Year : 1974 (Japan SHM-CD Edition 2026)
Style : Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 154 mb
Bio:
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and are regarded as one of the seminal hard rock acts of the early 1970s.Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always included a massive keyboard sound, strong vocal harmonies and (in the early years) David Byron's quasi-operatic vocals.Twelve of the band's albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975)while of the fifteen Billboard 200 Uriah Heep albums Demons and Wizards was the most successful (#23, 1972).In the late 1970s the band had massive success in Germany, where the "Lady in Black" single was a big hit.Along with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep had become one of the top bands in the early 1970s - one of "The Big 4" of hard rock.Uriah Heep's audience declined by the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the United Kingdom and United States. The band maintains a significant following and performs at arena-sized venues in the Balkans, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia and Scandinavia.They have sold over 40 million albums worldwide with over 4 million sales in the U.S.
Album:
While URIAH HEEP 1974’s seventh studio album “Wonderworld” was not included into the recent 2026 Japanese reissue batch, here’s the SHM-CD mini LP replica remastered reissue from years ago, including 6 bonus tracks, as part of the ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＡＬ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ‘My Generation, My Music – Back To The Rock Years 1973-1977‘ series.”Wonderworld” continues in the vein of previous 1973’S LP ‘Sweet Freedom’, trying to bring Uriah Heep’s appeal to a wider level while still retaining the grandiose trademark elements (the organ-guitar attack, David Byron’s operatic shriek) that got them noticed.The result is an album that is solid, criminally overlooked as always has been compared with the band’s masterpieces Look At Yourself or Demons And Wizards. The hard rock quotient is a little stronger on this album than it was on Sweet Freedom: “Something or Nothing” is a galloping stomp-rocker in the vein of past classics like “Love Machine”, whilst “Suicidal Man” is an organ-fortified speed-rocker that is one of the band’s finest hard rock tunes.On other tracks, the group continues in the experimental vein of Sweet Freedom: “The Shadows and the Wind” tacks a Queen-style round of a cappella harmonies onto its tag, and “We Got We” marries one of the band’s gothic melodies to a funky rhythm track that features some tasty clavinet jamming from Ken Hensley.However, the most successful experiment is “The Easy Road,” an orchestrated romantic ballad that features a lovely, understated vocal performance from David Byron. The title track is powerfully performed, creating some awesome atmospheres and I don’t why, it always reminded me of Deep Purple, and “Dreams” is driven by interesting riffs.”Wonderworld” is another fantastic classic rock album by this impressive band, not to be compared with any of their other LP’s – it rocks in its own right.
Line Up:
David Byron – lead vocals
Mick Box – guitars
Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
Gary Thain – bass guitar
Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, backing vocals
+ Additional musicians:
Jose Gabriel – synthesizers
Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangements on “The Easy Road”
Production:
Marketed By – Universal Music LLC
Distributed By – Universal Music LLC
Liner Notes – 伊藤政則
Tracklist:
01. Wonderworld
02. Suicidal Man
03. The Shadows and the Wind
04. So Tired
05. The Easy Road
06. Something or Nothing
07. I Won’t Mind
08. We Got We
09. Dreams
10. What Can I Do (B-side) (Bonus Track)
11. Love, Hate And Fear (Demo Version) (Bonus Track)
12. Stone’s Throw (Demo Version) (Bonus Track)
13. Dreams (Extended Version) (Bonus Track)
14. I Won’t Mind (Alternate Live Version) (Bonus Track)
15. So Tired (Alternate Live Version) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
