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1971 studio album by Uriah Heep From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look at Yourself is the third studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in September 1971 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. It was the last Uriah Heep album to feature founding member and bassist Paul Newton.
Look at Yourself | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1971 | |||
Recorded | July 1971 | |||
Studio | Lansdowne (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:14 | |||
Label | Bronze | |||
Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
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Singles from Look at Yourself | ||||
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Characterized as heavy metal and progressive rock, the album came to be viewed as a high point in the band's career and is regarded by many fans and critics as one of Uriah Heep's finest albums,[2] along with Demons and Wizards, released the following year. The title track was released as a single in various countries, followed by "July Morning" released in Japan in 1972.
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.
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.
In a favorable contemporary review, Billboard, noting that the band was "determined to break through", described the music in the album as "a mirror, as the hard rock five produce a driving, psychedelic flow that's sufficiently hypnotic, controlled and groovy to reflect the tastes of many youthful rockers."[6]
Retrospective reviews have also been positive. AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco deemed Look at Yourself to be the point where "the group perfects its fusion of heavy metal power and prog rock majesty". The album was praised for its track selection, which ranged from "powerful" rockers to the prog-oriented "July Morning", and for singer David Byron's "multi-octave, operatic style."[2]
Look at Yourself was ranked at No. 97 in the 100 Heavy Metal albums of All Time list published by the magazine Kerrang!.[8]
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, Hensley | 10:32 |
All tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
4. | "Tears in My Eyes" | 5:01 | |
5. | "Shadows of Grief" | Hensley, Byron | 8:39 |
6. | "What Should Be Done" | 4:15 | |
7. | "Love Machine" | Hensley, Mick Box, Byron | 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 |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "What's Within My Heart" (outtake from Look at Yourself sessions) | 5:23 | |
9. | "Why" (outtake from Look at Yourself sessions) | Box, Byron, Hensley, Paul Newton | 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 |
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan (RIAJ)[21] | Gold | 50,000[21] |
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