Uriah Heep. Uriah Heap

Uriah Heep created their own, original... Read all

Uriah Heep (Uriah Heep) is one of the most successful rock bands in England of the 70s era, formed in 1969 in London, borrowing the name from the character in Charles Dickens's novel "David Copperfield". The band's first line-up was formed when producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (formerly of The Gods and Toe Fat) to join the members of Spice.

Uriah Heep created their own, original version hard rock, saturating it with elements of prog, art, jazz rock. The trademark of their style (in the "golden years") were spectacular backing vocals with complex multi-part harmonies and dramatic vocals by David Byron. Uriah Heep's stylistic experiments were essential to the development of rock music; the group, in particular, largely anticipated similar experiments by Queen. One way or another, their music falls into such stylistic movements as progressive rock, hard rock, early heavy metal and sometimes even country.

Twelve of the band's albums entered the UK Albums Chart; greatest success had Return to Fantasy (#1, 1975) here. In the USA, 15 albums were in the top ten of the Billboard 200. In addition, four Uriah Heep singles were included in the Billboard Hot 100. The group had significant success in the mid-1970s in Europe, Japan, and the USA, where the single “Lady in Black” became a hit. Albums released from 1971 to 1973 are considered undeniable rock classics. Between 1970 and 1980, the group sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. The line-up of Uriah Heep has changed several times; In total, the group consisted of 22 people, but the quintet is considered “classic”: Mick Box, David Byron, Ken Hensley, Gary Thain and Lee Kerslake.

It is unfair that the team is underestimated by listeners, critics and fans of heavy music. This problem is a kind of fruit of a complex “ life path“groups where such harmful factors as the death of some participants, drugs, alcohol and disagreements in the team are involved, from which the group literally started all over again for some time.

Current members

Russell Gilbrook - drummer, vocalist (2007 - present)
Bernie Shaw - main vocalist (1986 - present)
Phil Lanzon - keyboardist, vocalist (1986 - present)
Dave Rimmer - bass guitarist (2013 - present)

Classic composition
Mick Box - guitarist, vocalist (1969 - present day)
Ken Hensley - keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist (1969-1980)
David Byron - main vocalist (1969-1976)
Lee Kerslake - drummer, vocalist (1972-2007)
Geri Thain - bass guitarist, vocalist (1972-1975)

Former members
Ken Hensley - keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist
David Byron † – main vocalist
Paul Newton - bass guitarist, vocalist
John Wetton - bass guitarist, vocalist
John Lawton - lead vocalist
Peter Golby - lead vocalist
Olli Olsson - drummer, percussionist
Ian Clarke - drummer
Keith Baker - drummer
Geri Thain † – bass guitarist
John Sloman - main vocalist
Chris Slade - drummer, percussionist
Bob Daisley - bass guitarist
John Sinclair - keyboardist
Lee Kerslake - drummer
Trevor Bolder † – bass guitarist, vocalist

Studio albums
Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble - 1970
Salisbury - 1971
Look At Yourself - 1971
Demons & Wizards - 1972
The Magician's Birthday - 1972
Sweet Freedom - 1973
Wonderworld - 1974
Return To Fantasy - 1975
High & 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
Wake The Sleeper - 2008
Into The Wild - 2011

Live albums
Uriah Heep Live - 1973
Live at Shepperton '74 - recorded 1974, released 1986
Live in Europe 1979 - recorded 1979, released 1986
Live in Moscow - 1988
Spellbinder Live - 1996
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert - recorded 1974, released 1997
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
Live in Armenia - 2011

Collections
Anthology - 1986
The Lansdowne Tapes (a collection of recordings by Spice and the first three Uriah Heep albums) - recorded 1968-1971, released 1994
Lady In Black - 1994
A Time of Revelation (four-disc anthology featuring previously unreleased material) recorded 1968-1995, released 1996
Celebration- (a compilation of the group’s hits, played and recorded in a new way) recorded in 2009.

Native Londoner and guitarist Mick Box (8/6/1947) suffered greatly from the lack of success of his band THE STALKERS. And this despite the fact that such an experienced vocalist as David Byron (January 29, 1947) sang in the group - he took part in the recording of anonymous cover albums, i.e. performed other people's hits under the false name Garrick (not Sukachev) and received money for food. This continued from 1964 to 1966, until THE STALKERS transformed into SPICE (sorry, not GIRLS...). Boxing invited a couple of new people - drummer Alex Napier and bassist-vocalist Paul Newton. This is where the difficulties started, be careful - Newton came from the group THE GODS, in which a bunch of future superstars came together: two future “hips” Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake, future THE ROLLING STONES guitarist Mick Taylor and bassist-vocalist Greg Lake, who replaced Newton and later performed with KING CRIMSON and ELP. Well, is it a bit complicated? But great! SPICE released their only single, “What About The Music/In Love,” in December 1968, and the group was noticed by manager Jerry Bron, who insisted on changing the name.

In 1970, two centenary anniversaries were celebrated at once - the birthday of Lenin and the death of Dickens; It is clear to everyone which of these dates is more important for the British. There were posters of Dickens all around, and films based on his books were shown in cinemas. Bron took his children to see “David Copperfield” and was delighted with one of the characters - the small, cunning and vile Uriah Heep (this is how his name is traditionally translated into Russian; in fact, the correct pronunciation is “Uriah Heep”). After the session, Bron found his charges as quickly as possible and joyfully announced from the doorway: “From now on you are URIAH HEEP!” "Never!" - the musicians barked in unison. They were wrong. In December 1969, the ranks of our heroes were replenished with a keyboard player. It was Ken Hensley (August 24, 1945) - a nice man, in addition to the synthesizer and piano, he also knew how to play the guitar and the microphone. From THE GODS he moved to the CLIFF BENNETT GROUP, which in July 1969 changed its name to TOE FAT (the leader of this group was one of the first white soulmen, Cliff Bennett).

