Sorry about that other poll, Cristi, if I didn't respond to it- I love Heep's music from most eras, but must have just missed it.
I'll take them in turn...
John Lawton- a supremely talented heavy rock/blues/soul vocalist. Sadly, he got some of the most lightweight material Heep ever recorded, and albums like 'Innocent Victim' and 'Fallen Angel' started to pall a bit for me as they were nowhere near as musically innovative or progressive as what went before. That said, 'Firefly' is still one of the best albums any incarnation of Heep ever recorded, and 'Come Back To Me' has an astonishing vocal performance. Lawton: 4/5
John Sloman- the most controversial singer in Heep, and possibly the most controversial singer in any rock act of the era. Certainly 'Conquest' has its moments ('No Return', 'Out On The Street', 'It Ain't Easy') but for the most part, it's rather weak when compared with any era of Heep. And if you love Heep, avoid Sloman's diabolical live renditions of songs like 'Free 'N' Easy' and 'Suicidal Man'. His vocal excesses most notable for supposedly contributing to Ken Hensley's leaving Heep (not sure how valid that claim is). Sloman: 2/5
Pete Goalby- a difficult singer to rate. Technically a first class singer in the Lou Gramm mould, and worked fairly well on the albums he was on. 'Abominog' and 'Head First' were excellent albums in terms of bridging NWOBHM sound of the time with AOR. But again, this era has little in common with the Heep of old and the most popular era, and Goalby seems to me to be the least distinctive vocalist the band had. Also, again he didn't take to the Byron era classics. Goalby: 3/5
Bernie Shaw- in terms of all round suitability for the job, Shaw is, as Easy Livin' (as ever) rightly says, the best since Byron. However much I like Lawton's voice, Shaw brought with him a renaissance aura, as the band went back to basics and cut some of their best work in ages, in fact more progressive than any era since the Byron one. Is unique amongst Heep singers in that no era (bar the Sloman one which was something of a faux pas, really) is beyond his grasp. In some respects he's an anthology of what made all the Heep singers tick. And 'Sea Of Light' and 'Sonic Origami'(perhaps the latter could have had a few tracks cut) are their best since 'Firefly'. Shaw: 4.5/5
The band's reluctance to do much concerning the new album situation has really disappointed me, however. Look on the 'Travellers In Time' board nowadays and every post more or less either runs down current Heep or Ken Hensley, for some reason. Little wonder I don't post there anymore, but I understand the frustration.
Edited by salmacis - August 05 2006 at 15:27