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Posts tagged John Lawton
Lucifer’s Friend II – Sumogrip (1994) (@256)
26 Nov 2010
(Review from rateyourmusic.com)
This time around, and in the 1990s, Lucifer’s Friend returned with John Lawton and an album called Sumogrip. It showcased basically new material, and also a couple of old songs in updated versions.
Sumogrip blends the 90s sound with, a 70s sensitivity, some AOR, keyboards, melodies and more pop than heavy rock all along this one hour album.
There are two revamped versions included in here, the good-old “Ride in the sky”, original from the 1970 Lucifer’s Friend debut, probably their best-known tune; and a Uriah Heep song, from the late 70s, when Lawton was the vocalist of that band: “Free Me”.
The ballad “You Touched Me With Your Heart” adds some emotional speck, included twice here, one version is kinda blue-eyed soul, and the other is maybe more AOR.
There are some “modern” experiments like the funk “Cadillac” or the electronic and short instrumental “Sumogrip”. On the other hand, the AORish “Don’t look back”, “Sheree” or “Banzai/Any day now” appear like tracks with some hook.
This album can only be recommended to fans and collectors of the band.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, backing vocals
- Andreas Dicke / bass
- Jogi Wichmann / keyboards, drum programming (5, 11, 17)
- Curt Cress / drums (2-4, 7, 8, 10)
- Udo Dahmen / drums (6, 13-15)
Track List:
01. Get In – 0:35
02. Heartbreaker – 5:11
03. One Way Ticket To Hell – 5:48
04. Don’t Look Back – 4:45
05. You Touched Me.. – 4:14
06. Cadillac – 4:08
07. Step By Step – 4:10
08. Rebound – 4:24
09. Sumogrip – 1:14
10. Sheree – 4:38
11. Back In The Track – 3:56
12. Banzai – 0:32
13. Any Day Now – 3:48
14. Ride The Sky – 3:43
15. Free Me – 4:44
16. Get Out – 0:20
17. You Touched Me With Your Heart – 5:14
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Lucifer’s Friend – Mean Machine (1981) (@256)
25 Nov 2010
(Review from rateyourmusic.com)
After his stint with Uriah Heep, vocalist John Lawton returns with this 1981 album.
The album showcases an orthodox early 80s hard rock, also with heavy metal touches, like in “Mean Machine/Cool Hand Killer” or “One Night Sensation”, both tracks having reminiscences of Rainbow, and being two of the highlights here.
Other highlights include “Hey Driver”, “Born to the City” and the upbeat rock & roll “Bye Bye Sadie” that closes the album.
The sound of “Mean Machine” is definitely heavier and more rocking than their stuff with the vocalist Mike Starrs, but unfortunately they would disband after this record.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / vocals
- Peter Hecht / keyboards
- Dieter Horns / bass, backing vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, backing vocals
- Herbert Bornhold / drums
- Adrian Askew / keyboards
Track List:
01. One Way Street To Heartbreak – 4:36
02. Hey Driver – 4:15
03. Fire and Rain – 4:41
04. Mean Machine – 1:10
05. Cool Hand Killer – 4:59
06. Action – 4:02
07. Born to the City – 4:13
08. One Night Sensation – 4:46
09. Let Me Down Slow – 3:39
10. Bye Bye Sadie – 3:20
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Lucifer’s Friend – Mind Exploding (1976) (@256)
22 Nov 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Leaving behind the overtly progressive approach of Banquet, Lucifer’s Friend returned once more to a more straightforward rock sound with “Mind Exploding”. The album most similar to this one is “I’m Just A Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer” from a couple of years earlier and, like that album, “Mind Exploding” features shorter and more rock-based songs. The band still utilizes assorted keyboards, brass and female backing vocals, but all this is more discrete here than on “Banquet”.
Highlights include “Moonshine Rider”, a strong opener and semi-progressive; a semi-ballad “Yesterday’s Ideals”; the longest and possibly the most progressive track of the album, “Free Hooker”.
After the album, vocalist John Lawton left the band to join his heroes Uriah Heep back in Britain.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / vocals
- Peter Hecht / keyboards
- Dieter Horns / bass, backing vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, backing vocals
- Curt Cress / drums
- Herbert Bornhold / percussion
Track List:
01. Moonshine Rider – 4:45
02. Blind Boy – 4:44
03. Broken Toys – 5:51
04. Fugitive – 4:52
05. Natural Born – 4:22
06. Free Hooker – 7:15
07. Yesterday’s Ideals – 6:54
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Lucifer’s Friend – Banquet (1974) (@256)
21 Nov 2010
(Review fro allmusic)
On Banquet, Lucifer’s Friend pulls together many different elements to their sound (progressive, soul, jazz, hard rock) into one cohesive and totally distinctive style. This time out, the primary focus of the album is epic prog numbers with complex instrumentation that go through a variety of surprising and ambitious changes in their arrangements.