During the recording of URIAH HEEP's first album, the drummer left and was quickly replaced by Nigel "Ollie" Ollson, ex-THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP. Well, the record was called with a claim - “Very`Eavy, Very`Umble”, i.e. "Very loud - very quiet." “Very`Umble” is a favorite saying of Dickens's Uriah Geep. On the cover there is a creepy face covered in cobwebs. The work is mature, diverse, presenting the classic sound of URIAH HEEP: vocal polyphony, the wah of Box’s guitar, romantic lyrics... An all-time hit is the powerful hard rock “Gypsy”, the only thing from the first disc in the current “live” repertoire of “hips” . The leaders of hard music - LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH - got nervous. Despite some borrowings, the “hips” were able to quickly develop their own style of hard-n-art, where there was free space for hard riffs, and for organ solos, and for romantic piano, and for “twisted” compositions. If Plant suffered sexually in his blues, Gillan frantically screamed “Child In Time”, and Ozzy raged like a wounded animal, then David Byron could let into his voice such romance, such reverent chivalry that you wanted to drop everything, jump on a horse and, crushing the unwary passers-by, rush through the night to the Lady of the Heart. Early reviews from the music press panned the album; Rolling Stone's Melissa Mills even vowed to commit suicide if "...this band gets famous," calling the album's music "watered down Jethro Tull." Later critics recognized it as an original combination of diverse musical ideas and influences, as well as its undeniable significance for the development of hard rock and heavy metal. Martin Popoff, author of The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, puts Very 'eavy... Very 'umble on par with In Rock and Paranoid, specifying: "Uriah Heep's debut album is the weakest link in this trio of '70s metal albums that , in my opinion, laid the foundation for the genre... The weakest - because it is not so overwhelmingly heavy; but is included in the top three because it is in no way inferior in terms of innovation, full of... fire-breathing guitar parts and an eerie gothic mood, which ultimately took aggressive rock away from blues and psychedelia into a completely new area.”

In the album Salisbury (1971), the group (according to Allmusic) abandoned that part of the experiments that burdened Very ‘eavy... Very ‘umble and began to improve own style, which combined the power of heavy metal and the complexity of progressive rock. The central piece of the record was the art-rock suite of the same name, which took up the entire second side, recorded with symphony orchestra of 24 participants. “Lady in Black” was also noted by critics, one of the most popular songs in the entire concert repertoire of the group, in which the vocal part was performed by its author Ken Hensley.

The album “Look At Yourself” turned out to be uneven - against the background of such great songs as “Look Af Yourself” and “Tears In My Eyes”, “Shadows Of Grief”, “Love Machine” and “What Should Be Done” seem weak. The album's centerpiece, the epic "July Morning", was (according to Ken Hensley) symbolic of the direction in which the band was beginning to move at that moment. Although, he later said that he wrote this song a year before the album was released: “I wrote this song in 70. That is, it was during the tour, in the middle of the tour in England, I was sitting on the bus, waiting for the others, they were running around everywhere, and I sat on the bus for a very long time, waiting. What was left to do? I took the guitar, began to play, and gradually the song came. And it really was a July morning, moreover, it was 3 o’clock in the morning...”

For some time there was a slight leapfrog with drummers in the group - Ollson was replaced by Keith Baker (February-October 1970), then there were Ian Clarke (October 1970 - November 1971) and Lee Kerslake (from November 1971). The fat and good-natured Kerslake, nicknamed “Bear”, became the main drummer of the team. There was also a mess with the bassists: simultaneously with the arrival of Bear, Paul Newton fled from HEEP, who was replaced by Mark Clark, ex-COLOSSEUM, and in February 1972, Gary Thain, ex-KEEF HARTLEY BAND.

A year later, Demons and Wizards was released, recorded in the spring at Lansdowne Studios in London. The songs “The Wizard” and “Easy Livin'” were released as singles from the album: the second of them rose to number 39 in the US, became a hit in Germany and New Zealand and, as Jerry Bron said, “helped the group to make itself known internationally for the first time.” stage." The album cover was prepared by artist and designer Roger Dean. In October 1972, the album was certified gold in Britain (where it rose to number 20 and stayed on the list for 11 weeks), later becoming platinum in the United States (No. 23 Billboard 200). The album was also a hit in Norway (No. 5), Finland (No. 1, 14 weeks) and Holland (No. 5). A significant part of the album's lyrics ("Rainbow Demon", "The Wizard", "Traveller In Time", "Poet's Justice") are related to the fantasy genre, but Kirk Blows, the author of the band's biography, noted that it is not conceptual; Each track here has its own significance. Ken Hensley emphasized the same thing in the comments to the album on the cover: “this is... just a collection of our songs that we recorded with great pleasure.” Hensley later called Demons and Wizards his favorite Uriah Heep album: “It was recorded in one go. These were better times a close-knit team and powerful music."

In the fall of the same year, The Magician's Birthday was released - a fairy-tale story about the struggle between good and evil - it was (as stated in the comments on the album cover) written based on a story by Ken Hensley. The first part tells about the journey to the Wizard's Castle. The second (“Orchid Orchestra”) is an unusual version of “Happy Birthday To You” (with melodic counterpoint provided by Lee Kerslake, a kazoo). The third (instrumental) section illustrates the struggle between the forces of light and darkness: here we hear Mick's longest studio solo and Lee's furious drumming. In the fourth part, David's vocal part (he is assigned the role of a sorcerer) begins to convince us that evil is winning. But the part of Ken (playing the role of the main character), which opens the finale, marks the triumph of love and its victory over evil. - Brief History of Uriah Heep. The Magician's Birthday. The album entered the charts in Norway, Australia (#10), UK (#28), USA (#31) and Finland (#1, two weeks). On January 22, 1973, the album received gold status in the United States.

By 1973, the group was trying to get out of the “fairytale” jungle, the songs became simpler, more down-to-earth. The album “Sweet Freedom” (September 1973) is a perfect example of this.
The disc rose to 18th place in the UK, 33rd in the US, and 2nd in Norway. On March 5, 1974, the album received gold status in the United States. The main single from the album was “Stealin’” (#91 Billboard Hot 100; “Dreamer” and “One Day” were also released in the US and Japan).

Wonderworld, released in June 1974, was the last album recorded by the classic line-up. “We were becoming selfish,” Box recalls of that time. - They stopped being a happy band, and this affected the albums. Everything started to fall apart: David was drunk all the time, Ken became tearful and mannered. It was a bad time. There was no joy at all." Things became very sad in the group after Gary Thain was electrocuted at a concert. They pumped him out, but had to give up working with the hips. Thane began to intensively suppress the pain - both physical and mental - with white powder and on December 8, 1975, he ordered him to live long.

Resourceful manager Jerry Bron brought in bassist John Wetton, who had previously played bass in FAMILY, KING KRIMSON and ROXY MUSIC, to URIAH HEEP for a certain sum. The "classic period" of the 70s ended with the album "Return To Fantasy" (June 1975). It turned out to be the most successful commercially - 7th place in the English hit parade (in the States, hips' discs were placed within the Top 50). Wetton gave his new colleagues a couple of good ideas, and the result was confident and smooth work.

