01	The Wizard						02:59
	02	Traveler In Time						03:25
	03	Easy Livin'						02:37
	04	Poet's Justice						04:15
	05	Circle Of Hands						06:25
	06	Rainbow Demon						04:25
	07	All My Life						02:44
	08	Paradise						05:10
	09	The Spell						07:31
	10	One Way Or Another						04:38
	11	Weep In Silence						05:06
	12	Misty Eyes						04:14
	13	Midnight						05:40
	14	Can't Keep A Good Band Down						03:38
	15	Woman Of The World						03:08
	16	Footprints In The Snow						03:56
	17	Can't Stop Singing						03:20
	18	Make A Little Love						03:26
	19	Confession						02:09

Demons & Wizards
May, 1972

Lineup:
Mick Box (G)
David Byron (LV)
Ken Hensley (K G)
Gary Thain (B)
Lee Kerslake (D)
Special Guest - Mark Clarke (lead vocal on bridge of The Wizard, bass on Why)


Overview - This has long been considered Heep's Magnum Opus, and with good reason. It's not just a set of great songs, but it's the chemistry between the musicians, the arrangements and performances, and the flow that make this album work so well. One of the best mixes of heavy electric with acoustic instruments ever. Every Classic Rock fan should have this album in their collection!! Grade: A+
To see the inside cover, visit the Original Liner Notes page!

1. The Wizard - Perfection. I dare you to name one other heavy metal band that could marry the heavy to the acoustic so well! (and don't Say Led Zep, cuz they didn't!!) Grade: A+

2. Traveller In Time - On this heavy rocker, Lee and Mick (whom I assume wrote the music), take us on a musical journey full of unexpected directions that hitherto only Brian Wilson had done. Grade: A+

3. Easy Livin' - The most famous and, if possible, most overplayed Heep track of all. One of the all-time great driving songs and a piece of Classic Rock History. Grade: A+

4. Poet's Justice - A more predictable piece, but a lovely arrangement, especially the harmony vocals and Ken's organ. Poetic lyrics indeed! Grade: A-

5. Circle of Hands - Musical Heaven! This song is second only to July Morning as quintessential Heep. One of my favorite two Heep songs, this gives me chills every time I hear it (at least once a week). The version on Live '73 is even better. Grade: A+

6. Rainbow Demon - Very powerful piece of music, despite its plodding pace and some occasionally over-the-top vocals by Dave. Heavy metal keyboards don't get any heavier than this! Superb performance by the band. Grade: A

7. All My Life - Fun rocker featuring Ken's slide. The band sounds like they're having a great time, especially Dave. I actually prefer this to Easy Livin'. Grade: A+

8. Paradise/The Spell - Paradise is very much in the vein of Circle Of Hands. It features David at his emotive best in another spine-tingling performance. The Spell is a lightweight rocker that could've been on Fallen Angel. Ken's piano playing stands out. Grade: A+

Why - (Bonus track - 'B' side of The Wizard (UK) and Easy Livin' (US)) This version is my favorite Heep song of all. It may also contain the greatest bass solo in rock history. Fantastic performance by the entire band on what is essentially a 7 minute jam. Grade: A+
note: Don't bother with the single edit as it cuts out 95% of the solo!

Home Again to You - (Bonus track) A decent rocker but it's obvious why it didn't make it past the demo stage, as the quality of the songwriting doesn't match the rest of the album. Still, it matches the quality of 90's hit music. That should say something about Heep! Grade: C+

Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf - (Bonus track from Time Of Revelation) A good band performance of the title track from Ken's first solo album, but David doesn't read this song nearly as well as Ken. It also misses the harmony vocals. Stick with the solo version. Grade: B+



Demons & Wizards
Original Liner Notes

Somebody left a space between our last American tour and our European trip and we used literally every second to put Demons And Wizards together.

Although the titles would suggest it, there is no magic in it - it's just a collection of our songs which we had a good time recording.

Gary Thain, formerly of Keef hartley, and Lee Kerslake have "completed" Uriah Heep, and we are happy and excited with the kind of re-energisation that's taking place.

We all want to say a big "thank you" to Gerry and to Peter and Ashley who shared our tribulations, and without whose help I would have nothing to write about!!

