A brilliant return from Uriah Heep, and a benchmark album in their career which has seen their longevity remain intact up until the present day.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Uriah Heep
ALBUM: Abominog
LABEL: Bronze
SERIAL: BRON 538
YEAR: 1982
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Pete Goalby – vocals * Mick Box – guitars * John Sinclair – keyboards * Bob Daisley – bass * Lee Kerslake – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Too Scared To Run * 02 Chasing Shadows * 03 On The Rebound * 04 Hot Night In A Cold Town * 05 Running All Night (With The Lion) * 06 That’s The Way That It Is * 07 Prisoner * 08 Hot Persuasion * 09 Sell Your Soul * 10 Think It Over
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
The end of the 70’s was admittedly, a sad time for Uriah Heep. The band had reached it’s zenith and were on the point of combustion. The showstoppers were many: the media proclaiming their last effort ‘Conquest’ as disappointing, John Sloman’s attempts to take the band in a different direction, and the departure of Ken Hensley and Trevor Bolder, who both saw the writing on the wall.
Hence the period 1980-1982 was a rebuilding phase for Mick Box. A band name but with no band. Similtaneously, Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard Of Ozz project got off the ground in 1980, and included Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley.
When Ozzy ‘fired’ them, Box recruited both, roped in John Sinclair (ex Heavy Metal Kids and Lion (UK)) and Goalby (ex Trapeze) to complete the picture. So, with a new album ‘Abominog’ and a renewed sense of vigor, thus begins a new and successful chapter in Uriah Heep’s career.
The Songs
The reviews for the album at the time in early 1982 were nothing short of staggering. 5 Star reviews throughout the UK saw Uriah Heep return to the top of the rock pile among the rock paparazzi. This time though, the band took their brand of melodic rock music in a commercial direction (bordering on AOR), without losing any of the attributes built up over the years.
A fresh approach, and a couple of outside writers onboard to assist: Paul Bliss‘ ‘Thats The Way That it Is’ is subtle brilliance, while Russ Ballard‘s ‘On The Rebound’ is a refreshing yet heavy-handed take on the original while the Sue Saad penned ‘Prisoner’ is a smooth mid-tempo ballad.
Power groovers such as ‘Too Scared To Run’ and ‘Running All Night With The Lion’ ensure the intensity is not lost. Sinclair’s keyboard stabs sees ‘Chasing Shadows’ move into AOR territory, a great track! ‘Hot Night In A Cold Town’ is the sort of pomp that bands like Adrenalin or Surgin eat up for breakfast, while the finale ‘Think It Over’ is a keyboard fest from Sinclair.
In Summary
A brilliant return from Uriah Heep, and a benchmark album in their career which has seen their longevity remain intact up until the present day, though the lineup is slightly different. Two final questions: What the hell does ‘Abominog’ mean? And what is the significance of the demon head on the album cover jacket? If someone (a Heep fan perhaps), would be so kind as to let us know.
Uriah Heep on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
