Uriah Heep-Very´Eavy...Very´Umble (1970)

Although much better known for great progressive works like "Look at Yourself" or "The Magician's Birthday", the origins of Uriah Heep (name taken from the literary antagonist of David Copperfield) had a much more bizarre and raw beginnings. However, this first album by the Londoners already had the foundational elements of their music: operatic voices courtesy of Byron, great vocal harmonies and, of course, a huge role for keyboards and organs, in addition to this, we should highlight the immense work of Mick Box, his great guitarist who takes an absolute leading role thanks to his incendiary, dry, and cutting riffs, as acidic as those performed by stars such as Ritchie Blackmore or Jimmy Page.
You just have to listen to the frenetic opening bars of the now classic 'Gypsy' to know that we are facing something very special, Byron's magical tone of voice lets us carry on an accelerated blues dedicated to an enigmatic and bewitching woman. The main riff of this song is one of those that sits chair, simple and direct to the jugular, but the brief final duet between Napier's drums and Box's guitar is simply orgasmic, not to mention the aforementioned and insane screams of Byron, an underrated singer where they exist.
From the hand of the beautiful ballad 'Come Away Melinda', where Byron's melancholic voice takes center stage again, here we have the opportunity to enjoy the great work done on vocal harmonies ( a more arduous task than we normally recognize) by the whole group.
For their part, songs like 'Walking in Your Shadow' or 'Real Turned On' move in less exceptional parameters, but equally valid, continuing with the meandering and bluesy rhythms that populate the corners of this album. Likewise, the final 'Wake Up (Set Your Sights)' is another of the album's high points. With a changing structure, the strength of the song lies once again in Byron's vocal power and in the great atmosphere created by the guitar and keyboards. The rest of the songs may not be as spectacular as those already mentioned, but they do not affect an album too much, which, in itself, is highly recommended only for the historical value that it entails.
Uriah Heep germined the musical experimentation, blues, and a lot of vocal drama that we would find later on all the albums of bands like Yes, Judas Priest or Genesis. There they were Uriah Heep as the spearhead of a movement that, by then, was beginning to awaken. Without being a complete essential, ... Very 'eavy ... Very' umble is crucial to understand not only the sound and the subsequent evolution of the band, but of an entire musical movement.
Distinguished mention and bonus points for the gruesome and memorable cover. The ghostly face is none other than that of singer David Byron with his face covered in dried glue. According to Box himself, Byron took a whole week to remove all the glue. Disgustingly unbelievable, but true.