Wonderworld (album)

Wonderworld is the seventh album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in June 1974 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. Wonderworld was the last Uriah Heep album to feature bass player Gary Thain.

Wonderworld
Studio album by Uriah Heep
Released	May 1974
Recorded	January–March 1974
Studio	Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany
Genre	Hard rock progressive rock heavy metal
Length	37:40
Label	Bronze and Island Warner Bros. (North America)
Producer	Gerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
Sweet Freedom (1973) Wonderworld (1974) Return to Fantasy (1975)
Singles from Wonderworld
"Something or Nothing" / "What Can I Do" Released: 1974

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 1996 with four bonus tracks, and again in 2004 in an expanded deluxe edition.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10[2]
Džuboks	mixed[3]

AllMusic's retrospective review noted that "Wonderworld continues in the vein of Sweet Freedom, trying to bring Uriah Heep's appeal to a wider level while still retaining the grandiose trademark elements (the organ-guitar attack, David Byron's operatic shriek) that got them noticed". Comparing it to the band's prior work, reviewer Donald A. Guarisco added that "The result is an album that is solid but not as inspired as Look at Yourself or Demons and Wizards. The hard rock quotient is a little stronger on this album".[1] Martin Popoff found Wonderworld "conceptually vacant" and "lacking the fluid instrumental chemistry that loosely held together its predecessor", while still containing two gems in the songs "Suicidal Man" and "So Tired".[2]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wonderworld"	Ken Hensley	4:29
2.	"Suicidal Man"	Mick Box, David Byron, Ken Hensley, Lee Kerslake, Gary Thain	3:38
3.	"The Shadows and the Wind"	Hensley	4:27
4.	"So Tired"	Box, Byron, Hensley, Kerslake, Thain	3:39
5.	"The Easy Road"	Hensley	2:43

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Something or Nothing"	Box, Hensley, Thain	2:56
7.	"I Won't Mind"	Box, Byron, Hensley, Kerslake, Thain	5:59
8.	"We Got We"	Box, Byron, Hensley, Kerslake, Thain	3:39
9.	"Dreams"	Box, Byron, Hensley	6:10

1996 Remastered Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"What Can I Do" (single B-side)	Hensley	3:10
11.	"Dreams" (previously unreleased version)		7:08
12.	"Something or Nothing" (previously unreleased live version)		3:09
13.	"The Easy Road" (previously unreleased live version)		2:53
Total length:			51:00

2004 Expanded Deluxe Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"What Can I Do" (single B-side)		3:09
11.	"Love, Hate and Fear" (previously unreleased)	Hensley	4:29
12.	"Stone's Throw" (previously unreleased)	Hensley	5:36
13.	"Dreams" (extended version)		7:13
14.	"I Won't Mind" (live)		5:35
15.	"So Tired" (live)		3:29
Total length:			64:11

Personnel

Uriah Heep

• David Byron – vocals
• Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, vocals
• Mick Box – guitars
• Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, vocals
• Gary Thain – bass guitar

Additional musicians

• Jose Gabriel – synthesizers
• Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangements on "The Easy Road"

Production

• Gerry Bron – producer
• Peter Gallen – recording engineer
• Hans Menzel, Macki – Musicland engineers
• Graham Hughes – photography and concept
• Harry Moss – cutting engineer

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position 1974 Austrian Top 40 Albums[4] 2 Danish Albums Chart[5] 3 Norwegian Albums Chart[6] 3 Finnish Albums Chart[7] 5 German Albums Chart[8] 7 UK Albums Chart[9] 23 RPM100 Albums (Canada)[10] 31 Billboard 200 (US)[11] 38 Japanese Albums Chart[12] 76

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1974 "Something or Nothing" Norwegian Singles Chart[13] 6 Finnish Singles Chart[7] 25 German Singles Chart[14] 45

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
UK	BPI	1976	Silver (+ 60,000)[15]

References

1. Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - Wonderworld review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 November 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 - Wonderworld". Džuboks (in Serbian). Vol. 2 no. 3. Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine. December 1974. p. 23.
4. "Uriah Heep – Wonderworld". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
5. "Wonderworld - Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
6. "Uriah Heep – Wonderworld (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
7. "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: U > Uriah Heep". Sisältää hitin / Timo Pennanen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
8. "Album – Uriah Heep, Wonderworld". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
9. "Uriah Heep Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
10. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 22, No. 2, August 31, 1974". Library and Archives Canada. 31 August 1974. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
11. "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
12. AA.VV. (25 April 2006). Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970~2005. Tokyo, Japan: Oricon. ISBN 978-487-1-31077-2.
13. "Uriah Heep – Something or Nothing (Song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
14. "Single - Uriah Heep, Something or Nothing". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
15. "BPI Awards Database: Search for Uriah Heep". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 November 2018.