Uriah Heep 50 Years In Rock Boxset – Now Spinning

Uriah Heep have announced the release a career spanning super deluxe box set on October 30th 2020

There are three price points – The music (£130), with a T-Shirt (£150) and within a signed print (£180)

Aside from the T-Shirt and signed Print versions  the contents are as follows

• 19 CDs including all the studio albums + Live 1973
• 4CDs curated by founding and original members
• 1LP The Magician’s Birthday including re-imagined artwork by Roger Dean
• Softback book of tour programmes and memorabilia
• New notes written by founding and original members
• Exclusive re-imagined CD artwork for selected albums across the band’s early career
• 2 x art cards – celebrated original cover artwork by Roger Dean plus his re-imagined Demons And Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday artwork
• 50 Years In Rock brings together the full discography including all the seminal albums by British hard rock legends Uriah Heep.
• Created with the full collaboration of the band and curated by founding and original members Mick Box, Ken Hensley, Paul Newton and Lee Kerslake.
• Includes personal liner notes; Box, Hensley, Newton and Kerslake all contribute words to this box set. Exclusive to this box set are 4 CDs personally compiled by each of the band members detailing their favourite Heep tracks of all time.
• This ultimate collection of Uriah Heep albums, released between 1970 and 2019, exists for a reason. This is not the first time that the work of the mighty Londoners has been brought together of course, but never has the band’s ENTIRE career, covering EVERY album, been collected together and presented in this truly celebratory box set.

Initial observations by Phil Aston

At first glance, this is an immediate purchase for me. Uriah Heep have always been seen to be outside of the holy trinity of classic British rock with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. This is unfair as they have constantly released outstanding albums and weathered many a storm. In fact, their more recent albums have been a real purple patch in quality and sound.

So this is an exciting opportunity to at last recognise the band by celebrating their entire career in one box. As a reference point, I would compare this presentation with Nazareth’s Loud and Proud and The Vintage Years by Wishbone Ash.

So with this in mind, there does seem to be something odd about the presentation. For instance there are just 19 CDs to include all their studio albums this means some are doubled up on one CD. You can see from the photo that some albums are not represented. This must be where exclusive re-imagined artwork comes from. I have to say as a lifelong fan this feels like a cost-cutting exercise which ironically will turn some collectors away.

Very Eavy is where it all started and has one of the most iconic album sleeves from the period.  Very Eavy Very Umble is on the same CD as Salisbury and they have merged the covers!  Wonderworld and High & Mighty and Abominog and Head First etc are also doubled up. This is such a disappointment and shows how out of touch the label are with the fans they are aiming this at.

The fact they have doubled up on the albums from the David Byron period as well is just ridiculous. Those early albums could have been in mini gatefold sleeves. This should be a celebration, not a half baked exercise like this. The other issue is that all the current remastered CDs came with lots of additional outtakes, live tracks and B sides, these are all missing from this box set!  How can you have a career-defining box set and not include these?  Extra CDs pulling all these together and an unreleased concert / DVD could have been included. If you are familiar with the Nazareth Box Set for example you can see this is a pale shadow of what could have been achieved.

The other 4CDs are compiled by the band members Ken Hensley, Mick Box, Lee Kerslake and Paul Newton as their favourite tracks. Each of these CDs contains tracks which are already included in the box! So you get at least 3 duplicate copies of July Morning.

Perhaps this is still being finalised but looking across the internet there is already a wave of disappointment in what is a real lost opportunity for this great band.

Here is the tracklisting (correct as of October 11th 2020)

Disc 1: …Very ‘Eavy…Very ‘Umble 

(1-8, released as Vertigo 6360 006, 1970) and Salisbury (9-14, released as Vertigo 6360 028, 1971)

1. Gypsy
2. Walking In Your Shadow
3. Come Away Melinda
4. Lucy Blues
5. Dreammare
6. Real Turned On
7. I’ll Keep On Trying
8. Wake Up (Set Your Sights)
9. Bird Of Prey
10. The Park
11. Time To Live
12. Lady In Black
13. High Priestess
14. Salisbury

Disc 2: Look At Yourself 

(released as Bronze ILPS-9169, 1971)

1. Look At Yourself
2. I Wanna Be Free
3. July Morning
4. Tears In My Eyes
5. Shadows Of Grief
6. What Should Be Done
7. Love Machine

Disc 3: Demons and Wizards 

(1-9, released as Bronze ILPS-9193, 1972) and The Magician’s Birthday (10-17, released as Bronze ILPS-9213, 1972)

