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moodyxadi View Drop Down
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Points: 417 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Ken Hensley
    Posted: June 24 2007 at 21:30
First of all, I don't think that Uriah Heep is a group easy to define. It's hard rock / 70's metal, of course, but if not in a general music website is hard to find a source of info about this equally loved and hated band. Though absolutely no prog I love to find them in ProgArchives.
 
What do you think of Ken Hensley? I can't imagine a true Heep album without him. Modern Heep is a good live band, and that's all. But when you see the frst Magician's Birthday Party show you feel the brilliance of this man. I truly miss David Byron and love John Lawton's voice, but more and more I think that Hensley was THE key to the magic of Uriah Heep.
 
I finished right now of listening to his last album - "Blood on the highway". It's a wonderful hard'n'heavy album, with the fantastic Jorn Lande (who I didn't know before), Glenn Hughes and Lawton.  What do you think of his solo career and his work with Heep? Any chance of the Lawton era Heep (minus Lee, it seems) to work together again?
Bach, Ma, Bros, Déia, Dante.
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2007 at 04:43
Well I take issue with the idea that they are 'absolutely not prog'. 'Salisbury', 'The Park', 'Wake Up Set Your Sights', 'Shadows Of Grief', 'July Morning', 'Paradise/The Spell', 'Echoes In The Dark', 'Blind Eye', 'Pilgrim', 'Circus', 'Dreams', 'Beautiful Dream', 'Return To Fantasy', 'Midnight', 'Footprints In The Snow', 'Firefly', 'Illusion/Masquerade', 'No Return', 'Love In Silence', 'Logical Progression', 'Between Two Worlds', 'Question/Change' and 'The Golden Palace', to name but a few, all put paid to that idea, imho.
 
I think the critical battering the band took is a little less prevalent now. Very much looking forward to their forthcoming album- I've heard a minute preview of a track via their website and it sounds brilliant.
 
I started out buying just the albums with David Byron, but then I heard 'Firefly' (the best of the Lawton albums by miles, imho) and 'Sea Of Light' from 1995 or so and realised how blinkered I'd been. If I was going to recommend a fan of the classic 70s albums one album, it would be 'Sea Of Light'. 'Sonic Origami' is a few songs too long and the production is a lot slicker but there are many excellent songs there too. I would say those albums saw them find their way again- I'm not so wild about the 80s albums (rather too much like Foreigner/JLT era Rainbow, imho).
 
I picked up Ken's album 'Blood On The Highway' a while back and it is rather good, yes. Some moments I'm not so keen on- notably the schmaltzy Barry Manilow style ballad 'I Did It All'- but mostly excellent songs. Now, this album is definitely not prog for sure, but is probably the rockiest I've heard from Ken. Jorn Lande is very like David Coverdale, imho.
 
I know Ken's other albums 'Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf', 'Eager To Please' and 'Free Spirit'. 'Free Spirit' is weaker, but the other two are very fine singer-songwriter albums.
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Points: 7659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2007 at 09:17

Since I heard Uriah Heep Live when I was at about 14 years old, I am a (Seventies) Uriah Heep fan, especially the way of Hammond playing by Ken Hensley is often very compelling. A few years ago I witnessed a gig by Ken Hensley solo in Zoetemeer (near The Hague, Holland), he blew away every proghead (all 40+ LOL ) in the crowd with his Uriah Heep renditions and during the extended version of Gypsy, the crowd freaked out, what a mighty and propulsive Hammond waves, including a long and sensational solo Clap

 
 
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Points: 7113 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:08
Oh yeah, Ken Hensley, didn't he play Gandhi in that movie?
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
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Points: 7456 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:10
Originally posted by The Whistler The Whistler wrote:

Oh yeah, Ken Hensley, didn't he play Gandhi in that movie?




Aren't you thinking of Bing Crosby?

Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.
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The Whistler View Drop Down
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Points: 7113 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:11
Originally posted by Man Erg Man Erg wrote:

Originally posted by The Whistler The Whistler wrote:

Oh yeah, Ken Hensley, didn't he play Gandhi in that movie?




Aren't you thinking of Bing Crosby?
 
Nah, that's Don Henley.
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
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Points: 7456 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:16
^

Don Henley was in Bambi? I never knew that!

Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.
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Points: 7113 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:18
Bambi Meets Godzilla starred Rob Zombie?!?
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Points: 7456 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2007 at 05:19
Originally posted by The Whistler The Whistler wrote:

Bambi Meets Godzilla starred Rob Zombie?!?


Don't you mean Rod Argent?He was in the Zombies

Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb.
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Points: 75 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2007 at 18:29
Get your lug holes around Head Machine (Gods) 'Orgasm' LP & The Toe Fat albums...
Thats Ken when he was good..
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Points: 4312 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2007 at 22:51
Like Everybody else, a young KEN HENSLEY was great in his prime  with URIAH HEEP, then after SWEET FREEDOM, inspiration and creativity dried up badly and you got the not so ''WONDERWORLD'' and not so great follwing albums (except HIGH AND MIGHTY).
The fact that he left UH after ''fallen angel'' didn't make URIAH HEEP worse; it was already vey bad. even with him at the helm.
That's lifeBig%20smile  
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Points: 849 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2007 at 15:17
I have "Very 'eavy... Very 'umble..." somewhere but never listened to it, is it a good album?

And I wonder why this band is hated? Sorry I really don't know this band very well, for me, it has always been in the shade of Deep Purple (< not wanted lol)
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Points: 13239 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2007 at 15:46
Originally posted by Tetragon Tetragon wrote:

Get your lug holes around Head Machine (Gods) 'Orgasm' LP & The Toe Fat albums...
Thats Ken when he was good..


Yeah, Orgasm  - from zero to ultimate bliss in 7 movements...
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I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected]
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Points: 4312 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2007 at 16:37
Originally posted by Anaon Anaon wrote:

I have "Very 'eavy... Very 'umble..." somewhere but never listened to it, is it a good album?

And I wonder why this band is hated? Sorry I really don't know this band very well, for me, it has always been in the shade of Deep Purple (< not wanted lol)
 
 
Hello,
 
If you have it, just give it a tryWink.......and ENJOY!!!!!!!!
 
They were only hated by the ''elitist'' rock writers.....not hard enough for hard rock lovers, not prog enough for prog cultists.....
.......they sold millions of LPs back then anyway,,,, so quite a few enjoyed themLOLBig%20smile
 
Also read the URIAH HEEP reviews on this site to give you an idea!
 
DPurple is one thing, UHEEP is something different! 
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Anaon View Drop Down
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Points: 849 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2007 at 04:25
Ok it was just to know :) thanks to you!
My music: http://spleenarcana.bandcamp.com/
My blog: http://groovesandmemories.com/
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