01	The Hanging Tree						03:41
	02	Been Away Too Long						05:03
	03	Who Needs Me						03:39
	04	Wise Man						04:42
	05	Do You Know						03:13
	06	Rollin On						06:21
	07	Sympathy						04:44
	08	Firefly						06:21
	09	Crime Of Passion (Single B-Side)						03:39
	10	Do You Know (Unreleased Version)						03:16
	11	A Far Better Know (Previously Unreleased Version)						05:50
	12	Wise Man (TV Backing - Unreleased Version)						04:49

Firefly
February, 1977


Mick Box (G)
John Lawton (LV)
Ken Hensley (K G)
Trevor Bolder (B)
Lee Kerslake (D)


Overview - Overall, this is my favorite Heep album. Great, well-constructed songs without a single weak spot, and the best song-to-song flow of any Heep album. While there are few out 'n' out rockers, there's a feel to this album that hadn't been on any Heep album since The Magician's Birthday. The choice of John to replace David was brilliant. Although a completely different style, he was probably the most talented vocalist Heep has ever had (and that's coming from someone who thinks David was one of the best vocalists in rock history!). Maybe he didn't have David's charisma, but his voice fit the Heep of the late 70's perfectly. Grade: A+
This album also introduced Trevor to the Heep fold, who has now been Heep's bassist for 18 years!

note: - American order: (inferior to the European order)
Been Away Too Long
Sympathy
Who Needs Me
Wise Man
The Hanging Tree
Rollin' On
Do You Know
Firefly

1. The Hanging Tree - A great opener, featuring the incredible vocal talents of Mr. Lawton. Ken's keyboards compliment the song nicely, creating an appropriately dark mood. Nice tempo changes and a gorgeous ending. Grade: A+

2. Been Away Too Long - Another melancholy piece featuring excellent dynamics and mood changes, accentuated by Lee's drum work. Mick is given the chance to really shine on his solo while John slides around the melody. Grade: A+

3. Who Needs Me - The first rocker, we get our first real Heep harmonies. This piece really boogies, driven by Trevor (whose bass is everywhere!) and Lee (who wrote the song, the only non-Hensley piece on the original album!). Mick flies over the frets on his solo (decently long once again) while John shows that he can belt 'em out nearly as well as David. Grade: A

4. Wise Man - Another great Heep ballad, this showcases John's soulful voice. In the hands of a lesser vocalist this would've fallen flat. A strong gospel feel not unlike the title track off Sweet Freedom, this may be John's finest performance on a Heep record. Grade: A+
note: There are three released versions. The bonus track version comes from a live performance on Top Of The Pops. John is even better on this performance, although he doesn't hit all the high notes. The bgv's are especially good as well. There is also a single edit on The Best Of...Part 2. To my ears, the only editing done is to cut the ending short. Except for that, excellent edit.

5. Do You Know - This rocker kicks off side 2 with a bang. Although a bit dated today, the energy is undeniable. Lee and Trevor are very tight and groovin', and Mick and John are in top form as well. Grade: A
note: The original demo is included as a bonus track. Not much different from the released version, the sound quality is quite dull on this.

6. Rollin' On - A slow blues grinder. The verses and Mick's solo are filled with longing, although the chorus doesn't carry that intensity through. The choir backing the second half of Mick's solo is an especially nice touch. Grade: A

7. Sympathy - Yet another excellent melancholy piece. Mick and Ken duet on guitar on the fills while Mick plays with John on the verses. The rhythm guitar in this number is very David Gilmour-ish, ala Echoes but works to great effect. Once again, Trevor and Lee create a very tight groove. John, while not a silver-throated screamer, does a great job belting this out. Grade: A+

8. Firefly - This song is so beautiful it sends chills up my spine every time I hear it, especially on Ken and John's duet at the beginning and the lovely ending. In between is one of their best mid-tempo rockers ever. Grade: A+

Crime of Passion - (Bonus track - 'B' side of Wise Man and Sympathy) A decent boogie number, but not of the quality of the rest of the album. Outstanding bridge and ending makes this song worthwhile but it's too short to bring the grade up. Grade: B

A Far Better Way - (Bonus track) A soft gentle beginning builds up to a great driving rocker that gets funky for the bridge. This would've been a great addition to the original album. The second half is basically an extended jam to give John a chance to show off his chops. Grade: A+
note: There are two versions of this song, the other being on Time Of Revelation. The differences between the two are slight.



Firefly
Reissue Liner Notes

Firefly was Uriah Heep's tenth studio album excluding compilations. Released in early 1977 it was the first of three studio albums to include both vocalist John Lawton and bassist Trevor Bolder. Lawton was formerly with the heavy German band Lucifer's Friend, and sometimes singer with the Les Humphries Singers (a fact that seemed to delight and amuse the music press of the day somewhat). Lawton had (and still has) an outstanding voice, and it is this period of the band that many fans, particularly in Germany, rate the best years of the band's career. Trevor Bolder joined as bassist in Autumn 1976 after the departure of John Wetton. Formerly of (David Bowie's) Spiders From Mars, Bolder was to bring stability to the bass playing position. In fact, apart from a short period in the early eighties (and one album where he ran off to join Wishbone Ash), Bolder has been in the band ever since. Over 20 years in fact!

