Sweet Freedom (Uriah Heep album)

Sweet Freedom is the sixth studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released on 3 September 1973[1] by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US.

Sweet Freedom
Studio album by
Released3 September 1973[1]
RecordedJune–July 1973
StudioChâteau d'Hérouville, France
Genre
Length37:23
Label
ProducerGerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
The Magician's Birthday
(1972)
Sweet Freedom
(1973)
Wonderworld
(1974)
Singles from Sweet Freedom
  1. "Stealin'"
    Released: 17 August 1973 (UK)[2]
  2. "Dreamer"
    Released: October 1973 (Japan)[3]
  3. "Seven Stars"
    Released: November 1973 (NL and Japan)[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[6]

The original vinyl release was a gatefold, reproducing the lyrics within. There was also a central page with a photograph of each band member.

It was the first Uriah Heep album to be released by Warner Bros. in the U.S. Sweet Freedom reached No. 33 in the US Billboard 200 chart.[7] It was certified gold by the RIAA on 5 March 1974.[8]

AllMusic's retrospective review noted that Heep "began to explore new styles to flesh out their combination of prog complexity and heavy metal muscle."[5]

The album was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1996 with two bonus tracks, and again in 2004 in an expanded deluxe edition.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dreamer"Gary Thain, Mick Box3:41
2."Stealin'" 4:49
3."One Day"Hensley, Thain2:47
4."Sweet Freedom" 6:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."If I Had the Time" 5:43
6."Seven Stars" 3:52
7."Circus"Thain, Box, Lee Kerslake2:44
8."Pilgrim"Hensley, David Byron7:10
Total length:37:23
1996 Remastered Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Silver White Man"Byron3:40
10."Crystal Ball"Thain4:08
2004 Expanded Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Sunshine"Thain, Box4:48
10."Seven Stars" (extended version) 7:03
11."Pilgrim" (extended version – previously unreleased)Hensley, Byron8:29
12."If I Had the Time" (demo) 6:02
13."Sweet Freedom" (alternative live version) 6:48
14."Stealin'" (alternative live version) 5:41

Personnel

Uriah Heep

Production

  • Gerry Bron – producer
  • Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing at Lansdowne Studios, London

Charts

Album

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom (2015 Reissue on 180g Vinyl)". Coda Records. 3 September 1973. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  2. "Uriah Heep singles".
  3. "Uriah Heep singles".
  4. "Uriah Heep singles".
  5. Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  6. Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 302. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  7. "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  8. "RIAA Database: Search for Uriah Heep". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4940". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. "Sweet Freedom – Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  13. 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.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22April 2018.
  15. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. "Uriah Heep | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. "Uriah Heep – Stealin' (Song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  20. "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: U > Uriah Heep". Sisältää hitin / Timo Pennanen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  21. "Single – Uriah Heep, Stealin'". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  22. "Uriah Heep Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  23. "British album certifications – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  24. "American album certifications – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". Recording Industry Association of America.
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