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After I ate my lunch today I still had 15 min. left so a co-worker and I went to kill time in the " Gallery Of Sound" record shop and the first place I always go to is the letter "U" (need I say why?). There was "Best of..", "Live '73","Demons&Wizards", which are usually the standard CD's in here(and I already have those) but THERE IT WAS," Uriah Heep Live in San Diego'74" !
YES, I bought it and couldn't wait to "rip" into it.
Well don't tell my boss but I spent the next 1/2hr or so reading the inside liner notes,looking at pics,"A Fan's Perspective"(by Dale Fredericks)and I thought how cool it was to see "Heepsters On The Web" and names of people I know (sort of) on it. Anyway, I finally got home and gave it a long awaited listen.........Ken, hat's off to you! I love it ! It is always a great pleasure to be able to here Heep live. Sure ,there are a few moments of "difficulties" in it but IT IS LIVE and live is pure!
The harmonies were great in" Stealin'" and It was a treat to hear "Seven Stars" and "Sweet Freedom" in live form. Mick Box was right on, every solo just right. Ken's Hammon and Synth. right out there leading almost every song. Best part is to listen to Dave Byron talking to the audience between each song. I hate concerts where they play song after song without relating to the people.
Well anyway, I had a great end to a boring work day and I would like to say if you like Heep (and I'm sure you do ) this CD is a MUST to add to your collection . Remember one thing when you listen............don't analyze,criticize, just fantasize being there and enjoy!!
It's time for you to realize, there's gonna be no compromise, it's gotta be Heep or nothin' at all. Thanks, Mike F.
muzzy-tv@juno.com
...Alex Gitlin's initial review...
Fellow Heepsters,
Just got it - yes, I'm still shaking. Can't contain my excitement - it's like a fever - this is too damn exciting for my own good, I could get a heart attack this way, some day, if we keep going at the same pace! :-)
Needless to say, this release is extremely exciting, not only from the
historical viewpoint, but also cause I see my friends - fellow Heepsters -
having made solid "imprints" on the do-process. Kudos to Dale Fredericks for
an excellent article in the booklet (congratulations, Dale!!!!), "A Fan's
Perspective" (below), and to Dave White, Richard, Rodrigo and others for
submitting the most EXCELLENT photos which HAVE indeed made it to the
booklet.
And last but not least - thanks a lot to Ken for the top-notch work mixing the show - must've been a hell of an effort!
There you have it - the history in the making - King Biscuit CD released,
and yet another milestone in Heep's history!!! I've started a new [proper]
job today (followed your advise, Ken) but I don't give a ****, I'm more
excited about this CD, to be honest! I know, I know, incurable Heepaholic,
one of many. :-)
The sound in the beginning is a little raw, but gets better just as soon as the organ kicks in properly - on "Stealin'". Dave's introductions are dramatic and unforgettable, and yes, this precious artefact shows us that Bernie wasn't the only "down to Earth" one in the Heep camp: "Snap your f****n' fingers" and "This is the story about a girl who just can't get laid" (introducing Gypsy) - yes, the good old David could certainly be entertaining in places. :-)
Overall, his voice, and the mix itself sustain the rawness characteristic of
a typically uncut bootleg (only the sound is much better), and the whole
thing stays very true to the show's original sound, and conveys the exciting
atmosphere that was, no doubt, prevailing that night at the venue... Yet,
Ken tells us, not the whole show made it onto the CD - some stuff just had to
be edited out, for duration's sake... Well, We're waiting for the limited
edition now!! ;-)
Following are the two articles from the booklet: Ken's and Dale's. Pity the list isn't working at the moment, but when it goes back up, I'll certainly repost this message there...
And... enough of my babbling - the out-of-this-world vocal harmonies, the great, mind-numbing Hammond riffs, and those blood-boiling guitar licks, they're all there, awaiting you, just as soon as you pick up that CD at your local store (or whatever the case may be) - what are YOU waiting for??? GO GET IT!! NOW!!
Alex.
From the CD Jacket:
There I was (no, not on a July morning!) in Studio 4 at The Hit Factory in New York, listening to (and trying to help mix) Uriah Heep "Live in San Diego" at a volume I can only describe as...'dangerous"!!! Sitting there with Gary Lyons, our engineer Rob Murphy and 'Tweety", it wasn't too difficult to cast my mind back to what I still consider to be golden years of Uriah Heep. Specifically, we were headlining this show at the San Diego Sports Arena, with Manfred Mann and the late, great Rory Gallagher opening up for us. In those days, we were selling out arenas all over the world and San Diego was one we always looked forward to.