The next disc, “High And Mighty,” was released in 1976, according to Box, it was “too experimental” and the balance between hard rock and ballads was not maintained. Wetton's influence grew every day, which Ken Hensley did not like. Meanwhile, David Byron was just slowly becoming an alcoholic and losing his voice. “He needed to rest - talk in a whisper for six months,” Wetton recalled. - But the group did not let him relax. The thirst for money drove them to the studio and on tour.” The apotheosis was an incident in Philadelphia in 1976, when a drunken Byron shouted to roaring fans: “If you don’t like the show, you can get out of here.” In June, David was unanimously removed from the group.

Byron was almost replaced by... David Coverdale from the timely collapsed DEEP PURPLE. But he didn’t want to get involved with the group that was going downhill; moreover, he himself wanted to lure Box and Kerslake into the future WHITESNAKE. No one moved anywhere, and the new vocalist of the hips was John Lawton from the German group LUCIFER`S FRIEND. The album “Firefly”, like the previous ones, was almost entirely written by Ken Hensley (February 1977), and a new bassist, Trevor “Bross” Bolder, who had previously played for David Bowie, took part in the work on it. Since “Firefly,” URIAH HEEP have been hard at handing their fans a pretty wrapper without the candy inside. And although all the concerts were still a great success, the group had long given preference to material from 1970-73, and performed one or two songs from the latest albums. The new vocalist diligently imitated Byron, although he himself had a luxurious and assertive hard rock voice.

The following works - “Innocent Victim” (November 1977) and “Fallen Angel” (September 1978) turned out a little weaker than the previous one. The group came to commercial hard 'n' heavy music. Composition, due to scandalous reasons, was renewed by two-thirds again - Laughton was replaced by John Sloman from LONE STAR, and Kerslake quarreled with the manager and went to Ozzy Osbourne to work on “Blizzard Of Ozz”. Chris Slade from Manfred Mann's band took over the drums. These changes almost came at a loss to the team: the album “Conquest” (February 1980) no longer resembles the early creations of hips, unlike the previous 3 albums, and in general did not contain more than one hit. Since Hensley's imagination had finally run out of steam, Trevor Bolder also took up songwriting and wrote the song "Fools". Self-critical. For almost a year, the hips toured without Hensley (he was replaced by Greg Dechert from PULSAR), and in April 1981, Mick Box was left in splendid isolation - Bolder moved to WISHBONE ASH, Slade to Gary Numan, and Sloman to another Gary, Muru. The story, alas, is typical for many old bands: the same thing happened with BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE (however, with some bands founded later than the 70th year, for example with SCORPIONS, AC/DC or KISS, the situation was different). It seemed that the fairy tale called URIAH HEEP had come to an end.

However, Box still had some powder in his flasks. Singer Peter Golby from TPAPEZE, keyboardist John Sinclair from HEAVY METAL KIDS, bassist Bob Daisley from the Ozzy Osbourne band and... Lee Kerslake from the same place were called under the banner. The revival of the group caused a surge of interest in it, the album “Abominog” (March 1982) took 34th place in the hit parade. Again, as on the debut disc, the cover of the record featured a face, this time of a devil with a terrifying toothy mouth. Things seemed to be going well, Bolder returned to the team, and two more albums were created with this lineup, “Head First” (May 1983) and “Equator” (March 1985), which did not add anything good to the discography. By this time, URIAH HEEP had already lost contacts with major recording companies, were interrupted by tours in Indonesia, China and the USSR, sang “Easy Livin`” to the nostalgic British once a year and became addicted to publishing “concert albums”. Due to the futility of such a rock and roll life, Goldby and Sinclair left the group in the fall of 1985. Phil Lenzon, who had previously played in GRAND PRIX and even managed to work with SWEET, was hired as the keyboard player, and Steff Fontaine tried to become the singer, with whom the “hips” never recorded anything.

In the end, Mick Box invited Canadian Bernie Shaw to audition - small, blond and very active. Shaw moved to Britain in 1979, where he joined GRAND PRIX, and two years later joined former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Barr's group PRAYING MANTIS (later renamed STRATUS). This team released an album in Japan and disbanded. When URIAH HEEP started performing “Stealin`” at the audition, all the musicians had one piece of paper with the lyrics of the song, and everyone took turns looking at it. And Bernie Shaw pointedly turned away from the text and sang from memory. It turns out that in his homeland Bernie performed in a group that performed only cover versions, among them, of course, were all the European classics. All the “hips” were pleasantly surprised, and the always gloomy Bolder smiled and said: “You suit us, boy.”

Thus, in September 1986, the lineup stabilized... The “fresh blood” poured into URIAH HEEP for the thousandth time finally worked. Firstly, the musicians have not parted for over 20 years, and the 15th line-up in the history of the group turned out to be the most durable and strong. Secondly, the albums Paging Silence (April 1989), Different World (February 1991) and Sea Of Light (May 1995) are head and shoulders above what the hips were doing during the last 15 years. The group's style can be called "modern progressive hard rock" - without a hint of nostalgia for their own past and without much regard for musical fashion. Of course, this is not mainstream, because such music sells poorly today, but you have all the more respect for the “hips” who confidently do what they consider necessary. “Sea Of Light”, designed more in the style of the YES group (by the way, in the early seventies, the cover sleeves of both groups were designed by the same artist, Roger Dean), indicates that the “hips” have found a second wind, repeating old finds.
Then the equally strong album Sonic Origami (1998) was released, and again gained a large number of listeners, and the hit Between Two Worlds is comparable to the classic hits of “those times”. This whole “this” continued until 2007. The team goes through “a lot of greenery” with the old and best material.

In 2008, the album Wake The Sleeper was recorded, in the spirit of Uriah Heep of the Byronic period, with a new drummer Russell Gilbrook (Lee Kerslake left the group for health reasons). And in 2009, in honor of their 40th anniversary, the “hips” are planning to re-record their best mega-hits, this collection called Celebration.

After quite successful albums and tours, the fact of “burying” the group was considered from the outside - it would seem that everything would be enough, as long as possible. But giving up before the expected and desired time is not for Uriah Heep, and by 2010, to the delight of the fans, the group is preparing to record an album. The album Into The Wild comes out in 2011, and this is not the end of the HARD ROCK story...

