Uriah Heep, I had always assumed, was one of those bands like Molly Hatchet. You know the bands I’m talking about, the ones whose music is light years behind the potential of their album covers. Unlike the bulk of Molly Hatchet’s oeuvre, today’s song kicks a considerable amount of ass:
Which is a relief, because, just look at the cover for the album:
Goofy-ass psychedelic font aside, that cover, and the fact that it’s called fucking DEMONS AND WIZARDS, more than sets it on the right side of the Metal/Dixon line.
And, depending on how loose your definition is, Uriah Heep definitely was proto-metal. Sure, a lot of Demons and Wizards is rather sawft, but songs like “Easy Livin'” absolutely have a metal spirit. Those Deep Purple style organs blasting through the fuzz make the song MOVE. The vocals are absolutely memorable, and that’s even BEFORE they move on to the falsetto and bells (yeah, you heard right) bridge!
It’s a short, simple song, but a stone cold classic nonetheless. Thankfully, in Uriah Heep’s case, this is one book you can judge by the cover.
Comment
Those bells are amazing. And how about that chord at 2:26?