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Uriah Heep - Salisbury CD (album) cover

SALISBURY

Uriah Heep

 

Heavy Prog

4.19 | 909 ratings

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octopus-4
Special Collaborator
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
4 stars This is one of the few albums which have set a standard for what will later become known as heavy metal. David Byron's high pitched vocals, distorted loud guitars, obsessive drumming and organ, something that they share with Deep Purple.

Few seconds of Bird of Prey are enough to understand that this is more than just a rock album. Let your mind fall hypnotized by "The Park", enjoy the orchestra on the epic title track or the heavy rock of Time To Live, a song on which Byron places his highest notes. This is progressive rock.

I think it's normal comparing them with Deep Purple who were apparently making the same genre in that period, but the difference is more than you can think at a first glance. Uriah Heep are less self-indulgent than the skillful Purples. They can play an acoustic ballad like Lady In Black without doing anything special from a technical point of view, even if I love how the bass enters with 7 simple notes.

I've listened to this album a lot of times. I remember to have copied this and Very Heavy Very Humble on the same tape to bring them to my car an eternity ago. Tape readers had the "auto-reverse" function actually. This to say that without using my vinyl copies I didn't realize that Salisbury was 16 minutes long!! This song flows so continuously that I was unaware of its long duration. When a thing like this happens it means that the music is very good.

A special mention to High Priestess, that's a song a little underrated abut it has a special place in my mind. maybe the acoustic intro that sends me to the Caravan of Winter Wine, maybe the incredible choirs, the guitar that sounds so "Black Sabbath". There are a lot of things hidden in this album waiting only to be discovered.

About the rating, I have the strong temptation to recognize it the status of masterpiece, but I'm afraid that it's a bit too much. It's more than just an excellent addition, but not an absolute masterpiece.

And surely, not just hard rock. This is progressive music.

octopus-4 | 4/5 |

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