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Look at Yourself (Uriah Heep album)

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Look at Yourself
Studio album by
Uriah Heep
ReleasedSeptember 1971
RecordedJuly 1971
StudioLansdowne (London)
Genre
Length41:14
LabelBronze
ProducerGerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
Salisbury
(1971) 		Look at Yourself
(1971) 		Demons and Wizards
(1972)
Singles from Look at Yourself
  1. "Look at Yourself"
    Released: September 1971[3]
  2. "July Morning"
    Released: June 1972 (Japan)[4]

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.

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.

Cover art[edit]

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.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Billboard(positive)[6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[7]

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]

Covers[edit]

Track listings[edit]

All tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Look at Yourself" 5:09
2."I Wanna Be Free" 4:00
3."July Morning"David Byron, Hensley10:32
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Tears in My Eyes" 5:01
5."Shadows of Grief"Hensley, Byron8:39
6."What Should Be Done" 4:15
7."Love Machine"Hensley, Mick Box, Byron3:37
1996 remastered CD edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
8."Look at Yourself" (single edit)3:07
9."What's Within My Heart" (outtake)5:23
2003 expanded deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(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 Newton11:18
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
2017 expanded deluxe edition disc 2 (all tracks previously unreleased)
No.TitleLength
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

Personnel[edit]

Uriah Heep
  • David Byron – lead vocals (all but "Look at Yourself"), backing vocals on "Look at Yourself"
  • Mick Box – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Ken Hensley – organ, piano, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Look at Yourself"
  • Paul Newton – bass guitar
  • Ian Clarke – drums
Additional musicians
  • Manfred Mann – Moog synthesizer on "July Morning" and "Tears in My Eyes"
  • Ted Osei, Mac Tontoh and Loughty Amao (from Osibisa) – percussion on "Look at Yourself"
Production
  • Gerry Bron – producer
  • Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[23] Gold 50,000[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Recensione Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself". www.metallized.it.
  2. ^ a b c d e Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
  4. ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
  5. ^ Krastev, Nikola (1 July 2010). "For Uriah Heep Fans In Former Soviet Bloc, One 'July Morning' Has Lasted 40 Years". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Album Reviews". Billboard. 18 September 1971. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 301. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  8. ^ "Kerrang the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". List Challenges.com. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Uriah Heep".
  13. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1972. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Single - Uriah Heep, Look at Yourself". Charts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Heep in Japan" (PDF). Cash Box. 14 April 1973. p. 54. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
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