Conquest (Uriah Heep album)
| Conquest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Roundhouse (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:58 | |||
| Label | Bronze | |||
| Producer | Uriah Heep, John Gallen, Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Conquest | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 1/10[8] |
| Record Mirror | [9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
Conquest is the thirteenth studio album by English 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.[8]
1979–80 was a period of change for Heep, with John Sloman taking over lead vocal duties, drummer Lee Kerslake quitting, and main songwriter Ken Hensley ultimately leaving the band. Taken together with the commercial rock sound of the album,[11] this is the most contentious era of Uriah Heep's history, with many fans believing Conquest is the group's worst record.[12] Despite this era being regarded in hindsight as something of a disaster by Hensley as well as Mick Box,[12] 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.[12] 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") | 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 outtake) | 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") | Hensley | 3:56 |
| 11. | "Think It Over" (single A-side) | John Sloman, Bolder | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Lying" (previously unreleased outtake) | Bolder, Hensley, Slade, Sloman | 4:23 |
| 13. | "Feelings" (single edit) | Hensley | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 60:58 | ||
Personnel
- Uriah Heep
- Mick Box – guitars
- Ken Hensley – obx, vocoder, organ, piano, guitars, backing vocals
- Trevor Bolder – bass guitar, backing vocals
- John Sloman – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, percussion
- Chris Slade – staccato drums, percussion
- Gregg Dechert – keyboards on "Think It Over" and "My Joanna Needs Tuning (Inside Out)"
- Additional musician
- 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
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 33 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] | 11 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 37 |
References
- ^ "Review | URIAH HEEP - Conquest" (in German).
- ^ Matthew Kelly. "1001 Albums You Must Die Before You Hear – Uriah Heep's Conquest". Witchdoctor. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
And why are these songs so long? Looking at the lengths, which regularly threaten six minutes, you'd expect epic prog rockers. But no, they're simple straightforward AOR that do their verse and chorus a few times and just keep going.
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ Thompson, Dave. "Uriah Heep – Conquest review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Smith, Robin (1 March 1980). "Uriah Heep: Conquest". Record Mirror. p. 16.
- ^ Knighton, Steve (December 1997). "Uriah Heep: Live at Shepperton / Conquest / Abominog / Head First". Uncut. No. 7. p. 94.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Uriah Heep Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Conquest (CD Booklet). Uriah Heep. UK: Sanctuary Records. 2004. SMRCD112.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Conquest" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Conquest". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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