Released in March “The Wizard” would chart in a few countries, a minor hit in Canada (#86), a top 40 hit in Germany, and a top 10 hit in Switzerland – where the band had previously had a top 10 hit with the single “Look At Yourself”.īefore the album would be completed though Clarke left the band while on US tour, with Gary Thain (ex Keef Hartley) brought in to replace him. Clarke also sang the bridge in the song that was better suited to him than David Byron. The song featured acoustic guitar, the band’s harmonies, a mystical tale, and the whistle of a tea kettle! The idea to record the tea kettle was spontaneous in the studio and it fitted in perfectly. Clarke would also get a co-writing credit on “The Wizard”, with Hensley.

The latter had been around for some time, as the band had recorded it previously, much longer as “Why -14 Minutes?”, and it would never find a place on a Heep LP, but would become perhaps the band’s most popular non-album track. With Clarke on bass the band recorded 2 tracks for a single release – “The Wizard” and “Why”. Iain Clark, who was the band’s 4th drummer and played on Look At Yourself, left the band soon after Newton, and Lee Kerslake joined. Newton was initially replaced by Colosseum bassist Mark Clarke, a friend of Hensley’s. Newton was a key figure in the band’s formation and early days, as he had played with The Gods – which featured Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake before moving on to Spice – which would become Uriah Heep with the addition of Ken Hensley, upon Newton’s recommendation. In the time after Look At Yourself the band went through more personnel changes, first dropping founding member / bass player Paul Newton. It was the follow up to Look At Yourself, an album which saw the band solidify a heavy hard-rock direction, and featured classics like “Love Machine”, the title track, and the epic “July Morning” – the latter 2 would remain in the band’s set list almost permanently, and the album has been argued as the band’s best by some critics & fans, but it did not have the commercial success that Demons And Wizards would. A few days ago the album turned 50 years old. fb.Demons & Wizards was Uriah Heep’s 4th studio album. Take Me to the River - Talking Heads - 1978 Mouldy Old Dough – Lieutenant Pigeon – 1972.I Can’t Stand the Rain – Ann Peebles – 1973.You’ll find out when the latest blog is posted and every Monday you’ll get “This Week in 70s Music.” Click the Facebook logo to go to the seventiesmusic Facebook page and click “Like.” Easy Livin’ has appeared on 24 Uriah Heep albums and 27 compilation albums.It was taken from the album Live in Moscow. A live version of Easy Livin’, featuring new vocalist Bernie Shaw, was released as a single in the UK in 1988.The song did, however, reach #5 in the Netherlands, securing the band enduring popularity throughout Europe.Easy Livin’ was Uriah Heep’s only US hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1972.Easy Livin’ was the second single from Uriah Heep’s 1972 album Demons and Wizards (an album that was on high-rotation in my brother’s record collection at the time).Elton John drummer, Nigel Olssen was a member of Uriah Heep for a 1/47th of its history (that’s one year, by the way). There is a well-known ex-member, however. In Uriah Heep’s case it’s lead guitarist Mick Box. Within many of the bands who endure across generations there will be one person who remains constant.

In all they’ve sold over 30 million albums with over 4 million of those in the US. Fans referred to these bands as “The Big 4” of hard rock. Such was Uriah Heep’s success in the 70s, people used to mention them in the same breath as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Having had hits in Germany and Netherlands, Uriah Heep still plays to packed arenas in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and Scandinavia, and Japan. It’s in Europe that the band has made it big, however.

Having released 23 studio albums (around 50 albums in all), the band has had 12 feature on the UK albums chart and 15 on the US album charts. Uriah Heep are a British band who were typical of their time-hard rock, loud guitars, with a keyboard/organ in the background sort of a poor man’s Deep Purple! Still packin’ ‘em in in some parts of town Their one, almost, hit was the 1972 song, Easy Livin’. They never charted in their homeland and only once made the US singles chart (#39), and yet Uriah Heep are considered one of the seminal hard rock bands of the 1970s.

Easy livin uriah heep