A Great Album with a Real Bonus.
William J. Walker | England | 04/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You might be wondering if this is worth getting instead of the standard version of the album. Well I don't feel I can add much to what has been written by the previous reviewers about the album itself(check the product page for the non-import version for 'about a billion reviews') except to say this is probably the best starting point for those looking to buy their first Uriah Heep album.
However the standard version is missing the bonus material, more specifically the track 'Why'.
Now normally I'm not a huge fan of the duff demos, lame out-takes and single-versions(often inferior, clumsily edited versions of the original) that make up the majority of bonus material found on 'expanded and remastered' editions, but there are exceptions and boy is this one of them. Apparently this track was unearthed while compiling this edition of the album and, such is its obscurity, that no one even knows who played bass on it.
The track itself is amazing; 10 minutes of stunning interaction between guitar, organ and bass all overlayed with the Uriah Heep's trade mark multi-part harmony backing vocals. The amazing thing is it doesn't sound like any thing else on the album and yet is so definitively 'Heep'. The Bass in particular stands out, powerful and ,at times, almost funky; it drives the piece along thrillingly.
If you don't own the album but have an interest in the music of this era (Deep Purple and Wishbone Ash come to mind) then it is an essential purchase in this form. If you already own a copy of this album without the bonus material then I suggest(and I would never normally do so) it is worth getting this version if only for 'Why'"
Awesome Remastered Songs!
Old Fan | Corvallis, Oregon United States | 11/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this CD upon reading the reviews here. The reviews that rated it highly are spot on. This CD is crisp, clean, vibrant and a spacial pleasure. Highly recommend!"