Uriah Heep - Fives Miles (1979)

In 1979 Uriah Heep were riding high following the release of three successful albums with vocalist John Lawton, and 'Firefly', 'Innocent Victim' and 'Fallen Angel' were all fine examples of the more 'pop' orientated, stylish sound that Ken Hensley was striving for in the latter part of the 70's. A fourth album was recorded in 1979, provisionally titled 'Five Miles', but for reasons which remain unclear it was shelved, although that decision could well be to do with the major line-up changes which occurred in 1980, when Lawton was replaced as vocalist by John Sloman, and both Lee Kerslake and Ken Hensley quit the band, with the subsequent release 'Conquest' being generally perceived as the band's worst album. Had this one appeared it could have completed a quartet of great records from the group, with things kicking off if fine fashion with 'Let It Ride', which sounds a bit like Lawton's prior band Lucifer's Friend in it's use of group back up vocals. 'Life Is A Dream' has what sounds like a nice duel between Mick Box and Ken Hensley on guitars threading through a very upbeat and infectious melody, and 'That's How I Am' features Hammond organ in the background, an incredibly beautiful and well constructed acoustic Mick Box solo, and a powerful vocal performance from Lawton, at the top of his game. The following 'You And I' is another lovely song, with orchestration in the background, and Box and Hensley adding some nice countryish duelling on guitar. 'Your Love' is a nice driving piece, with another good Lawton performance, and 'I'll Never Forget' is one of those Heep tunes where the back up vocal hamonizing takes it to another level. 'Fools' and 'Feelings' were both later re-worked for the 'Conquest' album, and so you can compare both vocalists to see who delivers the better versions. 'I Won't Change' closes the album with a lead vocal from Hensley, and features a confessional lyric, with him admitting "I'm just an honest guy trying to stay true to who I am". The album has been bootlegged over the years, often under the name of 'Ten Miles High', and with 'Fallen Angel' out-takes tagged onto the end, but in 2005 another 'Five Miles' recording was included on the 'Chapter And Verse' box-set, so this version also includes 'LA Woman', which is missing from all the other boots, and I've also restored the original title. It might be leveled at the band that they'd produced a more lightweight affair, but that was the direction they were going for at the time, and it certainly didn't deserve to be locked away as there is plenty on here for fans to enjoy. 

Track listing

01 Let It Ride 
02 Life Is A Dream 
03 Feelings 
04 You And I 

05 LA Woman
06 That's How I Am  
07 I'll Never Forget  
08 Your Love  
09 Tonight 
10 Fools  
11 Been Hurt  
12 I Won't Change