Look at Yourself (Uriah Heep album)
Look at Yourself is the third studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in September 1971 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US.
Look at Yourself | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 November 1971 | |||
Recorded | July 1971 | |||
Studio | Lansdowne Studios, London | |||
Genre | Heavy metal, progressive rock | |||
Length | 41:14 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
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Singles from Look at Yourself | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Billboard | (positive)[2] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
Characterized as heavy metal and progressive rock,[1] the album came to be viewed as a high point in the band's career, and is today regarded by many fans and critics as Uriah Heep's finest album along with Demons and Wizards, released the following year. The title track and "July Morning" were released as singles in the UK and North America in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Look at Yourself was ranked at No. 97 in the 100 Heavy Metal albums of All Time list published by the magazine Kerrang!.[4]
"Look at Yourself" was the last Uriah Heep album to feature founding member and bassist Paul Newton.
The song "July Morning" was the inspiration for a Bulgarian tradition, known eponymously as July Morning or "Julaya", of gathering on the beach on the Black Sea coast on the morning of 1 July to watch the sunrise.[5]
The album was mentioned in the David Sedaris book Barrel Fever, in "Don's Story".
Look at Yourself was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1996 with three bonus tracks, and again in 2003 in an expanded deluxe edition. In 2017, Sanctuary Records released a two-disc deluxe edition.
Cover art
The original cover art on the LP featured a single sleeve with a die-cut opening on the front through which a reflective foil "mirror" was seen, conveying a distorted image of the person viewing it. The idea, by guitarist Mick Box, was for the cover to directly reflect the album title, and this theme is carried through the band photos on the rear of the LP sleeve, which have also been distorted. The LP itself was housed in a heavy-duty inner card, complete with lyrics.
Covers
- Gamma Ray covered "Look at Yourself" on their Heading for Tomorrow album (1990).
- GrimSkunk covered "Look at Yourself" on their Grim Skunk album (1994).
Track listings
All tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Look at Yourself" | 5:09 | |
2. | "I Wanna Be Free" | 4:00 | |
3. | "July Morning" | David Byron, Ken Hensley | 10:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
4. | "Tears in My Eyes" | 5:01 | |
5. | "Shadows of Grief" | Byron, Hensley | 8:39 |
6. | "What Should Be Done" | 4:15 | |
7. | "Love Machine" | Mick Box, Byron, Hensley | 3:37 |
No. | Title | Length |
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8. | "Look at Yourself" (single edit) | 3:07 |
9. | "What's within My Heart" (outtake) | 5:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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8. | "What's within My Heart" (outtake from Look at Yourself sessions) | 5:23 | |
9. | "Why" (outtake from Look at Yourself sessions) | Box, Byron | 11:18 |
10. | "Look at Yourself" (alternative single version) | 3:19 | |
11. | "Tears in My Eyes" (extended version, previously unreleased) | 5:38 | |
12. | "What Should Be Done" (outtake, original studio version) | 4:26 | |
13. | "Look at Yourself" (BBC session, previously unreleased) | 4:32 | |
14. | "What Should Be Done" (BBC session, previously unreleased) | 3:26 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I Wanna Be Free" (Alternate Mix) | 4:20 |
2. | "Tears in My Eyes" (Alternate Mix Extended) | 5:55 |
3. | "What Should Be Done" (Alternate Mix) | 4:35 |
4. | "Shadows of Grief" (Alternate Mix) | 9:34 |
5. | "Look at Yourself" (Alternate Mix) | 5:14 |
6. | "July Morning" (Alternate Mix) | 11:18 |
7. | "Why Fourteen Minutes" (Alternate Mix) | 14:16 |
8. | "Love Machine" (Alternate Mix) | 3:55 |
9. | "What's within My Heart" (Alternate Mix) | 5:34 |
10. | "July Morning" (Alternate Mix, live) | 11:28 |
11. | "Look at Yourself" (Alternate Single Version) | 3:19 |
Personnel
- Uriah Heep
- David Byron – lead vocals (all but track 1)
- Mick Box – lead and acoustic guitars
- Ken Hensley – organ, backing, lead vocals on track 1, piano, guitar, acoustic guitar
- Paul Newton – bass
- Iain Clark – drums
- Additional musicians
- Manfred Mann – Moog synthesizer on "July Morning" and "Tears in My Eyes"
- Ted Osei, Mac Tontoh and Loughty Amao (from Osibisa) – percussion on "Look at Yourself"
- Production
- Gerry Bron – producer
- Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing
Charts
Album
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Singles
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References
- Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- "Album Reviews". Billboard. 18 September 1971. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 301. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- "Kerrang the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". List Challenges.com. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- Krastev, Nikola (1 July 2010). "For Uriah Heep Fans In Former Soviet Bloc, One 'July Morning' Has Lasted 40 Years". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: U > Uriah Heep". Sisältää hitin / Timo Pennanen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- "Album – Uriah Heep, Look at Yourself". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "Gli album più venduti del 1971" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia.it. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- "Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "Uriah Heep Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- AA.VV. (25 April 2006). Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970~2005. Tokyo, Japan: Oricon. ISBN 978-487-1-31077-2.
- "Go-Set Australian charts - 18 March 1972". Poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "Single - Uriah Heep, Look at Yourself". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.