Sweet Freedom is the sixth album by Uriah Heep, recorded and released in 1973. Two singles (both U.S. only) were released from the album, "Stealin'" and "Sweet Freedom". The album charted high in Norway, Austria and The UK, as well as achieving respectable chart-positions in The US and Australia.
By 1973, Uriah Heep had progressed from an English hard rock band to a worldwide success. They moved on to a new label (Warner Bros.) and began to explore new styles to flesh out their combination of p...
Sweet Freedom is the sixth album by Uriah Heep, recorded and released in 1973. Two singles (both U.S. only) were released from the album, "Stealin'" and "Sweet Freedom". The album charted high in Norway, Austria and The UK, as well as achieving respectable chart-positions in The US and Australia.
By 1973, Uriah Heep had progressed from an English hard rock band to a worldwide success. They moved on to a new label (Warner Bros.) and began to explore new styles to flesh out their combination of prog complexity and heavy metal muscle. The band's desire to break new ground is established with the lead-off track, "Dreamer": while it riffs as hard as the band's past rockers, it adds a surprising element of funkiness into the band's sound. The gentle, acoustic guitar-dominated "Circus" is another change of pace that pushes the group's sound in a meditative, folky direction. The group also explores new avenues in the lyrical arena. Instead of the mystical tales that dominated albums like Demons and Wizards, Sweet Freedom offers lyrics designed to appeal to the listener on a personal level: The most stirring example is "Stealin'," a song about the regrets that come with living a self-obsessed life. These sentiments were combined with a stirring, soulful melody that helped make the song a radio favorite. Another highlight in this vein is the title track, a song that combines lyrics about the price of being free with an organ-fuelled, hymn-like melody. Despite these successful experiments, there are a few tracks that weigh the proceedings down: "Seven Stars" takes an exciting riff and runs it into the ground with a repetitive arrangement and "Pilgrim" is an over-the-top stab at an adventure tale that pushes the group's excesses to the level of self-parody. However, Sweet Freedom is likable enough to triumph over these missteps. While it isn't the group's finest record, it remains a solid listen for Uriah Heep fans.
- by Donald A. Guarisco - Allmusic -
The album was remastered and re-released (along with most of UH's discography) in 2004 with six bonus tracks.
"Stealin'" is the most popular track on Sweet Freedom, the only one still played live at most of the band's shows.
It was the third album recorded by the classic Uriah Heep line-up:
Personnel
*David Byron – vocals
*Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, Vocals
*Mick Box – Guitar
*Gary Thain – bass guitar
*Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, vocals
Singles
*"Stealin'"/"Dreamer"(U.S. only)
*"Sweet Freedom (single version)"/"Seven Stars"(U.S. only)
Original Release Date: September 1973
Recorded: June–July 1973 at The Chateau D'Herouville, France
CD Released Date: 1989 by Teichiku Records.
Length: 38:50
Producer: Gerry Bron
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