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After breaking in new vocalist John Lawton on the back-to-basics outing Firefly, Uriah Heep once again found themselves feeling the need to experiment a bit on Innocent Victim. The resulting album doesn't cohere as neatly as Firefly did, but manages to keep the listener engaged thanks to a combination of slick performances from the band and a handful of truly great Uriah Heep songs. Overall, Innocent Victim's blend of sharp, short rockers and pop-friendly ballads feels like an attempt to court the American AOR market. The rockers are all pretty strong stuff: "Free 'n' Easy" is a fast-moving tune built on an ear-scorching guitar riff that feels like boogie rock in overdrive, while "Roller" is a stylish midtempo track that blends funky, languid verses with a faster, bass-driven chorus that ups the song's rock quotient. The band also weaves in some experimental tracks that hit the bull's eye: "Illusion" is a spacy tale about dreaming that creates a rich atmosphere through an arrangement built on strong keyboard and vocal textures, while "The Dance" successfully marries a reggae beat to its prog-like melody. Meanwhile, the album's ballad leanings brought Uriah Heep one of their biggest international hits in the form of "Free Me," a tune whose acoustic style and accent on harmonies brought the group dangerously close to Eagles territory. The downside of Innocent Victim is that it works a little too hard at being radio-friendly: despite their high level of energy, songs like "Keep on Ridin'" and "Flyin' High" are too contrived and self-consciously poppy to sit comfortably alongside gutsy rockers like "Free 'n' Easy." Despite this unevenness in tone, Innocent Victim remains a likable album with enough strong material to satisfy Uriah Heep's admirers.
© Donald A. Guarisco /TiVo
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Jack Williams, Composer - Ken Hensley, Composer, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist - Trevor Bolder, Composer - Pete Mcdonald, Composer
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Producer - Lawton, Composer - Box, Composer - John Lawton, Composer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Mick Box, Composer - Uriah Heep, Composer, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer, Producer - Hensley, Composer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, Composer, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jack Williams, Composer - Ken Hensley, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jack Williams, Composer - Ken Hensley, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1997 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Producer - Gerry Bron, Producer - Uriah Heep, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1997 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Uriah Heep, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer - Uriah Heep, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Ken Hensley, Composer - Hensley, Composer - Uriah Heep, Composer, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lawton, Composer - Box, Composer - John Lawton, Composer - Mick Box, Composer - Uriah Heep, Composer, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
After breaking in new vocalist John Lawton on the back-to-basics outing Firefly, Uriah Heep once again found themselves feeling the need to experiment a bit on Innocent Victim. The resulting album doesn't cohere as neatly as Firefly did, but manages to keep the listener engaged thanks to a combination of slick performances from the band and a handful of truly great Uriah Heep songs. Overall, Innocent Victim's blend of sharp, short rockers and pop-friendly ballads feels like an attempt to court the American AOR market. The rockers are all pretty strong stuff: "Free 'n' Easy" is a fast-moving tune built on an ear-scorching guitar riff that feels like boogie rock in overdrive, while "Roller" is a stylish midtempo track that blends funky, languid verses with a faster, bass-driven chorus that ups the song's rock quotient. The band also weaves in some experimental tracks that hit the bull's eye: "Illusion" is a spacy tale about dreaming that creates a rich atmosphere through an arrangement built on strong keyboard and vocal textures, while "The Dance" successfully marries a reggae beat to its prog-like melody. Meanwhile, the album's ballad leanings brought Uriah Heep one of their biggest international hits in the form of "Free Me," a tune whose acoustic style and accent on harmonies brought the group dangerously close to Eagles territory. The downside of Innocent Victim is that it works a little too hard at being radio-friendly: despite their high level of energy, songs like "Keep on Ridin'" and "Flyin' High" are too contrived and self-consciously poppy to sit comfortably alongside gutsy rockers like "Free 'n' Easy." Despite this unevenness in tone, Innocent Victim remains a likable album with enough strong material to satisfy Uriah Heep's admirers.
© Donald A. Guarisco /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 01:08:03
- Main artists: Uriah Heep
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Castle Communications
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
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