Hope you enjoy the album, because your pleasure is our best reward and it helps us to "keep on truckin'".

Thanks to Mel, Dell, Todd, and Pete for taking care of business.

Ken Hensley
March 1972




Demons & Wizards
Reissue Liner Notes
Demons & Wizards was Uriah Heep's fourth album and, like the previous three, was recorded at Lansdowne Studios in London's Holland Park. Unlike the previous albums, which were all recorded on 8 track, Demons & Wizards was the first soundbite to upgrade to 16 track.

With the Look At Yourself album charting in the UK and obtaining silver status in the USA the follow up album was to become a watershed release for the band.

In fact, during the aftermath of the Look At Yourself release the band was in a semi state of disarray with the departure of founder member and bassist Paul Newton and drummer Ian Clarke. Newton was replaced by one Mark Clarke (ex Colosseum and Tempest) and Lee Kerslake entered to take over the now vacant drumming position. Kerslake had previously worked with Ken Hensley and Paul Newton in The Gods prior to the formation of Heep. He had earlier declined an offer to join Uriah Heep (due to commitments with his then current project, The National Head Band). Mark Clarke proved unsuitable and departed after only three months, but not before co-writing The Wizard with Hensley. The band even laid The Wizard down on tape prior to his departure. Enter Gary Thain, a New Zealander who had already made a name for himself in musical circles with Keef Hartley and his band. Thain replaced Clarke mid-way through an American tour. Playing live had given the four Englishmen and the Kiwi time to gel and by the time they returned to the UK it was obvious this combination was also going to work in the studio. Work was completed on Demons & Wizards in early 1972 and was ready for a May release date. Thain and Kerslake completed what was to become the definitive and ground-breaking (especially in album sales) version of the band. Demons & Wizards was by far the best album the band had recorded to date; it was also the album that elevated their status into the superstar world of rock and roll giving them bone of the best selling albums of the year.

Packaging for the album was also deserving of praise with a cover and internal painting commissioned from Roger Dean. This was the first of only three sets of cover art by the talented and highly regarded Dean, the second painting gracing Heep's fifth album The Magician's Birthday. Dean did not provide album art for the band after these two albums until 1995 when the band's latest release Sea Of Light was released.

Dean's fantasy inspired artwork along with song titles like Rainbow Demon, The Wizard and Traveller In Time linked the band to mystical themes, although there was apparently never a conscious effort to create these themes. The album was described in the original sleeve notes by Ken Hensley as 'just a collection of our songs that we had a good time recording'. The album spawned two singles, The Wizard and Easy Livin' (backed either by the original album version of Gypsy, the non-album track Why, or All My Life, depending in which country it was released).

Easy Livin' entered the charts all over the world with the exception of the UK. The Wizard also obtained good sales and both singles helped put the album forward for an 11 week stay in the charts, peaking at number 20 in the UK. According to Hensley and Box, Demons & Wizards was the album that 'put them on the map'.

The original album contained nine tracks and was originally recorded and mastered for vinyl. What you have in your hands is the fully digitally re-mastered version of those original tracks. None of the original album material has been re-mixed, only remastered to the highest possible standard using the original first generation master tapes. We have however added relevant songs recorded during the Demons & Wizards sessions. Some of these have been mixed recently and are available for the very first time on this release.

The original b-side single version of Why was first released on CD in 1991 on Rarities From The Bronze Age (Sequel NEX CD 184) and remastered in August 1995. The long version was recorded during the Demons & Wizards sessions early 1972. It is from this version that the single b-side version is edited. This recording was mixed and mastered for the first time in 1995. This version previously unreleased. Why was however first recorded in 1971 during the Look At Yourself sessions, although only as a studio jam (an 11 minute epic). The 11 minute version was first released in 1993 on the CD The Lansdowne Tapes (Red Steel RMC CD0193).

