URIAH HEEP – Firefly

When David Byron left Uriah Heep in 1976, the band’s fans figured he’d be irreplaceable. His dynamic vocal range was an essential part of the Heep sound, after all. Not long after his departure, the band found a replacement in ex-Lucifer’s Friend vocalist John Lawton and, joining him in the newly configured Heep, came another familiar face – ex-Bowie/Spiders bassist Trevor Bolder, replacing the departed John Wetton. Despite Heep now being the underdogs, the resulting album – 1977’s ‘Firefly’ – was not only enjoyable, but a big improvement over the workmanlike approach which dominated most of 1976’s ‘High and Mighty’.

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MICK RONSON – Only After Dark: The Complete MainMan Recordings

For many, Mick Ronson needs no introduction. However, for his much celebrated fame with Bowie’s Spiders From Mars, his associations with Mott The Hoople and Lou Reed and having a lifetime champion in Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, there’s one aspect of Ronson’s career that’s sometimes overlooked: his 1970s solo recordings.

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