45 rebounds, 2 of them this month

Biography

The name of the group was borrowed from the character in Charles Dickens's novel "David Copperfield", whose name in the Russian translation is Uriah Gip. Nevertheless, the name of the group is usually pronounced close to the English pronunciation Uriah Heap.

Current members
Mick Box guitarist, vocalist (1969 to this day)
Russell Gilbrook drummer, vocalist (2007 to present)
Bernie Shaw main vocalist (1986 to present)
Trevor Bolder bass guitarist, vocalist (19761981, 1983 to this day)
Phil Lanzon keyboardist, vocalist (1986 to present)

Former members
Ken Hensley keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist
David Byron main vocalist
Paul Newton bass guitarist, vocalist
John Wetton bass guitarist, vocalist
John Laughton main vocalist
Peter Golby main vocalist
Olli Olsson drummer, percussionist
Ian Clarke drummer
Keith Baker drummer
Geri Thain bass guitarist
John Sloman main vocalist
Chris Slade drummer, percussionist
Bob Daisley bass guitarist
John Sinclair keyboardist
Lee Kerslake - drummer

Create a group

In 1967, Mick Box, a young man from Walthamstow who loved football and music equally, decided to give preference to the latter and formed The Stalkers. After vocalist Roger Penlington, who played drums, left the line-up, he suggested auditioning his cousin David Garrick. “He was a frequent guest at our concerts: after a few pints, we would start singing old rock and roll songs,” recalled Boxing. So before the audition, I suggested that he refuel well to relieve his uncertainty. We played a few things and the story began!”

The Box-Garrick duo became the core of the group; Soon each of them left their main jobs and decided to devote themselves to professional musical activities. They named their new lineup Spice, and David adopted the stage name: Byron. Alex Napier, who was found through an advertisement in a newspaper, took over the drums (in order to circumvent the main condition lack of marriage ties he married his wife to his sister), and bassist Paul Newton came from The Gods, whose father temporarily took over the duties of manager and gradually brought his players to the level of the London club "Marks".

At the end of 1969, the group met producer and manager Jerry Bron: he attended her performance at the Blues Loft club and immediately offered a contract with his company Hit Record Productions Ltd (which worked with Philips). “It seemed to me that the group was capable of rapid development, which is why I took them on,” Bron recalled. The band soon found themselves in Lansdowne Studios, changed their name to Uriah Heep (Dickens was the talk of the town at Christmas 1969 - it was the hundredth anniversary of his death) and decided that they needed a keyboard player. First, Bron brought in sessionman Colin Wood, then Ken Hensley (The Gods, Toe Fat) was invited as a permanent member.

The appearance of an innovative keyboard player in the group, passionate about creating a qualitatively new sound, had a decisive influence on creative development team. However, Hensley's contribution to the first album was limited to reworking parts recorded by Wood. Most of the material on the record was written by Box and Byron; The most striking thing here was Gypsy, which perfectly reflected the early style of the group: a heavy beat, a condensed sound of a guitar “wrapped” in an OrS and Mellotron, polyphony obtained through multiple studio overdubs. In many ways, it was one of the first successful examples of experimental hard rock eclecticism, created three years before the first recordings of Queen, considered pioneers in this field.

First recordings

The first album was three-quarters complete when Alex Napier was replaced by Nigel (Olly) Olsson: he was recommended by Elton John, with whom Byron had been friends since collaboration at Avenue Records (where they took part in recording low-budget covers). Very "EavyVery" Umble (in the USA just Uriah Heep and under a different cover) was released on June 19, 1970 and was met with restraint music criticism, who heard only “heaviness” in it, without paying attention to the genre diversity (elements of jazz, folk, acid rock and symphonic music). During these days, the creative union of Boxes-Byron-Hensley was born and began to rapidly develop, which received its highest embodiment in the second album Salisbury, recorded without Olsson (who returned to Elton John), but with Keith Baker. The record, which became a benefit for Hensley (he is the author of half the songs and the co-author of the other half), was recorded by Bron in Lansdowne and is striking in its diversity. Bird of Prey an art-rock masterpiece in which Byron hits the highest notes; Lady in Black (which became a super hit in Germany in 1977, staying at number one for 13 weeks) acoustic folk stomper: a philosophical parable about the hardships of life. Park an elegant poetic vignette that continues the “post-war” theme begun in Come, Melinda. Finally, the 16-minute Salisbury Suite, recorded with an orchestra and brass section, was the band's most ambitious work, taking it into territory then largely unexplored in hard rock. To all this, the music press once again turned a deaf ear.

"Golden" years

After the release of Salisbury, Baker left the group. With new drummer Ian Clarke (from Cressida, also on Vertigo), the band traveled to the US and experienced a warm welcome for the first time. Box later admitted, however, that although the group sounded good in conjunction with Steppenwolf, it had nothing to do with the aesthetics of Three Dog Night.

Meanwhile, Bron's contract with Phillips/Vertigo expired, and he formed his own Bronze label, re-releasing the band's first two albums here. Recording of the third began in the summer of 1971. “Look At Yourself was where the band really found their own musical path,” Bron recalled. Numerous ideas that seemed scattered in the first two albums came into focus and produced some timeless gems." The main ones, undoubtedly, were the epic July Morning (a hymn to “spiritual narcissism”) and the ultra-compact title track, which had all the makings of a hit single, but only became one in Europe. However, the British audience also reacted to the rise of Uriah Heep: the album in the U.K. rose to 39th place.

The “golden” line-up of Uriah Heep finally took shape after Lee Kerslake (ex-The Gods, National Head Band: he had already turned down an offer to take Keith Baker’s place, but now he didn’t miss his chance) and Garry Thane, a native of New York, joined the group. Zealand, who previously played with Keef Hartley.

The fourth Demons And Wizards album was born in one breath - a product of pure inspiration: it was the result of a new creative "reaction" within the group, which, in many ways, unexpectedly plunged into the world of mysticism and fantasy (beautifully illustrated on the cover by Roger Dean). A colorful gallery of art-rock sketches in the fantasy genre (“Rainbow Demon”, “The Wizard”, “Traveller In Time”, “Poets Justice”) forms here a harmonious mosaic of a completely new, bizarre concept. “Easy Livin” stands apart: “tailored” especially for Bayoron and his new stage persona, the song became a European mega-hit. In England, the album stayed on the charts for 11 weeks and rose to 20th place.

The Magicians Birthday, released six months later, continued the same line of development, in two directions: commercial (“Sweet Lorraine”, “Sunrise”) and artistic (the title track: a kind of micro-opera with a surprisingly compact and vivid plot).

