VERY 'EAVY...VERY 'UMBLE

"Very 'eavy...Very 'umble" is the debut full-length studio album by UK hard rock act Uriah Heep. The album was released in 1970 by Vertigo in the UK and by Mercury in the US. The latter version features an different cover artwork to the UK version. Uriah Heep are usually considered one of the great hard rock acts of the seventies and with this debut album it´s pretty obvious why.

The music is blues influenced hard rock. The biggest influences on the band´s sound are without a doubt Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Take the former´s bluesy hard rocking guitars and the latters omnipresent organ and you´re just about there. Songs like "Gypsy" and my favorite "Real Turned On" rocks IMO, but there are nice variation between the tracks and the ballad "Come Away Melinda" with added mellotron (at least that´s what it sounds like to me) and the ending track "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" points in a slightly progressive direction. Don´t mistake "Very 'eavy...Very 'umble" for a progressive rock album though. Expect hard rocking music on most of the tracks. The tracks are generally guitar driven but the distorted organ takes a prominant role in the music too.

The band are very well playing and I especially enjoy the distinct vocals by David Byron. He is such a powerful and skilled vocalist who can do many different things with his voice. I love it when he sings his really high notes. Artists like Rob Halford and King Diamond have surely listened to and learned from David Byron.

The production is good but not perfect.

"Very 'eavy...Very 'umble" is a good but slightly inconsistent debut album by Uriah Heep and 3 - 3.5 stars are deserved.