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Rating: "The real victory is living, if you care so little about the world that we are, why do you want to survive?"
The journey from '70 to '75 was intense, too many records in too short a time, and the fuel was running low. Byron's face shook off all the cobwebs, and moving from fantastic journeys between wizards and elves, rediscovering freedom while crossing the wonderful world, reached the "almost" terminus.
Forgive me, but for me, U.H. were solely and exclusively those with David Byron at the microphone. After him, they were first a pleasant surprise ("Firefly"), an honest group (after "Firefly"), something far from the same Uriah Heep ("Wake Up" ...). I was saying with Byron at the microphone, and here he is, and you can feel it!
Gary Thain is not on bass, but you already know the whole story, the vices, and the vicissitudes of those years. After all, keeping up with the greats with the critics and prejudices against you cannot help but leave a mark... An album between light and dark moments, between rock moments and others (my favorites) among the most reflective and melancholic the group knew how to give us. Without rambling too much, let's look at it this way:
BRIGHT LIGHTS: "Show Down" (nothing special in truth) with good Mick on the slide, "Devil's Daughter" with the Hensley/Box duel (the latter always effective) with a brilliant rhythm used. Thain is no longer here, but I already said that... Anyway, this almost funky bass...did I say funky?
"Shady Lady" r'n'r' "enough already".
Attention mental exercise: how would the Kiss of those years have done it, taking care to reshape it with their style? Guitars in evidence and the Stanley/Simmons trademark, surely it would have become a classic.
"Primadonna" but how? Is there also the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Cute, no doubt about it, and well then, one step to the left....
DARK LIGHTS: Their true nature. I could stay here spinning tales with the epic "Return To Fantasy" and Hensley's synths (an authentic hard prog hero), with "Beautiful Dream" where Byron's voice rises like the dancer on the album cover (yes, I said album, LP, vinyl, you already know how I feel about it). And still "Your Turn To Remember" and "Why Did You Go" leave you with a smile on your lips, a line on your cheeks, and lots of crushed beer cans all around.
Wouldn't it be too banal to talk about the strengths of the album no?
THE LAST TRACK
However, there is one thing I must say. Since I started listening to this band album after album, let's say from Salisbury onwards, what made me tremble with impatience was the last track. The closing of a Uriah album was like a small event within the album itself, in short, as if they wanted to give us a gift for having chosen them (those who have these records neatly aligned on their shelf can understand me).
To keep it short, "A Year Or A Day" remains, for me, one of the most beautiful and moving compositions Ken Hensley ever wrote.
Read the lyrics; it speaks of existence, future, choices, of life in the sweetest yet most melancholic way possible. This ability has always been a point in favor of U.H. that no one can contest.
Curiously, a few years ago, it was the background to an RAI documentary. If I recall correctly, it was about insects or something like that, and among other things, it described the evolution of a silkworm before it hatched, giving life to a butterfly (I probably let out a chuckle to myself).
How would David have taken it? I can already see him: jacket covered in sequins, medallions around his neck, hair in the wind, the same smirk as mine that goes: fantasyyyyyy, fantasyyyyyy, fantasyyyyyy ooohhh fantasyyyyyy.......
The (unavoidable) opinion of Commander Bossolazzi:
<<the commander says yes! 4 plump medlars>>.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Return to Fantasy (05:50)
Searching every day
Looking every way
Trying to make a connection
To find a piece of the action
Like a hungry poet
Who doesn't know
He is close to perfection
Choice is the question
Moonlight night
After moonlight night
Side by side
They will see us ride
But if they cared to look
Then they would see
It's our return to fantasy
Fantasy, fantasy
Can you understand
That in every man
There's a need to unwind
That's never been defined
Somewhere deep within
There's another being
You are somehow abusing
By the person you're using
Moonlight night
After moonlight night
Side by side
They will see us ride
But if they cared to look
Then they would see
It's just our return to fantasy
Fantasy, fantasy
Travelling faster than lightening
Closer than ever before
We can go on for you
And take you nearer to
The legend of mystery
From the beginning of time
Dreaming... time... dreaming
We can return to
The land of the good and the kind
Time... dreaming... time... dreaming
Why don't you come to our party
And open your minds
In another place
There's a newer face
Like an unfinished painting
Your creator is waiting
The brush and pen describe
What it is inside
That will set your mind thinking
While the others are sinking
03 Devil's Daughter (04:49)
I don't believe in
Your kind of affection
Your taking me
In the wrong direction
Don't give me none of
