" magician's birthday" (1972) the fifth release from the band and the first to have the same line-up as the previous album (demons and wizards)is a truimph. songs that range from thoughtful, to thought provoking, to good hard rock'in. (dig mick box's guitar solo groov'in with lee kerslake's drumming on the title track, wow).with top notch perfomances from vocalist david byron, bassist gary thain, and everybodys everything ken hensley. combined with meaninful lyrics and great art work. "the magician's birthday" is a must for any music collection. recomended for tastes that range from classical to metal. check out these songs: "sunrise", "tales",and "blind eye".enjoy this masterpiece, JACK E. STRICKLIN

TMB is a great album that needs to be introduced to a new generation of hard rockers. The guitars are hard and crunchy and exude vintage hard rock tone. The bass and drums are fat, thick, and punchy. They work well together anchoring the bottom end. The album's overall texture is very compressed, very milky. The vocals are dynamite, as always. This was the era when it was acceptable to be a heavy group and have a singer who would belt out real singing. Contrast Uriah Heep with vocals from much of today's metal scene: barking, yelling -- tattooed, pierced, aggro lead singers refusing to clean their bedrooms, etc. What happened?

The Magician's Birthday succeeds in every song, and I don't really hear a dull spot. It is well sequenced and the momentum never falls flat. The lyrics are cool. I love the dark, 'psychedelifantasy' motif which is explored in many settings. Other 'Heep records have a similar feel.

Some people think this album is inferior to and less cohesive than Demons and Wizards but I disagree. It is a shame that these tracks don't get regular airplay on major rock radio stations. We would have better heavy metal in the mainstream if more people could tune in on the way to work.

TMB typifies the nearly lost art of melding acoustic and heavy electric guitar in a heavy metal record. Keyboards and synths contribute atmosphere for more of that weird fantasy element, while the aggressive drums and bass prevent things from ever going soft.

Buy this record and TURN IT UP. It's one of those records that sounds better loud, or you might as well not listen at all. And for all you apartment dwellers, cranking it up in the car just doesn't do justice. So pick a day and piss off your neighbors :D

The disc and case were in perfect condition, if you like Uriah Heep I recommend this disc.

I gave up trying to use software to transfer this album to CD via computer. IT WAS BETTER TO BUY IT AGAIN ON cd. These guys really cover a lot of serendipities on this album. One of the best Uriah Albums along with Demons & Wizards. The idea flows through these albums of wise men (wizards and such like) are still here fighting evil. The concept that love can overcome evil flows through these songs among other things. People say things are worse now. In reality all through history good men and women fought evil and faced evil in all it's different forms. Sometimes Uriah Heap just sing about fun and other times songs like Magicians Birthday inspire us to carry on. This is more than great music. The message is still alive today ! I'm just sitting here drinking good red wine and being inspired with hope for the future of mankind by listening to Magician's Birthday !

This is the first album that I have ever bought, so it reminds me lots of memories from the past...how time pass too quickly !
This cd is a classic album for Uriah Heep, the band was at its peak !
All songs are magical with some special mention for "Echoes in the dark", "Rain", "Tales" and the title tracks. "The Magician's Birthday", these are favorite of mine.