...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble is the debut studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep.
| ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1970 (UK)[1] August 1970 (US) | |||
| Recorded | July 1969 – April 1970 | |||
| Studio | Lansdowne Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 US issue | ||||
| Singles from ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[5] |
Release
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.[6]
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.[4] 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.[7] When Ken Hensley joined Spice in early 1970, the tracks were not re-recorded.
Reception
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.[5] Canadian music critic Martin Popoff classifies the album as "proto-heavy metal".[8] 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."[9]
Track listings
| 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 |
Personnel
- 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
- Additional personnel[10]
- Alex Napier – drums (except "Lucy Blues", "Dreammare" and "Bird of Prey")
- Colin Wood – keyboard on "Come Away Melinda" and "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"
- Keith Baker – drums on "Bird of Prey"
- Production
- Gerry Bron – producer
- Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing
- Peter Olliff – mixing
Charts
| Chart (1970-1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11] | 15 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] | 84 |
| Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[13] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] | 22 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[15] | 11 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] | 41 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 186 |
References
- "Great Rock Discography". p. 859.
- Donald A. Guarisco. "Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble - Uriah Heep". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble finds the band trying on different stylistic hats as they work towards finding their own sound. At this juncture, their music falls halfway between the crunch of heavy metal and the dramatic arrangements of prog rock.
- Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.
- Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 300–301. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- Blows, Kirk. "Uriah Heep The Story: October 1970 – November 1971". Uriah Heep Official Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- Blows, Kirk. "Uriah Heep The Story". Uriah Heep Official Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- Popoff, Martin (2019). 10 Albums That Changed My Life. Penguin. p. 54. ISBN 9781440249082.
- Mills, Melissa (1 October 1970). "Uriah Heep: Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
- Very 'Eavy, ...Very 'Umble (liner notes). Vertigo Records. 1970. 6360 006.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3721". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22April 2018.
- Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Uriah Heep".
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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