I know I said I was going to get to 2022 stuff, but part of that are the upcoming anniversary articles, and in preparation of the first one, I'm going to do four albums from 1972! These are all bands that I've been eager to learn more about and explore their discographies, so I was going to get to these eventually. Still, these are some fascinating releases, even if some of them didn't really make major waves at the time.
It's kind of weird to think that one of the biggest bands of the 80s had such an early start. Brought together in the 60s by Rudolf Schenker and playing in a Merseybeat-style, the band would eventually bring in Rudolf's brother Michael and Klaus Meine in 1970 and start shifting toward a hard blues-rock sound.
Right off, this is a definitely far cry from the stadium-filling anthems the band would be known for, as it has a strong psychedelic sound. Over the course of the album, I got vibes making me think of all kinds of bands from the era, like Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, and some of that early bluesy Black Sabbath. The songs drift from spacey to rockin' to jazzy and back without too much trouble. However, the one thing that stands out is Klaus's vocals. He really belts out some of these lines, showing that he was a great singer right from the start. I don't know if anything really stood out to me from the album, but it grooves along quite nicely from beginning to end, especially the title track at the end, which is quite a neat jazz-fusion jam that goes for 13 minutes.
Of course, this version of the band would not last long. Michael would get picked up by UFO, and the band then broke up. Rudolf and Klaus would join Uli Jon Roth's band Dawn Road, only to change their name to Scorpions, as the name did have some recognition by then, and they figured they could build on it. Still, it's a decent start for them, and hasn't aged that badly, honestly.
Blue Öyster Cult is another one of those bands where I know the two big songs, but haven't really dig into their catalog much. I did listen to Agents of Fortune once, and was surprised to get a variety of songs instead of stuff more like "Don't Fear the Reaper." Since then, I've learned to expand my expectations with this band. I tried to keep this in mind as I listened to their debut, which certainly has some different moods throughout.
Drawing comparisons (as I usually do), it felt like a mix of Grand Funk Railroad, early Eagles, and some Deep Purple, all flavored with a song sense of psychedelic mysticism. Sometimes it would be more rockin', such as "Transmaniacon MC," "Stairway to the Stars," and "Workshop of the Telescopes." But other times, it would back into more moody territory, with "Before the Kiss, a Redcap" and "Screams." Then you have "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" which has a stronger Sabbath vibe with some King Crimson thrown in. And then "Redeemed" feels like CCR, with a bit of a folky twang. However, through it all are some pretty decent performances. Buck does a lot of great noodly leads on guitar, and Albert Bouchard has some fascinating jazzy style drumming.
However, overall, I don't know if the overall album really hangs together. I can definitely see the appeal in a rock band that doesn't stick to one thing, but shifts around with different kind of grooves and feels. But I don't know if I'm quite "converted" to the cult yet. I'll probably need to listen to more of their stuff (which I plan to, eventually), but for now, this was a decent mix of curious rock songs.
Carrying on with my quest of early Uriah Heep, this is just the first of two albums they released in 1972. It also marks when they finally got their classic lineup together, which would last for the next handful of albums. Right off, this album is actually pretty different from their previous two, leaving behind a lot of their Purple influences and providing some solid hard rock.
The Vanilla Fudge vibes do remain, though, resulting in songs that feel like a mix of 60s and 70s sounds. The vocal harmonies are still on point, and Hensley's hammonds are still very much the core of the band's sound, but it does feel like the band is growing into its own now. "Easy Livin'," is an obvious stand out with its rockin' vibe, but I really liked "Rainbow Demon" with its slower, ominous sound, almost like a 70s doom metal track. Between the rockers are some ballads with "The Wizard" and "Paradise," which have some singer-songwriter vibes. I also feel like there's an increase in Pink Floyd influences, with "Paradise" making me think of "Fearless," and "The Spell" having a middle section reminiscent of Floyd's more moody passages, with a very melodic, Gilmour-esque guitar lead.
I can tell they're getting more cohesive in their songwriting, and putting more thought into their songs. They've also streamlined their style as well, as I felt there wasn't as my jam-friendly moments. They're definitely talented folks, but I don't know if I was really blown away by anything here. Still, I'm curious to see where they go from here, and once again, you won't have to wait for long!
Uriah Heep got a Moog! You can tell because they add all these spacy synths to their songs, like a kid with a new toy. Seriously, though, this album definitely shows a shift in a spacier direction, as I picked up vibes similar to Pink Floyd and early David Bowie. Of course, the vocal harmonies from Vanilla Fudge still remain, but I suppose that was relatively standard for 70s rock, by the end. I still don't know if I feel like this band has their own sound or not, but they still have a knack for some interesting rock songs.
The main thing I noticed with this album (other than the Moog), is even more streamlining in their songwriting. It really is fascinating how, in three years, their sound went from the jam-friendly Purple sound to this more concise style that feels very FM-radio friendly. Still, a few tracks stood out. "Sunrise" is a solid opener with some good dynamics, and "Sweet Lorraine" features more rocking and some interesting sounds from their new toy. As for the rest, "Blind Eye" had some neat dual guitar leads, and "Tales" reminded me of "Starman" by Bowie. The big epic title track was also curious, and a bit silly. It kicked off with a Zeppelin-y riff, threw in a kazoo, had some very awkward transitions, and featured a long middle section that would shift between a guitar solo and chaos. Probably not their best work, honestly, but the solo had some good moments. Mick Box certainly has some range in his playing.
However, I think the biggest takeaway I had is just how much of their music made me think of Styx, and I wonder if they were big fans of Uriah Heep as they were starting out, as I can easily see the comparisons: vocal harmonies, hard rock riffs, dramatic lyrics, and dynamic use of keyboards and organs. As for The Magician's Birthday, I don't think it was as strong as Demons and Wizards or Look At Yourself, but it had some neat moments.
Well, that was fun. Uriah Heep is band I knew very little about, so blasting through a handful of their albums has been an interesting experience. I probably need to listen to them some more to really get a feel for them and their sound, but they clearly had a good thing going, and were very influential on a lot of later bands.
Next will be that 1972 Anniversary article, but then I plan to get back into some new releases, or at least music that isn't 50 years old. Still, I enjoy digging into the past and checking out these kinds of albums, not only for archeological purposes, but to recognize that there is so much more than what gets played on classic rock stations. In any case, here's hoping to another year of listening to great rock music, past or present. Until then, rock on! \m/
No comments:
Post a Comment