URIAH HEEP "...very 'eavy" UK Vertigo swirl 1970 Vinyl LP 6360 006 GATEFOLD.

	£		100
	$		133

Early days (1967–1971)[edit]

Mick Box in 1977

The band's origins go back to 1967 when 19-year-old guitarist Mick Box formed a band in Brentwood called Hogwash, which began playing in local clubs and pubs. When the band's singer left, drummer Roger Penlington suggested his cousin David Garrick (who knew the band) as a replacement. Box and Garrick instantly formed a songwriting partnership and, having higher musical aspirations than their colleagues, decided to give up their day jobs and go professional. They set up a new band called Spice; it was then that David Garrick changed his surname to Byron. Drummer Alex Napier (born 1947 in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland) joined, having answered a music paper ad; bassist Paul Newton of the Gods completed the line-up.[6]

From the very beginning, Spice avoided playing covers and, according to Box, always strove "...to do something original." Managed initially by Newton's father, the band climbed their way up to The Marquee level, then got signed by Gerry Bron (the Hit Record Productions Ltd.'s boss) who saw the band at the Blues Loft club in High Wycombe. "I thought they were a band I could develop and I took them on that basis," remembered Bron later. He became the band's manager and signed them to Vertigo Records, the newly formed Philips label.[7] The four-piece found themselves booked into the Lansdowne Studios in London, still under the name of Spice. Then the name was changed to that of the well-known character from David Copperfield, Uriah Heep (for, according to biographer Kirk Blows, "Dickens' name being everywhere around Christmas '69 due to it being the hundredth anniversary of his death"). According to Dave Ling's 2001 autobiography of the band, Wizards and Demons, The Uriah Heep Story, though the "Uriah Heep" moniker was chosen in December 1969, the band continued to play gigs as "Spice" until Ken Hensley joined in February 1970. Uriah Heep then decided to widen the sound. "We'd actually recorded half the first album when we decided that keyboards would be good for our sound. I was a big Vanilla Fudge fan, with their Hammond organ and searing guitar on top, and we had David's high vibrato vocals anyway so that's how we decided to shape it," Box recalled. Gerry Bron brought in session player Colin Wood, followed by Ken Hensley, a former colleague of Newton in the Gods, who was then playing guitar in Toe Fat. "I saw a lot of potential in the group to do something very different," remembered Hensley.[6]

Their 1970 debut album, …Very 'Eavy …Very 'Umble (released as Uriah Heep in the United States), introduced Hensley's heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix. The album's title references the signature phrase of the Dickens character Uriah Heep ("very 'umble"). Hensley had little to contribute to the debut: Box and Byron wrote most of the material, including "Gypsy", in many ways (according to Blows) "...a marriage of contrasts" that, in time, became their trademark. In a 1989 interview, Mick Box recalled, "The funny thing was we wrote it at the Hanwell Community Centre, and Deep Purple were rehearsing in the room next door to us. You can imagine the kind of racket we were both making between us."[6] Three quarters into the recording of the album, Alex Napier was replaced by Nigel Olsson, recommended to Byron by Elton John. The debut was not popular with rock critics (especially in the USA where Rolling Stone reviewer Melissa Mills infamously promised to commit suicide "if this band makes it") but in retrospect the attitude towards it changed. "Those unfamiliar with Uriah Heep may want to try out Demons and Wizards or a compilation first, but anyone with a serious interest in Uriah Heep or the roots of heavy metal will find plenty to like on ...Very 'eavy ...Very 'umble," advised critic Donald A. Guarisco.[8] In the course of the album's making the writing relationship between Box, Byron and Hensley was beginning to develop. "It was very quick, because we were all into the same things. It was like it was meant to be, there was that kind of chemistry," Mick Box recalled.[9]

When Nigel Olsson returned to Elton John’s group, Keith Baker took his place.[10] The band's second album, Salisbury (February 1971), was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra.[11] One of the album's tracks, Lady in Black, described as, "...a stylishly arranged tune that builds from a folk-styled acoustic tune into a throbbing rocker full of ghostly harmonies and crunching guitar riffs,"[11] became a hit in Germany upon its re-release in 1977 (earning the band the Radio Luxemburg Lion award). Produced by Gerry Bron, the second album went a long way to (according to AllMusic) perfect Uriah Heep's "blend of heavy metal power and prog rock complexity"[11] and was also significant for Ken Hensley's instant rise to the position of main songwriter. Soon after Salisbury's release Keith Baker left the band[12] and was replaced by Iain Clark (from another Vertigo band Cressida). With him the band made their first US tour in the spring of 1971, supporting Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf.[13]

By this time, Gerry Bron's deal with Philips/Vertigo was over, so he set up his own label, Bronze Records. The third album was recorded in the summer months of 1971, during the band's three visits to Lansdowne. "It was the point in time when the band really found a solid musical direction," said Bron later.[13] The third album, Look at Yourself, released in October 1971, marked the solidification of disparate ideas that had been a prominent feature of Salisbury and presented the unified sound and direction. Among the stand-outs were the title track, "Tears In My Eyes" and "July Morning", an epic many Heep fans regard as equal to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and Deep Purple's "Child in Time". "I think that 'July Morning' is one of the best examples of the way the band was developing at that point in time. It introduced a lot of dynamics, a lot of light and shade into our sound," Ken Hensley said.[13] The album peaked at No. 39 in the UK.

DISCOGS:

Tracklist Hide Credits

Companies, etc.

• Recorded At – Lansdowne Studios
• Produced For – Hit Record Productions Ltd.
• Published By – Sydney Bron Music Co. Ltd.
• Published By – Harmony Music Ltd.
• Lacquer Cut At – Phonodisc Ltd.
• Mastered At – Phonodisc Ltd.

Credits

• Bass, Vocals – Paul Newton (2)
• Design [Sleeve] – Design Machine, Robin Nicol
• Drums – Alex Napier (tracks: A1 to A3, B2 to B4) 
• Drums, Percussion – Ollie Olsson* (tracks: A4, B1) 
• Engineer [Mixing] – Peter Olliff
• Engineer [Recording, Mixing] – Peter Gallen
• Guitar, Vocals – Mick Box
• Keyboards – Colin Wood (2) (tracks: A3, B4) 
• Keyboards, Slide Guitar, Vocals, Liner Notes – Ken Hensley
• Photography By – Pete Smith* 
• Producer – Gerry Bron
• Vocals – David Byron

Notes

Vertigo 'large swirl' label - with song writing / publishing credits. 

Released in an outer laminated portrait style gatefold sleeve, mis-printed sleeve credits songs "Real turned on" and "Walking in your shadow" in a different order on sleeve as on label. 

Labels: 
Publishing info: 
A1, A2, A4: Sydney Bron Mus. 
A3: Harmony Mus. 
B1: Sydney Bron Mus. Co. 

? 1970 

All songs published by Sydney Bron Music Co. Ltd., excepting A3 "Melinda" published by Harmony Music Ltd. 
Recorded early 1970 
Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Matrix / Runout (A-side runout stamped): 6360006 1Y//1 420 1 1 1
• Matrix / Runout (B-side runout stamped): 6360006 2Y//1 420 1 1 1