Uriah Heep - 2025 - The Shadow And The Wind [1973-1974]

(5xCD Box Set; Hear No Evil Recordings)

I have always had a huge soft spot for this band, as they refused to die when Mick Box should have given it up many times, and they are still going today! Arguably, the line-up from 1972-1974, which produced four studio and one live album, namely David Byron (vocals), Mick Box (guitar, vocals), Ken Hensley (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Lee Kerslake (drums, vocals) and Gary Thain (bass, vocals), is the one which many think of as the premier band. However, I have always felt it is better to think of Heep by albums, and to me it is the first five plus ‘Abominog’, ‘Head First’, and ‘Sea of Light’ which are the ones to go for.

What we have here is a five CD set containing music recorded in 73-74, so we get ‘Sweet Freedom’ and ‘Wonderworld’, both with additional  cuts, and the set opens with the 2003 expanded version of the 1973 live album which includes film mixes of material recorded at a special set in 1974. So there are four discs, and then there is a fifth which was recorded at Shepperton Studios in 1974 in front of an invited audience and wasn’t given an official release until 1986. But, while this also has some additional tracks, much of this is also included on the second disc which I find somewhat confusing and not necessary. If that was not enough, I do also have an issue with much of the material which is stated as being “previously unreleased”.

Having been a Uriah Heep fan for many years, I still have the 2004 deluxe reissues of these albums (and many more), and the track listing on CDs 1-4 are exactly the same as those (I have just taken them from the shelf and compared). These versions may have been previously unreleased in 2004 but one cannot say the same more than 20 years after they first appeared on CD.

It is hugely disappointing, as there has been a large amount of work put into the booklet with lots of photos and information, while all the tracks have been remastered. Musically the live tracks are essential, as here was one of the UK’s bands on stellar form, and there have been very few hard rock outfits who could produce vocal harmonies like these, long before the days of autotune. Byron was a superstar, Kerslake was later snapped up by Ozzy, Hensley was an amazing songwriter and multi-instrumentalist while Mick Box was such a star he became the front cover of 1983’s ‘The International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal’ (yes, I own all three editions).

Just listen to “Gypsy”, “Stealin”, “Easy Livin’”, “Something or Nothing”, “Sweet Lorraine”, “Look After Yourself”, “July Morning”, “Magician’s Birthday”, classics all. If for some very strange reason you do not already own these releases then this is well worth getting, just remember that much of disc 2 is repeated on disc 5. If you are a Heep fan, then you will need to ask yourself whether it is worth getting these again just for any potential new information in the booklet and the remastering by Tony Dixon. 

Kev Rowland, December 2025

Links:
http://www.uriah-heep.com/
https://www.hearnoevilrecordings.com/