URIAH HEEP

The history of the glorious team terribly confusing, but if you sit down two or three nights over the old tomes, everything falls into place. It was a saying, but you facts. Root Londoner and guitarist Mick Box (8.6.1947 g.) suffered severely from the fact that his gang THE STALKERS had no success. And this despite the fact that he sang in a group of such an experienced vocalist, David Byron (29.1.1947 g.) - he took part in recording a cover album of anonymous, ie. performing other people's hits under another name Garrick (not Sukachev) and received money for food. This lasted from 1964 to 1966, GG, until THE STALKERS not converted to SPICE (sorry, not GIRLS ...). Boxing has invited a couple of new people - drummer Alex Napier and bassist-vocalist Paul Newton. Here came the complexity, . Be careful - Newton came from the group THE GODS, . which converged together a lot of future superstar: Two future "hippie" Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake, . future THE ROLLING STONES guitarist Mick Taylor and bassist-vocalist Greg Lake, . replaced Newton and speaking later in ELP and KING CRIMSON,
. Well, complicated? But cool! SPICE in December 1968. released only single "What About The Music / In Love", and noticed a group manager Gerry Bron, insisted on changing the names.

In 1970, there were once two-hundredth anniversary - birthday of Lenin and the death of Dickens, all clear which of these dates for the British is more important. All around were clear signs of Dickens, the films were in theaters on its books. Bron took their children to "David Copperfield" and was delighted by one of the characters - the little, cunning and vile Uriah Heep (as his name is traditionally translated into Russian, actually I correctly pronounce "Juraj Hip"). After the session armor as quickly sought out their charges and the threshold joyfully announced: "From now on you - URIAH HEEP!" "Not-to-GDA! - Together barked musicians. They were wrong. In December 1969, the ranks of our heroes were enlarged keyboards. They became Ken Hensley (24.8.1945 g.) - a nice man, but a synthesizer and piano, who knew more and guitar, and a microphone. From THE GODS he moved to CLIFF BENNETT GROUP, in July 1969, changed its name to TOE FAT (the leader of this group was one of the first white soulmenov Cliff Bennett). In the process of recording their first album went URIAH HEEP drummer, he quickly replaced Nigel "Ollie" Ollson, ex-THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP. Well, the plate was called to the claim - "Very` Eavy, Very `Umble", ie. "Very loud - very quiet". "Very` Umble "- a favorite saying Dickens' Uriah Heep. On the cover - scary mug, cobwebbed. Work mature, diverse, presenting a classic sound URIAH HEEP: vocal polyphony, "wah" guitar Boxing romaticheskie text ... Hit at all times - a powerful hard rock "Gypsy", the only thing from the first disk in the current "live" repertoire "Hippie". In 1971, at URIAH HEEP came out two albums - "Salisbury" (released in January) and "Look At Yourself" (released in November, 39 th place in the charts). Most hard - LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH - unsettled. In spite of some loans, "hipy" were able to quickly develop his own style of hard-n-Art, where it was Privolnoe place and hard riffs, and for organ solo, and romantic piano, and "twisted" tracks. If Plant sexually suffered in their blues, . Gillan frantically yelling "Child In Time", . Ozzy and raged like a wounded beast, . David Byron is able to voice a bit of romance, . such awe of chivalry, . that I wanted to throw everything, . jump on a horse and, . crushing the unwary passers-by, . jerk through the night to the Lady Heart,
. On the "Salisbury" songs - classics: the harsh, . almost metallic "Bird Of Prey", . and intimate "The Park", . where the background of the birds are singing the bass part and play kids, . and "Lady In Black", . which is so nice to sing, . each other's arms and tapping beer mugs (by the way, . no kidding, . is the most popular thing, "hippie" and Germany),
. 16-minute symphonic rock poem "Salisbury" is not the end of each stand - a good test of love for URIAH HEEP. Album "Look At Yourself" has turned out uneven - against the backdrop of cool things such as "Look Af Yourself" and "Tears In My Eyes", seem to be a weak "Shadows Of Grief", "Love Machine" and "What Should Be Done". On "July Morning" single conversation. This card group, is very long, but melodic and accessible track with the infinite improvisational coda, which compete in skill guitar Boxing, "Hammond" Hensley and "Mug" guest keyboardist Manfred Mann. Well, Byron also sang, as they say, struggling. "July Morning" - the essence of creativity "hippie", a mysterious alloy beautiful lyricism with hard drama.

