The Magician's Birthday
| The Magician's Birthday | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Uriah Heep | ||||
| Released | November, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | September–October 1972 at Lansdowne Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 37:10 | |||
| Label |
Bronze (UK) Mercury (USA) | |||
| Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[2] |
The Magician's Birthday is the fifth album released by British rock band Uriah Heep. The story line is "based loosely on a short story" written by Ken Hensley in June and July 1972.[3]
The original vinyl release was a gatefold sleeve, the front of which was designed by Roger Dean. The innerfold had pictures of the band, with the LP itself housed in a liner on which were printed the lyrics.
Two songs charted in the United States, "Blind Eye" (#97) and "Sweet Lorraine" (#91). "Spider Woman" reached #13 in Germany.
The Magician's Birthday was certified Gold by the RIAA on 22 January 1973.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Ken Hensley except where noted.
| Side 1 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Sunrise" | 4:04 | ||||||||
| 2. | "Spider Woman" | Mick Box, David Byron, Lee Kerslake, Gary Thain | 2:25 | |||||||
| 3. | "Blind Eye" | 3:33 | ||||||||
| 4. | "Echoes in the Dark" | 4:48 | ||||||||
| 5. | "Rain" | 3:59 | ||||||||
| Side 2 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 6. | "Sweet Lorraine" | Box, Byron, Thain | 4:13 | |||||||
| 7. | "Tales" | 4:09 | ||||||||
| 8. | "The Magician's Birthday" | Box, Hensley, Kerslake | 10:21 | |||||||
The 2004 remastered version by Castle (UK) as CMRCD771, adds nine previously unreleased bonus tracks:
| 2004 Bonus Tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 9. | "Crystal Ball" (Out-take) | 4:08 | ||||||||
| 10. | "Silver White Man" (Vocal Out-take Version) | 3:40 | ||||||||
| 11. | "Proud Words On a Dusty Shelf" (Alternate Version) | 3:24 | ||||||||
| 12. | "Echoes in the Dark" (Single Edit) | 4:23 | ||||||||
| 13. | "Rain" (Single Edit) | 3:16 | ||||||||
| 14. | "Happy Birthday" (The Magician's Birthday Single Edit) | 4:44 | ||||||||
| 15. | "Sunrise" (Single Edit) | 2:49 | ||||||||
| 16. | "Gary's Song" (Crystal Ball alternate version) | 4:25 | ||||||||
| 17. | "Silver White Man" (Instrumental Out-take) | 3:43 | ||||||||
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| Worldwide sales: | 2,500,000 | |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
Chart performance
| Country (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway | 5 |
| Australia | 10 |
| Finland | 1 |
| United States | 31 |
| United Kingdom | 28 |
Personnel
- Gary Thain – Bass Guitar
- Lee Kerslake – Drums, Percussion, Kazoo
- Mick Box – Guitars
- Ken Hensley – Keyboards, Guitars, Moog Synthesizer
- David Byron – Lead Vocals (Except "The Magician's Birthday" - David Byron & Ken Hensley Vocals)
- Additional personnel
- Brian John Cole – Pedal Steel Guitar on "Tales"
Production
- Produced By Gerry Bron
- Engineered By Peter Gallen
- Assistant Engineer: Ashley Howe
The 2004 Remastered version by Castle (UK) as CMRCD771, team:
- Remastering by Robert Corich
- Remastering by Mike Brown
- Assistant Remastering: Pavel Salgado
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ The Magician's Birthday liner notes
- ↑ "American album certifications – Uriah Heep – The Magician's Birthday". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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