Demons and Wizards (Uriah Heep album)

Demons and Wizards
Cover art by Roger Dean
Studio album by
Uriah Heep
Released19 May 1972 (1972-05-19)
RecordedMarch–April 1972
StudioLansdowne (London)
Genre
Length39:40
LabelBronze
ProducerGerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
Look at Yourself
(1971) 		Demons and Wizards
(1972) 		The Magician's Birthday
(1972)
Singles from Demons and Wizards
  1. "The Wizard"
    Released: March 1972
  2. "Easy Livin'"
    Released: July 1972[1]

Demons and Wizards is the fourth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in May 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US.

Composition and recording

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. "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.[2] Another addition, of drummer Lee Kerslake (a former bandmate of Ken Hensley's in the Gods and Toe Fat), solidified the rhythm section. Thus the "classic" Uriah Heep lineup was formed, and according to biographer Kirk Blows, "everything just clicked into place".[2] 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".[3]

Hensley recalled: "The band was really focused at that time. We all wanted the same thing, were all willing to make the same sacrifices to achieve it and we were all very committed. 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".[2]

Cover art

The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve, the front of which was designed by Roger Dean. The inner sleeve had pictures of the band and notes by Hensley, while the liner featured printed lyrics.

Release

The album reached No. 20 in the UK[4] and No. 23 in the US.[5] In Finland, the album hit No. 1 in May and remained on top of the charts for 14 weeks.[6]

The songs "The Wizard" and "Easy Livin'" were released as singles in the UK and North America as well as many other markets. The latter, a defiant rocker, according to Blows, was "tailor-made for Byron's extrovert showmanship"[2] and entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart reaching No. 39, making it Heep's first and only American Top 40 hit.[7] "Easy Livin'" was also a mega-hit in the Netherlands and Germany, countries which were becoming strong markets for the band. It reached a disappointing No. 75 in Australia.[citation needed]

Demons and Wizards was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1996 with three bonus tracks, and again in 2003 in an expanded deluxe edition. In 2017, Sanctuary Records released a two-disc deluxe edition.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[9]

Rolling Stone, which printed an infamously negative review of the band's debut album,[10] ran a positive assessment of Demons and Wizards. Mike Saunders wrote: "These guys are good. The first side of Demons and Wizards is simply odds-on the finest high energy workout of the year, tying nose and nose with the Blue Öyster Cult...they may have started out as a thoroughly dispensable neo-Cream & Blooze outfit, but at this point Uriah Heep are shaping up into one hell of a first-rate modern rock band".[11] According to AllMusic, the album "solidified Uriah Heep's reputation as a master of gothic-inflected heavy metal".[8] Martin Popoff in his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal described the album as "a sullen, solitary, contemplative sort of record, existing in a hazy flux on the more mystical side of early heavy metal" and praised the new rhythm section and especially Byron's performance, which demonstrated his "capable helmsmanship of both the most subtle of contemplative bits and the loudest of rock roars."[9]

The album also served as partial inspiration for Hansi Kürsch and Jon Schaffer's side project Demons and Wizards.[citation needed]

In an interview Lee Kerslake did with Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles from 2020, when asked "Is it true that Randy Rhoads was a big fan of the Demons and Wizards album?", he replied, "Yes, he was. He loved the way the style of the music, the way it turned and the way it went. And that's why when he came up with the idea of a riff – me, Bob, and Randy – we wrote "Diary of a Madman". It was such a strong song on the album".[12]

Track listings

All tracks are written by Ken Hensley except where indicated

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Wizard"Hensley, Mark Clarke2:59
2."Traveller in Time"David Byron, Lee Kerslake, Mick Box3:25
3."Easy Livin'" 2:37
4."Poet's Justice"Hensley, Box, Kerslake4:15
5."Circle of Hands" 6:25
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Rainbow Demon" 4:25
7."All My Life"Box, Byron, Kerslake2:44
8."Paradise" 5:10
9."The Spell" (on some CD editions, "Paradise" and "The Spell" were combined into one track) 7:32
1996 Remastered Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Why" (original B-side version)Box, Byron, Hensley, Paul Newton4:53
11."Why" (extended version recorded during Demons and Wizards sessions in early 1972) 7:39
12."Home Again to You" (demo recorded during Demons and Wizards sessions) 5:28
2003 Expanded Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Why" (extended version)10:34
11."Rainbow Demon" (single edit)3:36
12."Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf" (outtake)2:52
13."Home Again to You" (demo)5:36
14."Green Eye" (demo)3:46
2017 Expanded Deluxe Edition disc 2 (all tracks previously unreleased)
No.TitleLength
1."Easy Livin'" (alternate version)2:39
2."Rainbow Demon" (alternate version)6:13
3."Traveller in Time" (alternate version)3:48
4."Paradise" (alternate version)5:26
5."The Spell" (alternate version)8:11
6."All My Life" (alternate version)3:11
7."Home Again To You" (alternate version)4:53
8."Why" (alternate version)13:46
9."The Wizard" (alternate version)3:06
10."Poet's Justice" (alternate version)4:43
11."Circle of Hands" (alternate version)8:08
12."Proud Words" (alternate version)2:55
13."Green Eye" (alternate version)4:08
14."Why" (alternate single edit)4:45

Personnel

Uriah Heep
  • David Byron – lead vocals
  • Mick Box – guitars
  • Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, percussion, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Paradise" and "The Spell"
  • Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Gary Thain – bass guitar
  • Mark Clarke – bass guitar on "The Wizard" and "Why", co-lead vocals on "The Wizard"
Production
  • Gerry Bron – producer
  • Peter Gallen – engineer
  • Ashley Howe – assistant engineer

Charts

Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 14
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 22
Danish Albums Chart[15] 7
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[16] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 5
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] 28
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 20
US Billboard 200[21] 23
Chart (2017–2022) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 89
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[23] 35
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[24] 13

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 7,500^
Sweden — 10,000[26]
Switzerland — 4,500[27]
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
  2. ^ a b c d Blows, Kirk. "Uriah Heep The Story: February 1972 – February 1975". Uriah Heep Official Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  3. ^ Hensley, Ken (1972). Demons and Wizards (LP Cover). Uriah Heep. London, UK: Bronze Records. ILPS 9193.
  4. ^ "Uriah Heep Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: U > Uriah Heep". Sisältää hitin / Timo Pennanen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  8. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards review". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 301–302. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  10. ^ Mills, Melissa (1 October 1970). "Uriah Heep: Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  11. ^ Saunders, Mike (23 November 1972). "Album Reviews: Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  12. ^ Prato, Greg (17 February 2020). "Lee Kerslake on Cancer Battle, Current Projects and Ozzy Osbourne – "All the Things We Did Made Him a Star Again and He Deserved It; I'm Not Angry About Anything"". BraveWords. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  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 7652". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Demons and Wizards – Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  24. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Maurienne House. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8.
  26. ^ a b "Uriah Heep are very popular in the continent" (PDF). CashBox. 31 March 1973. p. 51.
  27. ^ a b "From the Musical Capitals of the World-Zurich" (PDF). Billboard. 24 June 1972. p. 52.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Uriah Heep – Demons & Wizards". Recording Industry Association of America.