High and Mighty (album)

High and Mighty is the ninth studio album by British hard rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1976 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. High and Mighty was the last Uriah Heep album to feature vocalist and founding member David Byron, who was subsequently fired due to his troubles with alcohol (he later died in 1985).

This article is about the Uriah Heep album. For the Gov't Mule album, see High & Mighty.

High and Mighty
Studio album by
Uriah Heep
ReleasedJune 1976
RecordedDecember 1975 – March 1976
StudioRoundhouse Recording Studios, London, UK
GenreHard rock
Length39:20
Label
ProducerUriah Heep
Uriah Heep chronology
Return to Fantasy
(1975)		 High and Mighty
(1976)		 Firefly
(1977)
Singles from High and Mighty
  1. "One Way or Another" / "Misty Eyes"
    Released: 1976

John Wetton and Ken Hensley shared vocal duties on the single "One Way or Another".

The original vinyl release was a single sleeve, with the lyrics reproduced on the inner liner.

The album was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1997 with two bonus tracks, and again in 2004 in an expanded deluxe edition.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[2]

The album was not well received, as stylistically it veered from their earlier progressive rock vein into more mainstream territory, and lacked the group's signature lengthy compositions and fantastical subject matter. "Several of the songs find the band flirting with pop elements in a way that doesn't complement their hard rocking style", said Donald A. Guarisco in his retrospective AllMusic review. He added that High and Mighty "shows flashes of the group's old firepower, but is ultimately sunk by a combination of unfocused experimentation and uneven songwriting".[1] Martin Popoff called the album "effeminate, illogical, overblown, grasping for straws", citing only the song "One Way or Another" as "promising" and the rest a squandering of "the band's flickering talents".[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."One Way or Another"4:37
2."Weep in Silence" (Hensley, John Wetton)5:09
3."Misty Eyes"4:15
4."Midnight"5:40
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Can't Keep a Good Band Down"3:40
6."Woman of the World"3:10
7."Footprints in the Snow" (Hensley, Wetton)3:56
8."Can't Stop Singing"3:15
9."Make a Little Love"3:24
10."Confession"2:14
1997 Remastered Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Name of the Game" (previously unreleased version)4:59
12."Sundown" (alternate version)3:20
Total length:47:39
2004 Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Name of the Game" (previously unreleased version) 4:59
12."Sundown" (alternate version) 3:20
13."Weep in Silence" (previously unreleased extended version)Hensley, Wetton7:46
14."Name of the Game" (demo) 3:21
15."Does Anything Matter" (demo) 3:20
16."I Close My Eyes" (demo) 4:18
17."Take Care" (demo) 2:57
18."Can't Keep a Good Band Down" (edited version) 3:09
Total length:72:30

Personnel
Uriah Heep
  • David Byron – lead vocals (except "One Way or Another")
  • Mick Box – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar
  • Ken Hensley – organ, piano, Moog synthesizer, tubular bells, electric piano, guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, electric 12-string guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals (lead vocals on "One Way or Another")
  • John Wetton – bass guitar, mellotron, electric piano, vocals (lead vocals on "One Way or Another")
  • Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, vocals
Production
  • Ashley Howe – engineer
  • Peter Gallen – engineer on tracks 1 and 7
  • John Gallen – assistant engineer
  • Alan Corbeth – mastering at RCA Studios, London
  • Mike Brown and Robert Corich – remastering (1997 and 2004 reissues)

Charts
Year Chart Position
1976 Norwegian Albums Chart[3] 4
Dutch MegaCharts[4] 14
Swedish Albums Chart[5] 21
Finnish Albums Chart[6] 27
German Albums Chart[7] 48
UK Albums Chart[8] 55
Billboard 200 (US)[9] 161
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References
  1. Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - High and Mighty review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  2. Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 303. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  3. "Uriah Heep – High and Mighty (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  4. "Uriah Heep – High and Mighty". Dutch Charts.nl (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  5. "Uriah Heep – High and Mighty (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  6. "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: U > Uriah Heep". Sisältää hitin / Timo Pennanen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. "Album – Uriah Heep, High and Mighty". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  8. "Uriah Heep Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  9. "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
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