As a rock band with more than five decades of experience, Uriah Heep has a message to convey to younger musicians to encourage them to return to the essence of being a band. They believe that the current trend of separatism, where band members work on music separately and communicate through files, undermines the true meaning of being in a band. In a recent interview with Goldmine, Mick Box detailed this point.
“‘Easy Livin’ had a typical shuffle from our late drummer Lee Kerslake and almost nobody else could do it,” Box initially said. “When other bands have played our music, they never get it quite right, but Russell now has that shuffle. It is a little bit of fun having the new song ‘Closer to Your Dreams’ intentionally with the ‘Easy Livin’ shuffle.”
The guitarist continued, “I also asked for a particular bass line from David, and he delivered great lines. With a shuffle, you need a walking bass line. Uriah Heep has been known for that for years, with Gary Thain and Trevor Bolder to have melodic bass lines. David is right up there with him and came up with some great parts.”
He then went on to say how contemporary acts lost the essence of being a band, saying, “Lyrically, it is a message to musicians to return to being bands again, being in the studio, traveling and playing gigs together, versus the current separatist behavior with people sending files to each other, which loses the meaning of being in a band. Uriah Heep have a passion for being a band. We love doing it. What else am I going to do after doing it for 53 years? As long as we have our health, we will continue. Happy days my friend.”
Making music as a band has undergone significant changes in recent years with the increasing involvement of technology in the process. Gone are the days of jamming together in the studio, where band members would create magic through the energy of their togetherness. During the pandemic, we even witnessed some albums released without the band members coming together in the same room once.
The traditional approach of coming together in the studio, collaborating, and creating music as a unit has given way to a more isolated process, with band members communicating through digital files and working independently. However, as technology becomes increasingly involved in every aspect of our lives, we also exist in new ways. So, music will also find a way.