Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)It was just a few years back that I was discussing with other Uriah Heep fans what an "unplugged" acoustic set of the bands' material would sound like and what songs out of their vast catalog would be included. At the time it was just a little game we played, and we never expected such a thing to become reality. But I doubt that even the most elaborate dreams and fantasies of we fans could have matched the reality of this album. For most of it's all-too-brief 75 minutes, Acoustically Driven is awe-inspiring in its magnificent beauty. The vast majority of the set contains tunes that Heep has seldom if ever performed live, and the quality of these songs testify to the consistent strength of the songwriting the band has maintained throughout their career, as well as providing a welcome alternative to the rest of the live Heep albums availible, which tend to feature more or less the same group of songs. And with an orchestral backing and even a renown guest artist (Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson) playing on a couple of tracks, the stage is set for greatness. Indeed, it is not exaggeration to say that AD can hold its own with the very best of live rock albums from any era, and that the beauty of some moments on this album can match anything done by Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, or Yes. Throw in a Roger Dean cover and a fully informative booklet and you've got an irresistible package. Some of the many highlights include "The Easy Road," arguably the bands' loveliest song, performed here in all its poignancy; the incredibly epic "Golden Palace" culled from the most recent studio album; "Cross That Line" and the title track from one of Heep's more lightly regarded albums, Different World, given a facelift; the two aforementioned tracks on which Anderson performs "Circus" and "Blind Eye"; and two more magnificent tracks from the Wonderworld album, the classic title track and the rousing "Shadows and the Wind." And then there is the incredible finale - a medley of three of the most awesome songs from the band's fourth release, Demons and Wizards, the greatest studio album ever recorded. The medley blends all three together seamlessly and the effect on the listener is indescribable. The only shortcoming on this instant classic is perhaps "Traveller in Time" and "More Fool You", two songs that were designed for a heavy electric guitar riff and don't sound quite right in this format. But even so the performances of these two songs juxtaposed together is quite excellent as well. For years, critics have dismissed Uriah Heep as (at best) a heavy metal curio, a subpar Purple-Zeppelin imitator, or a bunch of old geezers hanging on trying to recpature the fifteen minutes of fame they had in the early seventies. Acoustically Driven once and for all puts the lie to those ignorant critics. This is not only probably the best rock bands out there today, it is one of the greatest bands in rock history as well.
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