![]() ![]() In 2017, Sanctuary Records released a two-disc deluxe edition. ĭemons and Wizards was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1996 with three bonus tracks, and again in 2003 in an expanded deluxe edition. "Easy Livin'" was also a mega-hit in the Netherlands and Germany, countries which were becoming strong markets for the band. 39, making it Heep's first and only American Top 40 hit. The latter, a defiant rocker, according to Blows, was "tailor-made for Byron's extrovert showmanship" and entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart reaching No. The songs " The Wizard" and " Easy Livin'" were released as singles in the UK and North America as well as many other markets. 1 in May and remained on top of the charts for 14 weeks. The inner sleeve had pictures of the band and notes by Hensley, while the liner featured printed lyrics. The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve, the front of which was designed by Roger Dean. It was the first album to feature that lineup and there was a magic in that combination of people that created so much energy and enthusiasm". We all wanted the same thing, were all willing to make the same sacrifices to achieve it and we were all very committed. Hensley recalled: "The band was really focused at that time. While the album title and Roger Dean's cover art both suggested medieval fantasy, Hensley's notes declared the album to be "just a collection of our songs that we had a good time recording". Thus the "classic" Uriah Heep lineup was formed, and according to biographer Kirk Blows, "everything just clicked into place". Another addition, of drummer Lee Kerslake (a former bandmate of Ken Hensley's in the Gods and Toe Fat), solidified the rhythm section. "Gary just had a style about him, it was incredible because every bass player in the world that I've ever known has always loved his style, with those melodic bass lines," lead guitarist Mick Box commented later. New Zealander Gary Thain, at the time a member of Keef Hartley Band, joined Uriah Heep as a permanent member halfway through another American tour. "Demons And Wizards", like many productions of the beginning of the 70's, did not become cult only because of the lack of competition, but especially because it laid new foundations by daring to mix hard-rock and symphonism.Demons and Wizards is the fourth studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. It remains for the youngest to lean on this treasure with an ear directly connected to the heart. No doubt that the listeners who did not know this time, will find the sound not clean enough, the production unworthy of a professional band, but it was there all the heat of the raw passion, well before the cold wave came to aseptize the rock.Īll the old fans of Uriah Heep, know and own this album. In the 70's, like many bands emerging at that time, Uriah Heep invented his own style, a symphonic and melodic hard-rock which will open new horizons widely exploited since. Whether it is on a fast and cheerful tempo ("All My Life", "The Spell"), on a mid tempo with heavy atmosphere ("Circle Of Hands", "Rainbow Demon"), or in acoustic ballad format ("Paradise"), each title has its charm, that of the novelty, the creativity. The latter is one of the must-haves of the repertoire and one would not conceive a concert, even nowadays, without the band interpreting it. If "The Wizard" starts on the soft notes of an acoustic guitar and aerial vocals, it is only to go up slowly in power, announcing the turbulent "Traveller In Time", and especially the short but scathing "Easy Leavin'". On this album, the band alternates the ice and the hot, the calm and the stormy. David Byron's high voice is often supported in chorus by those of his fellow musicians, giving rich and powerful songs. Ken Hensley composes luxuriant melodies cut to the symphonic demesne of his keyboards. Uriah Heep is completely different from the hard-rock productions of the time. The progressive colorations that were beginning to appear in the previous albums, finally burst out in the open. The arrival of Gary Thain on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums, reinforces an already solid line-up, and this new blood seems to give a boost to the creativity of the other members. According to many fans, this "Demons and Wizards", followed a few months later by "The Magician's Birthday", marks the apogee of a band having at the time only two years of existence. In 1972, Uriah Heep released two albums that will remain major pieces of a rich discography. ![]()
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