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the plaster cast going between the index finger and the thumb. Lifting my right arm up and down had it's moments and it had be organized by the Promoters to have a nurse/doctor give me 3 injections a night for pain. One before I went on stage, one whilst on stage and one when I came off. Sometimes the nurse / doctor could not stay for the whole show and so they gave me a huge booster shot. When this happened we had to delay the show until I was ready and I had returned back down to earth. I must say without realizing it, I really started to enjoy the light show. Normally this is the furthest thing from my mind. Any way because during the shows my arm would swell and the cast would begin to break, I had to go to the hospital after each show and have another cast put on. This went on for three months. In the mornings, the swelling would reduce and the cast had lost all effect once again and this can only be described as being like an elbow in a warm room. So off to the hospital for another cast. I must say the things you see in an emergency wards in a hospital at the times I paid a visit were horrific. This made my problem seem very in significant. We eventually had a break in the tour for a holiday and Lee and I went to Jamaica. I still had the broken arm and I spent the majority of the holiday standing in the shallow end of our private pool overlooking the sea with a plastic bag on my arm while Lee went swimming, scuba diving and fishing, etc. After about two thirds of the holiday gone, I went to the local hospital and had the cast removed. I was most surprised that the doctor was from Bournemouth, England where Lee was born. I was so happy to have the cast removed but I needed a lead weight to keep it down by my side where it belonged as it kept wanting to float up toward the sky. When we arrived back at our accommodation, I was elated and dived straight into the swimming pool to cool off fully for the very first time. Underneath the water, I did the breast stroke and I thought I had broken my wrist again as it hurt badly. There was no need to worry and I eventually put some weight back on the arm and everything was fine. I still get the odd twinges but I think back to those emergency rooms and all is fine."
LIMOS ALL AROUND!
Later in 1975, Uriah Heep played a festival in Cleveland. In an effort to upstage the other acts on the bill (Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult & Faces), Byron and Hensley insisted that each band member be carried to the gig in a separate limousine. The arena was only a few hundred yards from the hotel!
BACK TO FANTASY
Two albums after trying to escape from the fantasy concept, Uriah Heep altered their course by reverting back to mystical and magical symbolism of the past. With the addition of new bassist John Wetton (former King Crimson) in place, once again the band was returning to fantasy. Tracks such as Beautiful Dream, Devil's Daughter, and the title track Return To Fantasy helped make this their biggest selling album ever in the UK.
RETURN TO FANTASY TOUR
Gerry Bron predicted during the year - long Return To Fantasy tour, that Uriah Heep would play to one million people and travel 30,000 air miles.
THE PACE TAKES A TOLL
The pressure on the band during the Byron years was tremendous. Mick told
Sigmund Ruud that Heep was touring 9 months a year and spending 3 months a
year in the studio. Mick recalled ending a tour in Glasgow one night. The band was driven overnight back to the studios in London. Then the band worked all day and through the night in the studio before being taken by car to Heathrow Airport. Heep then flew to Chicago where they were kicking of a 3 or 4 month North American tour. The label had arranged a big party to kick of the US tour the day Heep arrived in Chicago. Mick said the band was sotired that they were falling asleep in their food. Everyone thought the band was on drugs because they had food stuck to their faces from falling in their food.
WETTON SINGS LEAD VOCALS
While David Byron was ill with chicken pox, John Wetton sang the lead vocal on "One Way Or Another". As John stated later, his vocals were only intended to be a guide. However when David heard them, he told the band to just leave them. He felt they were fine as they were. After twenty five years, Wetton reunited with Ken Hensley for a performance at The London Forum. One Way or Another was featured in the set and the title track for a Wetton CD release by Classic Rock Legends.
A HENSLEY SOLO ALBUM?
In an interview with Chris Tetley, David Byron remarked that Heep had no songs ready for High & Mighty so the band essentially used songs Ken had written for a solo album.
