Celebration, Forty Years Of Rock

Description

Creatively, Uriah Heep have had plenty of ups and downs over the years. Many fans of their early- to mid-70s output gave up on them in the late 70s, but even though Uriah Heep had more than their share of uneven albums in the 80s and 90s, you can never really count these guys out. Even if they record a weak or forgettable album, the next album might turn out to be pretty good. Celebration, it turns out, is a respectable addition to their sizable catalog. This release finds Uriah Heeps 2009 lineup lead singer Bernie Shaw, guitarist Mick Box, bassist Trevor Bolder, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, and drummer Russell Gilbrook revisiting a lot of songs from the bands early- to mid-70s heyday. Corridors of Madness and Only Human are new songs, and Between Two Worlds was originally recorded for 1998s Sonic Origami. But most of the songs that Uriah Heep revisit are from the David Byron era, including Gypsy from 1970s Very Eavy Very Umble, July Morning from 1971s Look at Yourself, and The Wizard and Easy Livin’ from 1972s Demons and Wizards. And if Shaw sounds perfectly comfortable belting out gems that the late Byron originally sang lead on, its no coincidence; Shaw has performed classics like Gypsy and The Wizard countless times with Uriah Heep on-stage since joining the band in 1986. None of these remakes are radically different from the original versions; Celebration, is, for the most part, a tribute to Uriah Heeps glory years. The results fall short of essential novices would be better off starting out with a collection of actual Byron-era recordings but even so, Celebration is still an enjoyable listen for die-hard fans of these prog-influenced metal/hard rock survivors. ~ Alex Henderson