Album review; URIAH HEEP – Chaos and Colour

Silver Lining Music [Release Date 27.01.23]

Uriah Heep spent last year belatedly celebrating their 50^th anniversary with some special live shows that showed their distinguished legacy to its finest. But they have also had a contemporary new lease of life. Their heaviest effort for a long time, 2018’s ‘Living The Dream,’ set the bar high, but this follow up ‘Chaos and Colour’ – in the hands of the same producer Jay Ruston- in my view raises it even higher.

‘Save Me Tonight’ is a blistering opening, nothing less than classic Heep with its galloping rhythms and Phil Lanzon’s organ solo and an illustration how Bernie Shaw, never my favourite of their various singers, has really grown in to the role.

‘Silver Sunlight’ has a distinctively seventies feel both musically- excellent melodic guitar work from the evergreen Mick Box and a baroque-style organ solo late on – and lyrically, and could have come from the pen of Ken Hensley. Indeed the whole album seems to have drawn inspiration from the band’s classic years, as if in tribute to the band members that have left us – Lee Kerslake and John Lawton being the others – in the years since they last recorded.

‘Hail The Sunrise’, a celebration of the solstice, is again vintage Heep with Phil stabbing his organ prominently and layered vocal harmonies on the chorus, and ‘Age of Changes’ features another Heep trademark in its harmonic high pitched chants, and more solos as Mick’s guitar gives way to more keyboard wizardry. ‘Hurricane’ (whose opening riff reminds me of Foreigner’s ‘Dirty White Boy’) is relatively ordinary but redeemed by a nice organ solo.

The first change of pace comes in the lengthy ‘One Nation, One Sun’, beginning for its first three minutes as a piano based ballad before tasteful guitar work from Mick. ‘Golden Light’ takes the seventies vibe a stage further with its Hammond-heavy intro, and proggy synths in the middle complemented by a guitar solo.

‘You’ll Never Be Alone’, eight minutes long, with piano prominent early on and rapid wah-wah guitar work from Mick, again hints at Ken Hensley’s whimsical work, ’The Magician’s Birthday’ in particular, and the mix of gentle and heavy passages takes us back to their work from the very earliest seventies.

‘Fly Like An Eagle’ also has that proggy feel with some heavy Hammond and synth playing from Phil, while ‘Freedom To Be Free’, the longest of a trio of songs all over seven minutes long, features several different musical passages and even a brief bass and drum jam featuring Dave Rimmer and Russell Gilbrook, both of whom have given the band fresh energy. This adventurous album is bookended by two relatively concise songs and ‘Closer To Your Dreams’ ends proceedings, built on a galloping ‘Easy Living’ inspired rhythm.

While perhaps lacking some truly memorable songs, this is an album is heavily inspired by their distinguished past. It ranks alongside other successful attempts to move back to the classic Heep sound such as ‘Sea Of Light’ and ‘Wake The Sleeper’, but with an added and praiseworthy willingness to embrace lengthier songs and instrumental passages.

Yet it still comes over in a very fresh manner, and Heep join a select bunch of veteran bands (including close contemporaries Deep Purple) who are sounding as good as ever. Indeed classic heavy rock does not come much better than this. **** 3/4

Review by Andy Nathan

The Best of 2023

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)