That holy water
Comin'on like you're
The devil's daughter
Just take me to your chapel
Show me to your leader
Take me to your chapel
I wanna meet your leader
Come on
How do you find the time to exist
I've got to keep my
Strength of mind to resist
Don't give me none of
That holy water
Comin' on like you're
The devil's daughter
Where do you come from
And where do you go
Can I touch without havin' to know
Don't give me none of
That holy water
Comin' on like you're
The devil's daughter
Come on now
Come on now take me there
05 Prima Donna (03:09)
I'll go down fightin'
But rather be delightin'
All the people that come to see
The devil's from chicago
Nnow where the hell do they go
When we get in our limousines
'cause we just want to be
Where it's all going on
But tell me what do you do
When it's over
And everyone who
Loved you is gone
They're gone
I said they're gone
You're our kind of people
You're the church
And we're the steeple
But we're all inside the hall
If we've got what you need
Then we'll give you the speed
To get up and have a ball
'cause we just want to be
Where it's all going on
But tell me what do you do
When it's over
And everyone who
Loved you is gone
You're just another
Prima donna of rock'n roll
So please let me know
When you want me to go
06 Your Turn to Remember (04:22)
I was always the one
Who did the thinkin'
It was me, I'm sorry
I who made the plans
There was never a thought
We might do somethin’ between us
It's so clear I think
I'm beginning to understand
I was the one who had to
Lay it out and pay it out
I would work all night
Even though I wanted to
Play out and stay out
Now it's your turn to remember
And it's your turn
To try to understand
But you never would, would you?
When the time came
For stayin' together
You refused to even
Talk about for ever
It was easy telling me
You love me
And I was a little late in
Finding out the truth
The rule of love was there
You had to bend it
Now the damage is done
It's impossible to mend it
I can’t mend it
Now it's your turn to remember
It's your turn to feel a little pain
I feel a little better
Talkin' about her
Yet her memory's not good for me
The skies are not so grey now
I've found a new tune to play now
It's a better song
It'll be followin' on
And when the time came
For stayin' together
You refused to even
Talk about for ever
It was easy telling me
You love me
And I was a little late in
Finding out the truth
The rule of love was there
But you had to bend it
Now the damage is done
It's impossible to mend it
You know I can’t mend it
Come on babe
It's your turn to remember
Your turn to feel a little pain
07 Showdown (04:19)
It's gonna happen
Before too long
It's gettin' hard to tell
Who's right and who's wrong
I can see it comin'
So I gotta be strong
There's gonna be a showdown
There's gonna be
Changes in this town
We're gonna see a showdown
A time's gonna come
In the future when
A whole lotta people
Gonna think again
We're gonna keep right on
Till you break and then
Do you want to be out of touch
Only you can decide
For something different
You're out of luck
¡®cause on we will ride
On we're gonna ride
Ride on, oh, ride on
Come on
The music explodes
Like a gun in your hand
We're gonna give you more
Than your head can stand
Then we'll sit down
And talk man to man
There's gonna be a showdown
We're gonna see
Changes in this town
We're gonna see a showdown
Showdown ...
08 Why Did You Go (03:52)
I woke up today
With my head in daze
‘Cause my love had gone
With nothing to do
Just to dream about you
And how we went wrong
But oh, why did you go
I loved you so, didn't you know
I walk into town
With my head hangin' down
Tryin' to hide my pain
The people I meet
As I float down the street
Tell me try again
When I remember how good it was
It makes me cry
'Cause my life's been
Turned upside down
All I want is someone
But how do you say
Please will you stay
Please will you stay
I’ll settle down to a life
Of a clown to remain alive
I’ll work till I bleed
And if I can succeed
Maybe I'll survive
09 A Year or A Day (04:28)
Seen from the height
Of a thousand miles
The earth looks the same as it did
How is it we can fly faster than day
But we can't find the things we need
Young man said the old man
Let the youth in your heart be at rest
We may all be dead
In a year or a day
When the devil is put to the test ¡
The day of creation
Was our finest hour
It's something we ought to defend
But it's been so abused
Since the first day of light
That no glory can come in the end
Young man cried the old man
There is victory in staying alive
And if you care so little
For the world we're in
Why and what do you
Want to survive
Can't we try
To let the past go by
With it's lessons firmly
Settled in our minds
To our children one by one
And before the darkness comes
Let us leave a world full of light
Of a different kind
In truth they should meet
And with love
Their hearts should beat
And with patience
Solve the problems of our time
It wouldn't be so hard to do
It's only up to me and you
Let us not bequeath
A life that is a crime
Young man cried the old man
Let the youth in your heart be at rest
We may all be dead
In a year or a day
When the devil is put to the test
Young man ...
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