![]() ![]() As you can see from my guitar influences in the last question, I tapped into that jazz background that I had to write the song. MB: That song was written by David Byron and myself. Did Uriah Heep listen to Chicago or is this similarity merely a coincidence? So I must know, as I’ve been wondering for years. It just so happens that Chicago’s first two albums were already out by the time of …Very ‘eavy’s June 1970 release date. It has a distinct jazz influence and reminds me of the band Chicago. I’ve always been curious about the closing track, “Wake Up (Set Your Sights)”. In any case, my guitar background was more from the jazz guitarist field with people like Django Reinhardt, Tal Farlow, Les Paul & Mary Ford, and Barney Kessel etc. I was not into any real blues guitarists at all, as I was a young man traveling the world, and playing guitar in a rock band, so I was really too happy to pretend to play the blues. As nearly every British act of the era was influenced by the blues, who were your favorite blues guitarists/acts of the time? Songs such as “Real Turned On”, and the appropriately titled “Lucy Blues”, have a real bluesy quality to them. He had such powerful emotion in his voice. David’s voice on it is just perfect, and he was right in the pocket. We did this for a long while in ‘Spice’ and brought the song with us into the studio for our first album. I knew it would fit David’s voice perfectly. MB: David Byron and I saw Tim Rose, a folk singer, singing this in a club in London, and we thought it was a beautiful song and one that we had to do. A delicate ballad complete with acoustic guitar and mellotron, it’s rather a departure from the rest of the material on the album. The sole cover on …Very ‘eavy is that of a traditional pop song, “Come Away Melinda”. MB: There was only really one and that was ‘Vanilla Fudge,’ and one of the reasons that we included the Hammond Organ sound into our music. To follow up the last question, which late 60s hard rock acts would you say were most influential to Uriah Heep in those early days? Everyone had long hair, big stacks of equipment instead of small combos, and everything was getting louder and more exciting. We had just come out of the 60’s with catchy short 3-minute songs with sweet harmonies in the chorus, and by the time the 70’s arrived, it was quite a rebellious time. MB: It was probably as you say it was a result of the naturally evolving rock scene of the time leaning towards harder and heavier sounds. Was this approach intentional or was it a result of the naturally evolving rock scene of the time leaning towards harder and heavier sounds? ![]() Other songs that utilize this early metal approach in riffs and song structure are “Walking in Your Shadow” and “Dreammare”. It is one of those songs that has become a staple of our career for 50 years. It has a very earthy riff, and we used block harmonies almost as another instrument, with a long organ solo and a crazy ending. ![]() MB: ‘Gypsy’ was one of the heavier tracks on the album and connected with everyone immediately. Did you and David Byron write “Gypsy” intending for it to be the opening track? Everything about it from your hard hitting lead riff, to David Byron’s vocal delivery, to Ken Hensley’s brilliant organ solo…this isn’t a song that begs the listener’s attention. An early staple of heavy metal, it’s one of those classics like “Easy Livin’” and “Stealin’” that Heep has to play at every show to this day. The album opens with the legendary “Gypsy”. Let’s talk about the songs on …Very ‘eavy …Very ‘umble. A lot of those ‘Spice’ songs became the nucleolus of ‘Very ‘Eavy, Very ‘Umble’. Well it sounded great, but we decide to add a keyboard player. He liked the music we were playing and said that he would take us into the recording studio and see how we got on. Mick Box: Yes, we were playing mostly original music in the band ‘Spice’ which was a four piece and a manager called Gerry Bron came and saw us play in club called the ‘Blues Loft,’ in High Wycombe. When did you guys first start writing the music that would end up on …Very ‘eavy? Was it before the name change to Uriah Heep? ![]() I’ve read that before naming the band Uriah Heep, the group was around for a couple years under the moniker Spice. I sat down with Uriah Heep guitarist, songwriter, and founder, Mick Box, to discuss the 50th anniversary of Heep’s debut album, …Very ‘eavy …Very ‘umble. Together, these bands laid down the groundwork for everything to come. Bands like Deep Purple, Lucifer’s Friend, Sir Lord Baltimore, and of course, Uriah Heep, were quick to follow. Sabbath were the first, but they weren’t alone during heavy metal: year zero. It isn’t everyday the opportunity to speak with a man who helped invent the very music you listen to and write about daily presents itself. ![]()
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