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Reelin’ in the Years 182: Easy Livin’ – RIP Ken Hensley

So this week it was Ken Hensley, keyboardist and chief songwriter for the metal band Uriah Heep, who has died.

I have featured the band twice before with Rain, which Hensley wrote, and Come Away Melinda.

They never troubled the British charts much (a no 76 and a no 85, both in 1983) but had more success in Germany.

This song was their first and biggest hit in the US. More representative of their œuvre I would say.

Uriah Heep: Easy Livin’

Kenneth William David (Ken) Hensley: 24/8/1945 – 4/11/2020. So it goes.

Reelin’ In the Years 154: Come Away Belinda

From the band’s first album rather heavy-handedly called Very ‘Eavy…. Very ‘Umble (but perhaps they thought it as well to acknowledge their name’s origin) and which appeared in 1970, their treatment of the anti-war song Come Away Melinda (first sung in public by The Weavers shortly before Harry Belafonte released his version) is reminiscent of early Barclay James Harvest and also features the mellotron.

Uriah Heep: Come Away Belinda

Reelin’ In The Years 66: John I’m Only Dancing. RIP Trevor Bolder

Two days in a row. Yesterday Ray Manzarek, today Trevor Bolder, bassist for David Bowie in the breakthrough years and sometime member of Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. It makes you dread waking up in the morning.

The track I’ve chosen isn’t one of the most played from the Ziggy era but it shows off Bolder’s bass playing.

Trevor Bolder; 09/06/1950 – 21/05/2103. So it goes.

David Bowie: John I’m Only Dancing

Reelin’ In The Years 47: Rain

Even though it breaks the artificial rules of this category by being an album track, given the weather over recent months it somehow seems appropriate.

I wasn’t much into Uriah Heep (not at all to be honest) but a friend of my youth was. Rain was atypical of Uriah Heep’s output; as I recall they were mostly heavy rather than balladeers. This song is the only one of theirs I can remember, though.

A somewhat literal video accompanies it.

Uriah Heep: Rain

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