The beginning of the sunset

The return to Japan was marked by the release of the double live album Uriah Heep Live, after which the band set off to record a new studio album, choosing for financial reasons the Château d'Heronville in France. Sweet Freedom was greeted by the press without much enthusiasm, and Mick Box later admitted that work on the album was not easy for the group: in particular, the conflict between Uriah Heep’s “brain” Ken Hensley and its “face”, David Byron, escalated, Already abused alcohol. Wonderworld, recorded in Munich, also brought nothing but disappointment: here only the ballad “The Easy Road” recalls the creative peak that the group was experiencing quite recently.

By that time, the health of Gary Thain had sharply deteriorated, who, even before joining Uriah Heep, suffered from bouts of nervous exhaustion (caused in part by drug addiction, which had plagued him for many years). In September 1974, Thane was electrocuted on stage in Dallas and was hospitalized for a long time, which led to the cancellation of concerts in the United States and England - much to Bron's displeasure. Three months later, Thane left the group, and on December 8, 1975, he was found dead at his home in Norwood Green. The cause of death was an overdose.

Studio albums
Very "Eavy Very "Umble 1970
Salisbury 1971
Look At Yourself 1971
Demons & Wizards 1972
The Magician's Birthday 1972
Sweet Freedom 1973
Wonderworld 1974
Return To Fantasy 1975
High & 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
Acoustically Driven 2001
Electrically Driven 2001
Wake The Sleeper 2008

Live albums
Uriah Heep Live 1973
Live at Shepperton "74 recorded 1974, released 1986
Live in Europe 1979 recorded 1979, released 1986
Live in Moscow 1988
Spellbinder Live 1996
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert recorded 1974, released 1997
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

Collections
Anthology 1986
The Lansdowne Tapes (a collection of recordings by Spice and the first three Uriah Heep albums) recorded 1968-1971, released 1994
Lady In Black 1994
A Time of Revelation (four-disc anthology featuring previously unreleased material) recorded 1968-1995, released 1996

The band was founded by vocalist David Byron (actually David Garrick, b. January 29, 1947, Epping, England, d. February 28, 1985, Reading, England) and lead guitarist Mick Box (b. June 8, 1947, London, England). . This couple played in the "Stalkers" in the mid-60s, and after the group broke up, they started the project "Spice" (not to be confused with the "Spice girls" :) with Paul Newton (b. Andover, England; bass) and Alex Napier (drums), recording the single "What About The Music"/"In Love". Little by little, Spice evolved into Uriah Heep (the name was taken from a character in a Charles Dickens novel) when keyboardist Ken Hensley (b. August 24, 1945, London, England) joined them. Ken, a seasoned fellow and a talented musician, previously played guitar in Kit And The Saracens, as well as in the soul group Jimmy Brown Sound and with Mick Taylor (member of the Rolling Stones) in Gods. The drummer was Alex Napier at first, who was later replaced by Nigel "Ollie" Olson (later went to Elton John).

Finding a permanent drummer remained one of the group's problems, especially during early period creativity. Their debut, "Very "eavy... Very "umble" in 1970, ranged from electro-folk to heavy sounds. The Heaps tried out a lot of drummers before offering the job to Keith Baker (ex-Bakerloo), with whom they recorded "Salisbury". But he didn't like the tour schedule and was replaced by Ian Clarke. "Salisbury" proved to be a decisive development from their debut album, with many long solos and the 16-minute title track, embellished by an orchestra. The group laid the foundation for a new style, later called "progressive rock". 1971 saw another line-up change when Lee Kerslake, formerly of the Gods and Toe Fat, replaced Clarke after the release of Look at Yourself. The LP became their first UK chart hit and peaked at number 39 in November 1971.

There are changes in the group again. Ex-Downbeats and Colosseum member Mark Clarke replaced bassist Paul Newton, but lasted only three months before the arrival of Gary Thain (b. May 15, 1948, Wellington, New Zealand, d. December 8, 1975). The stability of the new line-up allowed the Heaps to enter their most successful period during the early '70s, when the fantastical, eccentric nature of their lyrics was supported by a grandiose musical approach. The quintet recorded five albums, beginning with "Demons And Wizards", their first US chart hit. The musical and lyrical themes continued on "Magician's Birthday", "Sweet freedom" and "Wonderworld" (their last hit in the US Top 40). The group worked harmoniously both on studio recordings and in concerts. But in February 1975 they left Thane, too addicted to drugs by that time, the fact is that before this the bassist suffered almost. death blow electrocuted at a concert in Dallas and he tried to find comfort in heroin. He died of a heroin overdose in December.

The late Thain's place was taken in March 1975 by John Wetton, who had previously worked for King Crimson and Family. However, many believed that this was a regressive step in the group's history. The group recorded "Return to Fantasy" with this lineup. Although the album made it into the British Top 10 (the first and last time), it marked a creative crisis for the group. Wetton went to Bryan Ferry, although he took part in the recording of the next disc, "High and Mighty". At the beginning of 1976, Uriah Heep experienced internal strife and the group was on the verge of disbanding. According to Hensley, they were "a pile of outdated and collapsed machinery." Hensley refused to participate in a US tour in the summer of 1976. A little later, Byron was forced to leave the group altogether. He subsequently joined Rough Diamond, and after the group's short existence, he released a number of solo albums. Byron died in 1985.

Hensley had already attempted to launch a solo career, releasing two albums in 1973 and 1975. The 1977 album featured the debut of John Laughton, former vocalist from Lucifer's Friend. The new bassist was former David Bowie band member Trevor Bolder. During the late 70s - early 80s, the group changed several vocalists. Thus, John Sloman (ex-Lone star) already sang on the recording of “Conquest”. The drummer had also changed by that time, he became Chris Slade. looking at all this disgrace, he also left Uriah Heep, leaving Mick Box to collect the fragments of the group. He did not waste time and a little later the Heeps returned to the stage with the following lineup: Box, Kerslake, John Sinclair (keyboards), Bob. Daisley (bass, ex-"Widowmaker") and Peter Golby (vocals, ex-"Trapeze") After the release of "Head first" in 1983, Daisley left, who was immediately replaced by the returning Bolder. In 1984, Bronze records collapsed. which "Hips" recorded and the group had to sign a new contract with the US Portrait Records.

