E' un album crepuscolare, l'ultimo grande album degli Heep, un po' come "Going For The One" degli Yes (che guardacaso è proprio dello stesso anno).

1977, gli Uriah Heep si sono liberati con la scusa dell'alcolismo di David Byron, vocalist di immense capacità, forse anche più abile di Gillan nel gestire gli acuti impossibili. Per tentare di riparare la falla dell'assenza di David, gli Uriah Heep decidono di trovare un nuovo cantante, che non faccia rimpiangere il precedente e che spinga il gruppo verso nuovi lidi: l' amaro compito di bissare l'assenza del Byron ricade su John Lawton, uno "strano oggetto", proveniente dai tedeschi Lucifer's Friend; fatto strano, Lawton si trucca quando si esibisce, ma fatto ancor più sorprendente, ha una voce strepitosa che riesce per un attimo(1977-79) ad oscurare Byron stesso, tecnicamente perfetta e potente al punto giusto.

Il disco, che presenta dei punti deboli come vedremo in seguito, si apre con "The Hanging Tree": sintetizzatore, cantato superlativo, ritmo incalzante, gli Heep sono tornati in grande forma. Si prosegue con "Been Away Too Long" che contribuisce a dare all' album quell'atmosfera notturna, epica e crepuscolare: gran bel pezzo. Con "Who Needs Me" abbiamo il primo punto debole, per il fatto che sa un po di riempitivo, con quel ritmo sbarazzino; tuttavia un bell'assolo di chitarra ed il solito cantato impeccabile di Lawton gli conferiscono una certa dignità.

La quarta traccia "Wise Man" è un capolavoro melodico dove i possenti e dinamici vocalizzi di John sublimano in un assolo finale da trinciapalle. Dopo cotanta bellezza, vengono piazzati i tre minuti di "Do You Know", il vero punto debole dell' album, un rock leggerino, che non sa ne di me ne di te, con un testo di una banalità importante: essendo l'unico neo, lo si può perdonare, considerando che da qui in avanti l'album letteralmente si impenna.

Un synth con il glide ci introduce in "Rollin On", brano molto particolare e acquoso che a metà sfocia in un bellissimo assolo onirico di elettrica, come solo gli Uriah Heep sanno fare: la canzone termina con la ripresa del tema iniziale. Ed è così che si arriva a "Sympathy", una canzone semplice ma allo stesso tempo fondamentale, il marchio di fabbrica degli Heep con John Lawton: è in questa traccia che il nuovo vocalist può dare finalmente sfogo alle sue grandi doti di "castrato", regalandoci un altro momento indimenticabile.

La stessa String-machine che da poco avevano acquistato anche i Genesis, ha il compito di tessere l'intro del capolavoro assoluto del disco: "Firefly". Testo fantasy spesso cantato a più voci ed un atmosfera sognante che richiamano proprio l' immagine in copertina sono la formula vincente: come di consueto, a metà della canzone c'è l'irruzione di un pezzo più potente che lentamente torna a riadagiarsi nel lago fatato del tema principale.

Questo album è l'ultima erezione degli Uriah Heep, che di li a poco caddero nell'assoluta impotenza creativa rimanendo un buon gruppo, un album ogni 2-3 anni e nulla più. L'effetto viagra di Lawton resse anche per i due dischi successivi, ma poi con la sua dipartita, gli Heep si ammosciarono sulle loro stesse gonadi in attesa di nuovi semi da coltivare in quel grande campo che è il rock. Attendiamo ardentemente una nuova loro Ejaculazione.

Elenco tracce testi e samples

01   Been Away Too Long (05:04)

02   Sympathy (04:49)

Sympathy just doesnt mean
That much to me
Compassions not
The fashion in my mind
And if youre looking for
A shoulder to cry on
Dont turn your head my way
cause Id rather have
My music any day

You and I are
Masters of our destiny
We look for consolation all the time
Until we find out things are not
What they were meant to be, oh no
And if it doesnt suit our mood
Well call it crime

Dedications not an obligation
Or a figment of
Someones imagination
Its the only way they say
To live from day to day
To make each passing way
A small sensation

Dreams are the possession of
The simple man
Reality the fantasy of youth
But living is a problem that
Is common to us all
With love the only
Common road to truth

03   Who Needs Me (03:40)

Don't take life for granted
'cause you know that
Life won't grant you back
The feelings on the love
That you once had

You've taken me for granted
'cause you know
I'm a lover just like you
And I'll do anything
You want me to

Who needs me?
Who needs me now?
You'll find someone
How you'll find one
Who needs me?
Who needs me now?
You'll find another but no better



You can't argue with me now
I needed you and
You did not know how

Don't let go of something
That is good when
I'll tell you it's bad
Let 'em hear the story
Make 'em sad

And if the price of love
Can cost you less than
When it first began
I guess that you won't
Find a better man

Who needs me ...

