While much ado is made of the giants of 70's hard rock - bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple - little is said these days about some of their equally influential but less well-know peers. Surely topping the list are long-time British veterans, Uriah Heep.

When this English quintet's debut LP was released in 1970, some critic who did not go down in rock history said, "if this band makes it, I'll have to commit suicide". Well, Heep did make it, despite this and other vicious critical barbs, but the fate of the reviewer is unknown. It was just the beginning of a strange career that has seen the group get slammed by the music press throughout their entire twenty-year career, yet somehow endure and carry on to play for eager audiences around the world.

Heep was formed out of the ashes of a band called Spice, by guitarist Mick Box and singer David Bryon. The sound was heavy, blues-influenced, yet possessed of chaotic edge that often veered into primal metal drone. Perched atop it all were Bryon's histrionic yet powerful vocals, and harmonies that gave the band the nickname of "the Beach Boys of heavy metal". It's those distinctive harmonies, plus the group"s trademark mix of wailing guitar with swirling Hammond organ, that have survived numerous personel changes and too many ups and downs of fortune to list here.

There's no doubt that Hep were at their peak between 1972 and 1974, and the lineup at the time remains the quintessential Heep: Box, Bryon, keyboardist Ken Hensley, bassist Gary Thain, and drummer Lee Kerslake. Heep's best and most successful albums came out of that period, and it remains a tragedy that the chemistry flared for all too brief a time, and that two members, Bryon and Thain, are no longer with us today.

The album you hold, Sweet Freedom, shows Heep at their finest. Dreamer, Stealin', and Pilgrim are among the band's heaviest tunes, full of searing wah-wah leads and endlessly shuffling rhythms. On the other hand, the title track, Seven Stars and If I Had The Time showcase the group's moodier, more atmospheric side, while still delivering great progressive hard rock that has been a major influence on many of today's bands. Also included is an ultra-rare bonus track, Sunshine. Recored during the very sessions that yeiled Sweet Freedom, this unearthed gem has been pulled from the vaults and is finally avaiable after all these years.

Heep are still aound,with Mick Box still at the helm and Lee Kerslake continuing behind the kit, and it's a tribute to their perseverance and talent that Heep still enjoy a healthy following after two decades. I can think of no better tribute to their music than for us to once again enjoy the album you hold in your hands.

DON KAYE, KERRANG

Sweet Freedom was Uriah heep's sixth studio album, and seventh in total if you included Uriah Heep Live from 1973. It was the third studio album in a row with the same line-up. The experience of playing and recording together consistently was apparent by 1973. The band however broke from the fold by recording in a new location and upgrading to a 24-track studio at the Chateau d'Herouville in France. Recording abroad was intended to be a move forward; ask the band today and they will look at you quizzically! The studio was plagued with problems. Machinery was constantly failing. In fact, Heep were not the only band to record here and encounter problems, as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull will testify. The album Tull recorded here around the same time was abandoned before completion and only recently has portions of it surfaced - aptly called The Chateau Disaster Tapes by Anderson himself. Heep obviously managed to get the better of the ghosts (probably by deafening them!) and after several weeks came out with yet another top album. Sweet Freedom, like its p redecessors, climbed the charts easily, helped by the release of Stealin' as a single. As was so often the case, the single charted all over the world...except in the UK!

Stealin' achieved gold status in Gary Thain's homeland, New Zealand. Not surprising really as the band were very popular by this stage in the Downunda countries of New Zealand and Australia. So popular in fact that a special double album was released for the fans in these far flung colonies, aptly titled Downunda, it was released in single sleeve and gatefold versions and contained a "best of" up to and including Sweet Freedom. Original copies in perfect condition now command a good pocketful of money in that bastion of collectorville, Japan.

The single of Stealin' was coupled with a non-album track recorded during the Sweet Freedom sessions called Sunshine (first CD release was on Rarities From The Bronze Age - Sequel NEX 184). It was a very heavy Hammond organ inspired track. Both the edited single version of Stealin' and its B-side, Sunshine have been remastered and included with this set. Also included is the original full length version of Seven Stars, mixed for the first time in 1995. The original album version used the same basic track but was edited somewhat! Sweet Freedom remains as one of the best, and most appreciated, albums Uriah Heep put together in the seventies. Heep were to again record abroad with the follow up album to Sweet Freedom, titled Wonderworld to be recorded in Munich, Germany, but that's a story to be continued in the next installment of remasters.

© 1995 Robert M. Corich

Content Copyright © 1997 Jay Pearson

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