![]() To this day, many people assume their story ended somewhere around the time of those last handful of singles, but in reality, the band never really broke up. Tracks like “The Wizard” and “Easy Livin’” still pop up on classic rock radio playlists, but otherwise the band is mostly a footnote in rock ‘n’ roll history, at least in the western hemisphere. However, after that brilliant run, they experienced progressively dwindling album sales impacted by multiple personnel changes, lack of musical direction and a general drop off in the quality of their material.Įventually, Uriah Heep fell off the North American rock ‘n’ roll radar. They even had a trio of back-to-back-to-back releases destined to become classics of classic rock: Look at Yourself (1971), Demons and Wizards (1972), and The Magician’s Birthday (1972). (Having famed Yes album designer Roger Dean do a couple of Heep album covers didn’t hurt, either.) ![]() Uriah Heep had, as well, the bonus ability to transform their gutsy hard rock delivery into something that almost crossed the borderline into early prog rock territory. Best of all, the music seemed to make more sense the louder it was played, both in concert and on your basic home stereo. Most of those early godfathers of metal built their sound on similar elements: technically proficient instrumental chops, strong vocals, and obtuse lyrical content. ![]() This is somewhat interesting when one considers that, at the peak of their popularity, they were right in there with their more recognized rock ‘n’ roll brethren. Eventually, Uriah Heep will be mentioned as well, but found a little further down the list. Chances are the first names that come to mind will likely include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and the Who. ![]() Next time you’re shootin’ the breeze with a group of musically minded classic rock fans, try this: ask them to name the biggest English hard rock bands of the early 1970s. ![]()
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