I have said before that, on its night, Heep was as powerful as any band,
anywhere and this night, so long ago, was a powerful night. Not perfect but
powerful! Of course, there are always technical glitches when recording a
live performance, especially back then when technology was nowhere near as
sophisticated as it is now, but we were there and the audience was there and
that's all any of us needed.
That was, and still may be, the whole point with Uriah Heep. The critics hated us, particularly when we began to accomplish all the things they said we would never accomplish, but all we ever listened to was you, our fans, the ones who bought the tickets and the records. Each show gave us a very short time to share with you and we all made the most of it ... nothing else mattered!
Something else that's different about this show is the set list and the order. I don't think we did 'Sweet Freedom" or 'Seven Stars" often and the show features all our biggest songs but in an unusual order.
One technical comment (aside from the fact that my harmony is missing on the
first two songs due to brain fade at the live gig!), the total original
program length was 93 minutes and, in order to squash it onto one CD, we had
to edit some of the keyboard and drum solos ... sorry about that ... maybe
we’ll I make the full show available as a limited edition later on!!!
The show starts with our version of a symphony orchestra tuning session! I remember we were having a lot of problems with the monitors that night which gave David a particularly tough time so the organ is just grinding a note for guitar and bass reference which suddenly becomes the opening of "Easy Livin'". (When I first listened to the rough mixes, I thought I was going to hear Sunrise!)
Directed by David's unique style of "communicating" with the audience, the record goes through a medley of hits, sidestepping to 'Seven Stars" and "Sweet Freedom" and, in another unusual move, 'Love Machine" closes the main set.
I don't remember exactly when we started doing the rock & roll medley but I know it became sort of a "signature" for the band and was very popular. I like this version of it and I hope you do too.
Do you remember Melissa Mills review of our first album in Rolling Stone?
quote... "if this band makes it, I'll commit suicide" (we did, she didn't)... well, Melissa, we made it and, thanks in part to the guys at King Biscuit Records, we're still making it!
Sit back, turn it up to "dangerous" (you can always call Gary for a new set of speakers) and enjoy a real rock and roll show from a real rock and roll band!!!
Ken Hensley
A FAN’S PERSPECTIVE
I believe I can convey my memories of that show (as well as I possibly can, considering the shape I was in). The most vivid memory is one of the increasing anticipation of seeing Heep live for the first time. We sat through the opening acts and literally let the excitement build up to a feverish pitch. I had remembered early Manfred Mann music, but really wasn't too anxious to see them. Rory Gallagher was a pleasant surprise, and I have enjoyed his music ever since.
After those two sets were finished, you could have cut the tension with a knife! The fans were sooo impatient for Heep to come out on the stage. I remember how I had to use the restroom, but would not leave my spot on the floor for fear that I would miss the opening of Heep's set. We all talked about which song we thought they would start out with. I voted for "Easy Livin'" and my friend said "Sweet Lorraine."
All of the sudden the lights went down and it was like a total eclipse had covered the Arena. I don't remember even seeing the band walk out on the stage and before I could even catch my breath from hooting and hollering for their appearance, BEHOLD!! there was the sound of the world literally being blown to bits. I looked up at the stage and the first person I saw was David. He looked like a human torch standing there with his slender body and red hair highlighted by the lights. I hate to admit it but I really don't remember what song Uriah Heep started out with. I was just so thrilled to realize that there was Uriah Heep right in front of me, and thousands of other fans. I became so emotional at that moment that I believe I started crying from the excitement!
I sang along with every song, like I had known them for years. My legs were black and blue the next day from keeping the beat along with Lee on drums. My friends gave me lots of room because I became a one man band, playing lead air guitar, keyboards, drums, and of course vocals. The band seemed to be enjoying the proceedings as much as the crowd was, and both musicians and fans blended together as one single unit that night! I recall how I didn't want this to ever stop! When Heep came back for their encores, I felt like they would keep on playing well into the morning hours. The rock and roll medley totally blew me away and I remember the fun that you guys were having amongst yourselves while playing these classic songs.
My favorites that night were 'July Morning" and the encore of "Gypsy"!! The finale will always leave a 'mental picture' in my head of the whole band standing there with arms around each other and hoisting each other in the air on occasion.
Needless to say, I was "hoarse" for a good two days afterward and told everybody and anybody about the show. We listened to Heep music continuously for another month without a break, reliving that night again and again!
Dale Fredericks