URIAH HEEP — Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble (review)

URIAH HEEP — Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble album cover Album · 1970 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
bonnek
The first Uriah Heep album is a most charming hard rock album. Some of the songs go in strange directions but most of them feature all Heep elements that would make them popular among both hard rock and prog fans.

In a way, all continuing albums can be seen as attempts to perfect the sound the achieved here. A bluesy Hammond organ soaked hard-rock fest with churning wah-wah guitars and those typical vocal harmonies. The opener Gypsy has it all and is one of my favorite Heep tracks. With it’s almost 7 minute length it has a perfect balance between tight rocking and ample room for solos.

Walking In Your Shadow is the next blues rocker and one of their classics for me. The sound is a bit thin but the 1996 remaster has blown some fresh air into it. Come Away Melinda is a beautiful romantic ballad, simple but effective, all it takes is good melodies and a bit of mellotron. It gets a bit operatic as it goes along but in the most charming way possible.

Lucy Blues would be the first track I regularly skip. It’s not bad but just standard blues, missing the Led Zeppelin testosterone needed to make it interesting for a rocker like me. Dreammare is another favorite, lalalala’s all over the place and simply irresistible.

On Real Turned On the Blackmore influence in the riffing is very obvious. Mike Box adds his own wah-wah feel to it. Nice bluesy rocker again. I’ll Keep On Trying is probably one of the more symphonic tracks here, it still has a strong basis in blues but some classical influences and the looser song structure are clear indications of an ambition beyond their core hard rock business. Wake Up is the second track that I tend to skip. It’s quite fun but it has some tendencies towards melodrama that are fun once in a while but that would lead to a thing called Queen which is not really my taste.

The reissue adds one more track of interest. Born In A Trunk is interesting as an example of their Zeppelin influences.

Uriah Heep is probably the first band who forged the style of 2 other pioneers (Deep Purple + Led Zeppelin) into their own blend. Most successfully I must say.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed