The Albums of 1971: Uriah Heep: Look At Yourself

 

Release Date: September 1971

Active Members: David Byron (lead vocals); Ken Hensley (guitars, vocals); Mick Box (guitars); Paul Newton (bass); Ian Clark (drums)

Produced by Gerry Bron

Track List: Look At Yourself; I Wanna Be Free; July Morning; Tears in My Eyes; Shadows of Grief; What Should Be Done; Love Machine

Uriah Heep's second release of 1971, Look At Yourself is heavy on the keyboards, I wonder if Christopher Walken was in the studio calling for more keyboards? Not only are the song titles sophomoric, the lyrics are equally inane. Opening track "Look At Yourself" is nonsensical and headache inducing. "I Wanna Be Free" is strictly Spinal Trap territory, "bring a silver horse to carry me away" indeed. "July Morning" goes on way too long and is unwieldy (the song led to a July 1 national holiday in Bulgaria.) "Tears in My Eyes" aspires to be a rocker but never clears orbit. "Shadows of Grief" is over eight minutes, the musical equivalent of a jumbo order of nachos you would get at a Speedway at 1:30 in the AM on a Tuesday. "What Should Be Done" is a bright spot on the record, the studio theatrics being taken down a few notches. And the unfortunately titled "Love Machine" is about as soulful as the HAL 9000 crooning in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The Albums of 1971: Uriah Heep: Salisbury

Release Date: February 12, 1971

Active Members: David Byron (lead vocals); Ken Hensley (guitars, vocals); Mick Box (guitars); Paul Newton (bass); Keith Baker (drums)

Produced by Gerry Bron

Track List: Bird of Prey; The Park; Time to Live; Lady in Black; High Priestess; Salisbury

Still going strong after 50+ years as a band, Uriah Heep has built a loyal international fan base. While never a critical favorite (rock critics in the 70s competed over who could write the more scathing review) through non-stop touring of 150-200 shows a year and sheer determination Uriah Heep has endured through the decades. They have a new record set to come out later this year. 

Uriah Heep's music crosses different sub genres of rock including Hard Rock, Metal, Folk Rock, and Progressive Rock. Salisbury was their second album after their hard rocking debut "Very Eavy, Very Umble." Their sophomore effort featured what would become their trademark sound: bombastic vocals, with muscular keyboards and guitars. 

My favorite track is "High Priestess," melodic with some heavy guitar riffs. "Bird of Prey" the opening track is a classic example of hard rock. "The Park" is folk rock with a jazzy interlude in the middle. I'm an agnostic when it comes to prog-rock, I neither love nor despise it. While "Time to Live" and "Lady Black" have hokey lyrics, they are never boring. The final track "Salisbury" runs 16 minutes and prog rock in all its glory - it may test your patience. 

In David Simonelli's Working Class Heroes: Rock Music and British Society in the 1960s and 1970s he devoted a chapter to Progressive Rock and identifies two traditions: the Apollonian influence that tends to focus on fantasy and utopia while the Dionysian side is more existential and dystopic. The always eye catching album covers of Prog bands support that interpretation. Prog Rock was also distinctly English, having little interest in working class vibe of early rock music:

They seemed more interested in bringing traditional English values into rock music, as if they wanted to tame it, to make it respectable and comfortable as art. . . In short, progressive rock represented the mainstreaming of rock music in British culture, an unconscious effort to make it acceptable . . . to middle class audiences (159-160).

I suspect the perceived tempering of rock music is why critics reacted so negatively to bands like Uriah Heep, they made rock safe and took away the edge and even revolutionary potential the music once promised. In their defense, Uriah Heep and the musicians they've influenced provided good times for millions. That will be something to reckon with as I continue explore these albums from 1971, popular music seemingly at a crossroads and in conflict over its very purpose with fans, critics, and the culture in general.

Work Cited:

Simonelli, David. Working Class Heroes: Rock Music and British Society in the 1960s and 1970s. Lexington: Lexington Books, 2013.