1. The Wizard
2. Traveller In Time
3. Easy Livin’
4. Poet’s Justice
5. Circle Of Hands
6. Rainbow Demon
7. All My Life
8. Paradise
9. The Spell
10. Sunrise
11. Spider Woman
12. Blind Eye
13. Echoes In The Dark
14. Rain
15. Sweet Lorraine
16. Tales
17. The Magician’s Birthday

Disc 4: Sweet Freedom 

(1-8, released as Bronze ILPS-9245, 1973) and Wonderworld (9-17, released as Bronze ILPS-9280, 1974)

1. Dreamer
2. Stealin’
3. One Day
4. Sweet Freedom
5. If I Had The Time
6. Seven Stars
7. Circus
8. Pilgrim
9. Wonderworld
10. Suicidal Man
11. The Shadows and The Wind
12. So Tired
13. The Easy Road
14. Something Or Nothing
15. I Won’t Mind
16. We Got We
17. Dreams

Disc 5: Return To Fantasy (released as Bronze ILPS-9335, 1975)

1. Return To Fantasy
2. Shady Lady
3. Devil’s Daughter
4. Beautiful Dream
5. Prima Donna
6. Your Turn To Remember
7. Showdown
8. Why Did You Go
9. A Year Or a Day

Disc 6: High and Mighty 

(1-10, released as Bronze ILPS-9384, 1976) and Firefly (11-18, released as Bronze ILPS-9483, 1977)

1. One Way Or Another
2. Weep In Silence
3. Misty Eyes
4. Midnight
5. Can’t Keep a Good Band Down
6. Woman Of The World
7. Footprints In The Snow
8. Can’t Stop Singing
9. Make a Little Love
10. Confession
11. The Hanging Tree
12. Been Away Too Long
13. Who Needs Me
14. Wise Man
15. Do You Know
16. Rollin’ On
17. Sympathy
18. Firefly

Disc 7: Innocent Victim 

(1-9, released as Bronze BRON 504, 1977) and Fallen Angel (10-19, released as Bronze BRNA 512, 1978)

1. Keep On Ridin’
2. Flyin’ High
3. Roller
4. Free ‘N’ Easy
5. Illusion
6. Free Me
7. Cheat ‘N’ Lie
8. The Dance
9. Choices
10. Woman Of The Night
11. Falling In Love
12. One More Night (Last Farewell)
13. Put Your Lovin’ On Me
14. Come Back To Me
15. Whad’ya Say
16. Save It
17. Love Or Nothing
18. I’m Alive
19. Fallen Angel

Disc 8: Conquest (released as Bronze BRONX 524, 1980)

1. No Return
2. Imagination
3. Feelings
4. Fools
5. Carry On
6. Won’t Have To Wait Too Long
7. Out On The Street
8. It Ain’t Easy

Disc 9: Abominog 

(1-10, released as Bronze BRON 538, 1982) and Head First (11-20, released as Bronze BRON 545, 1983)

1. Too Scared To Run
2. Chasing Shadows
3. On The Rebound
4. Hot Night In a Cold Town
5. Running All Night (With The Lion)
6. That’s The Way That It Is
7. Prisoner
8. Hot Persuasion
9. Sell Your Soul
10. Think It Over
11. The Other Side Of Midnight
12. Stay On Top
13. Lonely Nights
14. Sweet Talk
15. Love Is Blind
16. Roll-Overture
17. Red Lights
18. Rollin’ The Rock
19. Straight Through The Heart
20. Weekend Warriors

Disc 10: Equator 

(released as Portrait 26414, 1985)

1. Rockarama
2. Bad Blood
3. Lost One Love
4. Angel
5. Holding On
6. Party Time
7. Poor Little Rich Girl
8. Skools Burnin’
9. Heartache City
10. Night Of The Wolf

Disc 11: Raging Silence 

(released as Legacy Records LLP 120, 1989)

1. Hold Your Head Up
2. Blood Red Roses
3. Voice On My TV
4. Rich Kid
5. Cry Freedom
6. Bad Bad Man
7. More Fool You
8. When The War Is Over
9. Lifeline
10. Rough Justice

Disc 12: Different World 

(released as Legacy Records LLP 137, 1991)

1. Blood On Stone
2. Which Way Will The Wind Blow
3. All God’s Children
4. All For One
5. Different World
6. Step By Step
7. Seven Days
8. First Touch
9. One On One
10. Cross That Line

