EQUATOR

Uriah Heep

Heavy Prog

2.00 | 156 ratings

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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Not so hot

Uriah Heep's wilderness years were coming to an end, but they still had time for one more misfire before getting back on track. "Equator" is something of a lost album, being the first not to be issued on the Bronze label (which had fallen into financial difficulties). It appeared on the Portrait label, and while a promotional video for "Rockerama" was made, the album quickly descended into oblivion. The disastrously uninspired sleeve did little to endear the album to casual browsers either.

The relatively stable line up which had produced the previous two albums was pretty much still intact, the only change being that Trevor Boulder returned to replace Bob Daisley on bass. The rather lightweight pop rock sound of the line up's previous albums continued on "Equator", with tracks like "Rockerama", and "Bad Blood" being little more than melodic rock in the Survivor/Toto etc. mould.

It was some time since the band had dabbled with ballads, so "Lost on love" made for a welcome diversion, with Goalby in fine vocal form, and the rest of the band finding their harmonising ways once more. "Holding on", a more upbeat piece of rock continues the strong vocals and harmonies theme.

"Skool's burning" is a pretty obvious but inferior take off of Alice Cooper's "School's out" but it does lead nicely into one of the best tracks, the Rainbow like "Heartache city".

For this album, the band decided that song writing credits would be done democratically per early Genesis, so all tracks are credited to "Uriah Heep" (presumably the then current members only!).

As happens when winter is finishing and spring starts, the first buds of new life in Uriah Heep appear on this album. It's still pretty simple in its structures, and has a number of melodic rock by the numbers songs, but there's a new found confidence too, and definite signs that they were on their way back.

Easy Livin | 2/5 | 2004-8-24

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