Conquest (Uriah Heep album)
Conquest is the 13th album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1980. It was released worldwide by Bronze Records; however, the album was never released in North America, where it was difficult to find even as an import.[2]
| Conquest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | The Roundhouse Recording Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Arena rock, hard rock, pop rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 42:58 | |||
| Label | Bronze | |||
| Producer | Uriah Heep, John Gallen, Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Conquest | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 1/10[2] |
1979-80 was a period of change for Heep, with John Sloman taking over lead vocal duties, Lee Kerslake bowing out from behind the drumstool, and main songwriter Ken Hensley ultimately leaving the band. Taken together with the commercial rock sound of the album,[3] this is the most contentious era of Uriah Heep's history, with many fans believing Conquest is the group's worst record.[4] Despite this era being regarded in hindsight as something of a disaster by Hensley as well as Mick Box,[4] the album did receive some positive reviews at the time, namely a five-star rating from Record Mirror and three-and-a-half stars from Geoff Barton in Sounds.[4] It also sold well enough to crack the Top 40 of the UK album charts, whereas all three of the band's previous records with John Lawton had failed to chart in the UK at all.
The original UK release came in a single, matte LP sleeve, stickered with 'Special 10th Anniversary Price £3.99', with the liner being heavy-stock card, complete with lyrics. It credits Trevor Bolder with vocals on "It Ain't Easy" but it is, in fact, Sloman. The cover photograph, taken by Martin Poole, is based on the famous image of the raising of the second flag at Iwo Jima.
"Think It Over" was released as a picture sleeve single to promote the new line-up and tour of late 1980 and features Gregg Dechert on keyboards. Originally "Been Hurt" was written for a fourth John Lawton-fronted album. This song was shelved after Lawton's departure. The original version with Lawton on vocals has been released on the remastered version of the Fallen Angel album. When Conquest was re-issued again as a Deluxe Edition in 2004 the bonus tracks remained much the same, but "My Joanna Needs Tuning" was dropped; added in its stead was a version of "Feelings" that had previously only ever appeared on a Bronze Records promotional VHS tape.
Track listings
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Return" | Trevor Bolder, Mick Box, Ken Hensley | 6:07 |
| 2. | "Imagination" | Hensley | 5:49 |
| 3. | "Feelings" | Hensley | 5:26 |
| 4. | "Fools" | Bolder | 5:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Carry On" | Hensley | 3:57 |
| 6. | "Won't Have to Wait Too Long" | Bolder, Box, Hensley | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Out on the Street" | Hensley | 5:57 |
| 8. | "It Ain't Easy" | Bolder | 5:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Been Hurt" (B-side to "Carry On" featuring John Sloman on vocals) | Hensley | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Love Stealer" (single A-side) | Philip Wainman, Richard Myhill | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Think It Over" (single A-side) | John Sloman, Bolder | 3:33 |
| 12. | "My Joanna Needs Tuning (Inside Out)" (B-side to "Think It Over") | Bolder, Box, Gregg Dechert, Slade, Sloman | 3:02 |
| 13. | "Lying" (previously unreleased out-take featuring John Sloman on vocals) | Bolder, Hensley, Slade, Sloman | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 61:20 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Love Stealer" (single A-side) | Philip Wainman, Richard Myhill | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Been Hurt" (B-side to "Carry On" featuring John Sloman on vocals) | Hensley | 3:56 |
| 11. | "Think It Over" (single A-side) | John Sloman, Bolder | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Lying" (previously unreleased out-take featuring John Sloman on vocals) | Bolder, Hensley, Slade, Sloman | 4:23 |
| 13. | "Feelings" (single edit) | Hensley | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 60:58 | ||
Personnel
- Uriah Heep
- Mick Box - guitars
- John Sloman - lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, percussion
- Chris Slade - staccato drums, percussion
- Trevor Bolder - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ken Hensley - obx, vocoder, organ, piano, guitars, backing vocals
- Gregg Dechert - keyboards on "Love Stealer", "Think It Over"
- Additional musicians
- Gerry Bron - timpani on "Out on the Streets"
- Production
- John Gallen - producer, engineer
- Julian Cooper, Darren Burn, David Kemp, Nick Rogers - assistant engineers
- Martin Poole - sleeve design, photography
- Karl Bosley, Lindy Curry - sleeve design
- Gerry Bron - executive producer
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Norwegian Albums Chart[5] | 11 |
| German Albums Chart[6] | 33 | |
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 37 | |
References
- Thompson, Dave. "Uriah Heep - Conquest review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 378–379. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- Monger, James Christopher. "Uriah Heep Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- Conquest (CD Booklet). Uriah Heep. UK: Sanctuary Records. 2004. SMRCD112.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Uriah Heep – Conquest (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- "Album – Uriah Heep, Conquest". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- "Uriah Heep Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2018.