...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
1970 studio album by Uriah Heep From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble is the debut studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep. It is recognized as a foundational album in heavy metal music.[6][7]
| ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1970[1] | |||
| Recorded | July 1969 – April 1970 | |||
| Studio | Lansdowne (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:07 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 US issue | ||||
| Singles from ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[6] |
The album was released in June 1970 by Vertigo Records in the UK. The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve, featuring frontman David Byron on the front sleeve, almost unrecognisable beneath cobwebs.
It was issued in August 1970 by Mercury Records in the United States as just Uriah Heep with different sleeve artwork (a centipede type monster), and with the track "Bird of Prey" in place of "Lucy Blues". The album was reissued by Bronze Records in 1971 after the band signed to that label.[8]
The album shows the band trying out various genres – a mix of heavy metal and progressive rock – rather than the hard rock that they would become known for on later albums.[5] Tracks 3 and 8 were recorded as Spice songs prior to the band's renaming as Uriah Heep, and featured session player Colin Wood on keyboards.[9] When Ken Hensley joined Spice in early 1970, the tracks were not re-recorded.
Remove ads
The album was generally panned by the mainstream critical press upon its release, although it has since been acknowledged as an early classic of the heavy metal genre.[6] Canadian music critic Martin Popoff classifies the album as "proto-heavy metal".[10] Rolling Stone magazine's Melissa Mills began her review by saying, "If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more."[11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" | Mick Box, David Byron | 6:37 |
| 2. | "Walking in Your Shadow" | Byron, Paul Newton | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Come Away Melinda" | Fred Hellerman, Fran Minkoff | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Lucy Blues" | Box, Byron | 5:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Dreammare" | Newton | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Real Turned On" | Box, Byron, Newton | 3:37 |
| 7. | "I'll Keep On Trying" | Box, Byron | 5:24 |
| 8. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" | Box, Byron | 6:22 |
US release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" | Box, Byron | 6:37 |
| 2. | "Walking in Your Shadow" | Byron, Newton | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Come Away, Melinda" | Hellerman, Minkoff | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Bird of Prey" | Box, Byron, Ken Hensley, Newton | 4:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Dreammare" | Newton | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Real Turned On" | Box, Byron, Newton | 3:37 |
| 7. | "I'll Keep On Trying" | Box, Byron | 5:24 |
| 8. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" | Box, Byron | 6:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" | Box, Byron | 6:37 |
| 2. | "Walking in Your Shadow" | Byron, Newton | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Come Away Melinda" | Hellerman, Minkoff | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Lucy Blues" | Box, Byron | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Dreammare" | Newton | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Real Turned On" | Box, Byron, Newton | 3:37 |
| 7. | "I'll Keep On Trying" | Box, Byron | 5:24 |
| 8. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" | Box, Byron | 6:22 |
| 9. | "Gypsy" (single edit) | Box, Byron | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Come Away, Melinda" (Spice version) | Hellerman, Minkoff | 3:42 |
| 11. | "Born in a Trunk" (Spice version) | Box, Byron | 3:45 |
This remastered CD added three bonus tracks and extensive liner notes:
- The bonus single edit of "Gypsy" was released for the Best of Uriah Heep (1991 CD) and then remastered for Rarities from the Bronze Age (1995 CD).
- The two other bonus tracks were originally recorded in 1969 by the band Spice, just prior to Ken Hensley joining the band.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" | Box, Byron | 6:37 |
| 2. | "Walking in Your Shadow" | Byron, Newton | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Come Away, Melinda" | Hellerman, Minkoff | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Lucy Blues" | Box, Byron | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Dreammare" | Newton | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Real Turned On" | Box, Byron, Newton | 3:37 |
| 7. | "I'll Keep On Trying" | Box, Byron | 5:24 |
| 8. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" | Box, Byron | 6:22 |
| 9. | "Bird of Prey" | Box, Byron, Hensley, Newton | 4:05 |
| 10. | "Born in a Trunk" (Alternate Version) | Box, Byron | 4:31 |
| 11. | "Come Away, Melinda" (Alternate Version) | Hellerman, Minkoff | 4:15 |
| 12. | "Gypsy" (Extended Mix) | Box, Byron | 7:07 |
| 13. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" (Alternate Version) | Box, Byron | 6:32 |
| 14. | "Born in a Trunk" (Instrumental) | Box, Byron | 4:31 |
| 15. | "Dreammare" (Live at the BBC) | Newton | 3:08 |
| 16. | "Gypsy" (Live at the BBC) | Box, Byron | 5:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" | 6.57 |
| 2. | "Real Turned On" | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Dreammare" | 5:10 |
| 4. | "Come Away, Melinda" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Born in a Trunk" | 4:53 |
| 6. | "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" | 6:56 |
| 7. | "I'll Keep On Trying" | 5:33 |
| 8. | "Walking in Your Shadow" | 5:11 |
| 9. | "Lucy Blues" | 5:20 |
| 10. | "Born in a Trunk" | 4:47 |
| 11. | "Magic Lantern" | 7:57 |
| 12. | "Bird of Prey" (Alternate U.S. Version) | 4:06 |
Remove ads
- Uriah Heep
- David Byron – lead vocals
- Mick Box – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Ken Hensley – organ, slide guitar, Mellotron, piano, backing vocals
- Paul Newton – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ollie Olsson – drums, percussion
- Alex Napier – drums (except "Lucy Blues", "Dreammare" and "Bird of Prey")
- Keith Baker – drums on "Bird of Prey"
- Additional personnel[12]
- Colin Wood – keyboard on "Come Away Melinda" and "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"
- Production
- Gerry Bron – producer
- Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing
- Peter Olliff – mixing
Remove ads
| Chart (1970–1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] | 15 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] | 84 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[15] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 22 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[17] | 11 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] | 41 |
| US Billboard 200[19] | 186 |
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads