URIAH HEEP: Firefly LP Gatefold! Check videos

Uriah Heep – Firefly
Label: Bronze Records – ILPS 9483 [gatefold]
Format: Vinyl, Album, LP
Released: 1977
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock
Tracklist▼
A1 The Hanging Tree 3:40
A2 Been Away Too Long 5:03
A3 Who Needs Me 3:38
A4 Wise Man 4:40
B1 Do You Know 3:14
B2 Rollin' On 6:21
B3 Sympathy 4:48
B4 Firefly 6:17

Producer – Gerry Bron

℗&© 1977 Bronze Records Ltd.
Manufactured and distributed by Island Records Ltd.

Matrix / Runout (Run Out Side 1 [handwritten]): I-9 ILPS 9483 A1 PN-A EG
Matrix / Runout (Run Out Side 2 [handwritten]): I-15 ILPS 9483 B1 EG

Firefly is the tenth album released by British rock band Uriah Heep. It was first album without David Byron, lead vocalist and a founder-member of the band, and the first of three albums with John Lawton.
Bassist Trevor Bolder made his Heep-debut on this album and has been (almost) ever-present since, bar a break of about 18 months in 1981-82.
The single from the album was "Wise Man".

Also, "Sympathy" became a hit which was crucial for fans to accept the new lineup.

"Who Needs Me" was written by drummer Lee Kerslake and is about his unhappiness at the rejection, by manager and label boss Gerry Bron, of pretty-much any material by any one other than Ken Hensley. This is ultimately somewhat ironic, given the song's acceptance for recording.
Kerslake was credited as Lee "The Bear" Kerslake on this album only, due to his strong physical build and then newly-acquired beard growth.
The original vinyl album was a gatefold sleeve, with a cardboard lyric-liner.

Track listing:
All songs written by Ken Hensley, except where noted
"The Hanging Tree" (Hensley, Jack Williams) – 3:40
"Been Away Too Long" – 5:03
"Who Needs Me" (Kerslake) – 3:39
"Wise Man" – 4:40
"Do You Know" – 3:12
"Rollin' On" – 6:21
"Sympathy" – 3:44
"Firefly" – 6:21

John Lawton – lead vocals
Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, vocals
Mick Box – guitars
Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
Lee Kerslake – drums, vocals

After losing founding vocalist David Byron in 1976, many hard rock fans thought Uriah Heep had reached the end of the line. However, the group bounced back in 1977 with Firefly, an album that pursued a stripped-down sound harking back to the group's early-'70s successes. They also boasted a new singer in John Lawton, a vocalist who had made his fame working with artsy German hard rockers Lucifer's Friend. Although he lacked the multi-octave range of David Byron, Lawton boasted an impressive and emotionally rich hard rock voice that instantly jelled with the Uriah Heep sound. An ideal example of this new synergy was provided by the opening track, "The Hanging Tree," which featured Lawton dramatically delivering a narrative about an outlaw on the run over a spooky musical track that blended echo-drenched synthesizers with some typically gutsy guitar riffs from Mick Box. Other memorable tracks on Firefly include "Who Needs Me," a spirited slice of boogie rock with a rousing singalong chorus, and the title track, a miniature prog epic that deftly blends balladry, hard rock, and acoustic-styled folk into one cohesive outing. Nothing on Firefly hits the epic heights of "Gypsy" or "July Morning," but it contains none of the failed experiments that weighed down High and Mighty and it further benefits from a nice sense of consistency that is built on tight songwriting and inspired performances. In the end, Firefly remains one of the most cohesive albums from Uriah Heep's mid- to late-'70s period and is guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of the group's fan base.