Live [Deluxe Edition, Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

I remember being profoundly disappointed when I bought my original vinyl copy of "Live '73". Of course that was ten years after it came out, and I'd only been exposed to the sleek early eighties melodic rock version of Uriah Heep. I particularly hated the rock 'n' roll medley, nine minutes of my life, gone never to be recovered. Of course, I've warmed to it over the years, thanks in no small measure to ending Side 4 early, and am happy to acknowledge that the 14 minute version of 'Gypsy' is one of the greatest pieces of live music, ever.

And now, as part of the Uriah Heep 40th birthday celebration / Universal Music profit recovery, "Live '73" is out in a new 2CD edition. And here's where I get confused. See, I got the 2008 reissue of the 2004 remaster, which had 4 US radio show tracks and 8 film mixes from the "Shepperton '74" sessions added. And that seems to be what I've got here. Again. Now the press bumph says that it's an "expanded deluxe packaging edition, with new expert sleeve notes, and a bonus CD containing 12 unreleased US radio show edits and film mixes of tracks used for radio". But it's the same tracks? And the compilers notes by Robert M Corich are dated July 2003 . So, there isn't actually anything new musically, although they have done away with the 2008 slipcase and put it in a new clear plastic case with the words "Deluxe Edition" on it.

So there's no need for anyone who has either the 2004 version or the 2008 version to buy this. But if you only have the original vinyl or the 1996 Essential CD issue, then you should definitely get this. Now, I don't know why you haven't upgraded already, but you may as well do it now. It's the classic "Demons And Wizards" and "The Magician's Birthday" lineup of bassist Gary Thain, vocalist David Byron, guitarist Mick Box, keyboard player/guitarist Ken Hensley and drummer Lee Kerslake, pretty much at the top of their game. They'd be road dogs for aeons by the time they got to the Birmingham Town Hall, and the live renditions of 'July Morning', 'Tears In My Eyes' and the aforementioned 'Gypsy' are just about as good as it gets. I also love the radio show version of 'Something Or Nothing', but that may be nostalgia, as it the single was the first David Byron era record I bought.

I still hate the 'Rock'n'Roll Medley' with a vengeance, and need to be twice as careful, what with two version of it here, but of all the Byron era live albums by Uriah Heep, this is the one to go for. Again.

I was never a devoted Uriah Heep fan, Deep Purple were my number one band throughout the 70s. But I do love this album. My favourite Heep album was definitely Sweet Freedom though, released shortly after this.
I bought it on vinyl in about 1976 (when I started work), and this remaster sounds great.
I am not particularly interested in alternative versions, mixes, outtakes etc, but I love to hear good music properly remastered to do it justice on CD.
For me, this was the CLASSIC Heep line-up. Byron's vocals are excellent and he was a great frontman, and Gary Thain was one of the outstanding rock-bassists of his generation - sadly lost to a drugs-death (heroin I think) all too early in his life.
Great versions of all their classics of the time, and a good quality recording - for me one of the great rock live albums (in terms of content, energy, and recording quality) - up their with Purple's Made in Japan and Thin Lizzy, Live and Kicking.

Now, remember this was 1973 - the rock'n'roll medley was almost obligatory for many bands in their live shows, and Heep include one here. Imagine you are in the audience as a 14-18 year old........not a middle aged mortgage paying misery listening on his computer. It was a bit of fun, and still included some good playing and interplay between the band members. Thankfully absent are any 15 minute drum solos, extended improvisation "noise poems" on guitar etc etc that also seemed to be a feature of many live shows around that time.

As I write this review, I am actually listning to "Sweet Freedom" on my computer, via headphones, and waiting for my wife to go out - so I can fire up the stereo and relive my teenage air-guitar years in the living room.

I love this album as much now as I did when I first heard it all those yeears ago. It is a must buy!!!

This album deilvers on many levels, and this remastered version in particular. Live 1973 presents some superb progressive and hard rock tracks from a time in the 1970s when UH were at the peak of their creative talent. Tracks like "July Morning" and "Circle of Hands" remain some of the best in this genre of hard progressive rock. There are lots of UH compilations out there but few have all the great tracks that feature here, and in any case, the studio versions don't always do justice to the tracks as much as these live versions do. This is the quintessential UH line-up - Box, Byron, Hensley, Kerslake and Thain. To me, and many others, this was the best ever UH line-up and this live set is a testament to why. Byron's voice is more powerful and emotive live, and apart from one or two moments of over-exuberant wailing (including an out of tune moment on "Traveller in Time"), it is in top form. Box's guitar sound, though a bit repetetive, is more powerful live, and he certainly can't be described as a showman, leaving that to Hensley. Thain's bass playing is superlative - worth the price of entry alone, and he really should be up there in the rock and roll hall of fame as one of the top 5 rock bass players - what a loss when he passed away. Hensley's organ playing is superb, as expected, and while there are moments it becomes indulgent (on the extended "Gypsy" which does go on a bit longer than it needs to), it is never boring. Kerslake's drumming is powerful and precise - he's no showman, and not in the same league as someone like Neil Peart of Rush, but what he does he does well. So, this album captures the band singing and playing well, with real conviction, emotion and energy. All the tracks are worth repeated listening, apart from the rock n roll medley, which we could have lived without. The best 1970s UH tracks are here - Sunrise, Traveller in Time, Circle of Hands, and the epic July Morning, which is represented here with a wonderfully atmospheric version that surpasses the studio cut. If you are a UH fan you MUST add this live set to your collection - it is essential ! If you are curious about UH then just buy this instead of those compilations of studio ttacks - most of the live versions surpass the studio equivalents. I used to own the original CD of this set. It wasn't a great advert for digital technology, sounding extremely muddy and far, far worse than the vinyl version. This remaster is more or less the ticket. I haven't been anal enough to compare a waveform between this remaster and the original CD and I dare say someone has done so and found the re-master wanting, but I'm happy with it. Yes it seems to have been EQ'd - but I would argue it needed to be - the original CD was very flat with the whole thing sounding like it was recorded through a wall and very little clarity in the high frequencies. This remaster remedies this with the higher frequencies shining through - maybe a little too much at times - it can occasionally sound harsh, which is why I have dropped a star, but it is still better than the original CD IMHO. The separation and overall clarity is a lot better on the remaster - so a worth investment, even if you own the original CD. Of course, the remaster is louder - a lot louder - and critics may cry that is is 'brickwalled' (see the SH forums on the web for a definition!) but I think it still allows for dynamics quite well. So, overall, a great album, great track selection, and a very nice remastering job IMHO. The extra tracks are OK but the original ones are the real reason to get this.