Uriah Heep in early 1976 were a band in disarray. To the public they were a highly successful band. To their record company, Bronze, they were the most important money-earning component of the Bronze Records empire. The band themselves had lots of internal conflict that ended in the departure of John Wetton from the bass playing position and the sacking of founder member and lead vocalist David Byron. This was a very difficult decision to make as Byron had been a key player in the identity and success of the band. Byron, however, was not coping with the excesses of the rock and roll lifestyle very well, and this was becoming detrimental to the professionalism and functionality of the band.

With the band down to four after losing someone who many people considered to be an irreplaceable frontman, the future of the band was in a precarious state to say the least. Wetton left promptly. Now down to a nucleus of Mick Box, Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake, the band had some serious decisions to make. Common sense (for the fans anyway) prevailed, and moves were made to recruit a new lead singer and a new bass player.

Recording of a new album commenced rapidly after the addition of Bolder and Lawton into the fold. Demos of new songs were tried and tested in rehearsals and then formal recording commenced at Gerry Bron's Roundhouse Studios in the latter part of 1976. The album was ready for release in February 1977, and to some was far more of a Heep album than its predecessor High and Mighty. The press gave relatively good reviews of the album and these were appearing as the band embarked on a tour of the US supporting Kiss. The band then returned to Europe to play a headlining tour. The band was a different animal, but the energy of the old days was back.

Despite all the positive signs on the release of Firefly, it was the first Uriah Heep album for five years that failed to chart in the UK. Firefly has retrospectively proved to be a milestone album for the band. It returned to the melodic but hard rock of the big-time Heep albums, and was graced with a cover that wasn't dissimilar to the Roger Dean fantasy covers of Demons and Wizards and The Magician's Birthday. It remains today as probably the most underrated of the band's albums. Of the Lawton-era albums, Firefly remains my favorite.

Remastered in April 1997 over 20 years after its release, the album now includes Crime Of Passion - the original B-side for the Wise Man single; a demo version of Do You Know; an alternate mix of A Far Better Way (a session out-take); and a TV backing track version of Wise Man. Enjoy!

BONUS TRACKS

Crime Of Passion - Originally the B-side to the single of Wise Man, Crime Of Passion didn't get a release on CD until Sequel Records' Rarities From The Bronze Age. The track was recorded during the Firefly album sessions and kept back for a B-side. An excellent almost funky tune that features some superb off beat drumming by Lee Kerslake.

Do You Know - Previously unreleased version. This version is the original demo recorded in the latter part of 1976. It is an interesting alternate take as it shows the development a song that finally made the album.

A Far Better Way - Previously unreleased version. The track was also recorded during the Firefly sessions but never made the album. A rough mix of this was done during the recording of the album. The song was first released on the Time Of Revelation box set in 1996. This version is slightly different, however.

Wise Man - TV backing track. Previously unreleased mix. This version was originally used during an advertising campaign.

c 1997 Robert M. Corich



Firefly
Artist Comments
Ken Hensley 1977 | Trevor Bolder 1979 | Trevor Bolder 1989 | Mick Box 1990 | John Lawton | Mick Box 1997 | Ken Hensley 1997


KEN HENSLEY
1977

It is measurably better and more significant than the last album.



TREVOR BOLDER
Manchester, UK, March 26, 1979

They were looking for a bass player and a friend of mine rang me up and said, "there was a job going." I rang Kenny and he said, "Come down and we'll have an audition, and play together." I went down and we spent about an hour messing around and that was it, I got the job right away, straight in.

On leaving Spiders From Mars for Heep:
It wasn't the bands fault, it was finances, we couldn't afford to keep it going.



TREVOR BOLDER
1989

I knew Heep were the right band for me - we hit it off immediately. I'd always been into heavy rock before joining Bowie anyway.



MICK BOX
1990

Image-wise he (John Lawton) wasn't quite what we were looking for, but his pipes were perfect and so we went for the music end of it.



JOHN LAWTON
1992

All the songs were there so basically I just had to go in and sing it. As soon as that was ready we went out and toured for 6 months.



MICK BOX
Moscow, February 1997

I remember first hearing the song Firefly written by Ken, and I thought that it was a terrif number with all the Heep trademarks and dynamics. We first did a demo of this in his studio, "Dodgy Demos", at his home in Henley-On-Thames, England. With the vocals of John Lawton added, I knew we were entering into a new Heep era.

