Heep starts down the commercial path
595078
Innocent Victim was the followup to Firefly and the 2nd of 3 John Lawton era albums.

This album takes a more commercial approach than Firefly. One can't deny the success of such of move as this era of Uriah Heep was the biggest in many non - English speaking countries. This album had a more guitar oriented rock sound than Firefly.

Despite the commercial direction of this album, there is still a couple of gems traditional Heep fans will enjoy (Illusion/Masqueraide, The Dance, The River, Free 'n" Easy)

Song by song review.

Keep on Rollin - Sounds like the Doobie Brothers of the early 1970's. Not bad, but doesn't stand out.

Flying High - See above. Very similar to Keep on Riding.

Roller - The first Trevor Bolder song in his long career with Heep. This has a reggae feel to it. More experimental than the first two.

Free 'n' Easy - Uriah Heep released the wrong single with the word "Free" in the title in late 1977. This song should have been released instead of Free Me. This is the hardest and fastest song on the album. The twin guitar attack on this track is one of the highlights of the album.

Illusion - The most progressive rock sounding track on the album. This has a soft spacey feel to it. The only thing that is lacking is that the second part of the song is cut off. That is retified with the complete version of Illusion/Masquerade later in the album.

Free Me. - The biggest hit for Uriah Heep in many non English speaking European countries. Has a country rock sound and feel oot it that is similar to the early 7's Eagles.

Cheat 'n' Lie. - A southern rock song. Sound like it was recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hacket, Blackfoot (the group song writer Ken Hensley would join once he left Heep).

The Dance. -  A return to the mystical lyrics of the early 70's. This has a reggae feel to it like Roller. One of the better tracks on the album. John Lawton sounds like Ronnie James Dio on this and several other tracks on this album.

Choices. - One of the best tracks on this album. This song has it all. It starts out slowly and then rises high in its crescendal with Lawton's vocal's and Lee Kerslake's drum work. Great lyrics as well.

Illusion/Masquerade -  Why this song was never included in it's entirity on the original album is beyond me. This song combines two different songs like "Paradide/The Spell" on Demons & Wizards. Masquerade is a progressive track featuring accoustic guitars. Very nice competition.

The River - The best song on the album. Wonder why this was left off the original album as well. This song could have been performed by the Dio era Rainbow. It has a similar sound. The bass playing of Trevor Bolder is the highlight of this song. The guitar work in this song has to be heard to believe.

Put Your Music Where Your Mouth Live - A hard guitar oriented rock song that is not polished enough for an album. A practice session demo.

There is also live versions of Cheat 'n' Lie, "Free Me", and "Free 'n' Easy" The highlight is "Free Me". The live version has much more life to it than the studio version.

