SALISBURY

This album single-handedly gives anyone the reason to be a fan of Uriah Heep. Almost all the songs are great and the band shows a clear direction which it will follow in the next few years. Ken Hensley was sparkling with creativity and he contributed the main structures of the songs in this album. Lady in black, a simple song on Am and Em, is still played by people. This is the success of a band. However prog-wise definitely the title piece is the best. Title track Salisbury showcases the best performance ever by Mike Box. If I hadn't heard him in this album, I would have deducted that Box is a "riff" guitarist. Byron's voice delivery is fantastic. The falsetto in The Park to the gentle voice of the title track, and also in Lady in Black and the hard voice in Bird of Prey are sharp contrasts of Byron's vocal capability. Two songs-- Time to Live and High Priestess -- are not great, but not bad either. Uriah Heep was having problems with drums from the beginning. as a result, the drummer could not contribute any character to this album. However at least he was not bad. The only complain I have about the album is that the recording could have been clearer. The songs are great, the performance is great and the recording a bit dull. Long live Salisbury.