subota, 27.06.2009.
Uriah Heep - Sweet Freedom (1973) (Japan Mini LP 2007)
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. Including Deluxe Packaging, Bonus Tracks and an Expansive Booklet with Rare Memorabilia and Photos. Bonus Tracks Are "Sunshine", "Seven Stars (Extended Version)", "Pilgrim (Extended Version", "if I Had Time (Demo Alternate Live Version)" and "Stealin' (Alternate Live Version)" 2007.
Originally released in 1973, Uriah Heep's seventh studio album saw them moving away from the mysticism-flavored prog that had pushed them to the brink of superstardom, and into a world of more personal experiences. It was not necessarily a move to relish at the time — the band's last few albums might have struck the critics as preposterous, but fans were awestruck from the outset. Sweet Freedom, on the other hand, sounded almost ordinary by comparison, and the sad fact is that time has done little to improve matters. Still, you sit there waiting for the first demons and wizards to come cavorting out, for a new July morning to dawn, for the tanks to rumble over Salisbury Plain. Instead...hmm. Maybe next time. The bonus tracks appended to this latest reissue add little to the original proceedings, being nothing more exciting than alternate and demo versions of five of the original album's nine tracks. That said, the early version of "If I Had the Time" has a touching tenderness that the original perhaps lacked, while the crunching "Seven Stars" clocks in at almost twice the length of the familiar version.
By 1973, Uriah Heep had progressed from an English heavy metal band to a worldwide success. They moved on to a new label (Warner Bros.) and began to explore new styles to flesh out their combination of prog complexity and heavy metal muscle. The band's desire to break new ground is established with the lead-off track, "Dreamer": while it riffs as hard as the band's past rockers, it adds a surprising element of funkiness into the band's sound. The gentle, acoustic guitar-dominated "Circus" is another change of pace that pushes the group's sound in a meditative, folky direction. The group also exploresmore… new avenues in the lyrical arena. Instead of the mystical tales that dominated albums like Demons and Wizards, Sweet Freedom offers lyrics designed to appeal to the listener on a personal level: The most stirring example is "Stealin'," a song about the regrets that come with living a self-obsessed life. These sentiments were combined with a stirring, soulful melody that helped make the song a radio favorite. Another highlight in this vein is the title track, a song that combines lyrics about the price of being free with an organ-fuelled, hymn-like melody. Despite these successful experiments, there are a few tracks that weigh the proceedings down: "Seven Stars" takes an exciting riff and runs it into the ground with a repetitive arrangement and "Pilgrim" is an over-the-top stab at an adventure tale that pushes the group's excesses to the level of self-parody. However, Sweet Freedom is likable enough to triumph over these missteps. While it isn't the group's finest record, it remains a solid listen for Uriah Heep fans.
Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 174 MB
Genre : Rock
2000mustangs
Tracklist:
01 Dreamer 3:41
02 Stealin' 4:50
03 One Day 2:47
04 Sweet Freedom 6:29
05 If I Had the Time 5:38
06 Seven Stars 3:49
07 Circus 2:43
08 Pilgrim 7:10
09 Sunshine Bonus 4:48
10 Seven Stars Bonus / Extended Version 7:03
11 Pilgrim prev. unreleased / Bonus Extended Version 8:29
12 If I Had the Time Bonus / Demo Version 6:02
13 Sweet Freedom Bonus / Alternative Live Version 6:48
14 Stealin' Bonus / Alternative Live Version 5:41
