BloodSword
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Try Black Bonzo. Prog band in the vein of Uriah heep. Primarily, a keyboard driven sound. Go with "Sounds of the Apocalypse" and/or "Lady of the Light."
Obscure/Lesser Known Classic/Prog Rock Album recs (that don't suck)
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Just checked them out, appears to be a recent band ? I found two on youtube, one was very Tullish and the other Heepish. Its nice to see younger people appreacating or exploring the sounds from the early 70's, for the most part it seemed to be highly disregarded or even disrespected during the 80's.
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ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Wow, there's a handfull of great recs being talked about here. Is there anything worth looking into by Uriah Heep??
Speaking of Steve Morse I've been listening to "Coast to Coast" a ton lately. I know it's not fusion, just wanted to throw that out there.
Speaking of Steve Morse I've been listening to "Coast to Coast" a ton lately. I know it's not fusion, just wanted to throw that out there.
Uriah Heep is very primitive but I loved them. In many ways their early work was one of the roots of metal, with heavy pounding galloping riffs. Not triplets like Maiden but I believe a quarter and dotted quarter note pedal... dun da dun da dun da dun da dun. They would have been more like say white metal or perhaps in attitude - founders of power metal, lyrically they were about rightousness over powering evil. Where as Black Sabbath was dark. Still primitive stuff, somewhat revisited song structures, much repetition, sometimes over drawn out.... but like I said I loved them, one of my biggest listening influences of my youth. Modern ears may find them boring. Look at Yourself (3rd) and Demons and Wizards(4th) were their strongest. Bit as I said earlier the title track from Salisbury (2nd) is an amazing piece of work for a primitive hardrock band of 1971. In fact I question if the studio, producer or record label did not recruit outside help on the arrangment of that song. It has horn sections and orchestration that seems out of place for these early headbangers. The song "Come Away Melinda" from "Very 'eavy very 'umble" (1st 1970) is a downright tear jerker of a folky sort showing post WWII sentiment in England and may be from a traditional song, but Im not sure. I just know I've seen the title elsewhere. Uriah Heep is also the first example I know of that used "monkish" chants in their music as witnessed on the song "Shadows of Grief" from Look at Yourself, a song I personally love, it shows how they were good at getting the most out of a repetive riff by simply changing the presentation of it. It still has its progressive elements though. I have sworn up and down for years that Iron Maiden listened to alot of Uriah Heep when they were young but have never read any statements indicating this.
If you want to hear an excellent early Hammond keyboard rock improviser check out Craig Frost of Grand Funk, improvisation on songs "Black Licorice" a real ass kickin rocker with a controversial subject for its time... also great drum beat and classic bass lines, live version is excellent as well. The instrumental song "Flight of the Phoenix" as well as "Footstompin Music" which was very similar to FotP. Both show the wonders of riffin with the Hammond w/ Leslie in the proper hands. Listening to all these songs right now, these GF songs actually have some progressive ROCK elements as well. Grand Funk Railroad was the most popular hardrock act in the US during the late 60's early 70's which led way to the song and album "Were an American Band"(my least favorite song on the album due to its excessive air play, great song otherwise)
If you want to hear an excellent early Hammond keyboard rock improviser check out Craig Frost of Grand Funk, improvisation on songs "Black Licorice" a real ass kickin rocker with a controversial subject for its time... also great drum beat and classic bass lines, live version is excellent as well. The instrumental song "Flight of the Phoenix" as well as "Footstompin Music" which was very similar to FotP. Both show the wonders of riffin with the Hammond w/ Leslie in the proper hands. Listening to all these songs right now, these GF songs actually have some progressive ROCK elements as well. Grand Funk Railroad was the most popular hardrock act in the US during the late 60's early 70's which led way to the song and album "Were an American Band"(my least favorite song on the album due to its excessive air play, great song otherwise)
ramses
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Uriah Heep was referred as "The poor man's Deep Purple." I understand that to a point, for they do sound like them, early on in Heep's career especially. I have Demons and Wizards, and The Magicians Birthday...with the artwork by the great Roger Dean, no less. Alex Masi covered Easy Livin'. And, Vintersorg covered Rainbow Demon...both bands did a pretty good job on those. I love the folky beginnig on The Wizard...very nice!
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Mathias, I just got "Tarkus" & "Pictures at an Exhibition" by ELP. I already had "Trilogy" & "Brain Salad Surgery". Is there anything else by them I should be looking into??
Other bands I want to look into are old Asia, Yes, & Genesis. I also need some Deep Purple (not necessarily Prog, I know).
Other bands I want to look into are old Asia, Yes, & Genesis. I also need some Deep Purple (not necessarily Prog, I know).
I'm surprised Ramses, I never made a large connection between Purple and Heep. Listening to Demons and Wizards and Machinehead side by side is two totally different feels. Purple rocked Heep was either more heavy brooding or their acoustic folky stuff. They had rockers too, like Traveler in Time, All my Life and a few others from Look at Yourself, but I'd say even those were alot different from Purple. Uriah Heep was a love em or hate em band whereas nearly everyone loved Deep Purple, their music were more fun/rocked... to try to put it in words... aint easy. There was less overlap between those first handful of bands, they had no idea what they were creating because they weren't really following anything, they just went with it, "hey that sounds cool, its edgy rowdy and loud....... we like it" Probably one reason I still like that era of music is every band was like a new experiment. Since then its all fused together.**you should try to get Look at Yourself, it less sorted out then Magicians Birthday, rawer and should be more interesting from a historical point of view, they really came out of nowhere with that sound. July Morning is beautiful but damn did they drag it out.
No, most other ELP sucks tbh.