We released Wise Man as a single in the UK, and as I remember, we were having a band break and I had flown to the USA to be with my family. I had flown to Chicago and then on to El Paso, Texas. I was halfway home to New Mexico by car when it broke down, and we had to stay in what can only be described as a one-horse town. In the morning, whilst in reception trying to get someone to fix the car, I had a call from our manager's wife, Lillian Bron, who was phoning from the UK saying we had a spot on Top Of The Pops, a very important show to do with a recently released single. How she tracked me down, I will never know, but she convinced me to do the show. Then suddenly, I was surrounded by police cars. She had arranged for them to escort me back to El Paso and put me on a flight to London once again, via Chicago.

I did the show and I was in camera-shot for all of thirty seconds. Then they put me back on a plane to Chicago, then on to El Paso, and eventually, after I had been flying for what seemed to be forever, I arrived home with a severe case of jet-lag. I guess that's Rock 'n' Roll, and of course what becomes of having a very understanding family.

I enjoyed making this record, and I felt that we had finished a strong album by the end of it. I hope you enjoy this re-mastered version with added bonus tracks.



KEN HENSLEY
St. Louis, Missouri - May 1997

I can still remember the first time I saw a firefly (or "lightning bug" as they are sometimes called). I was eating dinner on the deck of my former in-laws' house in New Jersey, and saw this glow in the bushes (the glow is the firefly's mating signal!). It was spooky and amazing, and I ran into the house and started scribbling words down. From that came the title track and the idea for the cover. I like this record. It's a little light for Heep purists, but they never were into growth anyway! Other items you might find interesting... Rollin' On was born in Alvin Lee's (of Ten Years After) studio near my house in Sonning Common, and Gerry Bron actually thought I wrote Wise Man about him!







John Lawton - lead vocals
Mick Box - guitars
Trevor Bolder - buss guitar
Lee 'The Bear' Kerslake - drums, vocals
Ken Hensley - keyboards, guitars, vocals

Produced by Gerry Bron
(P) Bronze Records Ltd. 1977

(P)(C) 1997, Castle Comunications PLC
Recorded and released in 1977
Essential ESMCD559


Uriah Heep - "Firefly" (1977) David Byron's increasing alcoholism had started to cause problems for the band, including several embarrassing incidents on stage on the tour in 1976. This, in addition to disagreements with the rest of the band made Byron leave in '76 and was soon followed by John Wetton. Byron was replaced by John Lawton who had earlier been in Lucifer's Friend, while Trevor Bolder took over the bass from Wetton. Although Lawton lacked the charisma and distinctive stamp of David Byron, he proved to be a strong and powerful singer as he'd already shown on several excellent albums by Lucifer's Friend. "Firefly" was a welcome return to the classic Heep-style that had made them big in the first place: atmospheric and melodic heavy rock with a slight progressive edge. They even dressed the album in a fantasy-like cover, although not designed by Roger Dean this time. The only update was that Hensley now had introduced tasty and intelligent use of 70's string-synths, adding a new dimension to their sound. The album opened with one of its most magic moments in "The Hanging Tree". The chorus on this song gives me goosebumps, especially when it's slowly faded out at the end. "Been Away too Long" is another great track, stuffed with great melodies, atmospheres and chord changes. "Who Needs Me" is the first of two cheerful and catchy hard rock tunes on the album ("Do You Know" was the other one), while the ballad "Wise Man" was released as the first single. "Rollin' On" is a cool and laidback track with a mid-part that sounds like it could have taken straight from "The Spell"! "Sympathy" was to my knowledge the second single from the album, and features a very beautiful and atmospheric guitar-theme. However, the title-track is the only song here to rival "The Hanging Tree" as the best. This is a progressive, melodic and atmospheric epic in the best Heep-tradition. Great melodies and riffs. "Firefly" is the best of Heep's post-Byron albums.


Uriah Heep - "Fallen Angel" (1978)Heep's last 70's release was another very commercial album, but it sounded at least much better, fresher and more lively than "Innocent Victim". Two of the tracks, "Love or Nothing" and the title-track even sounded like they could have been taken right from "Demons and Wizards" or "The Magician's Birthday"! The rest of the album consists of commercial but good, energetic and catchy songs, like the two opening tracks "Woman of the Night" and "Falling in Love". "Put Your Lovin' on Me" is a powerful mid-tempo track. "Come Back to Me" is a very slick but still enjoyable ballad. Even the disco-influenced "Whad' Ya Say" is listenable, thanks to its pure catchiness and energy. And the hard rocking "I'm Alive" reminds me strongly of Dio-era Rainbow. "One More Night" and "Save It" are both rather traditional lightweight boogie, but still better than all the other tracks in that style on "Innocent Victim". So the conclusion must be that this is a quite underrated Heep-album, but still too commercial to be a classic. It was also the last that could be counted as a real Heep-album as the band more or less broke up in the early 80's and left Mick Box as the only remaining member.