The opening track, “Spanish Galleon” is a pirate-themed epic starts with a Latin-flavored rock groove, that is given further power by the addition of horns, segues into a lyrical, pirate-themed song section that climaxes with a rousing chorus, takes a left turn into an instrumental portion studded with jazzy solos, and then finishes with a stirring reprise of the song section.
Other numbers continue in a similar vein, reaching heights of almost orchestral complexity, but working in enough hooks and solid songcraft into the compositions to keep the listener hooked.
“Banquet” balances out epics with a pair of shorter, poppier songs that still manage to show off the band’s firepower and complexity in their tighter format.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / vocals
- Peter Hecht / piano, organ, mood, synthesizer, Fender Rhodes
- Dieter Horns / bass, backing vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Herbert Bornhold / drums, percussion, backing vocals
with
- Herb Geller / soprano saxophone (1), flute (4)
Track List:
01. Spanish Galleon – 11:52
02. Thus Spoke Oberon – 6:47
03. High Flying Lady – Goodbye – 3:43
04. Sorrow – 11:39
05. Dirty Old Town – 4:46
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Lucifer’s Friend – Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer (1973) (@256)
20 Nov 2010
(Review from allmusic, progarchives.com)
Lucifer’s Friend were never content to stay within one musical style, but always preferred to move on to new territories with each subsequent album.
On their third album, Lucifer’s Friend took a new tack: instead of being a progressive band or a hard rock band, they decided to incorporate both styles into a more ambitious sound that also worked in elements of soul and jazz. The dark and heavy approach is left behind here, even the lyrics are considerably more lighthearted. Instrumental solos are also scarcer here.
As a result, the tracks are listener friendly, yet have their own distinctive feel; a notable example is “Groovin’ Stone,” a song that was their most straightforward hard rock song to date, yet also offered a number of interesting keyboard and percussive shadings that the listener wouldn’t normally expect from such a tune.
Other standouts include “Blind Freedom”, a jazzy tune that features strong harmonies (all overdubbed by lead vocalist John Lawton) plus some serpentine electric piano work, and the title track, a tongue-in-cheek sendup of rock & roll life that combines an old fashioned rock & roll melody with a giant wall of sound production (complete with a Blood Sweat and Tears-style horn section).
The band tries out many different musical elements throught the album, offering an array of tuneful, well-crafted tracks.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / vocals
- Peter Hecht / keyboards
- Dieter Horns / bass, backing vocals
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, backing vocals
- Joachim Reitenbach / drums
with
- Herbert Bornhold / percussion
Track List:
01. Groovin’ Stone – 5:18
02. Closed Curtains – 6:02
03. Born On The Run – 3:51
04. Blind Freedom – 6:24
05. Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer – 4:21
06. Lonely City Days – 4:58
07. Mary’s Breakdown – 5:52
08. Song For Louie – 7:14
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Lucifer’s Friend – Where The Groupies Killed The Blues (1972) (@256)
19 Nov 2010
(Review from allmusic, rateyourmusic, wikipedia)
On their second album, Lucifer’s Friend pushes their sound more into progressive-rock direction. It is a more adventurous but stays between Wallenstein’s first two albums and Uriah Heep. Cutting back on the organ, piano is more prominent here.
This album is characterized by long tracks like “Rose in the Vine”, “Mother” or the melancholic and abstruse “Summerdream”, with shifting tempos and permanent contrasts; on the other hand the first tracks show something less extravagant, closer to the 70s hard rock of the debut. The opener even features an arresting, Sabbath-esque guitar riff that is effectively doubled by the vocal melody.
Line-up:
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, vocals, percussion
- Peter Hecht / piano, keyboards
- John Lawton / vocals
- Dieter Horns / bass
- Joachim Rietenbach / drums
Track List:
01. Hobo Mother – 3:43
02. Rose On The Vine – 8:20
03. Mother – 7:29
04. Where The Groupies Killed The Blues – 5:08
05. Prince Of Darkness – 3:51
06. Summerdream – 8:02
07. Burning Ships – 4:33
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Lucifer’s Friend – Lucifer’s Friend (1970) (@256)
18 Nov 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Lucifer’s Friend’s debut album cannot escape comparisons with many other superb hard progressive-influenced rock of the era and namely Uriah Heep (the obvious link being future Heep singer Lawton), but also Atomic Rooster and a bit Purple and Sabbath. But they were a German band and it might be easier to compare this album with early Birth Control, Wallenstein, Jane, Frumpy, etc.
