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Spice(pre uriah heep)

Been listening to the double cd of early and pre Uriah Heep recordings done at Lansdowne Studios and imagatively titled The Lansdowne Tapes released by castle/sanctuary label way back in 2002,what really perks up my ears are the 8 tracks recorded late in 1969 by pre-Uriah Heep band SPICE,those recordings show a band developing a heavy rock sound but with more than a whiff of some psych in there,heavy psych morphing into heavy rock if you will!!!There was another earlier single cd release by RPM which it seems the Spice tracks are a bit slower than they shouldve been.....it seems this has been fixed on the double expanded version.Anyway what about the music....i rate this stuff pretty highly:

Born In a Trunk:Is just killer,rumbling heavy rock,i listen to this track and it reminds me of some stuff on the debut Stray album,which is a fab album and came after those Spice recordings i think!!!

Magic Lantern:Is psych morphing into rock,this is one of the softer tracks recorded by Spice,with psych lyrics that fits in nicely with the times or maybe a wee bit out of its time.

Astranaza(parts 1&2):This has a jazzy vibe running through it but it aint no boring jazz rock proggy gear,again a heavy rock sound is taking hold and you can hear Spice experimenting with new sounds(for them) like jazz but theres a fab guitar solo on this track.

Celebrate:This track sounds like a heavier Skip Biferty with some nice flute runs and some brilliant guitar,to my ears this is late era psych morphing into prog....celebrate indeed,this is amongst my fave tracks on the whole double collection.Not a note wasted on this 4 minute number.

Schoolgirl:This has a 60s vibe to it,a neat little pop/rock umber again to my ears(you may hear it differently)Again i can hear late Skip Bifferty here,heavy bass surrounded by chunky guitar and bulging drum beats...pure class,and a screechy guitar solo halfway through.

I Want you Babe:A drum heavy piece of heavy psych morphing into heavy rock,the group sound totally together on this number,this has a fab and pretty groovy part from 1 and a half minutes onwards........pretty cool number,late 6os rock par excellence.

Born in a Trunk(instrumental):Put this up there with early Deep Purple etc,this is a top number and great to hear it without vocals,lets you appreciate the heavy throbbing and stabbing guitar.............


I must say this double cd is recommended to any late 60s/early 70s rock enthusiast,theres 33 tracks in total with a fab booklet with early photos of Spice(which are great to see).This is pretty essential for any Uriah Heep fan,you get to hear a group developing its sound and wow some of it is great.Anyone else got this collection?As for the Spice tracks........maybe not the greatest stuff but i feel anyone with an interest in late 60s sounds particularly hearing heavy psych morphing into other sounds.Pure period pieces to my ears!!!!!

Re: Spice(pre uriah heep)

at 40 pounds... it's a bargain

Re: Spice(pre uriah heep)

Gian
at 40 pounds... it's a bargain


At 10 pounds or "best offer" it is!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/URIAH-HEEP-LANSDOWNE-TAPES-FROM-SPICE-TO-URIAH-HEEP-CASTLE-REMASTERED-2xCD-/331499885200?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d2eeed290

Re: Spice(pre uriah heep)

too late!... thanks the same

Re: Spice(pre uriah heep)

And here it is for just six pounds - though the seller's posted the wrong cover...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uriah-Heep-The-Lansdowne-Tapes-2CD-Expanded-Edition-/181701170671?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a4e3bd5ef