Uriah Heep/Tokyo,Japan 1973

2016 marks the 45th anniversary of Uriah Heep’s formation. Maintaining a band for 45 years is no mean feat. Considering the importance of the 45th anniversary, which is due not only to the will of the band but also to the fans who accept it, I’m sure there are many old fans who feel nostalgic for the long history of Uriah Heep, who made a striking appearance at the dawn of the 1970s. Is it? However, the journey was not a smooth one; Uriah Heep had a lot of changes in band members, and it is no exaggeration to say that there was always some kind of trouble or disagreement between the members. After all, all three albums from their debut album to “Tai Jikou” have different drummers, who form the basis of the band. The number of band members who used to call themselves Uriah Heep is more than 20, so much so that even avid fans can’t keep track of the band’s past members. In Japan, Uriah Heep’s name began to rise among fans around the time “The Devil and the Sorcerer” was released in 1972. From the same album, “July Morning” and “Sabbath Days” were hits in Japan as well. Above all, the fact that the album and each song have Japanese titles may prove that they were being pushed hard in Japan. By the time “The Devil’s Feast” was released, it had solidified its popularity in Japan. The 1973 tour to Japan took place at a time when the band was at its peak of creative ambition, releasing five studio albums in just three years. As mentioned above, the members who came to Japan in 1973 are said to be the strongest lineup of all time, despite the rapid turnover of members. Japanese fans can be said to be happy because they were able to witness Uriah Heep in his prime. A total of five performances were scheduled for the 1973 tour to Japan. The event began with the opening day, March 16th, at Tokyo Kudan’s Nippon Budokan performance. After that, two performances will be held in Nagoya and two in Osaka, but there will only be one performance in Tokyo due to the large capacity Budokan. The concert started after a while. According to Goro Itoi in Tsunagibenshi, this preparation time is part of Uriah Heep’s performance, and that the stage begins the moment the emcee finishes speaking. There is. And even after the members appeared, a considerable amount of time was spent tuning. If you count the number of minutes on the track, it’s about a little over 3 minutes. According to Uriah Heep, this is also part of the stage. The concert began with “Sunrise,” the very first song from their latest album at the time, “Demon’s Feast.” The solemn keyboard notes, heavy riffs and profound chorus completely change the atmosphere of the Budokan. This chorus work can be said to be the part where Uriah Heep’s characteristics are demonstrated to the fullest. In addition, catchy rock numbers such as “Sweet Lorraine” from “The Devil’s Feast” and “Time Traveler” and “Days of Rest” from “The Devil and the Wizard” continue. And here comes the true essence of Uriah Heep. This is “July Morning” from the album “Taijikoku”, which is still considered one of the masterpieces. After the intense opening, there was a silence reminiscent of early morning, and the audience was excited when the vocals came in, but after that, silence once again enveloped the Budokan. As the song builds up, the chorus comes in, and a flood of sounds rings out at full volume. The performance is a whopping 13 minutes long, with a sharpness of static and movement. The song’s ups and downs, with a single theme throughout, and the beautiful melody will give you a cathartic feeling, as if you’ve finished reading a long story. And an even longer song awaits next. That is “gypsy”. While the drums are pounding in the background, the intense guitar plays a heavy riff, and the vocals and chorus are on top of this, making it a masterpiece that brings out Uriah Heep’s strengths to the fullest. “Gypsy”, the first song on their debut album “Very Heavy Very Humble”, was 6 and a half minutes long in the studio version, but here it is played for over 20 minutes. That’s what I’m doing. He inserts fantastic guitar solos and keyboard solos in the middle, presenting the audience with a magnificent view of the world. This is probably what “Gypsy” was originally supposed to be. This length was absolutely necessary to express the world of Uriah Heep’s songs. With a studio album, there is a natural time limit, so it had to be condensed to six and a half minutes, but on stage there are no such restrictions. This impressive 20-minute performance is the manifestation of Uriah Heep’s unique worldview that transcends genres. It’s a complete change from the first half, with long songs continuing from the middle onwards. The two songs, “Solidarity” and “Anti-Nuke”, were performed for more than 10 minutes. In particular, the last song in the main part, “Anti-Jikoku,” had already become one of the biggest hits at the time, and the venue was very excited. First, there is a long intro with clapping, stirring up the audience, and the concert reaches its climax. After a series of long songs, the final encore and the concert’s conclusion was, surprisingly, a medley of oldies. It’s rock’n’roll that everyone knows, starting with “Blow Beethoven”, “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog.” It feels strange to play a medley of familiar numbers that are completely different from their previous tunes, but this is probably one of their roots. This sound source was recorded by a maniac who was present at the Budokan at the time, and it has been in storage for over 40 years, and is now being released to the world for the first time. A complete recording of the first sound source that has never been released before. And as you can see by listening to the sample sound source, the sound quality is extremely high quality. This is a valuable record that completely records the only Budokan performance in 1973, which has now become history, with high-quality first appearance sound source. If it was Robert Plant who introduced the screaming style of high-tone voices, it was Uriah Heep who introduced the heavy chorus to hard rock. Uriah Heep’s contribution to the formation of the hard rock style, which was still in its infancy, can be said to have been enormous. The Budokan performance on March 16, 1973, the first day of the Japan performance, which can be heard in this work, has a keyboard tone that gives off a period art rock atmosphere, chorus work by the members, and hard guitar, all of which are now obsolete. However, its stylistic beauty clearly shows that it had an influence on later hard rock bands. LIVE AT BUDOKAN HALL TOKYO JAPAN March 16, 1973 DISC ONE 01. Introduction 02. Tuning 03. Sunrise 04. Sweet Lorraine 05. Traveler In Time 06. Easy Livin’ 07. July Morning 08. Gypsy DISC TWO 01. Tears In My Eyes 02. Circle Of Hands 03. Look At Yourself 04. Love Machine 05. Roll Over Beethoven – Blue Suade Shoes- Hound Dog – Let’s Go To The Hop – Shake Baby Shake