The Uriah Heep anniversary celebrations continue, with picture discs #7 and #9 in the series from BMG landing this month. Of the two albums, High and Mighty is available as a picture disc for the very first time, while Wonderworld emerges as a standalone release, having previously been available as part of the Everyday Rocks box set. As with previous entries in the series, these picture discs have been lovingly crafted on heavyweight vinyl, and come packaged in a simple plastic sleeve, with basic details on a printed strip that runs down the left-hand side.
As we’ve noted in previous reviews, despite the rather poor reputation picture discs have in terms of sound quality, the vast majority of these Uriah Heep offerings have been incredibly impressive in terms of their depth, their clarity and the lack of surface noise. That’s not to say the sound is pristine – but with these pressings, BMG have seemingly found the sweet spot between quality of delivery and aesthetic appeal, and these two releases see that quality maintained.
Wonderworld (1974)
Side A
Preceded by the synth-heavy Sweet Freedom, Wonderworld opens on a strong note, with the organ-drenched introduction to the title track setting an epic tone, before settling into a calmer, mid-paced ballad, compete with piano and expansive chorus. The progressive elements follow neatly on from Sweet Freedom’s approach, albeit with a more settled production, and it gives way to the bruising riff of Suicidal Man which, with Mick Box and Ken Hensley competing over who sounds heavier, lays the foundations for Iron Maiden, the galloping guitars and layered vocals packing one hell of a punch. For The Shadows and the Wind, the band introduce a moment of calm, taking their time to build momentum, but it lacks the fire and fury of Suicidal Man,while the layered vocals that bring it to a conclusion are somewhat twee. Fortunately, the breezy road-rock of So Tired sees the band once again paving the way for early Maiden, and it is here, on these rousing rockers, that the band sound most engaged. In contrast, The Easy Road is a syrupy ballad, awash with strings and, despite an understated performance from David Byron, it is a weak conclusion to the side.
Side B
Opening side B with a bang, Something or Nothing is a solid rocker with glam elements and an assured performance that gets things neatly back on track. It’s followed by the swampy blues rocker, I Won’t Mind which, nailed by a solid beat, offers up an electrifying slide guitar solo that crackles with energy. With a lengthy, jammed out finale, it provides the perfect showcase for Mick Box’s astonishing guitar work, although the band were wise to follow it with the taut We Got We, a rocker with a Pink-Floyd-circa-The-Nile-Song influence. The album concludes with another solid track in Dreams, a prog rocker with diverse elements and a strong vocal performance. It is a fitting conclusion to an impressive second side, and to the album as a whole.
Conclusion
As with Sweet Freedom, Wonderworld’s first side is patchy, but the second side redeems things and, with its stronger, more balanced production, Wonderworld is the better album of the two. It certainly offers some belters, and you could argue that much of the album points firmly in the direction the band would take on the excellent Return To Fantasy. Certainly, in the hard rockers of the first side, you can hear a young Maiden taking notes, while the leaden blues backdrop of I Won’t Mind provides the perfect foundation for some of Mick Box’s most incendiary lead work, making it a genuine surprise that it didn’t make the cut of his Choices selection. Overall, it may not be a perfect album, but it has some solid moments, and it is a more than worthy addition to this attractive picture-disc collection. 8/10
High and Mighty (1976)
Following on from the hard rocking Return To Fantasy, High and Mighty finds the band at a crossroads, torn between experimentation, commercialisation and the hard rock that was their trademark. Ultimately, it would be too much, and it would be the last Heep album to feature vocalist David Byron (fired in its wake) and bassist John Wetton. Subject to some fairly savage contemporary reviews, it was a difficult swansong for the original line up, although its reputation is unfairly earned, and there are a number of worthy tracks sprinkled across the album.
Side A
High and Mighty opens incredibly well, with little obviously amiss, as the taut riff of One Way or Another recalls the sneering glory of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out, with a hint of King Crimson (circa Starless and Bible Black) thrown in for good measure. The band remain impressively expansive on Weep In Silence, a prog rocker with some blazing lead and a particularly strong vocal. Then there’s the up-tempo Misty Eyes, the only song from the album to make the Choices collection, which builds from its acapella opening to a fun number with a Supertramp vibe. Last but not least, there’s Midnight, an underrated track in the band’s canon, which sees the band use their innate sense of dynamic to deploy a near-six-minute rollercoaster that offers layered vocals, dynamic shifts, and an especially strong performance from drummer Lee Kerslake, whose magnificent work behind the kit helps build the track to a thrilling finale, all of which serves to end the first side on a high.
Side B
With Side A proving largely impressive, side B is where the mask starts to slip. Opening number Can’t Keep A Good Band Down is not bad by any means but, with its layered lead guitars and breezy beat, it lacks the sting in the tail found in earlier Heep works. It’s followed by the bizarrely whimsical Women of The World, which flings a solid riff out of the window in favour of music hall piano, a bouncy bass line and falsetto vocals, making it sound more like one of Blur’s pastiches than the work of a hard rock band. The decent rocker Footprints in the Snow redeems things somewhat, but quite what the band were thinking when they recorded the funky Can’t Stop Singing is hard to fathom. Another track that leans into the world of Supertramp, it takes things a step too far, lacking the necessary twinkle in the eye to pull off such a tune. The band do return to more conventional rock with Make a Little Love, a glam-infused number that lacks the sparkle of earlier, similar efforts and it leaves Confession to round out a confused second act with a sorrowful coda that loses something amidst an overwrought arrangement that smothers the sentiment in layers of vocals.
Conclusion
Nowhere near as bad as some of its more savage detractors would have you believe, there are a number of great songs on High and Mighty, and the first side is easily as strong as anything on the preceding three albums. Things fall apart, however, with a second side that cannot make up its mind as to the direction it should take. While Can’t Keep A Good Band Down is a decent enough tune, Women Of The World and Can’t Stop Singing are poor tracks that hint at the tensions within the band. Overall, it is hard to dispute that High and Mighty is the weakest of the albums produced by Uriah Heep’s original line up, but it has enough solid tunes to merit a purchase and, of course, those looking to complete their collection will find it essential anyway. Approach with caution, for sure, but don’t let the album’s poor reception blind you to the great songs nestles away here. 6/10
Final Thought
There are times when Uriah Heep feel like rock’s best kept secret, and it’s hard not to argue that they have yet to receive the appreciation they fully deserve. The band, of course, continue to this day (and are heading out on a trek with Judas Priest next year that will deservedly raise their profile with the next generation of metallers), but there is something special about the nine albums produced by the original line up, and this impressively-produced picture disc collection has provided the perfect opportunity to reappraise a frequently stunning back catalogue.
Links
To order Wonderworld & High and Mighty: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/sweetfreedomPR
To order Demons and Wizards: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/DaWPR
To order The Magician’s Birthday: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/TMBPR
To order …Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble...: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/VEVUPR
To order Salisbury: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/SBYPR
To order Sweet Freedom: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/sweetfreedomPR
To order Return To Fantasy: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/returntofantasyPR
Also, Uriah Heep’s Every Day Rocks box set is exclusively available via the Official Artist Store: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/EveryDayRocksPR
And Choices (which SonicAbuse reviewed here), a personal selection of Uriah Heep hits and deep cuts from across the band’s exceptional career on 6 CDs, is available at: https://uriahheep.lnk.to/ChoicesPR