The flip side of Easy Livin', Why was only previously available on single (before Rarities, most copies of which are now old and scratchy (in my case completely worn out). It was a track I believe to be one of the best they ever did. The song was one of the few to include the writing credits of the original bass player Paul Newton. According to Mick and Ken, "One day when the band were in the studio jamming we started palying Why. We all liked the song so much that we kept on playin it... for 14 minutes, after which we ran out of steam." The original title therefore was Why Fourteen Minutes? The band later used the song to stitch up their road crew during a concert in Belgium. The crew were ready for the band to finish with their usual encore Gypsy but the band feeling they wanted a change decided to play something different. Out of the bag came Why... and it lasted the same time as a live version of Gypsy... 14 minutes!

Home Again To You was a demo recorded during the Demons & Wizards sessions. Although not typical Heep, it is an interesting number showing a bluesey side to the band. This recording was mixed and mastered in 1995. Previously unreleased song.

c 1991, 1995 Robert M. Corich





Demons & Wizards
Artist Comments
Ken Hensley 1989 | Mick Box 1995 | Ken Hensley 1995
KEN HENSLEY
1989

The band was really focused at that time. We all wanted the same thing, were all willing to make the same sacrifices to achieve it and we were all very committed. It was the first album to feature that line-up and there was a magic in that combination of people that created so much energy and enthusiasm.

...The important thing with Demons & Wizards was that up until that point we'd really concentrated on the European market and it was Easy Livin' that first got us into the American charts, opening up a new phase in our career.



MICK BOX
On tour in Germany Sept. 23, 1995

This was a really important album for us, as it really did put us on the world stage. It has since taken us to over 41 countries and with songs like Easy Livin', written by Ken, it made a huge impact and is requested everywhere we have travelled since its release. This album was our first visit into the world of fantasy lyrics and this seemed to capture everyone's imagination. Along with the Roger Dean inspired artwork, we felt for the first time we really had the total package, with the music and artwork totally in synch. We felt on completion of this album a lot of excitement and that things were going to explode for us in a big way; this proved to be correct as we constantly toured places we had previously only dreamed of. This re-mastered CD version is a must for fans old and new and I am still very proud of it.



KEN HENSLEY
St. Louis, USA Sept. 23, 1995

People often ask me what my favourite Heep record is and, though it's impossible for me to have one clear favourite, Demons & Wizards will always be special to me. It was a time of great creative harmony iwthin the band and features many musical high points. I can remember this time period very graphically and still enjoy listening to Demons & Wizards, particularly since the CD re-issue lost none of the original atmosphere.






High & Mighty
May, 1976

Mick Box (G)
David Byron (LV)
Ken Hensley (K G V)
John Wetton (B K V)
Lee Kerslake (D)


Overview - A vastly underrated album, due to lighter arrangements than Heep fans are used to. While most fans feel there's too much softness and not enough rock, I beg to differ. The arrangements are heavily influenced by John Wetton, as well as Ken, and create a much more mystical atmosphere than had been heard since The Magician's Birthday. While I do find a couple of weaker tracks, the songwriting is abolutely superb and some are so gorgeous that if they don't bring tears to your eyes, nothing will!

This was the last album with David Byron (and John Wetton as well) and was their last charting album for 6 years. Grade: A
note: Want to hear the album in the order as it should've been released? Try substituting the bonus tracks: Name Of The Game for Woman Of The World and Sundown for Can't Stop Singing. These are two of the best bonus tracks in the entire reissue series.

1. One Way Or Another - An excellent rocker featuring John and Ken on lead vocals (John on verses and chorus, Ken on the bridge). Hot riff matched with a great melody line. I love the harmonies at the end. Interestingly, this song has no chorus! Grade: A+

2. Weep In Silence - Lovely melancholy ballad with a great band performance; everyone plays and sings with great emotion. I love John's mellotron on this song. Grade: A

3. Misty Eyes - A beautiful solo intro by David gentle mid-tempo rocker that works well. Again, excellent harmonies and acoustical arrangement, although less mood changes and emotion. While this is a good song by itself, it lacks the progressiveness of earlier Heep and sounds a little lackluster sandwiched between Weep In Silence and Midnight. Grade: A-

4. Midnight - One of Heep's best ballads ever. A lush intro featuring Mick on top of John's Mellotron. David sings his best on the quieter sections while John's bass playing is more melodic than usual. The half-speed break is one of the most gorgeous sections of any Heep song. Grade: A+