Some time in the group was a little mess with the drummer - Ollsona replaced by Keith Baker (February-October 1970), were then Ian Clarke (October, 1970. - November 1971) and Lee Kerslake (November 1971). Thick and hearty Kerslake, nicknamed "The Bear" and became the drummer team. With a deep mess, too: both inward and fled from the Bear HEEP Paul Newton, of which replaced Mark Clark, the ex-COLOSSEUM, and in February 1972 the first and Gary Thain, ex-KEEF HARTLEY BAND. With Taine and Kerslake, a gold composition, recorded albums "Demons And Wisards" (May 1972, 20 th place) and "The Magician` s Birthday "(in November 1972. 28 th place) - both drives have peak (more precisely, the peaks) creativity URIAH HEEP. Hensley finally led the group in the country storytellers, magicians and evil demons rainbow. Characterize these albums - all the same that pour from the palm of his hand picked diamonds. Listen, listen and listen again! What else can I say ... But after a series of gold in 1972 started not very funny chronicle of the slow fading. Group trying to get out of the "fabulous" jungle, the songs become simpler, poprizemlennee. Albums "Sweet Freedom" (September 1973) and "Wonderworld" (June 1974), to be honest, neither one thing nor the. "We have become selfish, - Boxing remembers about that time. - Ceases to be a happy group, and this affected the release. Everything began to fall apart: David was drunk all the time, Ken was tearful and pretentious. Nekhoroshev was time. Joy was not at all ". Quite sadly was in the group, after Gary Thain at a concert recoiled current. He pumped out, but from working with "hipami" had to give. Thain began vigorously to turn off your pain - and physical, and spiritual - the white powder and 8 December 1975. ordered to live long. The resourceful manager Gerry Bron for unspecified amount brought in URIAH HEEP bassist John Wetton, before basivshego in FAMILY, KING KRIMSON and ROXY MUSIC. "Classical period" 70's ended with the album "Return To Fantasy" (June 1975). He was the most successful commercially - 7 th place in the British charts (in the U.S. drives "hippie" housed within the Top-50). Wetton new colleagues threw a couple of good ideas, as a result - confident and smooth work. The next disc "High And Mighty", according to Box, went "too experimental" was not to strike a balance between hard rock and ballads. Effect Wetton grew with each passing day, that is not terribly pleased Ken Hensley. Meanwhile, David Byron just slowly losing themselves into drinking and lost his voice. "He needed a rest - six months to talk in a whisper, - recalled Wetton. - But the group did not give him relax. The thirst for money drove them into the studio and on tour ". The apotheosis was the incident in Philadelphia in 1976, when drunk as a lord Byron shouted, roaring fans: "If you do not like the show, you can here a vat ...". In June, David unanimously withdrew from the group. In replacing Byron was about to become ... David Kaverdeyl of time lounging DEEP PURPLE. But he refused to communicate with the rolling down the group, moreover, he wanted to lure Box and Kerslake in the future WHITESNAKE. Nobody is passed, and new vocalist "hippie" was John Lawton from the Germanic group LUCIFER `S FRIEND. Album "Firefly", like its predecessors, was almost entirely written by Ken Hensley (February 1977), to work on them attended a new bassist - Trevor "Bross" Boulder, previously played by David Bowie. Starting with "Firefly" URIAH HEEP strenuously shoved her fans a nice wrapper with no candy inside. Although all the concerts are still held at "Hurray", the group has long favored material 1970-73 GG, but from the last album performed one or two songs. New vocalist zealously imitated Byron, although he has a splendid and energetic hard rock voice.

Following work - "Innocent Victim" (November 1977) and "Fallen Angel" (September 1978) became a through. Panel frankly commercial hard-n-Heavy. Caught, of course, beautiful and melodic songs ( "Free Me", for example), but nothing about them except that they are beautiful and melodic, not tell. The composition of the newly updated two-thirds - Lawton replaced John Sloman from LONE STAR, and Kerslake had quarreled with the manager and went to work on Ozzy Osbourne "Blizzard Of Ozz". For drums sat Chris Slade from the group Manfred Mann. These changes send a command to the benefit of: the album "Conquest" (February 1980), though it has little resemblance to the early creation of "hippie", as a whole is good and pleasant. As fantasy Hensley finally fizzled out, Trevor Bolder, too, took up songwriting, and wrote the excellent song "Fools". Critically. Almost a year "hipy" touring without Hensley (he was replaced by Greg Dechert from PULSAR), and in April 1981. Mick Box in general remained in splendid isolation - moved to Boulder WISHBONE ASH, Slade - to Gary Numan, and Sloman - another Gary Moore. The situation, alas, typical of many older groups: the same thing happened with BLACK SABBATH. It seemed that the fairy tale called URIAH HEEP came to an end.

