Uriah Heep …very 'eavy …very 'umble

Outsider is Uriah Heep's 24th studio album. It follows the untimely passing of their beloved bass player, Trevor Bolder in May 2013. The recording started in late 2013 at Liscombe Park Studios in Buckinghamshire, England and features 11 brand new songs, including some epic additions to the band's huge catalog of rock classics. Uriah Heep debuted in 1970 with the release of one of Hard Rock music's milestones Very 'eavy… Very 'umble (which some rock historians argue contains the very FIRST heavy metal song ever, the classic Gypsy) and have since sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide.

On their second album, Uriah Heep jettisons the experiments that weighed down Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble and works toward perfecting their blend of heavy metal power and prog rock complexity. Salisbury tips the band's style in the prog direction, containing one side of songs and one side dominated by a lengthy and ornate epic-length composition…

To irritate snobbish rock critics in the 1970s, all a band had to do was play heavy metal or progressive rock. Imagine their horror when Uriah Heep came along and consciously fused both styles. Uriah Heep was the subject of one vicious critic's infamous quote, "If this group makes it, I'll have to commit suicide." …

Uriah Heep are releasing their anticipated brand new studio album - the 25th in their storied career - which will be titled, appropriately enough, Living The Dream . "We have been together for 47 years and we have seen many bands come and go, so in effect we are Still Living The Dream, so it was the perfect title for the new album, says Uriah Heep guitarist and founding member Mick Box. Famed Canadian engineer, Jay Ruston has been called in to produce the album. Mick continues: We chose Jay because we admire his work with The Winery Dogs, Stone Sour, Black Star Riders, Paul Gilbert, and Europe. Jay has either produced, mixed or both for these bands, and he brought a fresh approach to Heep.

This double-disc collection covers the glory years of Uriah Heep extensively, with all the main cuts by the David Byron/Mick Box/Ken Hensley/Gary Thain/Lee Kerslake version of the group as well as earlier and later material. Chances are that serious Heep fans will have everything here, so this serves as more of an introduction for the new convert. There's plenty here that's aged well from the Bronze label years, such as "July Morning," "Easy Livin'," "The Magician's Birthday," "Look at Yourself," "Stealin'," etc. In fact, about the only thing that's not here, inexplicably, from the early years is the Box slide workout on the classic "Tears in My Eyes." There is also plenty from the later decades of the '80s, '90s, and beyond, when Box took the group to a new and heavier place – somewhat recalling the UH of the Salisbury and Very 'Eavy…Very 'Umble eras. There are 34 tracks in all, with good sound and workmanlike liner notes. For the money, this is a good bang for the buck.

This double-disc collection covers the glory years of Uriah Heep extensively, with all the main cuts by the David Byron/Mick Box/Ken Hensley/Gary Thain/Lee Kerslake version of the group as well as earlier and later material. Chances are that serious Heep fans will have everything here, so this serves as more of an introduction for the new convert. There's plenty here that's aged well from the Bronze label years, such as "July Morning," "Easy Livin'," "The Magician's Birthday," "Look at Yourself," "Stealin'," etc. In fact, about the only thing that's not here, inexplicably, from the early years is the Box slide workout on the classic "Tears in My Eyes." There is also plenty from the later decades of the '80s, '90s, and beyond, when Box took the group to a new and heavier place – somewhat recalling the UH of the Salisbury and Very 'Eavy…Very 'Umble eras. There are 34 tracks in all, with good sound and workmanlike liner notes. For the money, this is a good bang for the buck.

Uriah Heep's by-the-books progressive heavy metal made the British band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early '70s. Formed by vocalist David Byron and guitarist Mick Box in the late '60s, the group went through an astonishing number of members over the next two decades – nearly 30 different musicians passed through the band over the years…

… Very 'Eavy … Very 'Umble is the debut album of British rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in the United States as Uriah Heep with different sleeve artwork, and with "Bird of Prey" in place of "Lucy Blues." The album is notable for being rooted more in raunchy blues rock than the band's subsequent albums, a sound that would evolve into straighter hard rock on later releases.