The opening track with manic and frantic yelling is really perking your attention and the communicative power of the tracks is impressive as are other superb tracks such as “Toxic Shadow” and “Everybody’s Clown” as well as the eponymous track. All these tracks reveal excellent ability of the musos at their respective instruments. The bassist Horns is especially impressive.
The five bonus tracks, however are a little out of the context of the great debut album, (some of the titles evoking the third album) displaying correct but brassy rock’n roll except for “Satyr’s Dance” and “Alpenrosen” which are more in line with the album proper.
Line-up:
- Peter Hecht / organ
- Dieter Horns / bass, vocals
- John Lawton / lead vocal
- Joachim Rietenbach / drums
- Peter Hesslein / guitar, vocals
Track List:
01. Ride In The Sky – 2:53
02. Everybody’s Clown – 6:10
03. Keep Goin’ – 5:24
04. Toxic Shadows – 6:59
05. Free Baby – 5:26
06. Baby You’re A Liar – 3:53
07. In The Time Of Job When Mammon Was A Yippie – 4:03
08. Lucifer’s Friend – 6:09
09. Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer (Bonus) – 4:17
10. Satyr’s Dance (Bonus) – 3:15
11. Horla (Bonus) – 2:50
12. Our World Is A Rock ‘N’ Roll Band (Bonus) – 3:18
13. Alpenrosen (Bonus) – 3:53
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Asterix – Asterix (1970) (@256)
17 Nov 2010
(Review from allmusic.com, alexgitlin.com)
The short-lived Hamburg based band named Asterix was a direct precursor of the better-known Lucifer’s Friend, having in fact the same exact lineup of vocalist John Lawton, guitarist Peter Hesslein, organist Peter Hecht, bassist Dieter Horns, and drummer Joachim Rietenbach when they recorded their sole, eponymous album, in 1970.
The music features classy progressive arrangements, a heavy-frantic rocking approach with occasional mainstream melodic-enthusiastic accents.
Line-up:
- Peter Hecht / keyboards
- Peter Hesslein / guitar
- Dieter Horns / bass
- John Lawton / vocals
- Joachim Rietenbach / drums
Track List:
01. Everybody (Bonus Single) – 3:04
02. If I Could Fly (Bonus Single) – 3:02
03. Look Out – 3:09
04. Gone From My Life – 3:30
05. Broken Home – 4:26
06. Time Again – 3:08
07. Jump Into My Action – 3:28
08. Open Up Your Mind – 3:16
09. Corner Street Girl – 4:06
10. Chance In You – 4:08
11. Morning At My Dawn – 6:54
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Uriah Heep – Rarities From The Bronze Age (@256)
21 Dec 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
This is an archival album to plunder the Uriah Heep archives in search of rough diamonds. As the title suggests, it covers the period when the band recorded on the Bronze label. This era lasted from their inception through to the “Head First” album.
Up until this point, the average Uriah Heep fan had to assume they had heard all the Byron era songs by the band which had been recorded, with the possible exception of the odd single B side. This collection however indicated that there was a veritable wealth of material to be unearthed.
The tracks here are in fact a mixture of alternative recordings and edits, plus surplus album material. While David Byron dominates the vocals, there are also recordings featuring John Lawton, John Sloman, and Peter Goalby.
Getting the superfluous material out of the way first, “Look at Yourself”, “Gypsy” “Return to Fantasy” and “Stealin” are all excellent songs, but the versions here are simply edits of the original songs.
“Simon the Bullet Freak” is a pulsating blues based song which featured on the US version of “Salisbury” and also appeared as the B side of the “Look at Yourself” single. It is the first of many gems here. “Why” (full title allegedly “Why Fourteen Minutes”) is one of Heep’s most progressive songs ever. Several takes of the song have now become available but this superbly loose version is absolutely essential not just for fans of the band, but for anyone who thinks they were little more than a heavy rock band.
A succession of wonderful David Byron vocal performances follows on tracks such as “Sunshine”, “What Can I Do” “Shout It Out”, etc. None of these songs had previously appeared on a Uriah Heep album. In fairness, some of them may not be up to the standard of the classics which made it onto albums such as “Wonderworld”, “Return to Fantasy”, “Magician’s Birthday” etc. but they are still akin to the Holy Grail for Heep affectionados.
