We’d had many experiences as a band out on the road and suddenly it occurred to us that we just wanted to be a straight-ahead Rock band. Mick: By the time we got to Look At Yourself, we’d been out on the road a lot. Would you agree or disagree? What do you remember most about recording this album? I feel like it was your first fully cohesive album. Joe: While I love the first two albums, Look At Yourself seemed to be when you guys found your groove and classic sound. Launch as a fresh entity and that’s how we arrived at Uriah Heep. We thought with a musical change, maybe we should have a name change too. But once we got in the studio, as a 4-piece, we started augmenting some keyboards. Even Metal, as it’s called now, with songs like “ Gypsy.” As I mentioned, it was a bleed over from what Spice was all about. If you look at the first album of Uriah Heep, Very ‘Eavy…Very ‘Umble, there’s a lot of Progressive Rock, Bluesy Rock, and Hard Rock. That mindset kind of rolled over to Uriah Heep. There’s lots of spices, and that was our train of thought with the name of the band. Mick: Well, basically, we used the name “Spice” because we didn’t want our music to be just any one genre. When exactly was the transition from Spice to Uriah Heep? How did the change happen? What inspired the name change? Joe: So, let’s go back into the past a little bit. But again, that’s all down to what restrictions are laid on us by the government. We may try and do that this year before we start having to schedule next year. I’m not sure we’ll ever get back to how it was before but, I think we have to embrace it. We’re ever hopeful that the vaccination will make its way around the world, and we’ll be able to get back to some degree of normality.
#URIAH HEEP ALBUMS PLUS#
All the shows we already had for the anniversary tour plus new ones we have added going into next year. But we will still be celebrating the 50th anniversary. Although, by the time it happens it will technically be 52 years. So, we still have that to look forward to. Mick: Well, the pandemic killed the celebration of our 50th anniversary. Joe: What does the future hold for you and Uriah Heep? Any new material coming soon? I’m trying not to take my foot off the gas. Most days I’m in there, suddenly it’s 9 o’clock at night.
I try to get in the office, fire up the computer, and not look at the clock. I’ve also been writing lots of songs, and just generally trying to keep busy. I do a lot of Cameo stuff for my cancer charity, which you can learn about here. I haven’t missed the traveling quite so much but, that is part of what we do. I miss the concerts so much, and the communication with the fans, and all that goes with that. It’s a very strange feeling for me not to be out on the road. Mick: Well, you know, it’s been a strange time for everyone, hasn’t it? I think this is the longest I’ve ever been at home in my fifty-plus years as a musician. Joe: Mick, what have you been up to this past year considering the current state of the world? Once you’ve done that, dig into this chat with the one and only, Mick Box. If you’d like to learn more about Uriah Heep, check out the band via their website here. Among other things, we discuss the inception of the second era of Heep, the band’s groundbreaking ’87 concert in Russia, and how they have kept up their torrid recording pace all these years. When I had the opportunity for a sit-down with a man like Mick Box, I couldn’t have been any more eager. Still, Mick is not your typical Rock Star, and instead, is down to earth and humble. Mick is a great songwriter as well as an underrated guitarist, and an absolute Rock Legend. When it comes to Heep, Mick is the only member that has consistently been a member of the band since its beginning. And the man that has always been there behind it all is none other than Mick Box. On top of that, Uriah Heep alone has influenced countless sub-genres of both Rock, and Metal. Not only has Heep been together for fifty years, producing countless albums of killer Rock, but their current run of albums is some of the best of their career - period. It could be because Uriah Heep never got caught up in looking for an “image,” or “scene to define” themselves by - they simply let their music speak for itself.
What bands do you think of when the discussion of the British Hard Rock invasion of the 70s comes up? Zeppelin? Sabbath? Deep Purple? What you probably don’t hear enough of is Uriah Heep.
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