5. Can't Keep a Good Band Down - Side 2 starts off with another good riff rocker, with Ken providing the riff on synth! A fun, if simple, rocker. Grade: A-

6. Woman of the World - This starts off promisingly but quickly turns into a dance hall piece. There are good sections, including some Beatle-esque harmonies but as a whole this song isn't quite up to normal Heep quality. Grade: B-

7. Footprints in the Snow - This haunting piece is the best song on the album, sounding like it came straight off Demons & Wizards, not only in its arrangement but in its mood as well. David is outstanding in his use of emotion. Grade: A+

8. Can't Stop Singing - This is the worst thing Heep did with David. Simple pop that reminds me of Elton John during his Little Jeanie period. The only thing that redeems this song is the wonderful break. Grade: C+

9. Make a Little Love - Another hot rocker with (finally!) some great slide work from Ken. Although it sounds slightly dated today (especially the backing keyboards), the band boogies with intensity. Ken's fills are some of the best he ever did. Grade: A

10. Confession - One of the prettiest ballads Ken ever wrote. This short piece is essentially Dave with Ken on piano and the guys on bgv's. Beautiful. Grade: A+

Name of the Game - (Bonus track) This track merges Gypsy with Pilgrim and was probably too heavy(?!) for the album. Too bad as it's traditional Heep in a great way and as good as, if not better than, the songs that were released. David and Mick are both standouts on this song. Grade: A+

Sundown - (Bonus track) A little quirky but who cares? This rocker is great fun as the band lets loose and tries some new things. One of the more rhythmic pieces that Heep has done. Grade: A




High & Mighty
Reissue Liner Notes

High And Mighty was Uriah Heep's ninth studio album. Released in May 1976, it was the second of two albums to include bassist John Wetton in the band. John Wetton had previously played in Family, King Crimson and Roxy Music. He was later to gain mega fame and fortune in one of the biggest grossing acts of the eighties, Asia.

By 1975, Uriah Heep were big business for the Bronze Records empire. The band had headlined all over the world, attained incredible album sales and were viewed as one of the premier rock acts of the day. The public loved them and the press as always vilified them. The band, however, had more than their share of bad luck and misfortune. Gary Thain had recently been replaced by John Wetton and in the aftermath of his firing, subsequently died as a result of drug abuse. Sadly, he died just after the release of Return To Fantasy, the first album he had not participated on since he joined in 1972. Gary's departure from the band was prompted by his substance abuse and consequent ill health, however, he was not the only one on whom the playground of alcohol and drugs was having an effect. David Byron, known to have a few drinks to calm the nerves before shows, was, by the time High And Mighty was recorded, becoming a problem to the normal operation of the band through his overuse of alcohol. Return To Fantasy had been a huge success (the biggest selling album to date in the UK) and the band were keen to follow up the release with new product. Recording took place at The Roundhouse studio (the new Bron recording home) in the summer of 1976, and for the first time since they had been together, they did not involve Gerry Bron as producer. For better or for worse, the album was quite different from anything they had tried before. Essentially it was a nice but rather lightweight album for Heep. The band went out on tour to promote the new product, taking in the USA. It was here that big problems began to surface within the band. David Byron was getting out of control at some of the concerts, and it was having an adverse effect on the band, to say the least. A decision was made to fire the lead singer in summer 1976. With the band down to four members after losing what many people considered to be an irreplaceable frontman, the future of the band was in a precarious state. 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 bass player. The 'band of bands' had definitely reached the end of an era. In 1976 it really did look as if the mighty had fallen. As we now know, the band made an incredible resurrection, but that part of the story will have to wait...

c Robert M. Corich


Bonus Tracks
Name Of The Game - Previously unreleased version, originally recorded during the High And Mighty sessions. This version never made the album, which was a pity because it was better than much of the material that did end up on the record. The song did make its release debut on the Ken Hensley solo release From Time To Time (Red Steel - RMCCD0195) in 1994. The version included here, unlike the solo release which was recorded in 1979-80, features the complete band. This version was mixed in November 1995 and re-mastered in July 1996.

Sundown - Previously unreleased song from the High And Mighty sessions. A quirky good fun number. A rough mix was done from the tapes we found, and it then sat "pending" a suitable project. This version was mixed in November 1995 and re-mastered in July 1996.