Over the following years, changes in composition occurred again. Thus, Canadian Bernie Shaw (vocals) and Phil Lanzon (keyboards), who previously played in Grand Prix, participated in the recording of the albums “Raging Silence” and “Different World”. Despite all this nonsense, in 1995 the quintet released a cool disc "Sea Of Light", made in the signature "hip" style. During their European tour that same year, former vocalist John Laughton returned to the band as a temporary replacement for Bernie Shaw, who was suffering from throat problems. Three years later, Uriah Heep released Sonic Origami, which included some of the band's best work from Byron's time.

If good manners allowed, then a dozen more exclamation marks should be added to the title. They - the same legendary, famous, amazing and influential, the most fatal fatal Englishmen come to Israel again for the sixth time and give a single concert on January 28 at the Tel Aviv Center for the Performing Arts.

The creativity of Uriah Heep is rock! Rock is heavy, metal, progressive, art and jazz rock, already mythological acoustic folk rock. From the realm of myths such groups as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. But they are no longer there, and Uriah Heep is one of best groups British hard rock is a myth that still persists, despite a stage career spanning more than four decades. Their music, their lyrics, stylistic experiments, ballads, their performances - what can I describe when you can still hear them live.

23 studio albums that have become hard rock classics, 12 discs of live recordings, 13 collections - this is just the tip of the iceberg of Uriah Heep's popularity. In the 1970s alone, the “golden” time for rock music, the group, whose debut album was released in 1970, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, making it one of the most successful rock groups. Back in the distant 70s, the covers of their discs with fabulous names were familiar to millions of rock fans. On the early recordings, the undisputed leader was Ken Hensley, who is the author of most of the group's hits. By the way, he is a famous English poet. David Byron's voice was unique. There have never been vocalists of this caliber in the history of rock.

The history of this group is complicated - the lineup and vocalists changed many times - but each time it demonstrated a new, yet unknown side of its creativity. In general, they do not lower the bar that they themselves have set. Having formed in 1969, the musicians did not expect that, even forty years later, it would be difficult to get to their concerts and that they would become the object of research: four books about this group were published in Russian alone.

Their hits are so popular that their names become household names. So, for example, the famous song “July Morning” became the name of the summer music festival In Bulgaria. Already in the first lineup of the group, five vocalists met, which became its trademark, which is still maintained, the sign of their music - epic, dynamic, bright and varied. Uriah Heep had their ups and downs, but they managed to survive all the troubles and retain a loyal following. In 1986, the “new blood” poured into Uriah Heep for the thousandth time finally worked. The musicians have not parted for over twenty-five years, and the 15th line-up in the history of the group turned out to be the most durable and strong. Magic characters their songs (sages, witches, “rainbow” demons) and the general mystical atmosphere of the compositions created Uriah Heep the image of a “fairytale” group, and many of their songs were included in the classic rock anthology, as examples of rock of the 70s and 80s, and among them not only “July Morning”, but also “Lady in Black”, “Look at Yourself”, “Easy Living” - songs that the audience always sings along to.

Where did the self-name Uriah Heep come from? Well, what can serve as a source of inspiration for the British? Of course, Dickens. And, of course, one of his least likeable characters is Uriah Gip (in Russian translation) from the novel “David Copperfield”. Everyone was talking about Dickens at Christmas 1969 in London - the hundredth anniversary of his death was celebrated. Apparently, the character of Uriah Heep, Uriah Heap, could not have been better suited at first to the mood of the young rockers, who over the course of 43 years managed to acquire clubs of fans all over the world, young and old fans who performed in the most prestigious halls and stadiums, who changed the composition of the group more than once, but today loved, popular and in demand.

At the concert in Israel on January 28 at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, all the band's hits and songs from their latest album “Into the Wild” will be performed.
Mick Box – vocals, guitar
Trevor Bolder – vocals, bass
Bernie Shaw - vocals
Phil Lanzon – vocals, keyboards
Russell Gilbrook - vocals, drums

Tickets at – Internet ticket offices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhAdZDk61UI

Photos provided by the tour organizer - Hafakot Megovanot & Meyohadot, Ltd.

Uriah Heep in Dickens's work is one of the negative characters that the main character of the work, David Copperfield, had to meet in his life. Talking about Dickens's Uriah Heep and making a hero, I would like to say that he, like the rest of the negative heroes of the work, is a real egoist, a heartless, cruel person who is spoiled by his upbringing.

Uriah Heep is perhaps the most sinister figure in Dickens's work. Just the acquaintance with Dickens's Uriah Heep and his description is terrifying, and yet, thanks to the created portrait of the hero, his ugliness, the author wants to evoke disgust towards him. Just listen: Heap’s face resembles that of a dead man, who had no eyelashes and eyebrows. Hip's eyes themselves were brown, but with some kind of red tint.

He is a bony man with long arms that resemble the hands of a skeleton. To reinforce our negative perception of the hero, Dickens compares Heep to nasty animals. So he says that his sticky hand is like a sticky fish, and whoever shakes it feels like he is touching a toad or a snake. Hip's body wriggles like a snake or an eel. The author compares Hip Uriah with a raven, with a fox, with a monkey.

This hypocrite has a deep-seated inferiority complex. Uriah often says that he is an insignificant, humble person, hoping to hide his vile real essence, and yet this essence was revealed. When Uriah was exposed, he threw off his lamb mask, and we all saw that a real wolf was hiding here.

Characteristics of characters based on Dickens's work "David Copperfield", Uriah Heap

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Characteristics of heroes based on Shakespeare's work "King Lear" - Lear Characteristics of characters based on Shakespeare's work "HAMLET"