04   Wise Man (04:43)

Ohh, Ohh, Ohh, ohh

I sat before the wise man
In the autumn of my youth
And I told him all
The things I had to know
He said you have the future
If you need to find the truth
And in his eyes
I saw that it was so

So I came right out
And asked him
The meaning of life
And has he smiled
I saw a twinkle in his eyes
He said with all his years
There's still so much
He has to learn
And I saw that it was so

Keep on living, loving
Waiting your turn
It's the only way to
Ease your concern
If you want to find
Your dream, be sure
You don't wake up too soon
Or you'll find it easier
Shooting for the moon

Wise man, wise man
Which way shall I run
There's so many roads
So many ways to turn
I am like a blind man
Lost in the sun
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
But I'm looking for
An easy way to learn

Wise man, wise man
Which way shall I run
There's so many roads
So many ways to turn
I am like a blind man
Lost in the sun
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
But I'm looking for
An easy way to learn

Oh, wise man
Oh wise man
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too

Wise man, wise man too
Which way shall I run
There's so many roads
So many ways to turn
I am like a blind man
Lost in the sun
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
But I'm looking for
An easy way to learn

Oh, wise man
Oh wise man
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too

Which way shall I run
There's so many roads
So many ways to turn
I am like a blind man
Lost in the sun
I wanna be like you
And be a wise man too
But I'm looking for
An easy way to learn

05   The Hanging Tree (03:43)

Passing through the arms of satan
Reaching for the hands of god
Robbing every mind for wisdom
Running so he won't get caught
He's outlawed by majority
Been branded all his life
Some say that he's a sinner man
As he rides from day to night

He's a bad man, so they say
Living for his love and living free
Riding swift and secretly
So he'll miss the hanging tree
Wounded spirit on the wind
Riding to his dream and destiny



He's laughing at the wanted posters
Calling for his friends to see
Laughing aloud as he rides away
Kicking up the dust with speed
Time hands him down a pathway
And freedom is a horse he rides
Glory is a dream he's after
And fortune is his heart's delight

Riding swift and secretly
So he'll miss the hanging tree
Wounded spirit on the wind
Riding to his dream and destiny

06   Rollin' On (06:23)

07   Do You Know (03:16)

All you seem to do want to do
Is break my heart
Seems to me
We're a lot better off apart
Time was when you took
A pride in puttin' me down
We'll I've some news for you
That's gonna turn ya around

I got no time for no crazy lady
And the games you wanna play
'cause a love like mine's
Gonna take some time
You can't save it for a rainy day

Well, l do you know


Do you know
Do you know what
I'm trying to say
Love's not a game
It's never the same
You gotta live your love
From day to day

Lonely days are long and
Sad nights are so black
Then I get right down thinkin'
Maybe I could take you back
Till at mornin' light
A new face appears at my door
As a kinda reminder that
I ain't seein' you no more

08   Firefly (06:21)

My love lives at
The end of a rainbow
One day I'm gonna
Fly there on a firefly
High above white angry water
With a love song in my heart

Someday, somehow
I know I'm gonna get there
I've been patient for so long
All my daydreams
Seem so much nearer now
And I beg you hear my song

Firefly
On your glowing wings I'll ride
Till I sit beside
This dream of mine
Firefly, high on a risin' tide
Only wanna touch
The things I've seen

Steppin' lightly from star to star
Cross a wilderness of blue


Wonderin' how much
In love with me you are
'cause I'm so much in love with you

Firefly, can you take me
I ain't had no lovin' lately
Firefly bring me love

To my new horizon
The one that I've still
Got my eyes on, my my firefly
Firefly, firefly, firefly

In my dreams you come to me
The answer to my prayer
As I begin to feel
You warm my heart
I awake and you're not there

Now and then I see your eye
As the stars begin to shine
No rain to cool my passion
No! not now!
No, now you're mine!

Carico i commenti...  con calma