In 1976, Uriah Heep was a band in trouble.
Sure, they were coming off a commercially successful album,
Return To Fantasy. But they had gone through the heartbreak
of firing bassist Gary Thain and the tragedy of his death shortly
after the album’s release. But they had new problems on their
hands; lead singer David Byron was developing a serious alcohol
problem, and it was beginning to adversely affect his work with the
band.
High And Mighty, the second and final album featuring
Thain’s replacement John Wetton, illustrates this painfully. It has
its moments, but the disc also suggests this was a band dangerously
close to the point of self-parody.
Although most of the performances on this disc are far too
lightweight for a band once known for its stomping melodies,
High And Mighty occasionally does hold out some hope at the
start. “Weep In Silence” has all the makings of a classic rock
ballad from that time period, though it needed a little more
development in the songwriting department. “Misty Eyes” could
easily have been pegged as a single, even though it doesn’t really
fit the bill of being a typical Uriah Heep song. Still, Byron and
company pull some magic out of the track.
But there is early trouble brewing on this album. Wetton’s turn
as lead throat, “One Way Or Another,” is not the most comfortable
vocal performance I’ve ever heard, and said nothing about the
singer he’d show he was as a member of Asia. “Midnight” is a track
that just never gets off the ground, either in songwriting or in
performance.
And then, there’s “Can’t Keep A Good Band Down”. Where do I
begin on this one? It’s one thing when a band who is at the top of
their game records a song about being a kick-ass group. Grand Funk
did it with “We’re An American Band,” and backed up the boast with
an outstanding performance. But Uriah Heep was a band in trouble
internally, and this almost seemed like a denial of problems. The
song is supposed to be a cocky boast, but instead sounds like the
receiving area of the Betty Ford Clinic – “I’m telling you, I don’t
have a problem!”
The second half of
High And Mighty sounds as if it were made up of songs that
were considered sub-par for other albums. Tracks like “Footprints
In The Snow,” “Make A Little Love” and “Woman Of The World” all
fail to impress the listener.
As for the bonus tracks – has it ever occurred to anyone why
some songs remain unreleased? “Name Of The Game” is explanation
enough for me. If it had a better vocal line, I’d have cut it some
slack. “Sundown,” in contrast, comes and goes without leaving much
of an impression.
High And Mighty would be a turning point for Uriah Heep;
Byron was fired after this album, and Wetton packed his bass and
followed him out the door. Whether the personnel change would help
this band remains to be seen on another day in another review…
but this album proves that something needed to be done.