Overall not a bad album. It starts the irreversible commercial direction of Heap, but has enough jems on it to compensate for that.
2505165
For the first time in years I have found a CD that is enjoyable from the first track the the last. There is no song that you do not want to listen to. Unlike many other discs that are all filler and one hit, Camino Palmero is an excellent freshman effort for The Calling the has produced a CD that has a potential to have as many hits as it does tracks. Where ever you will go is just the beginning!
520026
I'm a metal head & most of my music perspective comes from that viewpoint.  "Salisbury" rocked, "Look At Yourself" rocked, "Demons & Wizards" rocked (although a little less than "Look"). On this effort, however,  other than the opening track "Sunrise", there is not one  really hard rocking track to be found.  Yes "Sweet Loraine" rocks minimally, but Hensley's screaming organ really overshadows nearly everything on this song.  This album is far, far from "heavy".
If you like your music laced with keyboards, acoustic rhythm guitars & with no memorable guitar solos, you could maybe up this album to 3 1/2 stars.  Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad album.  It's a must have for any Uriah Heep fan.  But newcomers would be better served to start with the twin purchase of "Look At Yourself" & "Demons & Wizards". Heck  add the "Live In 1973" album to your cart if you have the extra cash.  Soak in those purchases for awhile before you opt on this one to mellow out.
627902
When, the name the places comes up I of the cure and van halen both did get they start there,  so when a death metal plays this place all hell is breaking lose!! creation have been around for years  I do not know this was first a band playing this type of music anyway brutal heavy, buy now!!!!!!!!!!!
1304747
Being a Sabbath fan since the first LP, this CD is adequate for getting a CD version of some top Sab songs, however pales by comparison to other collections (eg box sets) that I have by other bands.  Now that the negative is over with, lets get into it...
This is a GREAT introduction to a band that influenced so much metal/hard rock we hear today.  The power of their stuff is still there, and enjoyable after nearly 30 (yikes!) years.  As with any 'hits' thing, the choice of tracks is up for criticism...only 1 track from 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'?  As other reviews note, this really should have been a proper 2 CD (at least) 'early sabbath' set.  Since I don't really feel like replacing all my Sab vinyl, think I'll hold out for a great box set of all their *studio* originals from Day 1...(oops - just a touch of negative there - sorry)
For those Sabbath 'newbies' or 'casual listeners', this is one great start to hear the roots of a band that I feel truly changed the landscape of what all hard rock/metal was to be from 1970 onwards...
3804782
Bull was the beginning of the high point in Bootsauce' far too short existence.  Like the Brown album before it, the sound was like nothing before it and like nothing since.  The music is rock, funk, pop, or as I like to term it - indescribable.  Bull is chock full of catchy lyrics that earn it a permanment spot in my favorite CD's.  The music is great, with the high points being 'Rollercoaster's Child', 13th Psalm and Dogpound.  Each song flows into the next as if part of the master plan.  Bootsauce had the potential to get big, but never got lucky enough to explode.  Overall a great CD that nobody else you know has.  Try it out!!!
4888888
5150 is a great start off to a change in the dynamics of Van Halen. 5150 was the next level to 1984. This CD is a great release from start to finish. My only complaint is its time for a remaster.
1672843
Rocketown Records has a reputation for releasing work from singer/songwriters.  Since they've also released some of my favorite artists, I keep my eyes opened for each new artist they release.  Which is why release date found me getting my copy of this CD.

Unfortunately, this isn't as strong a debut as I had hoped for.  The majority of the songs feel like they've been done before with little new to say.  The songs sound enough alike I have trouble telling them apart.

So why four stars?  Because, the more I listened to the CD, the more it began to grow on me.  I like the theme of encouragement on such songs as "New Every Morning," "Long Arm of Love," and "The Measure of His Love."  The simple statement of faith in "I Believe in Jesus" is wonderful.  And he has a great new version of Psalm 121 with "Lift My Eyes."  I can't get enough of that Psalm.

There is room to grow before a second CD comes out, but this CD does show some promise.  With sharper writing, his next project will be outstanding.
951643
Depswa's first (but hopefully not last) CD contains 13 songs of melodic modern rock, not unlike Incubus.  In fact, this band sometimes sounds a bit too much like Incubus for my taste; I can't help but feel like they're trying to be more original than this CD actually is.  I found this album to overall be quite good, though somewhat repetitive.  I hope they get the opportunity to record and release a couple more albums and develop their sound a little better.  I think if a label gives them a little time to develop their own sound (which, sadly, a lot of labels aren't doing in this age of the quick buck), Depswa will be a well respected band.
3682234
Quite possibly, AM Radio's debut cd "Radioactive" could be the best CD of the summer. Radioactive starts with 'If this is the End of the World,' which is an excellent way to open this cd. The song seems to pull you in, wanting to hear more. Tracks 2 to 12 seem to flow into each other perfectly. Track 13 is "Distant Shining Star", which is an awesome way to finish off Radioactive. The song is more mellow then the others. After I finished this CD, I was left wanting more. AM Radio is a band to watch out for. If the debut was this good, the sophomore album should be a smash hit.
2467467
When it comes to the remasters,I'll pass from this point on when it comes to Priest. British Steel was the beginning of the band's turn to commercialism and simplifying their music. Gone were the tricky rhythm changes of masterpiecies like "Victim Of Changes", and "Sinner", as well as any quiet acoustic textures that varied their attack. Radio ready shout alongs like "Breakin' The Law" ("Washin' The Dog"-Beavis And Butthead version),"Livin' After Midnight", and the ever moronic "United" took their place. The pre-sped metaler "Rapid Fire", and the surprising "Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise", and "Steeler" recall a better time (Stained Class)and partially save this one;but folks,please get Sad Wings Of Destiny, and Sin After Sin first if you really want to appreciate this band.
1708559
This is a great Uriah Heep album.  The band is great.  All the songs are nothing short of amazing.  I recommend it highly. I am a Uriah Heep fan and it gets a thumbs up......!
1479356
"Flight" was Building 429's portfolio of choice when they were shopping around for labels back in 2002. It had been two years since the band had made a record of any kind, and it is most likely they were trying to forget about their first CD which was made in limited quantities not long after the band had first started playing together. Exhibiting a 200% improvement in songwriting and a decidedly more consistent sound than their previous self-title effort, "Flight" was a foreshadowing into the emotion, production, and style that would define the band on their major-label releases.