High & Mighty
Artist Comments
David Byron | John Wetton | Mick Box | Ken Hensley
PRESS RELEASE
early July 1976

"It was felt by the rest of the group that they could no longer reconcile David's attitude with their own and so we had to act in what we considered to be the best interests of Uriah Heep," says Gerry Bron. "David has been informed of the decision and he will have complete freedom of contract to pursue his own career."



DAVID BYRON
Reading, UK, July 17, 1976

It came as no surprise because I'd heard earlier. We had a meeting last Monday morning at about eleven o'clock, and that's when it was decided that we couldn't go on together and by that time the press release had gone out. It had actually gone out at the time I was having a private meeting with the band.

...About six months ago things were beginning to strain - not the music or on any personal level between anybody in the band and myself, or really the band. We're very very close people, but with five very strong personalities and characters sometimes we had to agree to disagree.

Although on some issues we'd agree to disagree it got to a point about six months ago where I was having very heavy doubts about the way the band was being lead by the people that organize it - I'm trying to be very delicate here - by the people that organized the band. The people that put it out on the road, look after us on the road, when we're at home, and who organize us in the studio.

We never really had a chance to talk about the way we were presenting ourselves on stage and which direction we should go in either record-wise or tour-wise. It was getting more and more frustrating because there were lots and lots of radical changes that I wanted to make, which at certain times everybody had agreed with. Obviously something happened along the line where they felt that I wasn't going to change my opinion because I'm a strong-minded person, but they felt they wanted to carry on where they were.

...Basically, they were changes in the organization part of the band. I thought people had lost, maybe rightfully so, a little faith in us over the last eighteen months or two years because, although the group are very fortunate in that they can sell out concerts all over the world, the record sales have dwindled.

Our last album, High And Mighty, really hasn't done anything and doesn't look like doing anything in America either.

To me the people who are behind you, the managers, agents, publishing men, promotion men should, and do, all sit down and discuss anything from the design of an album cover, the way you're going to approach the next tour, the backdrop, the kind of effects you might use, the way you're going to use the songs, TV promotion of an album, radio promotion, free competitions all kinds of things to promote the product and the group.

A perfect example was the release of High And Mighty. I was arguing frantically with the management about doing TV advertising which we did with our last album, Return To Fantasy, which went into the charts at No. 7. I was told that ?10,000, which is what it would cost, was a helluva lot of money to spend on TV advertising. Yet we took about thirty journalists, on a chartered plane, to somewhere in the bloody mountains in Switzerland. That cost nearly ten grand! We got absolutely no mileage out of that at all.

A couple of years ago I said that the band should go and live in America; and there were two members who could not, for one reason or another, face the prospect of uprooting and going to live in America. A year later they were saying 'For christ's sake why didn't we go and live in America'!

I just sat back in my chair and bashed my head saying: 'J*** C***...' But that's the kind of person I am and that's really what fixed me over the album. Occaisonally the frustrations were so bad that one might say the wrong things. My frustrations were building to the point where maybe sometimes my temperament has overshot what I've been doing at the time and maybe I've done a bad show.

If you're an organist, a bass player, a guitarist or a drummer, with all due respect, you can do a bad show and get away with it. When you were where I was and you do one thing wrong, say one word out of place - you happen to say 'f***' when you shouldn't or talk when you shouldn't - then somebody's going to come up afterwards and say 'you shouldn't do that'.

...We could literally get to America and not know where we were playing...Need I say more? That's the kind of organization we've been stuck with for three or four years.



JOHN WETTON
August 21, 1976

It was great for about the first six months. Unfortunately, the rot had already set into Heep. I can only call it complacency at not having to work for it any more...I don't really want to get into a mudslinging match because I like them too much as people. I didn't want to get involved with the machinations of getting the band back on the road, because it would mean upsetting too many people I don't want to upset. I'd rather not be part of it and start again, a fresh, clean new career.

I hope they can make a go of it, but they never would have been able to with me. I never seemed to fit somehow. I was a bad influence if anything. I introduced too much musicality into the group. I tried to keep it simple, but it didn't work, and the other members withdrew into themselves. The only one who came forward was Ken Hensley, because he took the initiative of grabbing the group by the scruff of the neck, but you need a concerted effort from five people to do that. And unfortunately, I was taking the group the wrong way.

