Clarke also sang the bridge in the song that was better suited to him than David Byron. The song featured acoustic guitar, the band’s harmonies, a mystical tale, and the whistle of a tea kettle! The idea to record the tea kettle was spontaneous in the studio and it fitted in perfectly. Clarke would also get a co-writing credit on “The Wizard”, with Hensley. The latter had been around for some time, as the band had recorded it previously, much longer as “Why -14 Minutes?”, and it would never find a place on a Heep LP, but would become perhaps the band’s most popular non-album track. With Clarke on bass the band recorded 2 tracks for a single release – “The Wizard” and “Why”. Iain Clark, who was the band’s 4th drummer and played on Look At Yourself, left the band soon after Newton, and Lee Kerslake joined. Newton was initially replaced by Colosseum bassist Mark Clarke, a friend of Hensley’s. ![]() ![]() Newton was a key figure in the band’s formation and early days, as he had played with The Gods – which featured Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake before moving on to Spice – which would become Uriah Heep with the addition of Ken Hensley, upon Newton’s recommendation. In the time after Look At Yourself the band went through more personnel changes, first dropping founding member / bass player Paul Newton. It was the follow up to Look At Yourself, an album which saw the band solidify a heavy hard-rock direction, and featured classics like “Love Machine”, the title track, and the epic “July Morning” – the latter 2 would remain in the band’s set list almost permanently, and the album has been argued as the band’s best by some critics & fans, but it did not have the commercial success that Demons And Wizards would. A few days ago the album turned 50 years old. As a special bonus for fans, 50 tour brochures have been autographed by Mick Box and have been randomly inserted in the production run.Demons & Wizards was Uriah Heep’s 4th studio album. This exclusive Record Store Day version will be released as 2LP 180G Splatter Vinyl in a gatefold jacket and includes a period replica UK Tour Brochure. It has not been officially available on LP in the US for 25+ years. Recorded at the height of their powers with the classic line up of Byron, Box, Hensley, Kerslake, and Thain, ‘Live 73’ hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Top 200 and achieved RIAA GOLD certification. To Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Record Store Day on April 22nd, 2107, Heep will reissue their landmark 1973 album, ‘Live 73’. Roger Dean’s artwork for ‘Demons And Wizards’ and ‘The Magician’s Birthday’ captures the music (and the times) perfectly and extensive sleeve notes featuring interviews with the band are written by Joel McIver. ‘Look At Yourself’ was released with a unique foil front cover and this has been faithfully re-created in a lavish digipack format using foil board material which presents the entire package in a new and shimmering light. These re-packaged and re-mastered albums have been endorsed by the band all with a bonus disc of un-released material. Signs of personal problems and pushy management started to have an effect on the band and the next album, ‘The Magician’s Birthday’ released November 1972, though a quick follow-up the band somehow managed to pull it off with the album hitting #31 on the Billboard Top 200 and was their 2nd consecutive album to be RIAA Certified GOLD. It also features their 2 best known tracks in the states, the Classic Rock Radio staple “The Wizard” and their highest charting single, “Easy Livin’” (#39 Billboard Hot 100). ![]() In the US, the album reached #23 on The Billboard Top 200 and was their first album to be RIAA Certified GOLD. ’Demons And Wizards’ was released in June 1972 and is widely hailed to be their masterpiece. ![]() Such was their hectic schedule at this time they managed to cram touring, session time and 3 albums in the space of 12 months. The title track is a charging statement of intent as the band don’t let up, with no time to reflect on their success. The band’s 3rd album ‘Look At Yourself’ was originally released in October of 1971 and represented the first for manager Gerry Bron’s new label ‘Bronze Records’ and was also their first to hit the Top 100 of the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #93. Following the expanded and re-mastered re-issues of Uriah Heep’s first 2 albums (and a new 2 disc anthology called, ‘Your Turn To Remember’) follows these double CD sets of 3 classic Heep albums.
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