However, the Box has had some powder in the flasks. Under the banners were designed to singer Pete Goldbi of TPAPEZE, keyboardist John Sinclair of the HEAVY METAL KIDS, bassist Bob Daisley of Ozzy Osbourne and ... Lee Kerslake from the same. Renaissance Group has caused a surge of interest in her album "Abominog" (March 1982) took 34 th place in the hit parade. Again, as on the debut disc, the cover plate sported a mug, this time with a frightening devil toothy maw. Things seemed to go, the team returned to Boulder, and in this set of two more albums, "Head First" (May 1983) and "Equator" (March 1985), no good without adding to the discography. By this time, URIAH HEEP have lost contact with the major record companies, concert tours were interrupted by Indonesia, China and the Soviet Union, once a year sang in front of nostalgic British "Easy Livin` "and became addicted to publish" live album ". In view of prospects this rock and roll life Goldbi and Sinclair autumn 1985. away from the group. Keyboardist Phil took Lenzona, played with the GRAND PRIX and even managed to work with SWEET, and tried to become a singer Steff Fontaine, with whom "hipy" so nothing recorded.

In the end, Mick Box, invited to play Canadian Bernie Shaw - a small, blond and very mobile. Shows in 1979. moved to Britain, which joined the GRAND PRIX, and two years later joined a group of former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr PRAYING MANTIS (later it was renamed STRATUS). This team has released an album in Japan and split. When listening to URIAH HEEP have begun to perform "Stealin` ", then all the musicians was one piece with the text of song, and all took turns peering into it. And Bernie Shaw deliberately turned away from the text and sang from memory. It turns out that in his homeland Bernie spoke to a group that sang only cover versions, among them, of course, was all yurayhipovskaya Classic. All "hipy were pleasantly surprised, but always dark Boulder smiled and said:" You are approaching us, man ".

So in September 1986. stabilized composition ... "Fresh blood" to join the URIAH HEEP for the thousandth time, finally worked on. First, the musicians did not break up for over ten years, and 15 th in the history of the group proved the most durable and strong. Secondly, the albums "Paging Silence" (April 1989), "Different World" (February 1991) and "Sea Of Light" (May 1995) head and shoulders above that they have done "hipy" within 15 years. The band's style can be called "modern progressive hard rock" - without a hint of nostalgia for its own past and without much regard for musical fashion. Of course, it's not mainstream, because such music is sold today is bad, but the more respect you experience a "hipam, confidently do what they deem fit. "Sea Of Light", decorated in the style of the group rather YES (by the way, in the early seventies, envelopes, covers both groups developed an artist, Roger Dean), suggests that "hipy" found a second wind, while not repeating old finds.

As for the new disc "Sonic Origami", his songs are primarily designed for the American public, because the group recently succeeded in signing a contract on the distribution of its products in the U.S.. To this end, URIAH HEEP, even recorded a cover of "Across The Miles" American team SURVIVOR. "Of course, we tried working on the album, create something absolutely ADP-ovoe, but we did not work!" - Laughing pleased Mick Box. He co-authored with Lenzonom composed half the songs of the album, the other half wrote a gloomy (he in fact rarely smiles), Trevor Bolder.

And finally - a convincing, almost intimate appeal to all fans "hippie": do not limit the history of URIAH HEEP Byron vocals and bass Thain, with romantic melodies and sumptuous parties body Hensley!.. The authors of this article also honestly thought this team ticky-tacky, until then, until visited the rehearsals and concert HEEP. So, their classics "hipy" play one to one, and even better. Before the frenzied energy of Bernie Shaw, a sly smile Mick Box and Lee Kerslake natured bullying - sitting in the kitchen, he loudly said "bullshi-i-it" - is simply impossible to resist. Starting with "Sonic Origami" HEEP will reach their new concert program, which will include songs from this album. We introduce you to the setlist of the Minsk concert, held on Nov. 8, 1997, Mr.. "Universal Wheels", . "Time Of Revelation" (1995), . "StealinT" (1973), . "Rainbow Demon" (1972), . "Mistress Of All Time", . "Words In The Distance" (1995), . "The Wizard" (1972), . "Dream On", . "Love In Silence" (1995), . "That` s The Way It Is "(1982), . "July Morning" (1971), . "Gypsy" (1970), . "Look At Yourself, . "Bird Of Prey", . "Lady In Black" (1971), . "Easy Livin` "(1972).,