I don't want to sound big-headed, but I'm very, ummm, influential if I'm working with somebody - I can influence to a great degree. And I was just wrong for the group. They didn't need a guy like me."

...Joining Heep did me a world of good. It got my music over to a hell of a lot of people who would never have heard of me otherwise. But I was wrong for the group, although it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Looked at logically, from their point of view, Wonderworld was the first album that wasn't gold for a long, long time. So they thought, 'Ah, it must be Gary - get ourselves a really musical bass player who has a strong personality and that will sort the problem out.' It didn't. Just chemically, it was wrong.

We were on the road too much to realise it. You only noticed when you had time to sit back and look at it. In recording, it really comes to a head, and I think we knew when we were doing the last album - which I was very happy with, but it wasn't a Heep album, unfortunately. It wasn't a group playing; the group would put down a backing track and the Kenny and myself do the overdubs. I couldn't resist it.

My bent, if you'll pardon the expression is to do those things. I wasn't trying to take the group over in any way, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Unfortunately, my personality makes me do that - makes me want to contribute a lot to a record. If nobody says stop, I just carry on. We honestly thought at the end of it that it was the best album the group had made. But it didn't sell very well, because it wasn't Uriah Heep.

So, rather than get involved with the whole mish-mash of putting it back together, while still retaining my on musicality, I opted out.

Record Collector Magazine
December 1999

One day I did Let's Stick Together with Bryan Ferry and another one that morning and then High and Mighty with Uriah Heep in the afternoon.

About joining Heep: I knew their drummer Lee Kerslake. He called me and said Gary Thain had left. But I was still looking for an opening with a band like King Crimson. I wasn't going to sit at home waiting, though,'cos if you do that the phone wont ring and the one thing that Heep had was camaraderie. It was so strong - 5 people against the world. So I was disappointed in the way they turned their back on Dave (Byron) when he died. At his funeral, there was nobody from the band other than me and his agent.



MICK BOX
Flying somewhere between London - Kuala Lumpur - Sydney
November 1995

This album was the first to be produced by the band, and I think it became a very lightweight Heep album. I really enjoy listening to Weep In Silence and Footprints In The Snow, but I feel we lacked any real hard rock numbers though the overall flavour of the album worked well. It is one of those albums I would call a grower. John Wetton even had a lead vocal on One Way Or Another. We were fairly experimental in the recording and at one point David was singing through Lee's drum floor tom with a mic underneath it, and our manager, Gerry Bron, came into the studio and saw what we were doing, declared that we were all mad and walked out. Another time, we sent David down to the echo room (a cellar in the basement of the studio) to record some vocals, and once he had recorded his part we moved on to other things in the heat of creativity..... and left him there for three or four hours. He was screaming at the top of his voice for help, left him there for three or four hours. He was screaming at the top of his voice for help, which we didn't hear until we accidentally moved his vocal fader up on the mixing desk.

This album does have some lovely moments, and I hope you enjoy this remastered version and the bonus tracks too.



KEN HENSLEY
November 1995

To me, High And Mighty represents a musical high in my time with Heep. Not a personal one, mind you, but definitely a musical one. We had decided to produce it ourselves which more or less guaranteed Gerry wouldn't like it, and in retrospect, this was probably a mistake. It is not a "typical" Heep album and I have no problem with that though the record companies and some of our fans obviously did. I think creativity is to be encouraged, not stifled, and, well, I could go on! But I won't! There are some really interesting musical moments, and John Wetton really contributed to the arrangements, which are vastly different from anything we had tried before... or since. This made it an interesting album to record and to produce. I was given (took?) the responsibility for most of the writing and production so it was sort of inevitable that I would play with it a bit. Weep In Silence is my favourite track, but I like all of them. Biased opinion? Of course it is... what else would you expect?









