Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Uriah Heep
- Thread starter Bassaasin
- Start date
-
- Tags
- uriah heep
They had Trevor Bolder (love that guy) after John Wetton. Not too shabby.
There's a reason Spinal Tap was able to so successfully "lampoon" the Heap,
Its probably because they, like me and a million others, were in their bedrooms with headphones on listening to The Magicians Birthday while studying the Rodger Dean Album jacket!
Their shtick might seem dated now, but Gary Thaines bass playing was well above what most others, playing that style of music , were doing.
Busy, melodic, and rythmic........
I , for one... was influenced by him. Even playing different styles of music.
If you don't dig him.... thats cool.... everybody has an opinion.
And mine is, he was one of the great hard rock bassists ever.
Its probably because they, like me and a million others, were in their bedrooms with headphones on listening to The Magicians Birthday while studying the Rodger Dean Album jacket!
Their shtick might seem dated now, but Gary Thaines bass playing was well above what most others, playing that style of music , were doing.
Busy, melodic, and rythmic........
I , for one... was influenced by him. Even playing different styles of music.
If you don't dig him.... thats cool.... everybody has an opinion.
And mine is, he was one of the great hard rock bassists ever.
To me they were always more proggy rock than rocky prog.
Good call! Deep Purple was easily the most commercial of the bands mentioned here.
Last edited:
Saw them open for Judas Priest in 2019 at Ontario, CA. I thought they were ok but hearing their studio albums got me hooked! Maybe they’re not that great live like they use to back then, correct me though cause I’m just a millennial and I’m sure the boomers will chime in on their experience with Uriah Heep back in their prime.
Forget how I stumbled onto them but bought Look At Yourself and liked it a lot at the time, as I was into both early metal and progressive rock. Even saw them on tour in 1972, in Ohio, on what must have been the Demons and Wizards tour. I was playing keys in those days and was mostly paying attention to Hensley and Box, so I have no memories of Thain, who at that point must have been with the band for less than a year.
But while some of the bands I liked in those days are still on my playlist, UH fell off it somehow.
But while some of the bands I liked in those days are still on my playlist, UH fell off it somehow.
That whole album is good.
All of their earlier ones are too.
Saw them, or whatever is left of them, a few years ago, at a relatively small venue. Pretty darned good.
All of their earlier ones are too.
Saw them, or whatever is left of them, a few years ago, at a relatively small venue. Pretty darned good.
I discovered Uriah Heep when I was a freshman in college (1978) and my roommate was a big Heep fan. I at the time was a huge prog-rock fan, and this aforementioned roommate was also into Yes, which is where our tastes intersected.
To my ear (at that time) Uriah Heep sounded like a hard rock band that wished they could play prog-rock. iow, their aspirations seemed to exceed their abilities. Which is sad, because I recall them being excellent at the straight up hard rock stuff. I think I may have even enjoyed them more than most Deep Purple...maybe.
But I have not listened to any Uriah Heep in the past 43 years so I may just be misremembering that whole thing...
I guess I'm on a nostalgic trip...been revisiting Heep for a few weeks now. "Poet's Justice" is one I had forgotten about.
So, in the day...loved Zeppelin, Purple, & Heep. Heep had 5 vocalists. Byron & Hensley + the other 3 guys doing backups. That made them different than LZ & DP.
Live? Very capable & decent players. Love Box's fuzzed-out wah-wah rhythm guitaring.
Factoid: I have never owned their 1st 2 albums. Wonderwall was the last one I ever bought. Once Thain left, I moved on.
I watched a Mick Box interview last year. Seems like a very cool guy. He's still out there doing it.
So, in the day...loved Zeppelin, Purple, & Heep. Heep had 5 vocalists. Byron & Hensley + the other 3 guys doing backups. That made them different than LZ & DP.
Live? Very capable & decent players. Love Box's fuzzed-out wah-wah rhythm guitaring.
Factoid: I have never owned their 1st 2 albums. Wonderwall was the last one I ever bought. Once Thain left, I moved on.
I watched a Mick Box interview last year. Seems like a very cool guy. He's still out there doing it.
Last edited:
I hate that cover. Prefer the Roger Dean covers.
You must also like Sabbath's Born Again (their album with Ian Gillan).
"I done the rancher's daughter"...that line was censored on FM Radio back in the day.
The second best!I hate that cover. Prefer the Roger Dean covers.
You must also like Sabbath's Born Again (their album with Ian Gillan).