1967, English guitarist Mick Box (full name Michael Frederick Box; June 9, 1947) formed his first group called “THE STALKERS”. After some time, the first vocalist left, and then-drummer Roger Penlington suggested his cousin David Garik (Byron) to take this place. David Byron (David Byron, real name David Garrick, English: David Garrick; January 29, 1947 - February 28, 1985) - at that time took part in recording anonymous cover albums.
Box and Byron felt confident enough and decided to turn from amateurs to professionals. They called their new group “SPICE” (“Spices”, “Spices” or “Condiments”). There is an expression in England: “When life is boring and monotonous, add some spice to it.” Part new group included: drummer Alex Napier, bass guitarist Paul Newton from the team “THE GODS” (“Gods”), two future “hips” Ken Hensley (full name Kenneth William David Hensley / Kenneth William David Hensley (August 24, 1945) and Lee Kerslake (April 16, 1947), future THE ROLLING STONES guitarist Mick Taylor and bassist-vocalist Greg Lake, who replaced Newton and later performed in KING CRIMSON and ELP."
In December 1968, SPICE released their only single, “What About The Music/In Love,” and the group was taken under the wing of Gerry Bron, founder of the Bronze record company, who attended a performance at the Blues Loft club. " In December 1969, Bron renamed "SPICE" to "URIAH HEEP" (Uriah Heep is a character in Charles Dickens's novel "David Copperfield", in 1969 the hundredth anniversary of Dickens's death was celebrated, the traditional Russian transliteration of this name is Uriah Heep). Keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Ken Hensley was invited as a permanent member.
The first album was three-quarters complete when Alex Napier was replaced by Nigel Olsson, recommended by Elton John, with whom Byron had been friends since their days together at Avenue Records (where they had been involved in recording low-budget covers). The album “Very “Eavy…Very “Umble” (“Very loudly - terribly quiet.” “Very`Umble” is a favorite joke of Dickens’s Uriah Gip.) was released on June 19, 1970.
During these days, the creative union Box - Byron - Hensley was born and began to rapidly develop, which received its highest embodiment in the second album “Salisbury” (February 1970), recorded without Olsson (who returned to Elton John), but with Keith Baker (Keith Baker). The record, which became Hensley's benefit performance (he is the author of half of the songs and co-author of the other half), was recorded by Bron at Lansdowne Studios and turned out to be stylistically diverse, combining elements of art rock (Bird of Prey), acoustic folk rock (“Park” and “Lady in Black”) and symphonic rock (16-minute suite “Salisbury”, recorded with orchestra and brass section).
After the release of “Salisbury,” Keith Baker (February-October 1970) left the group (Mick Box said that he knew nothing about his future fate). With new drummer Ian Clarke (of Cressida, also on Vertigo Records), the band traveled to the US and experienced a warm welcome for the first time. Box later admitted, however, that while the group sounded good in conjunction with “Steppenwolf,” it had nothing to do with the aesthetics of “Three Dog Night.” Meanwhile, Bron's contract with Phillips/Vertigo expired, and he formed his own label, Bronze Records, re-releasing the band's first two albums here. In the summer of 1971, the group entered Lansdowne Studios to record their third studio album, Look at Yourself (October 1971). in which, in the words of Jerry Bron, "...Numerous ideas that seemed scattered on the first two albums came into focus and produced some timeless gems."
The album's centerpiece was the epic "July Morning" (a hymn to "spiritual narcissism") and the title track, which became a European hit. Ken Hensley said that "July Morning" - with its changing dynamics, bright and varied sound palette - was "... the best example of the direction in which the group rushed in its development." The song came from several musical ideas from Ken Hensley and David Byron. The song became the band's calling card.
Paul Newton was unhappy with his place in big picture: After his departure, bassist Mark Clarke (July 25, 1950) was invited to join the group from Colosseum, who stayed there for three months, but managed to co-write “The Wizard,” the song that opened the fourth album. The "golden" line-up of URIAH HEEP finally took shape after Lee Kerslake (April 16, 1947) and Gary Thain (May 15, 1948 - December 8, 1975), a native of New Zealand who had previously played with Keef Hartley (Keef Hartley Band).
The fourth album, Demons and Wizards (May 1972), was the result of a new creative union in a group that plunged into a world of mysticism and fantasy (illustrated on the cover by Roger Dean). Gallery of art-rock sketches in the fantasy genre (“Rainbow Demon”, “The Wizard”, “Traveller In Time”, “Poet’s Justice”). Ken Hensley comments on the album cover: "It's... just a collection of our songs that we recorded with great pleasure." In England, the album peaked at number 20 and stayed on the charts for 11 weeks. "Easy Livin'", created especially for Byron with his new stage image, became a European hit and, as Bron said, "helped the group to establish themselves on the international stage for the first time."
The album “The Magician`s Birthday” (November 1972) continued the same line of development as “Demons and Wizards”, both in commercial (“Sweet Lorraine”, “Sunrise”) and artistic directions (the title track is its own a kind of micro-opera with a fantasy plot). These two discs became the peak of the group's creativity.
The return to Japan was marked by the release of the double live album “Uriah Heep Live”, after which the group set off to record a new studio album, choosing for financial reasons the Château d’Heronville in France. In the evaluation of “Sweet Freedom” (September 1973), the press was divided into two camps: some critics reacted coolly to the album, noting that the group did not demonstrate their best qualities here. Mick Box later admitted that work on the album was already overshadowed by the emerging conflict between the “brain” of “URIAH HEEP” Ken Hensley and its “face”, David Byron, who by that time was already abusing alcohol. However, some critics (led by Melody Maker reviewers) rated the album quite highly. “Sweet Freedom” rose to number 18 in Britain, “Stealin” became a hit in many countries around the world (the exception was again the UK). That same year, Ken Hensley released his first solo album, Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf.
“Wonderworld”, recorded in Munich (June 1974), also brought disappointments (the critic considered the ballad “The Easy Road” to be an exception). In September 1974, Gary Thain was electrocuted on stage in Dallas and was hospitalized for a long time, which led to the cancellation of concerts in the United States and England - much to Bron's displeasure. Three months later, Thane left the group, and on December 8, 1975, he was found dead at his home in Norwood Green. The cause of death was an overdose.
In 1975, Thane was replaced in the group by John Kenneth Wetton (June 12, 1949 - January 31, 2017), a former member of King Crimson who also performed with Roxy Music. The group had (according to Box) “a real core, a person who could be relied on in everything, and who, in addition, constantly generated new ideas.”
Success of the eighth studio album Return To Fantasy, released in May 1975, reflected the changes: it became a worldwide bestseller, rising to No. 7 in the UK charts (No. 2 in Austria, No. 3 in Norway). It was followed by a world tour, during which the band performed in front of a million spectators and flew a total of 30 thousand miles. At the end of the tour, the group released “The Best of Uriah Heep”, at the same time David Byron debuted with his solo album “Take No Prisoners”.