Preceded by an EP of rough cuts and acoustic demos (appropriately entitled "Preflight"), the album showcased the band's more popular songs from their live set, as well as a few newer songs that had just begun receiving stage time when the first CD-R copies were produced. Originally packaged in a plastic sleeve with a thermal-printed green CD label, the recording served a dual purpose: it allowed Building 429's fans to have a take-home recording of their favorite band, while giving the band an audible demo of their work to pass along to prospective labels.

The recording quality itself, while offering a fuller sound than the first CD, tends to be extremely unbalanced between the bass, drums and guitars. Each of the songs (with the exception of the acoustic "Stranded") sounds overly heavy on the bass and drums, which drowns out the rather flat guitars. This does not take away from the quality of the songwriting, which shows significant growth from their self-titled debut (the earlier recording tended to jump around between loud, hard, soft and radio-friendly pop, revealing the band's early experimentations with their sound). "Flight" was decidedly more commercial-friendly--a sound which would serve as a platform for their national success (most notably with 2004's "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Space-in-Between-Us/dp/B000AARK4E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Space in Between Us</a>").

The particular recording which is being sold here is the second release of "Flight," professionally manufactured onto permanent CD media and packaged with full-color artwork inside a jewel case. This release was re-titled "Building 429" (further evidence of the band wanting to leave their former recording endeavor in the past) and coincided with their final talks and signing with Warner Music Group (Word). Building 429 has since sold out of this recording (after almost 3 years) and moved on to bigger and better-quality projects.

I happen to own both the original green "Flight" CD as well as the re-released "Building 429" version. Both versions are the exact same recording. There was no remastering done, or remixing, or re-recording. The only difference is the packaging. Having listened to this CD, and talking to band members personally about it, I sincerely doubt it is a record the band would want anyone (fan or not) spending any huge amount of money on, especially not $99. It is not a particularly rare album (except for the green CDs, which were not made in near the quantity as the repressed copies), nor is it much of a collector's item, at least not up there with other Christian artists such as Jars of Clay and Third Day. I would say for a fan the album would be worth around $30, (even though Building 429 would probably give anyone a copy for free if there were any left), but for a casual Christian music listener, I'd say pass this one up. Both "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rise/dp/B000E6EHIG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rise</a>" and "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Iris-To-Iris/dp/B000OHZJDM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Iris To Iris</a>" are such a development from "Flight" that having a copy of the latter album would almost be a regression.
229997
With this countrys leaders about to take democracy from the hands of the American people, it is time to start examining  other lost freedoms.  Freedoms lost in the name of industrial greed and at the expense of the environment.  Author Jack Frazier examines the history of the hemp industry in our country, from a thriving environmentally friendly business to the now illegal scapegoat of the chemical industry. Environment damaging corporations would crumble if hemp products were allowed to compete fairly in today~s market.  Hemp has been used worldwide for over 4,000 years.  Books printed on hemp paper over 400 years ago are still in great condition.  Hemp has been used medicinally in China since 2,000 BC.  In todays economy based on cheap manufacturing practices and a disposable society, hemp is a major threat to the greedy corporations, but it could be the savior of our environment.  The manufacture of products that will stand the test of time and the use of renewable natural resources such as hemp are the keys to the survival of our planet.  This book is a must for the reference library of any environmentalist fighting the good fight.
2828864
If you want to rock this is a good start, great music for the listening, so hit the road roll down the window and crank up the toons.
85045
Definitely a starting point for getting your feet wet in the Melvins catalog.
2485641
intro can be a bit quiet and long, but once the song gets started its great!