The John Lawton tracks here, of which there are four, are more prosaic. While Lawton is a fine singer in his own right, he did not fit in well with the sound of Heep, largely because he sounded nothing like Byron. The tracks here reflect that. Those who appreciated the Lawton era albums will however find these songs to be of a similar standard.
The “Conquest” album featuring the vocals of John Sloman is generally considered to be the low point of the band’s career, and the four tracks here on which he sings do nothing to alter that view. “Love Stealer” is however historically interesting, as it was only the band’s second cover version ever. Ken Hensley then left the band, leaving Mick Box as the only original member. The final three tracks here are from that post Hensley period, with Pete Goalby (whom Hensley had wanted to join the band when Sloman got the job) on vocals. Two of the tracks are from the rare “Abominog Junior” EP, while the final track “Playing for Time” is from the “Head First” sessions.
As will by now have become apparent, as this collection progresses, it moves rapidly from an indispensable status to (ardent) collectors only. Nevertheless, the historical significance of this album (in Uriah Heep terms) is unquestionable, and some of the music is worthy of any collection.
Track List:
01. Look At Yourself
02. Simon The Bullet Freak
03. Gypsy
04. Why
05. Stealin’
06. Sunshine
07. What Can I Do
08. Shout It Out
09. Return To Fantasy
10. Time Will Come
11. Crime Of Passion
12. Masquerade
13. Gimme Love (Struttin’)
14. Cheater
15. Been Hurt
16. Love Stealer
17. Think It Over
18. My Joanna Needs Tuning
19. Tin Soldier
20. Son Of A Bitch
21. Playing For Time
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Uriah Heep – Live In Europe (1979) (@256)
20 Dec 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
This live album is taken from various recordings on John Lawton’s last tour with the band. It was not released at the time, but was put out as an archival live recording later on.
By 1979, David Byron and Gary Thain had left the classic line up, being replaced by John Lawton and Trevor Boulder respectively. Audiences however still demanded to hear a good proportion of material from the band’s Byron era albums, hence we have Lawton singing songs such as “Easy Livin’”, “Look at yourself”, and “July Morning”.
John Lawton is a fine vocalist, and the studio albums he made with Uriah Heep were designed to his vocals well. Yet his style and delivery are far too rough and bluesy though for the Byron era songs which the Uriah Heep audiences expect in concerts. The album would probably have been much more successful if the band were able to stick with the material designed for Lawton.
“Live in Europe” manages to capture an accurate live Uriah Heep of the era. Those who love to explore may find the album interesting.
Line-up:
- Mick Box / guitars
- John Lawton / vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboard, guitars, vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Trevor Bolder / bass
Track List:
01. Easy Livin’ – 3:17
02. Look At Yourself – 5:07
03. Lady In Black – 7:19
04. Free Me – 5:02
05. Stealin’ – 6:06
06. The Wizard – 4:13
07. July Morning – 12:13
08. Falling In Love – 2:57
09. Woman Of The Night – 3:18
10. I’m Alive – 4:11
11. Sweet Lorraine – 11:30
12. Free N’ Easy – 3:20
13. Gypsy – 5:07
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Uriah Heep – Fallen Angel (1978) (@256)
05 Apr 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The third and final Uriah Heep album with John Lawton on vocals, and the last for the time being with the long serving Lee Kerslake on drums.
While Ken Hensley still dominates the song writing, the rest of the band also make contributions. Lawton for example wrote 2 tracks, and co-wrote a third. Unfortunately, with Hensley having contributed so much to previous albums, his inspiration appears to be declining rapidly, and the rest of the band do not share his worthy credentials in that field. Understandable as this is, It does make for a somewhat disappointing album. Things would get worse on subsequent output before they got better and taken in context, this is far from being a bummer. The band themselves (Hensley and Box) in the sleeve notes for the 1997 remaster felt that the album was a bit “poppy”, and this a fair description.
Ironically the best track is Lee Kerslake ballad “Come back to me” (co-written with Hensley), written as an anguished plea to his then recently estranged wife. Lawton’s vocals are ideal for the song, which he sings with great passion.
The tracks are all short, the longest being the title track at just over 5 minutes. On “One more night”, Lawton almost carries off an Elvis impersonation, but on most of the tracks, the performance is all too similar and lightweight. In retrospect, it’s all to obvious that the band had taken their eye of the ball, and were drifting away from their roots, into a more commercial area which did not fit well with their strengths. It would be several years until they found their way again.
By the way, the sleeve was a vast improvement from “Innocent victim”, with a rather attractive image of a female warrior who has just vanquished her next meal, in the gatefold cover.
