URIAH HEEP"The Magician's Birthday"LP.1973 UK 1ST PRESS
£
77
$
102
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Description
URIAH HEEP
"The Magician's Birthday"
1973 UK 1ST PRESS
BRONZE A-1U/B-1U , SUPERB EX+ AUDIO
HERE WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT, UK BRONZE (ILPS 9213) FIRST PRESSING (February 1973) OF URIAH HEEP's OUTSTANDING "The Magician's Birthday" LP
PRESSED ON QUALITY HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL (much thicker and more robust than later presses) WITH DEEP CUT GROOVES WHICH DELIVER OUTSTANDING SHARP, RICH AUDIO
THE RECORD HAS THE FIRST ISSUE BRONZE LABELS (w/"Marketed and distributed by Island Records Limited" credit)
FIRST PRESS MATRICES: ILPS 9213 A-1U (with the U printed sideways) / ILPS 9213 B-1U (etched "G. KONG" on both run off grooves)
AND IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL, MATTE, ROGER DEAN DESIGNED, GATEFOLD SLEEVE "Printed in England by Robor Ltd" WITH FACTORY SEALED (and folded under) LEFT SIDE EDGE, PLAIN INNER SLEEVE
GREAT UK FIRST PRESSING OF A TREMENDOUS LP
After reaching an international level of success with Demons and Wizards, Uriah Heep continued to build their fan base by knocking out another album of prog-like metal before the year's end. The end result, The Magician's Birthday, is not as consistent or cohesive as Demons and Wizards but still offers plenty of highlights. It starts dramatically with "Sunrise," a spooky power ballad that alternates quiet organ-led verses with an emotional chorus and guitar-fuelled instrumental breaks topped off by David Byron's operatic wail. The remainder of the album divides its time between punchy rockers and spacy balladry before climaxing with another prog-inflected epic. Highlights in the rock arena include "Blind Eye," an acoustic-flavored rocker whose galloping pace is firmly anchored by Gary Thain's melodic bassline, and "Sweet Lorraine," a stomping good-time rocker that adds extra texture to its guitar-driven sound with some spacy synthesizer lines. As for the quieter moments, "Rain" is a lovely piano ballad that makes surprising and impressive use of a xylophone in its sound and "Echoes in the Dark" is an eerie mid-tempo song that alternates stark piano-led verses with an emotional chorus cemented by Mick Box's searing guitar leads. There is also another multi-part epic in the title track, a prog-ish piece with fantasy themes. It lacks a strong structure (it feels more like three songs grafted together than a true multi-part composition) and succumbs to a bit of aimless jamming in the middle, but it is redeemed by strong hooks in the opening and a spirited performance from the band on its space rock finale. All in all, The Magician's Birthday never quite hits the consistent heights of Look at Yourself or Demons and Wizards but remains a solid listen for Uriah Heep fans.
Track Listing:
Side 1: Sunrise / Spiderwoman / Blind Eye / Echoes In The Dark / Rain
Side 2: Sweet Lorraine / Tales / The Magician's Birthday
LABELS: The labels are in BEAUTIFUL condition - CLEAN and BRIGHT with NO wear, NO writing and only a few light spindle traces on Side One label and virtually NONE on Side Two
VINYL Visual: The vinyl still retains its DEEP, GLOSSY SHEEN. - the audio is OUTSTANDING
. There are NO scratches, NO sticks, NO jumps, NO clicks or pops and just some very minor surface noise on some of the quieter parts (being very critical here and certainly nothing I found at all intrusive on play-grading this MASTERPIECE). The album plays to an very high standard with SUPERB AUDIO CLARITY, NO discernible groove-wear or distortion (I don't think it has been played that much) and must be very critically graded as EXCELLENT to (+) for audio.
SUPERB COPY
SLEEVE: The original gatefold cover is in EXCELLENT condition. It is CLEAN and UNMARKED but there is a little ring to the back/front of the sleeve . The spine is straight and true with all text CLEAR and BOLD. Overall, a very fine example of this easily worn and rubbed sleeve
CONDITION
- VINYL- STRONG Excellent..., well cared for. Stunning. Like new!
- COVER- Excellent ....very clean and sharp
DISCOUNTED POSTAGE ON MORE THAN ONE ITEM.
RECORDS ARE POSTED WITH NEW PLASTIC PROTECTIVE SLEEVES.
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