Album Review: Uriah Heep- The Shadows And The Wind (1973-74)

Aaron ConnMusic, ReviewsLeave a Comment

uriah heep shadows and wind

uriah heep shadows and windWhile currently on their farewell tour, Uriah Heep have recently had some of their past re-released in the form of a box set. The set, The Shadows and The Wind, is a five disc box set featuring the last two years of music released by the classic line up. Coming from Cherry Red Records, this is a well pieced together box set. While it isn’t without its flaws, this is a solid collection of albums.

A Little History
By the mid 1970’s, Uriah Heep were at the peak of their success. With the releases of Demons And Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday, the band now had stable line up. This line up featured singer David Byron, guitarist Mick Box, bassist Gary Thain, drummer Lee Kerslake and keyboardist Ken Hensley.  Byron and Box were originally in a band called Spice while Hensley was from a band called the Gods. From 1969 to 1972, the three men went through several line up changes. Kerslake, who was one of Hensley bandmates from the Gods, joined in 1972 while Thain would join shortly afterwards. From 1973 to 1974, the band would release two studio albums and a live album. The Shadows And The Wind consists of these three albums, along with archival 1986 release Live At Shepperton ’74.

Note About The Remastering
As it says in its press release, the music featured on The Shadows And The Wind has newly remastered versions of these four aforementioned albums. Listening to the albums and comparing them to the 2004 remasters, this seems to be the case. That said, these remastered albums are going to sound different to the ears of some longtime Heepsters.

From 2016 to 2017, the first five Uriah Heep albums were all given new remastering from sound engineer Andy Pearce. While a majority of people seem to think the remastering on these albums is top notch, others have noticed that these five albums sound cleaner, sleeker and slightly different from other versions. That being said, these albums are technically remixes or heavily EQ’d versions of the original albums.

The Shadows And The Wind seems to be a continuation of this remastering, picking up where they left off. This is not to say that the albums sound bad. If anything, the new version do keep their 1970s sound. This is not to say the remasterings from Pearce are bad. They sound amazingly detailed and precise. That said, the original albums always had a dirgy sound to them that gave them character.

With that out of the way, the music itself…

Uriah Heep Live (1973)
uriah heep live coverReleased in 1973, Uriah Heep Live is the band’s first live album. The classic line up are firing on all cylinders and are in fine form. Song after song, the band are ripping it up with these live renditions of songs from the first five studio album. There’s also some witty and charming stage banter from David Byron, which all add to the fun of this album.

The second CD for this set is the second disc found on the 2003 deluxe edition release of this album. This includes US radio show appearance and tracks labeled as “film mixes used for radio.”

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Sunrise, Easy Livin, Traveler In Time, July Morning, Rock N Roll Medley

 

Sweet Freedom (1973)
uriah heep sweet freedomThe classic line up’s third studio effort is a strong output. Even with only eight tracks, the band delivers a good mix of hard rockers and spacey progressive rock jams. The only downside to the album is that it’s slightly more commercial than the preceding albums. While not up to par with the band’s previous material, Sweet Freedom is still a solid effort.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Stealin’, Dreamer, Seven Stars, Circus, One Day

 

Wonderworld (1974)
uriah heep wonderworld coverOf Uriah Heep’s 25 studio efforts, Wonderworld is usually seen as one of their weakest. When released in 1974, it didn’t receive the acclaim that the band’s other work had gotten. From what’s been said, the band were all going through troubles dealing with substances. Wonderworld might not be a great album but it does have its strength, most of which can be found on the first side. It’s a bummer this is how the classic line up went out but it’s not terrible.

Rating: 6/10
Highlights: The Easy Road, Something Or Nothing, So Tired, Suicidal Man, The Shadows and the Wind

Live At Shepperton 74 (recorded 1974, released 1986)
uriah heep sheppertonSeeing it’s first release since 1997, Live at Shepperton is a show the band recorded live at Shepperton Studios. This was later released and played on the radio, though it wasn’t officially released until 1986. It’s a decent live album but it’s not entirely memorable.

Rating: 6/10
Highlights: Easy Livin’, So Tired, Something Or Nothing, Stealin’

 

Later History
The classic line up of Uriah Heep would end in early 1975 with the firing of Gary Thain, with Thain dying from a drug overdose by the end of the year. Byron was dismissed a year later due to his erratic behavior and alcohol addiction. Byron would have a solo career until his death in 1985. Kerslake and Hensley would leave during the early 1980s, although Kerslake would return during the band’s 1982 comeback before retiring from the band in 2006.

Uriah Heep has continued to record and perform, with Mick Box remaining as the band’s lone consistent member. The band would go through many line up changes, with the band’s current line up consisting of Box, Bernie Shaw (vocals), Davey Rimmer (bass), Russell Gillbrook (drums) and Phil Lanzon (keyboards).

Conclusion
The Shadows And The Wind is a great set of music from Uriah Heep. While the new remasterings might not be to the liking of everyone, they still sound superb. For those who wanted a continuation of the remasters start almost a decade ago, you’ll be happy with this new set. Topped off with liner notes with a new interview with Mick Box, Heepsters should be very ‘umble about this set.

Overall Rating: 7/10

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