Opening side two, the dense layers of organ that introduce Rainbow Demon fires the senses, the band engaging in a sort of darkened prog that sounds like Pink Floyd going head-to-head with The Doors and Deep Purple. Featuring some impressive lead guitar work, and a springy bassline that gives the track a certain energy, it is a slightly wistful, yet engaging piece of music. Rather more nuanced, the wah-inflected guitars and harmony vocals of Poet’s Justice settles the pace after the adrenalin rush of its predecessor, before the first side spins to a halt with the progressively phrased Circle of Hands. Not that the band had lost their ability to simply rock, as the evergreen might of Easy Livin’ clearly shows. It’s a stunning opening and it’s more than matched by the experimental ardour of Traveller in Time, which pairs a funky bassline with some truly unearthly sound effects.
There’s a depth to the production which has not dated at all in the intervening years, and the arrangement draws in bluesy riffs, progressive flourishes and massed vocal harmonies. Where Uriah Heep had suffered the slings and arrows of the critics’ hatchets on their earlier work (Rolling Stone offered a bafflingly negative review of the band’s debut), the band’s critical fortunes rose sharply on this, their fourth record, and it remains a fan favourite to this day.Įven at a remove of some fifty years, it’s easy to understand the popularity of the album from the moment the richly detailed acoustic introduction to The Wizard opens proceedings.
Released in early 1972, Demons and Wizards was the more successful album upon release. Both platters are rock solid and beautifully presented and, if there is some light surface noise ( The Magician’s Birthday proving the cracklier of the two, perhaps because of the more ambitious sleeve art), the sound is otherwise very clear and sharp, and fans will surely enjoy reacquainting themselves with these ambitious outings via a rather special format. Nevertheless, the expectation is that these gorgeous pressings are aimed at fans looking to expand their collection with a collectible artefact and, in that, these editions succeed admirably. It is a clean, uncluttered look that allows maximum space for the picture disc itself, although the sticker for The Magician’s Birthday does contain a misprint that shows two track 5s and only seven tracks total. Very different from what had gone before, they feature Roger “Yes” Dean’s immersive artwork, evoking a sense of mystery and progressive grandeur that neatly reflects the musical content of the albums.Īs with the first two releases in the series, both albums come in simple, clear plastic sleeves, with stickers bearing basic album details – track listing, cover art and a tiny preamble introducing the album. These albums, however, are among the most striking in the Heep catalogue. Overlooked for the time being (although a space has been left in the running), 1971’s Look At yourself may be a fine album, but it has a pretty horrible cover.
Following on from the gorgeous picture disc versions of Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble and Salisbury (reviewed here), BMG continue their series of Uriah Heep reissues with Demons and Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday.