Uriah Heep and the critics

So exactly what did UH do to back in the 1970s earn so much opprobrium from not just professional mainstream music reviewers - e. g. that "if this band makes it I'll commit suicide" remark in Rolling Stone's review of their debut LP - but also the underground press? The Swedish prog fanzine Musikens makt ("the power of music") basically singled them out - along with Sabbath and Zeppelin - as being the epitome of every way the genre was going in the wrong direction back in the mid-1970s.

I know that quite a few critics didn't really know what to make of the progressive rock movement and early heavy metal for that matter, which probably was to be expected. I'm just continually baffled by how much ire Uriah Heep drew even by the standards of a band with one foot in each of those styles. It's also possible that the 1960s/1970s rock scene had generation gaps form much more easily than today because how quickly everything could change back then.

Music critics talk bollocks. End of.

Even more headscratching: RS' initial review of Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny accused that of being a bad LZ knockoff too.

Wonder what became of the music critic who said this upon reviewing Uriah Heep debut LP? "If this band makes it i'll commit suicide"

The Dark Elf wrote: Rolling Stone Magazine...hence their preference for punk

I agree somewhat with what you say about David Byron,he was indeed very flamboyant.On some songs his voice is great,on other songs it's more like a screech.Wonder why Mick Box get's little or no recognition.I've always thought he was a great guitarist.Regardless i've always loved the band,but it's not a band everyone can love.

chopper wrote: As far as I remember, Heep were a bit of a laughing stock in the NMEs of this world, but then again so were Sabbath

Don't remember any contemporary review of Black Sabbath as scornful as that suicide comment by Melissa Mills, though. (and yes she did go on to have an illustrious reviewing career if I remember correctly)

I would have hoped that in the age of the internet that I need not remind people that "history of ..." books are not encyclopaedias documenting the definitive history of anything - they are as much subjective opinions as any hack review. (As we know, opinions are like elephants - every room has one...) In the world of Rock Journalism (where opinion is always presented as fact) it is impossible for them to present a history without prejudice and biased opinion, and in the 70s and beyond that opinion invariably elevates Led Zepp above all else as the progenitors and undisputed kings of heavy rock music. In these tomes even Deep Purple are portrayed as Johnny-come-lately bandwagon-jumpers who stand in the shadow of the mighty Zeppelin.  If the author didn't like the band or if there was a comparable band that the author preferred they rarely portrayed them in a positive light - impartiality is never a trait that we can attribute to rock journalists.

Edited by Dean - April 27 2014 at 14:32

Toaster Mantis wrote: (...) my own theory is indeed that Uriah Heep weren't very easy to pigeonhole into the glam-rock, prog/psych or heavy metal rival movements in the rock music of the day but I weren't there so I'm a bit cautious with laying down a thesis like that (...)

In 70s, Uriah Heep were considered as a hard rock band only.



Edited by Svetonio - April 27 2014 at 07:08

Svetonio wrote: Toaster Mantis wrote: (...) my own theory is indeed that Uriah Heep weren't very easy to pigeonhole into the glam-rock, prog/psych or heavy metal rival movements in the rock music of the day but I weren't there so I'm a bit cautious with laying down a thesis like that (...) In 70s, Uriah Heep were considered as a hard rock band only.

Heep may not be rated with the best progressive bands in Britain, but abroad – certainly in Germany – they are. Recently in a conglomeration of European magazines they were voted No. 1 underground band and No. 2 band for the future. And last year they sold more albums in Germany than any other band. But one would assume they would prefer more attention here.

Edited by Dean - April 27 2014 at 07:52