Return to Fantasy

Last updated

Return to Fantasy
Return To Fantasy (Uriah Heep album - cover art).jpg
Studio album by
Released13 June 1975
RecordedSpring 1975
Studio Lansdowne and Morgan, London
Genre
Length40:35
Label Bronze
Producer Gerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
Wonderworld
(1974)
Return to Fantasy
(1975)
High and Mighty
(1976)
Singles from Return to Fantasy
  1. "Prima Donna"
    Released: June 1975
  2. "Return to Fantasy"
    Released: July 1975 (Europe and Japan) [1]

Return to Fantasy is the eighth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released on 13 June 1975 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was the first of the two albums to feature John Wetton as the new bass player, who replaced Gary Thain in early 1975.

Contents

The sleeve-art is by British artist Dave Field.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 5/10 [3]

Return to Fantasy "retains the musical experimentation that marked Sweet Freedom and Wonderworld , but has an overall harder-rocking feel that makes it more consistent than either one of those albums", said Donald A. Guarisco in his retrospective AllMusic review. He criticized some of the album's "genre-hopping", and concluded, "In the end, Return to Fantasy lacks the coherence of a top-shelf Uriah Heep classic like Demons and Wizards but remains a strong and likable album that is guaranteed to please the group's fans". [2] The review by Canadian journalist Martin Popoff was very critical of the album's recording "dominated by blaring but thin organ and sloppy drumming" and of Byron's "distant and unsure" performance, judging the album "completely adrift without a trace of spark". [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Byron, Mick Box, Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Return to Fantasy"Hensley, Byron5:52
2."Shady Lady" 4:46
3."Devil's Daughter" 4:48
4."Beautiful Dream" 4:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Prima Donna" 3:11
6."Your Turn to Remember"Hensley4:22
7."Showdown" 4:17
8."Why Did You Go" 3:53
9."A Year or a Day"Hensley4:22
Total length:40:35
1996 Essential remastered and expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Shout It Out" (B-side to single "Prima Donna")Hensley3:34
11."The Time Will Come" (B-side to single "Return to Fantasy") 4:10
12."Beautiful Dream" (previously unreleased version) 5:49
13."Return to Fantasy" (edited version) 3:39
Total length:57:49
2004 Sanctuary Midline remastered and expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Shout It Out" (B-side)3:34
11."The Time Will Come" (B-side)4:08
12."Prima Donna" (alternate demo version)4:05
13."Why Did You Go" (alternate demo version)5:18
14."Showdown" (alternate demo version)4:18
15."Beautiful Dream" (alternate demo version)5:48
16."Return to Fantasy" (extended version)7:18
Total length:75:08

Personnel

Uriah Heep
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [17] Silver60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Salisbury</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Uriah Heep

Salisbury is the second studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in January 1971 by Vertigo Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. It was produced by Gerry Bron.

<i>Demons and Wizards</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1972 studio album by Uriah Heep

Demons and Wizards is the fourth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in May 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US.

<i>Look at Yourself</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1971 studio album by Uriah Heep

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.

<i>The Magicians Birthday</i> 1972 studio album by Uriah Heep

The Magician's Birthday is the fifth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in November 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. The concept was "based loosely on a short story" written by keyboardist Ken Hensley in June and July 1972.

<i>Sweet Freedom</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1973 studio album by Uriah Heep

Sweet Freedom is the sixth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in September 1973 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US.

<i>Wonderworld</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Uriah Heep

Wonderworld is the seventh studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1974 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. Wonderworld was the last Uriah Heep album to feature bass player Gary Thain.

<i>Uriah Heep Live</i> 1973 live album by Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep Live is a double live album by British rock group Uriah Heep, released in April 1973 in the US by Mercury Records, and in May 1973 in the UK by Bronze Records. It was the band's first live album. The album was recorded by the Pye Mobile Unit, with Alan Perkins as engineer.

<i>Innocent Victim</i> 1977 studio album by Uriah Heep

Innocent Victim is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in November 1977 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US.

