My first exposure to uriah heep was soon after I obtained my drivers license in 1987. I was driving around in the family station wagon, wasting time and smoking up the interior, when I heard a sound I have never heard before, hard rock and harmonies that ticked my brain. It was stealin'. Over the next several years, while driving around Chicagoland, I would hear stealin' and easy livin', not realizing it was the same band. Lokking back I don't remember if I even knew the bands name.

Then in the early 1990's, listening to a local radio program called acid rock flashback, I heard High Priestess and I liked it. Then the DJ said that was UH. I put it all together and realized that this band really fits my musical tastes. I decided to buy the cd that contained stealin' since I knew there was at least one tune I liked. I was very happy when I found that I liked the entire album. From that point I was hooked. I think the next cd I bought was Demons. It rocked too.

I decided to go back and get all the old albums beginning with the first, might as well follow the progression of the band, since I had the opportunity. I wasn't able to get all the albums in order but I tried. I started to see some holes in the armor starting with high and mighty, then it got better with the next two cd's. I learned to lije fallen angel, then it all crashed with conquest. I bought the next album. It was o.k.

I don't have any of their studio albums after that. Still am a huge fan, listening several times a week. Any recomendations on the best studio album since 1981? lets hear your story now.

jeff (from the forum)

It was at the beginning of the eighties and I was very much into Deep Purple
at that time. I was 15 years old and I was searching in my uncle records
when I found that strange cover with a dead head man with an open mouth
under a spider web. I listened to that album and from the beginning of the
first track I sayed "wow that's as good as Deep Purple". It was "Gypsy" with
its progressive intro (it's a shame they didn't play it anymore today) and
its mad organ solo. I decided to tape that record with the small recorder I
got at that time: the result was strange because I only got a guitar version
without organ at all!! It was because the funny stereo effect!! During the 2
minutes solo, I only have the guitar riff again and again!!!

I had to get this vinyl right now and I asked it to the father christmas
(with "Tokyo tapes" from the Scorpions). I was quite disappointed when on my
shoes I discovered "The magician's birthday" instead... The cover was
beautiful and the music much softer and more progressive. It wasn't my style
at that time: I was found of hard-rock and heavy metal!! But after a few
listening I began to love that album very much which stays as one of my
favourite ever today. I began to listen other progressive stuffs like Yes or
Jethro Tull, because of "Magician's birthday".
I bought the "Lonely nights" pictured CD single but I didn't like it very
much. I prefered the B side "weekend warrior". Then I bought "Raging
silence" and I was really disapointed. That was sounding too much american
AOR to me and I sold it promptly: I decided just to keep "V'EV'U" and
"Magician's birthday".

In 1995, I was into progressive rock very much and Roger's Dean cover of
"Sea of light" brang my attention. I listened to that album and... I really
loved it!!! When all the discography has been remastered with bonus tracks I
decided to get everything. I was a teenager again!!! Every Hensley's solo
albums, every David Byron's, all the Lucifer's Friend's ones, Grand Prix...
I had to get everything. I went to the acousticaly driven show... And that's
it: I'm a 38 yers old Heepster and we are not a lot in France where U.H. is
quite unknown.

Hubert ALLUSSON (Bordeaux, FRANCE)

I am sure that this has gone around somewhere but if it has not; then I will gladly share it again. I was 14 years old in 1972 & living in Astoria New York. All of my friends had their favorite bands that they were influencing me into liking. One day I was watching a tv program & they were showing different bands doing different songs of theirs. SUDDENLY: this band came on by the name of URIAH HEEP. I had never heard of them & was curious just by looking at them. Their Bass player (Gary Thain) was wearing these cool boots that were white & furry & the keyboard player was REALLY getting IN to what he was playing. The first song was "The Wizard".

The singer was hitting notes that I never heard before & his voice echoed which was cool. After the commercial they played "Easy Livin" & I was HOOKED FOR LIFE. Now it was MY turn to influence my friends & get them converted. Well now it's 32 years later & I STILL enjoy Uriah Heep Old; New & anything in between. Funny thing is that of all the bands that were on tv that day; Uriah Heep is the ONLY band that I remember.

Bill McCue

Hi!

So I might begin with my story of how I became an UH fan.
I was in the age of 8 or 9 I think, when my parents put their LP collection in order. That was 1987 or 1988. Well, I found a LP with a great cover and pictures of cool smoking people. That was "The Magician´s Birthday". It was so great! Someday after that I bought "Demons and Wizards" and "Return To Fantasy" and I just listened to Heep´s music and sometimes Status Quo. But then, as I grew older, interest faded and I became a Heavy Metal freak, listening to harder stuff like Manowar, Sodom etc.
When "Sea Of Light" was released I gave it a try and bought it. "Against The Odds" was great but I thought that this album was not hard enough for my taste then. After 2 or 3 years when my musical taste opened, I began listening to all my old and new Heep records fell in love with their sound again. Since then they are my No.1 band, though Emperor (norwegian Black Metal) are very close behind.
So that´s my story.

Rene

Jay