Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Uriah Heep
Label: Bronze Records
Released: 1973
Rating: 5/5
This is the heavenly album that most music critics still rank among the greatest “live rock” albums of all time. Last day of the tour, last chance: they walked on stage on that Friday night, back in January 1973, and set Birmingham Town Hall on fire. Although every edition of this musical monument says “recorded during the tour of Great Britain”, the whole recording was actually taken in one piece from Birmingham. You won’t believe it, but the remaster offers an even more precise split of keyboards and guitar between the right and left speakers, plus the backing vocal lines, which sound even lovelier and clearer than on the 1996 remaster. The backing vocals, without which you simply can’t imagine the cosmic Uriah Heep of the seventies, always stand out in July Morning, Sunrise and Tears In My Eyes.
After a short opening tune-up, which was a trademark of the band’s live shows at the time, Uriah Heep send the listener straight to the stars with Sunrise. Three minutes of fantastic magic give you a direct look at just how determined, confident, committed and downright grandiose Uriah Heep sounded in their classic lineup, hey, almost 31 years ago. The chemistry that worked so brilliantly in the studio worked on stage with undiminished intensity too. The five of them breathed perfectly as one unit. This album doesn’t just serve up plenty of scorching rock moments that will have you spinning on your heels right away; there’s a special magic caught in it. An unrepeatable, unique magic, part of the personality of Uriah Heep back then. Above all, it’s their duality that feels so good. On one side, they gave themselves over to straight-ahead, uncompromising, hard-hitting rock arrogance; on the other, they added to that sphere a refined touch full of sensitive sophistication, which they were able to radiate and bring to life so sincerely as artists.
The guys were in great spirits that night, so the whole album oozes relaxation and spontaneity. Ken’s massive organ, as a counterweight to Mick’s sharp wah-wah riffing, builds a huge wall of sound together, while Lee’s drumming, full of big swings, in great conversation with the always melodic, sparkling bass lines of the “New Zealand kiwi” Gary Thain, makes a fantastic contrasting counterweight to that front line. And of course, ever present is the irreplaceable voice of David Byron and his wild, fully immersed stage performance, which always put the singer at the center of the action, the focus of the band. The charismatic frontman was without a doubt the central figure of Uriah Heep on stage.
The album is wound up like the devil himself! Uriah Heep drop bomb after bomb. A bomb whether its weight leans toward the more straight-ahead rock stance (Easy Livin’, Traveller In Time, the hardest of them all Love Machine, and Tears In My Eyes with Ken’s fantastic slide guitar) or toward the cosmic, ethereal and dreamy side (Sunrise, the grandiose suite July Morning and Circle Of Hands). Even the close of the concert is “spiced up” right to the end. With the Rock’n’Roll Medley, a tribute to E. Presley, C. Berry and the like…, where Mick stands out with his spontaneous choice of improvised solo bits. Among the highlights of “Live ’73”, besides July Morning, you absolutely have to mention the version of Gypsy, which actually combines everything Uriah Heep were in their golden era. It combines the band’s progressive stance, always exploring in their own way. It captures hard-hitting heavy rock riffing and a psychedelic, adventurous instrumental middle section, and before the song’s exit, Heep added, as the dot on the “i”, a drum solo by Lee Kerslake of a little over two minutes. Uriah Heep are without a doubt the band that, live, carries the listener most convincingly into a world of fairy tales and other mystical stories of a lush imagination. Just close your eyes and you’ll surely find yourself in a wonderland.
Ah, I almost forgot the point of the remaster! It includes a bonus CD with a 20-minute medley that was originally meant for promotional radio play back in those days, with live versions of Something Or Nothing, I Won’t Mind, Look At Yourself and Gypsy. The bonus CD also has a similar medley that was meant to be played on TV stations. That batch of songs was later released as “Live At Shepperton ’74” with exactly the same setlist as on the original vinyl (without the bonus Sweet Freedom, which is on the 1997 remaster of “Live At Shepperton ’74”). Even though the bonus CD doesn’t offer anything special or never heard before, in its new sonic shape it also sounds different from the original, which should grab the attention of all true Uriah Heep diehards.
Lineup
David Byron – vocals
Ken Hensley – keyboards, backing vocals
Mick Box – guitar, backing vocals
Gary Thain – bass guitar, backing vocals
Lee Kerslake – drums, backing vocals
Production
Gerry Bron
Track list
1. Sunrise (3:50)
2. Sweet Lorraine (4:27)
3. Traveller In Time (3:20)
4. Easy Livin’ (2:43)
5. July Morning (11:23)
6. Tears In My Eyes (4:34)
7. Gypsy (13:32)
8. Circle Of Hands (8:47)
9. Look At Yourself (5:57)
10. The Magician’s Birthday (1:15)
11. Love Mchine (3:07)
12. Rock ‘N’ Roll Medley (8:17)
Album length: 71:12
BONUS TRACKS ON THE 2003 REMASTERED EDITION:
The Radio Show:
1. Something Or Nothing
2. I Won’t Mind
3. Look At Yourself
4. Gypsy
The Film Mixes:
5. Easy Livin’
6. So Tired
7. I Won’t Mind
8. Something Or Nothing
9. The Easy Road
10. Stealin’
11. Love Machine
12. Rock and Roll Medley
