uriah heep into the wild

Released: 18 April 2011 Label: Frontiers

OH MY GOD! I remember (just) listening to Uriah Heep in the early 1970’s, prior to undergoing puberty. Didn’t like them much then, and I thought Uriah Heep was a member of the band. I’ve grown up a bit since then, and learned a bit more about life, the universe and everything.

Just to continue the history lesson, I was at a beer festival recently, and as I was supping enthusiastically on a pint of proper beer, I was listening to a covers band playing a selection of soft rock songs from the 70s and 80s and I got to thinking about who’s producing that sort of music now. Everything that the band played was in the pop charts then, but are also regarded as classic rock tracks now. So what will I be listening to in another forty years at beer festivals? (assuming I’m still allowed out on my own then). Hopefully, it will be stuff like this album.

It opens with the anthemic Nail on the Head, which had me thinking it was early Whitesnake, back when they were a good, blues based rock band. That’s mainly due to the steady hi-hat picking out the beat, while a dirty guitar riffs out over the top, and then the big Hammond organ sound and the bluesy vocals from Bernie Shaw featuring a hook line that I picked up on halfway through the first chorus.

Throughout, there’s fine interplay going on between the guitar (Mick Box) and the keyboards (Phil Lanzon), most noticeable on Lost, where they swap solos. Both players seem to be quite happy taking the lead to suit the song.

There are influences all over the album from the bands of that era, including The Who (I Can See You), Deep Purple (intro to Into the Wild, I’m Ready, T-Bird Angel), Wishbone Ash (Trail of Diamonds) and Led Zeppelin (Lost). The influences aren’t the whole story though, because there is some very well performed and executed hard rock on here too.

This is old school hard rock, but performed with a freshness and an enthusiasm that makes it still relevant and importantly, entertaining. The album descends into cheesiness towards the tail end (Southern Star, T-Bird Angel and Kiss of Freedom in particular), but then, that’s a bit old school too, so it’s forgivable. Added to which, I enjoyed this album tremendously, so I don’t care if it goes a bit cheesy.

What will the old school Uriah Heep fans think of it? I’ve no idea, because, like I said, I wasn’t into rock music when I was 12. Maybe I’ll look up the back catalogue.

by Alan Thomson