Uriah Heep – Look At Yourself

First copy:
- strange repetitive popping/clicking sounds throughout.
- deep audible scratches on several tracks especially on July Morning (the best track) which caused repeating loud pops.

Cleaning did not improve the issues above so it must have been poorly handled at the factory. The record comes in a card inner sleeve which was stuck tightly to the vinyl due to static, so any dirt particles between the card sleeve and vinyl could probably have scratched the surface.

Second copy:
- none of the popping/clicking issues above. Plays just fine.

Sound quality:
- I am no audiophile but it sounds nice. Lots of bass.

The record itself is not crystal clear but more cloudy or ‘smokey.’ Still goes nicely with the cover which itself has a blurred mirror as opposed to the original version.

I have some soft crackling on both sides especially on the right channel repeating with every round the record does. You can hear it during low volume parts, like in the quiet parts of "July Morning" or on "What Should Be Done" and the beginning of "Love Machine" as well as between the songs. The whole record is affected by this. I can imagine for some listeners this already a bit too annoying. It shouldn't be like that on a new record. Other than that the general sound of this edition is pretty good in my opinion. Especially the acoustic guitars within some songs sound especially good. However, it's still Uriah Heep, so do not expect something audiophile here.

Having neither heard the original German press nor the later RSD or other re-issue(s), I can only compare to digital versions I have listened to, but this pressing seems comparable to other Uriah Heep albums I have. This is a solid pressing, very quiet, maybe lacking some dynamics in the mastering, feels a tad muffled despite being a very clean (and cleaned) copy.

i like how you can clearly tell the first image was taken with a computer

i don’t know if there are better pressings than this but this sounds very very nice. i got a fantastic copy here for a very moderate price.

Inersting and nice looking reissue from Spain and Island Records ltd. It is not bad, but I have heard better sounding pressings.

Her we have an intersting Spanish reissue by Island Records ltd, and the sound is well balanced and is generaly good. The jacket is solid and has a nice "mirror" on it.

This pressing sounds very nice and is hard rocking. Has that typical 70ies vibe. Great stage, great dynamics an roaring guitars. Not audiohpile but it rocks!

Uriah Heep issued their third album total and second of 1971 with ‘Look at Yourself’ which I consider to be one of the band’s best. It is almost certainly my favorite of the ones that I have, from 1970 through 1973. Heep was still juggling line-ups as a new drummer was featured for the third straight record and founding bassist Paul Newton would leave after the release of ‘Look’. Despite many personnel shuffles, the band still kept the undeniable chemistry of Mick Box, Ken Hensely and David Byron who undoubtedly were the driving forces throughout this golden age of Uriah Heep. Ken actually sings lead on the title track and plays a mean slide guitar on “Tears in My Eyes” along with his trademark Hammond organ on the epic “July Morning”. All of these songs are stellar and would rank along any that Uriah Heep would produce in this or any era. Other great tracks include “I Wanna Be Free”, prog-rock masterpiece “Shadows of Grief” and hard rock barn burner “Love Machine” which closes the LP. “What Should be Done” is a slow blues ballad that works as a great change of pace. Byron shows how accomplished a singer he was at this stage with the twists and turns he takes with his voice. From screaming hard rock to sensitive balladry, Byron could do it as well as anyone and proved to be a strong influence on future hard rock vocalists. Being a long time fan of Deep Purple, especially of the ‘In Rock’ LP, I can see where Heep compares with them but they definitely should not be considered a poor man’s version of Blackmore and co. ‘Look to Yourself’ should be more well known than it is but that’s kind of Uriah Heep in a nutshell in terms of their impact on America. Hopefully more people who truly love this era of hard rock and the ‘big four’ of British bands who helped pave the way for the development of heavy metal, will not stop to check out Uriah Heep and this landmark LP. Don't know what you’re running from….

Mine is identical to the pictures but the front cover is in color. Why is it shown in grayscale in this edition instead?