Stuff you should check out from aforementioned bands:
Yes - Close to the Edge, Relayer, Tales From Topographic Oceans, and the Utlimate Yes Collection.
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Deep Purple - Burn, Machine Head, Who Do You Think We Are
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ramses
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I'm not the one who compares them to Purple actually. That's what, as usual, critics in the big mags of the 70's, and early 80's say. Like I stated...early on, they did to a point. Hell, I read a long time ago that Blue Oyster Cult was "the poor man's Black Sabbath":
Heep had a little of the driving rhythm/hammond sound that I can relate to sounding like DP. And vocally, I can hear it in their early stuff, but not overwhelmingly. I'll eventually get some of their other early stuff....thanks for the suggestion, Razoredge. Problem is, when I go to a record store, there's usually something better by a band I like better. My best friend and I call those moments, "put back time" where we go from A to Z, have a bunch of albums we want, but cannot afford all of them, and have to grudgingly put back a few. I like the Coverdale era Purple. I think there was a thread about this on another forum, where I defended DC era DP. I'm not going to say better than Mach 2, but I got Burn in my top 3 DP albums.
Heep had a little of the driving rhythm/hammond sound that I can relate to sounding like DP. And vocally, I can hear it in their early stuff, but not overwhelmingly. I'll eventually get some of their other early stuff....thanks for the suggestion, Razoredge. Problem is, when I go to a record store, there's usually something better by a band I like better. My best friend and I call those moments, "put back time" where we go from A to Z, have a bunch of albums we want, but cannot afford all of them, and have to grudgingly put back a few. I like the Coverdale era Purple. I think there was a thread about this on another forum, where I defended DC era DP. I'm not going to say better than Mach 2, but I got Burn in my top 3 DP albums.
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Mathiäs;6913194 said:
Dude, I've been jamming the fuck out on "Tarkus" for days now.
My friend has most of those other albums you mentioned, cept' for one or two of those Yes ones. He let me borrow "The Yes Album" & a Genesis album but I haven't got around to listening to them yet. When I get through those a few times I'll borrow the other albums from him. I've really been interested in the Yes stuff.
I've had a Deep Purple Greatest Hits album forever. It's not all that great but I get the feeling they are more of an actual album band. I have heard some Rainbow w/ Blackmore that I really liked.
ramses
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To me, the only time a greatest hits album is worth it, is if it's a radio band, pop group, or it has a lot of unreleased music on it. Hell-... Death, Forbidden, and a few metal bands from the Noise label had greatest hits kind of albums, and at the time they were released, they only had 2 albums out!!
The Yes Album is great, but to a person new to Yes might not like it as much. This is why you should get the Ultimate Yes Collection.
Which DP GH album to you have?
When Queen was in process of recording thier first album the magazines were claiming "Led Zeppelin" foot prints. Then a year or so later Rush was about to hit and the magazines were claiming "Led Zeppelin" foot prints. In 72 or 73 when Ronnie Montrose was done with the Edgar Winter Group and was putting Montrose together they were telling us about this young "kid" that was going to be the next "Robert Plant". It was all based on the wailing vocals, but when you get down to it the music was quite different. The only thing that was really common was the music was heavy and all the vocalists were capable of being high screamers. So they were like 50% correct, Zeppelin set the trend, and we would like it, but when I got those debut albums I sat there listening and thought to myself "no, this does not sound like Led Zeppelin". I still have all those debut records, but not Rushs first, just Fly by Night and Caress of Steel. All the records I mentioned are great in my opinion, they also have significant historic value in the development of heavy music, milestones I suppose.
Child in Time could be compared to Uriah Heep, about the only one I can think of right now. While its a simple lyric line Child in Time is one of Gillans ultimate vocal performances, as well as some of the stuff he did on JCS.
If you listen to old Deep Purple you will hear they had alot of Rock N Roll and Blues in them. Uriah Heep didnt boogie like Deep Purple did.
Child in Time could be compared to Uriah Heep, about the only one I can think of right now. While its a simple lyric line Child in Time is one of Gillans ultimate vocal performances, as well as some of the stuff he did on JCS.
If you listen to old Deep Purple you will hear they had alot of Rock N Roll and Blues in them. Uriah Heep didnt boogie like Deep Purple did.
ShredHeadJHJ
oh noes itz a opinionn
Mathiäs;6917000 said:
I listened to The Yes Album on my way to work today. It's pretty damn good, but it's not teh gr8st album evaR or anything. I think it might really grow on me. I'll check out my friend's greatest hits album by Yes, but I want to spin this some more.
The Deep Purple Greatest Hits album I have is called "Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple" & it was released in 1980.
ramses
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Don't have the first Rush album, eh? I wouldn't bother. When they started in 69, they were into Cream, The Yardbirds, and Zeppelin. The first album has a few good songs on it, but John Rutsey's drumming is just average...at best. And there's a lot of oooh babe, and yeah on it from Geddy. Their first album was delayed, and supposed to come out 2 years earlier, but there was a problem with OPEC, crude oil/gas shortages. As you know, records were made out of some kind of petroleum by-product. They were still back in the early 70's, mimicking Zep, and didn't start developing their sound till the next album. The reasons Rutsey left was that he had diabetes, and couldn't take "road food" anymore, and he wanted to go in a more Bad Company Direction. Geddy and Alex wanted to go prog like Yes, Elp...etc. I'll listen to the first album about once a year, and only listen to three tracks. I'm like you Razoredge....even though I heard the poor man's Deep Purple criticisms, I got Demons and Wizards anyway. Hell, I figured then, if they sounded like Purple great, it would be an added bonus if they did. But, no, they're not really much like DP at all, just a little. Win-win situation!! I like Deep Purple's Fireball a lot as well, you?
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