Demons and Wizards (Uriah Heep album)
| Demons and Wizards | ||||
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| Studio album by Uriah Heep | ||||
| Released | 19 May 1972 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1972 | |||
| Studio | Lansdowne Studios, London | |||
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| Length | 39:40 | |||
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| Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Demons and Wizards | ||||
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| Allmusic |   |
Demons and Wizards is the fourth album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. The album helped the band become famous and has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve, the front of which was designed by Roger Dean. It contained a hidden erotic image of male and female genitalia. The inner sleeve had pictures of the band and notes by Ken Hensley, while the liner featured printed lyrics.
The songs "The Wizard" and "Easy Livin'" were released as singles in the UK and North America as well as many other markets. "Easy Livin'" entered the US Top 40 at No. 39, making it Heep's first and only American hit. "Easy Livin'" was also a mega-hit in the Netherlands and Germany, countries which were becoming strong markets for the band. It reached a disappointing No. 75 in Australia.
New Zealander Gary Thain, at the time a member of Keef Hartley Band, joined Uriah Heep as a permanent member halfway through another American tour. "Gary just had a style about him, it was incredible because every bass player in the world that I've ever known has always loved his style, with those melodic bass lines", Box commented later. Another addition, of drummer Lee Kerslake (a former bandmate of Hensley's in The Gods and Toe Fat), solidified the rhythm section. Thus the "classic" Uriah Heep lineup was formed and, according to biographer K. Blows, "Everything just clicked into place".
The result of Heep's newfound chemistry was the Demons and Wizards album, which in June 1972, reached No. 20 in the UK and No. 23 in the USA. In Finland, the album hit No. 1 in May and remained on top of the charts for 14 weeks. While the album title and Dean's cover art both suggested medieval fantasy, Hensley's notes declared the album to be "just a collection of our songs that we had a good time recording".
Ken Hensley recalled: "The band was really focused at that time. We all wanted the same thing, were all willing to make the same sacrifices to achieve it and we were all very committed. It was the first album to feature that lineup and there was a magic in that combination of people that created so much energy and enthusiasm".
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