[Heeplist] Living The Dream Review

[Mark Layel]

Great review of a great band.

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018, 8:42 PM lethridge at carolina.net . <
lethridge at carolina.net> wrote:

>
> Earlier this year, like many other people I decided to go and see The
> Rolling Stones because “they ain’t toured for ages and won’t be around
> forever…”
> So good were the band that I decided to go again later in the tour. As I
> was driving home from both gigs, I found myself musing on why seeing the
> old, classic bands is often such a rewarding experience, and came to the
> conclusion that even allowing for the songs, it is more – surely that if
> you’ve been doing something for half a century then, surely, it is second
> nature.
> It was in this spirit that I approached this – the 25th album, no less in
> Uriah Heep’s career. The band, with Mick Box at its heart since 1969 has
> largely been pretty settled in fairness since 1986, which puts them at odds
> with many bands of their vintage, as does the fact that they’ve mostly
> managed to keep the band alive in that time.
> As Box himself noted in the run up to the release of “Living The Dream”:
> “The mighty Heep are proudly able to tour in over 61 countries” which is
> not to be sniffed at. The good news, for both Heep and for those that love
> the band – whatever period they found them along the journey (in the
> interests of full disclosure, 2008’s “Wake The Sleeper” in my case) – there
> is enough here to keep them on the road for a good few years yet.
> Indeed, right from the start of “Grazed By Heaven” it is evident that
> “…Dream” is from the very top drawer of UH’s work. It is typical of their
> sound, which personally, I’ve always thought was somewhere in the middle of
> Deep Purple, Magnum and UFO, to make something entirely their own.
> In many ways too, “Living The Dream” is an album driven by the wonderful
> organ work of Phil Lanzon, who absolutely propels this in a way that latter
> day Europe might try.
> Likewise, the title track, which begins with some Queen-style harmonies
> and a gritty, almost bluesy groove is a cracker, and the opening Box riff
> to “Take Away My Soul” is perfect, and very British sounding, hard rock,
> before it changes gear with some Beatles style swirl.
> This record crackles with an energy, and maybe it is just the fact that
> everyone here knows it’s a cracker, but also the choice of Canadian
> Producer Jay Ruston (who has worked with the aforementioned Europe as well
> as The Winery Dogs, Stone Sour and Black Star Riders) seems to have
> injected a real freshness.
> The likes of the thrilling “Knocking At My Door” – a real highlight – and
> the epic prog freak out of the eight minutes plus of “Rocks In The Road”
> are both indicative of a band that was brimming with ideas (and I’d be
> willing to bet that outtakes from this would make for a damn fine album,
> never mind anything else).
> There are touches of Led Zep about the melodic “Waters Flowing” – as
> singer Bernie Shaw shows his class – and the slow building, brooding “It’s
> All Been Said” is the sound of a whole band firing on all of its cylinders,
> and the piano work here is enough to make Avantasia jealous, while the
> lyrics lament the modern world. The modern world, though, can’t be all bad
> when people make music like this.
> “Goodbye To Innocence” has a kind of “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” student
> sleaze, but its filthy boogie is a lot of fun, while modern bands – I am
> thinking of Inglorious here – will do well to listen to “Falling Under your
> Spell” and understand how you do this for nigh on 50 years.
> As it all ends with the reflective “Dreams Of Yesteryear” – “let me tell
> you how it was, so many years ago….” Sings Shaw as its opening line – you
> are struck by the fact that this is the first time anything in this
> collection has slipped into a reverie.
> “Living The Dream” is not the sound of old men sitting around telling war
> stories. It is the sound of a wonderful hard rock band playing some
> magnificent songs. There’ll be some kid, somewhere who’s never heard of the
> band who finds this and loves it. That, right there, is why Uriah Heep –
> and other bands of similar vintage – are still vital.
>
>
>
>
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>