Uriah Heep (band)

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Uriah Heep is an English rock band, formed in 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously a member of The Gods and Toe Fat) to join Spice, a band signed to his own Bronze Records label. Sometimes jokingly referred to as "The Beach Boys of heavy metal" for their melodic songs, and trademark multi-part harmony backing vocals, although their music draws on diverse influences including gothic sound, progressive rock, hard rock, early heavy metal, jazz, and even country on occasion.

The band is named after a fictional character from the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

Contents

1 History
2 Uriah Heep today
3 Current Members
4 Former members
5 Discography

5.1 Studio albums
5.2 Live albums
5.3 Compilations

6 See also
7 External links

History

Their debut album, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble (which was self-titled in the United States), introduced a heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix. Their second album, Salisbury, was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. Subsequent releases would find the group's ever-shifting lineup (between 1969 and 1980, the band changed drummers five times, bassists four times, and lead singers twice) frequently exploring fantasy-oriented lyrical themes, often in lengthy, multi-part compositions, largely penned by Hensley, who would eventually come to dominate the band during his tenure.

Following the 1976 replacement of vocalist David Byron with John Lawton (formerly of the German band Lucifer's Friend), Uriah Heep turned away from fantasy-oriented lyrics and multi-part compositions back toward a more straightforward hard rock sound typical of the era. The replacement of Lawton with vocalist John Sloman for the 1980 album Conquest was not well received by most fans, and Ken Hensley's acrimonious departure in September of that year left the group in a state of collapse. It fell to guitarist Mick Box to pick up the pieces and soldier on. Two early 1980s releases, Abominog and Head First, updated the band's sound and generated a brief, newfound interest in Uriah Heep among younger hair metal fans. Box has been the band leader ever since, and in recent years, until April 2005, acted as their manager as well (as of April 5 2005, the band has retained Simon Porter as their manager, see announcement here: [link]).

In spite of their huge popularity in Britain and continental Europe, Uriah Heep was never able to break into the American market in a big way, with the exception of three hit songs, "Easy Livin' " from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards, "Sweet Lorraine" from the 1972 album The Magician's Birthday, and "Stealin' " from the 1973 release Sweet Freedom. In Germany, their biggest hit was "Free Me", from the 1977 album Innocent Victim. The band released several commercially successful albums in the 1970s, but their audience declined during the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK, although they maintain a significant following in Germany, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian Peninsula, Japan, and Russia.

Uriah Heep today

They still tour and release occasional studio (and frequent live) albums, featuring the same lineup since 1986. Their principal tour circuit is in the countries mentioned above, although they return to Britain for a tour each year that culminates in 'The Magician's Birthday Party' (named for one of their most popular albums) in November in London. This event consists of fan gatherings (a devoted fan is usually referred to as a Heepster) at local venues featuring current and former band members, and a concert, often with guest appearances by former members, (including Hensley, who has appeared onstage with the band at one show, and performed a separate solo concert as part of the festivities for another) which is filmed and released as a DVD and CD.

On April 26, 2005, the band announced on their website and in their Email newsletter that there would be no Magician's Birthday Party in 2005, as they are concentrating their efforts on writing and recording a new studio album to be released in early 2006 (see [announcement on the band's website]).

Current Members

Mick Box – Lead guitar/vocals (1969–present)
Lee Kerslake – Drums/vocals (1972–1979, 1982–present)
Trevor Bolder – Bass guitar/vocals (1976–1981, 1983–present)
Bernie Shaw – Lead vocals (1986–present)
Phil Lanzon – Keyboards/vocals (1986–present)

Former members

David Byron – Lead vocals (1969–1976)
Ken Hensley – Keyboards/guitar/backing and occasional lead vocals (1969–1980)
Paul Newton – Bass guitar/vocals (1969–1971)
Alex Napier – Drums (1969–1970)
Colin Wood – Keyboards on two songs on the debut album, never an official member (1969)
Nigel Olsson – Drums (1970)
Keith Baker – Drums (1970–1971)
Ian Clarke – Drums (1971–1972)
Mark Clarke – Bass guitar/vocals (1972)
Gary Thain – Bass guitar/vocals (1972–1975)
John Wetton – Bass guitar/vocals (1975–1976)
John Lawton – Lead vocals (1977–1979)
Chris Slade – Drums (1979–1981)
John Sloman – Lead vocals (1979–1981)
Gregg Dechert – Keyboards/vocals (1980–1981)
John Sinclair – Keyboards/vocals (1982–1985)
Bob Daisley – Bass guitar/vocals (1982–1983)
Peter Goalby – Lead vocals (1982–1985)
Steff Fontaine – Lead vocals (1986)

Discography

Studio albums

Very 'eavy... Very 'umble (1970) – titled Uriah Heep in US
Salisbury (1971)
Look At Yourself (1971)
Demons & Wizards (1972)
The Magician's Birthday (1972)
Sweet Freedom (1973)
Wonderworld (1974)
Return To Fantasy (1975)
High and Mighty (1976)
Firefly (1977)
Innocent Victim (1977)
Fallen Angel (1978)
Conquest (1980)
Abominog (1982)
Head First (1983)
Equator (1985)
Raging Silence (1989)
Different World (1991)
Sea Of Light (1995)
Sonic Origami (1998)
New Album (2006)

Live albums

Uriah Heep Live (1973)
Live at Shepperton '74 (1986) – recorded 1974
Live in Europe 1979 (1986) – recorded 1979
Live in Moscow (1988)
Spellbinder Live (1996)
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert (1997) – recorded 1974
Future Echoes Of The Past (2000)
Acoustically Driven (2001)
Electrically Driven (2001)
The Magician's Birthday Party (2002)
Live in the USA (2003)
Magic Night (2004)
Between Two Worlds (2005)

Compilations

Anthology (1986)
Lady In Black (1994)
The Lansdowne Tapes (1994) – compilation of recordings by Spice and outtakes from the first three Uriah Heep albums, recorded 1968-1971
A Time of Revelation (1994) – four-disc anthology including much previously unreleased material, recorded 1968-1995
(2001)
(2001)

External links

Uriah Heep was one of the first bands to recognize the power of the internet, and maintain a very active web presence, with the band and fans from all over the world actively participating. Some of the most important Heep-related websites are:

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1969-1970	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Paul Newton – bass guitar Alex Napier – drums
1970	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Paul Newton – bass guitar Ollie Olsson – drums
1970	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Paul Newton – bass guitar Keith Baker – drums
1970–1971	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Paul Newton – bass guitar Ian Clarke – drums
1971–1972	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Mark Clarke – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1972–1975	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Gary Thain – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1975–1976	David Byron – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards John Wetton – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1976–1979	John Lawton – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1979–1980	John Sloman – vocals Mick Box – guitar Ken Hensley – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Chris Slade – drums
1980-1981	John Sloman – vocals Mick Box – guitar Gregg Dechert – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Chris Slade – drums
1981–1982	Disbanded
1982–1983	Peter Goalby – vocals Mick Box – guitar John Sinclair – keyboards Bob Daisley – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1983–1985	Peter Goalby – vocals Mick Box – guitar John Sinclair – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1986	Steff Fontaine – vocals Mick Box – guitar Phil Lanzon – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums
1986–current	Bernie Shaw – vocals Mick Box – guitar Phil Lanzon – keyboards Trevor Bolder – bass guitar Lee Kerslake – drums