Like Led Zeppelin in particular, Uriah Heep have always been sure-footed on any number of diverse stylistic terrains, from post-Fairport Convention folk to proto-Judas Priest heavy metal. But what Your Turn to Remember lacks in evidence of qualitative equivalence, it makes up for with a sprawlingly heterogeneous mix of lucid rock songs. At this point, they only retain a cult appeal-especially fervent in Eastern Europe and Japan-that receives a boost from the multi-platinum 1972 magnum opus Demons and Wizards, a vital document of the epoch that ranks alongside Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Blue Öyster Cult’s first few albums.Ĭonsidering the strength of Demons and Wizards, are the oft-maligned Uriah Heep due for reconsideration? Does Your Turn to Remember: The Definitive Anthology 1970–1990, a 32-song compilation that kicks off a massive reissue campaign of LPs from Uriah Heep’s ‘definitive’ period, try to posit the band as a group among equals in the aforementioned foursome? If so, it sets itself up for failure: even at their best, Uriah Heep simply have never been as good or important as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, or Led Zeppelin. And while their name is likely familiar to today’s classic rock fanatics, Uriah Heep pale in comparison to the three other bands in terms of popularity, influence, and critical regard today. In their five-decade career, they’ve sold only about half as many records as their closest competitor, Black Sabbath, and ten percent as many as Led Zeppelin.
But, besides their kinship in era, genre, and country of origin, Uriah Heep don’t quite measure up. Long-running London outfit Uriah Heep are sometimes lumped into a foursome with fellow British hard rock pioneers Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin.
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