Disc 13: Sea Of Light 

(released as HTD Records 33, 1995)

1. Against The Odds
2. Sweet Sugar
3. Time Of Revelation
4. Mistress Of All Time
5. Universal Wheels
6. Fear Of Falling
7. Spirit Of Freedom
8. Logical Progression
9. Love In Silence
10. Words In The Distance
11. Fires Of Hell (Your Only Son)
12. Dream On

Disc 14: Sonic Origami 

(released as Eagle EAGCD043, 1998)

1. Between Two Worlds
2. I Hear Voices
3. Perfect Little Heart
4. Heartless Land
5. Only The Young
6. In The Moment
7. Question
8. Change
9. Shelter From The Rain
10. Everything In Life
11. Across The Miles
12. Feels Like
13. The Golden Palace

Disc 15: Wake The Sleeper 

(released as Sanctuary/Noise Records 1767027, 2008)

1. Wake The Sleeper
2. Overload
3. Tears Of The World
4. Light Of a Thousand Stars
5. Heaven’s Rain
6. Book Of Lies
7. What Kind Of God
8. Ghost Of The Ocean
9. Angels Walk With You
10. Shadow
11. War Child

Disc 16: Live 

(released as Bronze ISLD 1, 1973)

1. Sunrise
2. Sweet Lorraine
3. Traveller In Time
4. Easy Livin’
5. July Morning
6. Tears In My Eyes
7. Gypsy
8. Circle Of Hands
9. Look At Yourself
10. The Magician’s Birthday
11. Love Machine
12. Rock ‘N’ Roll Medley

Disc 17: Into The Wild 

(released as Frontiers FR CD 512, 2011)

1. Nail On The Head
2. I Can See You
3. Into The Wild
4. Money Talk
5. I’m Ready
6. Trail Of Diamonds
7. Southern Star
8. Believe
9. Lost
10. T-Bird Angel
11. Kiss Of Freedom

Disc 18: Outsider 

(released as Frontiers FR CD 650, 2014)

1. Speed Of Sound
2. One Minute
3. The Law
4. The Outsider
5. Rock The Foundation
6. Is Anybody Gonna Help Me?
7. Looking At You
8. Can’t Take That Away
9. Jessie
10. Kiss The Rainbow
11. Say Goodbye

Disc 19: Living The Dream 

(released as Frontiers FR CD 885, 2018)

1. Grazed By Heaven
2. Living The Dream
3. Take Away My Soul
4. Knocking At My Door
5. Rocks In The Road
6. Waters Flowin’
7. It’s All Been Said
8. Goodbye To Inncence
9. Falling Under Your Spell
10. Dreams Of Yesteryear

Disc 20: Ken Hensley’s Choices

1. Paradise
2. The Spell
3. Weep In Silence
4. Rain
5. Circle Of Hands
6. July Morning
7. The Park
8. Echoes In The Dark
9. Misty Eyes
10. Fallen Angel
11. The Easy Road
12. Falling In Love
13. Sunrise
14. Sweet Freedom

Disc 21: Lee Kerslake’s Choices

1. July Morning
2. The Magician’s Birthday
3. Traveller In Time
4. Sweet Lorraine
5. Circus
6. Rainbow Demon
7. Come Back To Me
8. Shady Lady
9. All My Life
10. The Other Side Of Midnight
11. Who Needs Me
12. That’s The Way That It Is
13. Free Me
14. Stealin’

Disc 22: Mick Box’s Choices

1. The Park
2. Tears In My Eyes
3. Sweet Lorraine
4. Circus
5. Free ‘N’ Easy
6. Woman Of The Night
7. Hot Persuasion
8. The Other Side Of Midnight
9. Straight Through The Heart
10. Cross That Line
11. Love In Silence
12. What Kind Of God
13. Trail Of Diamonds
14. The Outsider
15. Falling Under Your Spell

Disc 23: Paul Newton’s Choices

1. Lady In Black
2. Tales
3. Easy Livin’
4. Tears In My Eyes
5. If I Had The Time
6. Real Turned On
7. Come Away Melinda
8. What Should Be Done
9. Why
10. Sympathy
11. Free ‘N’ Easy
12. I’m Alive
13. One Minute
14. Grazed By Heaven

LP / vinyl : The Magician’s Birthday

Phil Aston | Now Spinning

Uriah Heep 50 Years In Rock – Order Details