue of Live ’73. Now Live ’73 may not have the reputation to match the likes of Made In Japan and Live At Leeds but musically speaking it deserves just as many accolades. It seems to capture all the atmosphere of the night it was recorded, in Birmingham, more than thirty seven years ago; a real case of headphones on, eyes closed and you could almost be there. Singer, the late lamented David Byron is in tremendous voice as he leads the band through an array of classics. There’s not many bands in existence that can put together a set list as strong as this – ‘Sunrise’, ‘Sweet Lorraine’, ‘Traveller In Time’, ‘Easy Livin’’, ‘July Morning’, ‘Tears In My Eyes’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Circle Of Hands’, ‘Look At Yourself’, ‘The Magicians Birthday’ and ‘Love Machine’. Then they round everything off with a storming medley of rock ‘n’ roll favourites. Now I did mention this was a deluxe, extended re-issue and there is a complete second disc of bonus material, twelve tracks in all, including a great 1974 radio broadcast featuring ‘Something Or Nothing’ and ‘I Won’t Mind’ alongside ‘Look At Yourself’ and ‘Gypsy’. The deluxe part of this set is covered by a fold out digi pack in clear slipcase and a full colour booklet with both the original sleeve notes and a newly commissioned essay by Dave Ling of Classic Rock magazine. This is the perfect opportunity to acquaint yourself with one of the great live rock albums of the ‘70s if it has so far passed you by. It’s also one of those rare re-issues that’s worth the money even if you do already own the original release. http://www.myspace.com/uheep