Demons And Wizards (p) 1972 Bronze
High And Mighty (p) 1976 Bronze

Uriah Heep - "Demons and Wizards" (1972) Heep finally found a stable rhythm section when bassist Gary Thain and drummer Lee Kerslake joined the band, and this proved to be the ultimate Heep line-up. The first album by this line-up is probably also Heep's most perfect moment ever. The band had developed a unique style of heavy rock on "Demons and Wizards" that combined acoustic melodies with heavy riffs, the most powerful B3-organ sound around, the usual Heep-vocal-harmonies and fantasy lyrics. "Circle of Hands" is easily one of their best songs ever, with a great melody and the earlier mentioned organ-sound in front of the sound. The merciless drive and energy of "Easy Livin'" became the best-known moment of the album, followed by the melodic "The Wizard". "Poet's Justice" is another great example for the band's newfound style of mixing strong melodies with heaviness. It also features a dramatic break in the middle with awesome playing by all members in the band. The sinister "Rainbow Demon" is probably the heaviest track here, and features one of Hensley's coolest lyrics ever. "Traveller in Time" is next to "The Wizard" probably the best example they ever recorded of their combination of acoustic, melodic softness and heavy riffs. The two last tracks floats into each other and creates the most progressive part of the album. "Paradise" is an acoustic, atmospheric and mystical track that glides into the complex "The Spell" that features awesome atmospheres and melodies. There's not a dead spot here at all, and overall this was Heep's strongest album. It's a classic that should be in any 70's fans collection.


Uriah Heep - Demons & Wizards

Released: 1972/2001
Label: Sanctuary Records Group / Castle
Cat. No.: CMTCD172
Total Time: 38:20


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, June 2002
At this point in their career Uriah Heep had gone relatively unnoticed and unappreciated by the music buying masses, and they were unfairly criticized by the so called critics. This album became their stepping stone to rock and roll immortality. Demons And Wizards showed the world just what they were capable of and then some. They found the right mixture of progressive rock to hang on to their core audience and just enough mainstream sound to have a hit single to put them over the top to get them the exposure to a new audience that they so desperately needed. This album offered an awesome combination that proved unequivocally that they were here to stay, and it allowed them to dig in their heels to become on of the best rock bands in the world. They already were one of the best; it just took this album for more people to notice.

"The Wizard" starts things off with a nice rhythmic acoustic guitar that works its way up to full-fledged rocker complete with swirling organ, pumping rhythm section, and big fat power chords on lead guitar. UH sounded metal, gothic, and progressive all in one fell swoop on this track. It was an exciting blood pumping start, and the energy would be maintained steadily throughout the recording session. "Easy Livin" was the first big hit single that raised some eyebrows and turned some heads. UH was on their way. "Circle Of Hands" and "Paradise/The Spell" are both prog-rock classics given a new sound that's fresh and full of vibrancy. This is an extraordinary remaster by Castle and Sanctuary Records that to date has no equal. It's such a nice tribute to the band and befitting their crowning achievement. I think there were many more albums before this one that deserved as much attention, although it's hard to argue just how important this release was to the group's place in history and their continuing popularity. I listened very closely several times to this and I don't remember it sounding so good. I had the vinyl version back in the seventies and enjoyed it; this goes beyond anything I could have hoped for. No doubt this has to fall into the top 100 rock and roll albums of all time.

More about Demons & Wizards:

Track Listing: The Wizard (2:59) / Traveller in Time (3:26) / Easy Livin' (2:37) / Poet's Justice (4:14) / Circle of Hands (6:27) / Rainbow Demon (4:30) / All My Life (2:46) / Paradise/The Spell (12:41)

Musicians:
David Byron - Vocals
Ken Hensley - Keyboards, Vocals
Mick Box - Guitar
Lee Kerslake - Drums
Gary Thain - Bass



Uriah Heep - Demons And Wizards
Release Date: 1972

Track Listing
1) The Wizard (Hensley/Clarke) 2.59
2) Traveller In Time (Byron/Box/Kerslake) 3.26
3) Easy Livin' (Hensley) 2.36
4) Poet's Justice (Box/Kerslake/Hensley) 4.14
5) Circle Of Hands (Hensley) 6.34
6) Rainbow Demon (Hensley) 4.30
7) All My Life (Box/Byron/Kerslake) 2.46
8) Paradise/The Spell (Hensley) 12:41

Member: Thekouderwunz - 05/03/03
Arguably on the greatest albums of the Seventies, Uriah Heep's Demons And Wizards was the artier counterbalance to their virtuostic cousins, Deep Purple and much more concise then Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. But despite the praise, metal bands of the Seventies rarely if ever got any good reviews with the press, and being that Uriah Heep was a combination of what later groups, Queensryche and King's X would later be christened "progressive metal", they were doublely cursed as for their long winded theatrics would prove to doom the band as they were about to take flight.