Line-up:
- Mick Box / electric and acoustic guitar
- Trevor Bolder / bass guitar
- John Lawton / lead vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, syn-drums, back-up vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboards, synthesizer, slide and acoustic guitar, back-up vocals
Track List:
01. Woman Of The Night (4:07)
02. Falling in Love (2:59)
03. One More Night (Last Farewell) (3:35)
04. Put Your Lovin’ On Me (4:08)
05. Come Back To Me (4:22)
06. Whad ‘Ya Say (3:41)
07. Save It (3:33)
08. Love Or Nothing (3:02)
09. I’m Alive (4:18)
10. Fallen Angel (4:51)
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Uriah Heep – Innocent Victim (1977) (@256)
04 Apr 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Once you get past the rather grotesque and somewhat inappropriate cover picture, Uriah Heep’s second album with John Lawton on vocals is a pleasant, if rather lightweight offering.
The songs are pretty straightforward, leaning more towards melodic rock than prog. Once again, Hensley favours his synthesiser over the Hammond organ sound which laid the foundations of the band’s early work, creating a more orchestral backing. There are a couple of good ballads in “Choices” which has great power, and the softer “Illusion. “Free me” is a catchy pop tune. It’s not exactly challenging but should have been at least a minor hit in the UK, as it was in several other countries.
“The dance” is almost funky, a style which suits Lawton’s voice far better than it would have Byron’s. Finally, there are a number of more traditional rock tracks such as “Keep on ridin’”, “Flyin’ high” “Free’n'easy” and “Cheat’n'lie”
Ultimately I am left with a feeling that the band’s inspiration, and especially Hensley’s, is drying up rapidly. This is perhaps further evidenced by the fact that non band member Jack Williams wrote two of the songs, and co-wrote a third with Hensley.
Line-up:
- Mick Box / guitars
- John Lawton / vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboard, guitars, vocals
- Lee Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Trevor Bolder / bass
Track List:
01. Keep On Ridin’ (3:41)
02. Flyin’ High (3:18)
03. Roller (4:38)
04. Free ‘N’ Easy (3:02)
05. Illusion (5:02)
06. Free Me (3:35)
07. Cheat ‘N’ Lie (4:50)
08. The Dance (4:49)
09. Choices (5:42)
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Uriah Heep – Firefly (1977) (@256)
02 Apr 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
While the history of Uriah Heep is littered with line up changes, the single most important one in terms of their sound took place between the previous album, “High and Mighty”, and this one. With David Byron having been sacked as lead vocalist, John Lawton (ex Lucifer’s Child) was brought in as his replacement.
In opting for Lawton, the other band members had decided to go for someone with a completely different voice and style, so right from the first few bars of “Firefly” the listener is aware of a fundamental change. Lawton’s voice is deeper and much rougher, with more of a blues/jazz tinge.
John Wetton also left the band before this album was recorded, being replaced by ex Spiders from Mars bassist Trevor Boulder. Boulder has gone on to become one of Heep’s longest servicing members, and is in fact still in the band today.
The music on “Firefly” is generally lighter than previous albums, with Hensley choosing to create an almost orchestral texture with the keyboards, on which the album is built. Yet again, Hensley dominates the song writing, with only one short track “Who needs me” being a rare Kerslake composition. The title track is a very soft but beautiful piece, a million miles from “Easy Livin’”. Even when the band rock, such as on “Been away too long”, it’s not the all out wall of sound of the early days.
When listening to this album, it is necessary to first put aside any preconceptions about the music it will contain. It’s not really a follow up to “High and Mighty” but a new beginning for the band with a new direction and sound. Once that is accepted, it’s actually a very enjoyable album, with strong melodies, and tight musicianship.
Line-up:
- John Lawton / lead vocals
- Mick Box / guitars
- Trevor Bolder / bass guitar
- Lee “The Bear” Kerslake / drums, vocals
- Ken Hensley / keyboards, guitars, vocals
Track List:
01. The Hanging Tree (3:42)
02. Been Away Too Long (5:04)
03. Who Needs Me (3:40)
04. Wise Man (4:44)
05. Do You Know (3:15)
06. Rollin’ On (6:32)
07. Sympathy (4:50)
08. Firefly (6:18)
09. Crime Of Passion (Bonus, Single B-Side) (3:37)
10. Do You Know (3:16) (Bonus, Demo)
11. A Far Better Way (5:50) (Bonus, Outtake)
12. Wise Man (4:48) (Bonus, TV backing track version)
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