URIAH HEEP - LIVE

There are many fine live albums, "Yessongs", "Made in Japan (Deep Purple)", "Welcome back my friends" (ELP) etc, but arguably the finest of them all is "Uriah Heep live 1973".

Despite numerous well documented problems which meant that it very nearly never happened, everything fell into place for the band for this recording. The line up is the classic one - Box/Byron/Hensley/Kerslake/Thain, with each member of the band attaining top form. There is some doubt as to whether the tracks included here were all taken from the same concert, but there's no obvious indication that subsequent overdubbing has been undertaken.

There are so many highlights to the album, I could wax lyrical about every track. What is especially pleasing is the way the longer tracks have been developed and reworked, while retaining their identity. "July Morning" has a much more satisfactory ending, with the opening theme returning in place of the fade out. "Gypsy", a track which changes with every tour, has a superb synthesiser solo from Hensley. "Circle of hands" is completely transformed from the track on "Demons and Wizards", the slide guitar which ends the studio version gives way here to a synthesiser solo, which builds majestically, powered on by Kerslake's frantic drumming, to a euphoric crescendo.

The album closes with the encore "Rock'n'roll medley". Byron is in his element here, as the band power through the old favourites. Truly a classic live album, which captures the essence of the band perfectly. The double LP came in a programme style sleeve, and sold for the price of a single LP which turned out to be a very effective marketing move.

The recently released deluxe remastered CD has the entire album on a single disc, with a bonus CD of other live tracks.

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