The band's fourth album Demons And Wizards is an opus amongst both metal and progressive rock enthusiasts, as for lead singer David Byron with the exception of Ian Gillian, may have had the best set of pipes of all of the metal singers, backed with the most innovative of the Heep line-ups: Mick Box on guitar, Ken Henseley on keyboards/guitar, bass phenom Gary Thain and drummer Lee Kerkslake, which might not have had Deep Purples chops, but proved to be as influential in the long run. Like most of the great progressive rock bands of the time, Uriah Heep on their fourth album struck gold as for the band's mystical lyrics were now put to musicians that drove the music to Sabbath like dirge to Tull induced power ballads.

From beginning to end, Demons and Wizards is a FIVE STAR classic, with no weal song amongst its set, the best being the album's epic closer "Paradise/The Spell" which ranks with the best not only within the metal world but prog as well.

Charles





Uriah Heep - "High and Mighty" (1976) The last Heep-album to feature David Byron on vocals is their most underrated ever, and in my opinion a much better and more interesting album than "Return to Fantasy". Instead of traditional and tired boogie-riffs that you've heard a thousand times before, they now focused on strongly melodic tracks. But there was of course still a fair amount of hard rockers here. The opening track "One Way or Another" is a great and energetic track sung by John Wetton. I think the way he starts each verse in a high falsetto is very cool. "Can't Keep a Good Band Down" was a kick in the balls to all the braindead critics who had panned Heep from day one, and is one of their catchiest tracks ever. The album features some very strong melodies in "Weep in Silence", "Confession" and the great, progressive ballad "Midnight". The latter also featured some Mellotron from Wetton. "Misty Eyes" is another winner, with an airy and very progressive-sounding organ and some incredible catchy melodies. And "Footprints in the Snow" is a Heep-classic as good and typical Heep as it can get. The album also featured some tracks that were rather untypical for the band. "Woman of the World" experimented with Beatles-like harmonies and "I Can't Stop Singing" was a very campy pop-tune. But personally I enjoy both these tracks. This was a much more graceful way for David Byron to end his career with Uriah Heep than what many people wants it to be.




Name Of The Game (Hensley)

Here comes trouble in the shape of a lady
She started cool but now she's coming around daily
She's got some big ideas about being my baby
It's her game with the name of love

Now she's sure pretty that I have to confess
But no five-star fox is getting me in a mess
Let's buy a ring, she says, let's go out and get blessed
It's her game and she calls it love

Rock & Roll rules my soul
Pushing everything and everyone to one side
But when it all grows old
The chill's still cold
When I sing with my sweet guitar
When I sing with my sweet, my sweet guitar

Don't waste your tears on me, go cry in the river
What you need I ain't about to deliver
I'm my own man and that's how I'm going to stay
'Cause music is the name of the game

Rock & Roll rules my soul
Pushing everything and everyone to one side
But when it all grows old
The chill's still cold
While I sing with my sweet guitar
While I sing with my sweet, my sweet guitar (repeat to fade w/ vocal adlib)


Sundown (Hensley)

I'll see you at sundown
You can't back out now
The news is all over town

I'll see you at sundown
And they can put one of us
In a hole in the ground, oh yeah

Now it's three in the afternoon
And I'm frightened to death waiting for you in the saloon
I wonder if he feels the same
For whoever wins there's still a cowboy to blame

Sundown, give me some strength
I know I can't go it alone
Sundown, give me your strength
Give me a chance to go home
To go home

Well even if I shouldn't win
And I'm frightened to death when it's in it again
I hear the reverend feels it's a sin
(I'll get on my horse and ride)
For whoever wins he's going to carry the blame

Sundown, give me some strength
I know I can't go it alone oh
Sundown, give me your strength
Give me a chance to come home
(repeat to fade w/ vocal adlib)