Label: CD-Maximum (Russia), CDM 198-61
Style: Hard Rock, Rock, Pop Rock
Country: England
Time: 75:42
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 518 Mb
This 1975 album was the first solo outing for David Byron, the lead singer for Uriah Heep. It isn't a big surprise that a good portion of the album sounds a lot like the group that gave him his day job: sturdy organ-driven hard-rockers like "Silver White Man" and "Hit Me With a White One" would not be out of place on a typical Uriah Heep album from this period. The fact that every then-current member of Uriah Heep makes at least one appearance on this record further aids this deja vu feeling. What is surprising about Take No Prisoners is how solid and consistent it is for a between-albums solo venture. The album begins powerfully with "Man Full of Yesterdays," a mid-tempo rocker with a moody, dramatic arrangement that blends an emotional Mellotron-driven sound with autobiographical lyrics.
From there, Byron deftly blends his Heep-styled rockers with a variety of roots rock and soul experiments that blend in well with the other, more traditional material: "Steamin' Along" tackles funk with surprising deftness while "Saturday Night" adds a likable country-rock element to its amped-up rock & roll attack. "Love Song" proves that Byron could do a straight ballad with surprising sensitivity and further benefits from a lovely arrangement built on a gentle harpsichord sound. Plenty of sharp rockers are interspersed between these experimental tracks, the best being "Midnight Flyer," a cleverly arranged rocker that alternates spooky, mid-tempo verses with a scorching chorus to create an exciting burst of hard rock. Overall, Take No Prisoners lacks a breakout single or the kind of genre-expanding elements that will win over the casual listener, but it is a well-crafted album that will definitely find favor with Uriah Heep fans.
(allmusic.com/album/take-no-prisoners-mw0000599761)
This album, released around the time of Hensley's departure from Uriah Heep, is a much different affair from his previous solo work. Instead of going for a traditional rock sound close to Uriah Heep, Free Spirit utilizes a ‘stylistic shotgun' approach that touches on a number of different styles including synth-pop ("Do You Feel Alright"), disco ("Inside The Mystery"), and even pure pop ("The System"). The end result is an album that offers some strong songs, but lacks the cohesion and consistency necessary for a good album. Some of the experiments work surprisingly well ("Inside The Mystery" effectively contrasts funky, danceable verses with a stately guitar-driven midsection), but others fall flat. For instance, the bouncy keyboard pop that drives "The System" does not sit well with its hard-edged cynical lyrics.
The rockers at the songs that work best on Free Spirit: "Brown Eyed Boy" is a punchy hard-rocker built on hard-driving drumwork from Deep Purple's Ian Paice and "Telephone" draws much strength from a well-judged combination of poppy background vocals and chugging guitar riffs. The ballads, usually a highlight of Hensley's work, also work nicely on this album: the best example is "Woman," which contrasts moody keyboard-driven verses with pulsating, guitar-fuelled instrumental breaks. All in all, Free Spirit's lack of a coherent style will probably turn off the casual listener but there are enough strong, well-produced tracks on this album to make it a worthwhile listen for any fans of Hensley or Uriah Heep.
(allmusic.com/album/free-spirit-mw0000846600)
01. Man Full Of Yesterdays (05:38)
02. Sweet Rock N' Roll (02:50)
03. Steamin' Along (05:11)
04. Silver White Man (03:30)
05. Love Song (02:58)
06. Midnight Flyer (05:56)
07. Saturday Night (02:17)
08. Roller Coaster (04:00)
09. Stop (Think What You're Doing) (04:16)
10. Hit Me With A White One (03:55)
11. Inside The Mystery (04:38)
12. New York (02:25)
13. The System (02:34)
14. When (03:48)
15. No More (04:37)
16. Brown Eyed Boy (04:05)
17. Do You Feel Alright (02:52)
18. Telephone (03:10)
19. Woman (03:23)
20. New Routine (03:27)
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