...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble

...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
Studio album by
Uriah Heep
ReleasedJune 1970[1]
RecordedJuly 1969 – April 1970
StudioLansdowne (London)
Genre
Length40:07
LabelVertigo
ProducerGerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
(1970) 		Salisbury
(1971)
Alternative cover
US issue
Singles from ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
  1. "Gypsy"
    Released: July 1970 (US)
  2. "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"
    Released: November 1970 (US)[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[6]

...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]

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.[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.

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.[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]

Track listings

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gypsy"Mick Box, David Byron6:37
2."Walking in Your Shadow"Byron, Paul Newton4:31
3."Come Away Melinda"Fred Hellerman, Fran Minkoff3:46
4."Lucy Blues"Box, Byron5:08
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Dreammare"Newton4:39
6."Real Turned On"Box, Byron, Newton3:37
7."I'll Keep On Trying"Box, Byron5:24
8."Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"Box, Byron6:22

US release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gypsy"Box, Byron6:37
2."Walking in Your Shadow"Byron, Newton4:31
3."Come Away, Melinda"Hellerman, Minkoff3:46
4."Bird of Prey"Box, Byron, Ken Hensley, Newton4:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Dreammare"Newton4:39
6."Real Turned On"Box, Byron, Newton3:37
7."I'll Keep On Trying"Box, Byron5:24
8."Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"Box, Byron6:22
1996 remastered CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gypsy"Box, Byron6:37
2."Walking in Your Shadow"Byron, Newton4:31
3."Come Away Melinda"Hellerman, Minkoff3:46
4."Lucy Blues"Box, Byron5:08
5."Dreammare"Newton4:39
6."Real Turned On"Box, Byron, Newton3:37
7."I'll Keep On Trying"Box, Byron5:24
8."Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"Box, Byron6:22
9."Gypsy" (single edit)Box, Byron2:57
10."Come Away, Melinda" (Spice version)Hellerman, Minkoff3:42
11."Born in a Trunk" (Spice version)Box, Byron3:45

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.
2003 expanded deluxe CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gypsy"Box, Byron6:37
2."Walking in Your Shadow"Byron, Newton4:31
3."Come Away, Melinda"Hellerman, Minkoff3:46
4."Lucy Blues"Box, Byron5:08
5."Dreammare"Newton4:39
6."Real Turned On"Box, Byron, Newton3:37
7."I'll Keep On Trying"Box, Byron5:24
8."Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"Box, Byron6:22
9."Bird of Prey"Box, Byron, Hensley, Newton4:05
10."Born in a Trunk" (Alternate Version)Box, Byron4:31
11."Come Away, Melinda" (Alternate Version)Hellerman, Minkoff4:15
12."Gypsy" (Extended Mix)Box, Byron7:07
13."Wake Up (Set Your Sights)" (Alternate Version)Box, Byron6:32
14."Born in a Trunk" (Instrumental)Box, Byron4:31
15."Dreammare" (Live at the BBC)Newton3:08
16."Gypsy" (Live at the BBC)Box, Byron5:15
2016 Sanctuary expanded deluxe edition disc 2: An Alternate ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble (all tracks previously unreleased)
No.TitleLength
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
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

Charts

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

References

  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 859.
  2. ^ "Uriah Heep - Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble". Metal Reviews.com.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.
  5. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  6. ^ a b c 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.
  7. ^ Pete Braidis (28 June 2016). Unstrung Heroes: Fifty Guitar Greats You Should Know. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 9781507300145. Heep's debut album Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble is one of the first heavy metal or heavy rock albums [...]
  8. ^ Blows, Kirk. "Uriah Heep The Story: October 1970 – November 1971". Uriah Heep Official Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  9. ^ Blows, Kirk. "Uriah Heep The Story". Uriah Heep Official Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  10. ^ Popoff, Martin (2019). 10 Albums That Changed My Life. Penguin. p. 54. ISBN 9781440249082.
  11. ^ Mills, Melissa (1 October 1970). "Uriah Heep: Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  12. ^ Very 'Eavy, ...Very 'Umble (liner notes). Vertigo Records. 1970. 6360 006.
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3721". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Uriah Heep".
  18. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  19. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.