<i>Firefly</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1977 studio album by Uriah Heep

Firefly is the tenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in February 1977 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was their first album without lead vocalist and founding member David Byron, and the first of three albums with new singer John Lawton, formerly of Lucifer's Friend. Bassist Trevor Bolder made his Uriah Heep debut on this album. Barring a break of about 18 months in the early 1980s, he remained with the group until his death in 2013.

<i>High and Mighty</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Uriah Heep

High and Mighty is the ninth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in May 1976 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. High and Mighty was the last Uriah Heep album to feature bassist John Wetton, and vocalist and founding member David Byron who was fired later that year due to his troubles with alcohol and differences with band priorities.

<i>Fallen Angel</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1978 studio album by Uriah Heep

Fallen Angel is the twelfth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in September 1978 by Bronze Records in the UK and Chrysalis Records in the US. It is the last album to feature John Lawton on vocals, before his firing in 1979. Fallen Angel only reached No. 186 on the Billboard 200, but in Germany, the band were at the height of their popularity. On this album, the band moved toward an AOR sound, as opposed to the progressive rock of previous albums.

<i>Sea of Light</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Uriah Heep

Sea of Light is the 19th album by the British rock band Uriah Heep, released in April 1995. Its songs have remained part of the band's live set to this day. Bassist Trevor Bolder sang lead on "Fear of Falling" and delivered four songs for this album, as many as on the predecessor Different World, a count he never reached before or after. Roger Dean was responsible for the sleeve painting, his third for Uriah Heep.

<i>Conquest</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1980 studio album by Uriah Heep

Conquest is the thirteenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1980. It was released worldwide by Bronze Records; however, the album was never released in North America, where it was difficult to find even as an import.

<i>Abominog</i> 1982 studio album by Uriah Heep

Abominog is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in April 1982 by Bronze Records in the UK, and on 12 July 1982 by Mercury Records in the US. It was their first album without keyboardist Ken Hensley. The album was critically acclaimed and fairly commercially successful, due in part to the band retooling and updating their sound to a contemporary style and delivering a "punchier, more pop metal era-appropriate effort.

<i>Head First</i> (Uriah Heep album) 1983 studio album by Uriah Heep

Head First is the fifteenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in May 1983 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. It is Uriah Heep's last album released by Bronze Records.

<i>...Very Eavy ...Very Umble</i> 1970 studio album by Uriah Heep

...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble is the debut studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep.

<i>The Ultimate Collection</i> (Uriah Heep album) 2003 compilation album by Uriah Heep

The Ultimate Collection is a compilation album released by the British rock group Uriah Heep. It features songs from their debut album ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble through their 1991 album Different World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prima Donna (Uriah Heep song)</span> 1975 single by Uriah Heep

"Prima Donna" is a song by British rock band Uriah Heep from their eighth studio album Return to Fantasy (1975), released as the first single from the album. The song was written by David Byron, Mick Box, Lee Kerslake and Ken Hensley. It was recorded in May 1975 in Lansdowne and Morgan Studios, London. The song reached number ten in Denmark and number three in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Return to Fantasy (song)</span> 1975 single by Uriah Heep

"Return to Fantasy" is a song by British rock band Uriah Heep from their eighth studio album Return to Fantasy (1975). The song was written by David Byron and Ken Hensley and was the last single by the group to feature David Byron on lead vocals. The song was recorded in May 1975 in London in the Lansdowne and Morgan studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Way or Another (Uriah Heep song)</span> 1976 single by Uriah Heep

"One Way or Another" is a song by English rock band Uriah Heep. It was released on their ninth studio album High and Mighty in May 1976, and became the only single from the album and the last single with the band's former vocalist, David Byron. The song was written by Ken Hensley and featured lead vocals from John Wetton and Ken Hensley. It was recorded from December 1975 to March 1976 in Roundhouse Recording Studios in London. The single did not chart, and it is the only song on the album that was not sung by David Byron.

References

  1. "Uriah Heep singles".
  2. 1 2 Guarisco, Donald A. Uriah Heep - Return to Fantasy review at AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 303. ISBN   978-1894959025.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4021b". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. "Return to Fantasy - Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. 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.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  12. "Charts.nz – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1975. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. "British album certifications – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 4 February 2021.