The album “High And Mighty” (June 1976) (produced by the band members themselves) turned out to be (according to Box himself) “lightweight: less ‘eavy’, more ‘umble’.” Wetton's pressure grew every day, which Ken Hensley did not like (he still believes that the failure of the record was predetermined not so much by its sound qualities as by the attitude of Bronze Records towards it). Meanwhile, David Byron was just secretly drinking himself to death and losing his voice... The promotion of “High And Mighty” was carried out with pomp: the group threw a banquet on a mountain top in Switzerland, where journalists were flown by a special plane.
In July 1976, after the final concert of the Spanish tour, Byron was fired from Uriah Heep. John Wetton left almost immediately: first to Bryan Ferry; later in "Asia". The band's bass player was Trevor Bolder (June 09, 1950, Kingston upon Hull - May 21, 2013, who played with David Bowie, Mick Ronson and the by then reformed Spiders From Mars). John Lawton (July 11, 1946, Halifax), who had previously collaborated with the German group Lucifer's Friend, as well as Les Humphries Singers and Roger Glover, was chosen for the role of vocalist.
The album Firefly, released in February 1977, received three stars from Sounds and four stars from Record Mirror. Paul Stanley from Kiss also praised the group in the most enthusiastic terms after their joint American tour. The band with its new line-up was well received in Britain, which was especially unexpected at the height of the punk revolution. URIAH HEEP headlined the Reading Festival. The next album, Innocent Victim (November 1977), featured a heavier sound; the single from it “Free Me” became a European hit. Many were surprised by the inclusion of two compositions by Jack Williams, Hensley's American friend, on the album. In Germany, the album sold a million copies, predetermining the success of “Fallen Angel” (September 1978), the fourth album recorded at London's Roundhouse studio and the second with Gerry Bron returning to his duties as producer.
Shortly after URIAH HEEP's performance at the Bilzen festival in Berlin, the singer was fired and replaced by John Sloman (ex-Lone Star), a young multi-instrumentalist. However, almost immediately Kerslake left the lineup: according to Sounds magazine, after a quarrel with Bron (whom the drummer accused of being “... the only valuable member of the group is Hensley.”
Work on the next album, “Conquest” (February 1980, Roundhouse studio) came down mainly to re-recording the already prepared tapes - with Sloman and a new drummer Chris Slade, recruited from Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Record Mirror magazine gave the album five stars, although band members (in particular Bolder) later said that the work proceeded in an atmosphere of complete chaos. The album's highlights are "Feelings" and "Fools".
The group celebrated its tenth anniversary with a successful 10th Anniversary tour (in conjunction with Girlschool). However, Hensley's dissatisfaction with his new vocalist grew, and he decided to leave the lineup. Hensley's place in the group was taken by Canadian Gregg Dechert, who worked with Sloman in Pulsar. The single “Think lt Over” was recorded with him (later in new version included in “Abominog”), but Sloman left the group almost immediately. Box and Bolder approached David Byron with an offer to return to Uriah Heep and (according to Box), they were completely discouraged by the refusal of the former vocalist. Immediately after this unsuccessful visit, Bolder accepted an offer from Wishbone Ash. Then Deckert left, and Mick Box was left alone with contractual obligations.
Coming out of his depression, Mick Box called Lee Kerslake (who by this time was already playing in Blizzard of Ozz) and found out that he and Bob Daisley had just left Osbourne. Keyboardist John Sinclair, who at that time was playing with the American group Lion, was invited to replace Hensley. The choice fell on Peter Goalby as vocalist. Released by the new line-up in March 1982, Abominog was named by Kerrang! "...the band's most mature album in its entire history."
The next album, “Head First” (May 1983), recorded by the same American producer Ashley Howe (who by that time had practically become the sixth member of the ensemble) turned out to be similar to the previous one in sound and essence. But immediately after its release, Daisley left the lineup, returning to Osbourne; in May 1983, Trevor Bolder returned to URIAH HEEP.
In early 1984, URIAH HEEP penetrated the Iron Curtain, after which they went into the studio to record Equator (March 1985) with producer Tony Platt. Fatigue from continuous touring took its toll on Peter Golby's vocals. In the midst of the Australian tour, he completely lost his voice and left the group. He was soon followed by John Sinclair. Box brought in keyboardist Phil Lanzon (ex-Sweet) and Los Angeles vocalist Stef Fontaine, who led the band on an American tour and was fired by Box for “unprofessionalism” and was replaced by Bernie Shaw.
Having changed management (to Miracle Group), URIAH HEEP, through the Hungarian promoter Laszlo Hegedus, conducted a series of tours in the USSR. At the Olimpiysky sports complex, the group gave 10 concerts in front of (a total of 180 thousand spectators). The result of the trip was the third live album in the band's history, Live in Moscow (1988).
In May 1989, a new album “Raging Silence” was released, recorded with producer Richard Dodd (known for his collaboration with George Harrison and The Traveling Willburys), the central tracks of which were “Blood Red Roses” (composed by Pete Golby), “Cry” Freedom" and "Hold Your Head Up".
The 1991 album "Different World", recorded by Trevor Bolder, who took over the duties of studio producer, received mixed reviews in the press: Kerrang! derided the record, but Metal Hammer's reviewer called it a "pleasant surprise", noting Bolder's production skills.
The group returned to the early sound and released the album “Sea Of Light” (April 1995), which was a worthy successor to “Demons And Wizards” and “Magician’s Birthday”. In September 1998, the disc “Sonic Origami” was released, after which studio activities died out for a long time, and the band regaled its fans with all sorts of concerts and collections.
On December 7, 2001, a reunion concert took place in London with the participation of Ken Hensley and John Lawton. At the same time, the group’s first performance took place in Astoria as part of a now-traditional event called Magicians Birthday Party. Based on this concert, the album “Acoustically Driven” (March 2001) appeared.
In January 2007, drummer Lee Kerslake left the lineup due to health reasons. In March he was replaced by Russell Gilbrook, who had previously worked with Tony Iommi, Van Morrison, John Farnham, Alan Price, Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan. On April 14, 2007, Gilbrook made his debut with the band at a concert in Vuokatti, Finland.
With a renewed lineup, on June 14, 2008, the group released the album “Wake the Sleeper” - an interesting album. All the material is new, obvious successes include: “Heaven's Rain”, “What Kind of God”, “Angels Walk with You”, “War Child”, innovative material “Wake the Sleeper” or “Overload”.
The group Uriah Heep, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009, released a new album in honor of the anniversary called “Celebration” (September 9, 2009). The album includes 14 tracks: 12 tracks famous hits recorded in a new version and 2 new songs. After the release of the album, the group intends to go on an anniversary world tour.

Composition of the group “URIAH HEEP” 2009:
Mick Box - guitarist, vocalist (in the group since 1969)
Russell Gilbrook - drummer, vocalist (with the band since 2007)
Bernie Shaw - main vocalist (in the group since 1986)
Trevor Bolder - bass guitarist, vocalist (from 1976-1981 and since 1983 in the group)
Phil Lanzon - keyboardist, vocalist (in the group since 1986)