BORN IN A TRUNK (SPICE - BOX/BYRON): A heavy rocker which was an integral part of Spice's live set. We have included two versions; the vocal take very nearly made it onto the Very 'Eavy album, the instrumental outtake displays busy, but very typical drumming for the era. Interestingly Spice were at this time using the Hanwell Community Centre in London for rehearsing. The building was also being used by another embryonic rock band, Deep Purple, and the story goes that this track was written while listening to them playing in the room next door. It is not unlike the tracks Purple were playing in those days. Recorded September 1969. (1)
MAGIC LANTERN (SPICE - BOX/BYRON): Lasting eight minutes, this track contains some amazing jazzy bass from newton. Often developed into an even lengthier piece on stage, it is very typical of Spice's style. We have included all three sections of the song without editing the rough edges. Recorded July 1969. (1)
ASTRANAZA (SPICE - BOX/BYRON): Another very popular song from the band's live act, and another track with a very jazzy feel. Again there were originally three parts to this song. We have included parts one and two only. Part three was a repeat of the first section, but the tapes were in such poor condition they proved unusable. Recorded July 1969. (1)
I WANT YOU BABE (Behind The Green Shed Blues) (SPICE - BOX/BYRON): A typical Spice blues number, featuring some fantastic vocal work from Byron. Of the many takes of this number which survive this is one of only two that proved usable. The mellotron that graces the middle section was provided by Colin Wood, and an adaption of this section was used for Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble. Recorded December 1969. (1)
CELEBRATE (SPICE - BONNER/GORDON): Spice concentrated on recording original material in their later days, but still played a mean array of R & R covers live, many of which surfaced in Uriah Heep's early 70's live set. At the request of Gerry Bron the band (reluctantly they claim!) rehearsed a cover of a popular Three Dog Night song called "Celebrate". Bron had just returned from The States where he had been impressed by Three Dog Night. It wasn't taken too seriously by the band as can be heard in their adaption. Two versions were recorded, this being the more interesting of the two. Recorded July 1969. (1)
SCHOOL GIRL (SPICE - BOX/BYRON): Whatever this song was like live (and apparently it was good), it didn't transfer to tape too well. I was tempted to omit it but for the guitar solo, and also because it was the only example of a Spice song recorded at Lansdowne that resembled their early quirky style. For the hard core fans only. Recorded July 1969. (1)
LUCY BLUES (URIAH HEEP - BOX/BYRON): This is the only known alternate verstion of any of the tracks on the original Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble, and has a slightly different vocal take. The original version of "Lucy Blues" was omitted from the US version of Uriah Heep's debut album and replaced with Bird Of Prey from the Salisbury album, hence our inclusion here as a rare track from the early years. Recorded January 1970. (2)
SIMON THE BULLET FREAK (URIAH HEEP - HENSLEY): This song originally came out on US and Canadian copies of the Salisbury album, and as a b-side to Look At Yourself elsewhere. Although this version differs only slightly from the original recording, the temptation to include it was too great to resist. As the song is a personal favourite I decided to re-mix it and if it worked it would be included. Recorded late 1970. (3)
HERE AM I (URIAH HEEP - HENSLEY): Why this hauntingly beautiful song from the Salisbury sessions was never released at the time is anyone's guess. It's a lovely example of Hensley's early writing for the band. The beautiful vocal harmonies are by David and Ken. The heavy centre section is graced by two guitar solos, the first by Mick, the second by Ken. The song was difficult to mix due to fluctuating sound levels. Recorded late 1970. (3)
WHY (URIAH HEEP - BOX/BYRON/HENSLEY/NEWTON): Recorded during the Look At Yourself sessions, "Why" was originally issued as the b-side of The Wizard in 1972 (and, until "Rarities From The Bronze Age" unissued on CD). The song was known to the band as "Why...14 Minutes" due to the lengths the band took it to on stage. According to Paul Newton, "Gerry hated this song so much and the band enjoyed jamming with it - we just made it go on and on!" A surviving copy of the full length version of the number was discovered amongst the tapes. The recording was not of the best quality, using only 5 of the 8 tracks available, and was purely a studio jam. The feel of this version is reminiscent of Steely Dan, and features a wonderful vocal performance from Byron. Recorded late 1971. (4)
WHAT'S WITHIN MY HEART (URIAH HEEP - HENSLEY): A lovely acoustic track also recorded during the Look At Yourself sessions, which none of the band remembers recording. It was discovered at the end of a reel containing several takes of What Should Be Done so it may have been recorded without the band knowing the tapes were rolling. This number was often done live as part of the acoustic set the band did on stage. Recorded 1971. (4)
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE (URIAH HEEP - HENSLEY): Originally written in the
studio and recorded within three hours during the Look At Yourself sessions, this
version displays a slightly more laid back feel than the original. Recorded 1971. (4)
LOOK AT YOURSELF (URIAH HEEP - HENSLEY): This is the original unreleased
edit for the band's first UK single. The basic recording is no different from the album
version apart from the edits, of which there are more than six within the song. Recorded
1971. (4)
© Robert M. Corich June 1993
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