Album Review: Uriah Heep - Living The Dream

Every year when the State Fair is open for business, I'm amazed at how many bands from the 50s-70s are still on the road, playing the same songs they have for decades. Music is one of those businesses where very few seem to ever retire, even when it's clear many of them should have hung up their boots long ago. I know why a lot of them are out there cashing the checks, but I always get bothered by those who have toured for ages without writing anything new in years, if not decades. Being a musician should be about more than playing the old hits. You need to still have a creative passion, or at least I tend to think you do. So when an old-guard band like Uriah Heep is still releasing records, I consider that far more respectable than some bands who will not be named here.

This latest run of albums from the band has seen them garnering a fair amount of attention. I will admit, however, that after "Wake The Sleeper", I haven't been impressed by much of the music they have offered up. They still retain that classic, organ-drenched sound that I do love, but as I have discussed many times with the wave of retro rock bands, songwriting is far more important than sonics.

Let's take the first two tracks on this album, as an illustration. "Grazed By Heaven" starts things out with those lush Hammond chords, but the chorus is heavy on the one-note chanting that has never appealed to me. The title track that follows has less of a riff, but the chorus is multitudes more melodic. It's easy to hear which of these two songs is going to leave the more lasting impression. One might be more fun for the live show, and audience participation, but that's not the same thing as making a great record.

Normally, with albums from veteran bands like this, one of two things happens; either they hit on a fountain of youth to make one of their best albums ever (like Harem Scarem did last year), or they have a couple great tracks on an album that is hit and miss.

What happens less often is to have a record that doesn't have any highlights. Usually, any band that's been doing this long enough will be able to put together one killer track that will make the experience worthwhile. This time, though, Uriah Heep doesn't do that. There isn't that one song on this record that you will remember, that will stand up with their old classics.

That being said, it's not as though this is a bad record. It's all perfectly acceptable Uriah Heep music. If you're a fan of their style, and Bernie Shaw's voice, then you can have a decent time listening to this record. But if you're looking for some cracking songs that are going to stick with you, you might end up disappointed. Getting this record is better than endless tours with nary a new note to be heard, but it also isn't anything to get overly excited about. It's laid-back music that fits the stereotype of veteran bands. I don't believe in that, but every once in a while it happens to be true.

Uriah Heep may be "Living The Dream", but this album is one you'll have to write down as soon as you awaken if you want to remember it.