Uriah Heep – Firefly

Sounds awesome, as do the other 2015 Bronze Lawton Heep reissues

did this Dutch release not come with the inner lyrics sleeve?

This album doesn't really do it for me. At this point, the band really wasn't playing with darker themes and sounds as before (example: return to fantasy (track)), and it makes for a really mediocre album experience. There's a few good tracks here and there, and I'll say that side 2 is much better than side 1, but it's still not great. The record picks up a bit of momentum on side 2 but it really derails itself with "Firefly", the final track. There's some cool Studio effects on the track and some nice guitar work, but god those vocals just don't do it for me. Sounds like some generic radio song, and really lacks any kind of soul. Not to mention that the structure of that song is an absolute mess.

In regards to this U.S. pressing, it's a bit odd to my ears. First, side 1 has to be cranked super loud, even moreso than side 2, but that's alright. The big issue I have is with how bass-y it is. The low end just explodes on this record, to a point that some of the higher end definition is drowned out. I'm guessing this is a result of the mix rather than any vinyl mastering, but It's just an odd sound. I definitely had to turn the treble up a bit on this. Also, it would've been nice if this was a gatefold. I mean looking at the cover art it is clear that it was intended to be printed as such. Oh well tho!

This pressing was issued with a single sleeve with a lyric insert.