Gypsy (Uriah Heep song)

"Gypsy"
Single by Uriah Heep
from the album ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
B-side"Real Turned On" (US)
"Bird of Prey" (EU)
ReleasedJuly 1970 (US)[1]
December 1970 (EU)[2]
Genre
Length6:37
LabelBronze
Mercury
Songwriter(s)Mick Box, David Byron
Producer(s)Gerry Bron
Uriah Heep singles chronology
"Gypsy"
(1970) 		"Lady in Black"
(1971)

"Gypsy" is the debut single by British progressive rock/hard rock band Uriah Heep. It is the opening track on their first album, …Very 'Eavy …Very 'Umble, released in 1970. "Gypsy" was written by Mick Box and David Byron. The album version of "Gypsy" lasts more than six and half minutes, while the single version lasts less than three minutes. The song is structured with an intro, outro and three verses with no chorus. It is a staple of the band's live performances.[5]

Reception

Martin Popoff called the song "[...] a sinner's march par excellence, one of the most regal marriages of crunching organ and power chords ever forged in fire [...]".[6] Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic said: "[...] the album's finest achievement is "Gypsy": this heavy metal gem nails the blend of swirling organ riffs, power chords, and leather-lunged vocal harmonies that would define the group's classic tunes [...]"[5] Billboard noted the song as "outstanding".[7] Ultimate Classic Rock commented: "The bombastic qualities of heavy metal’s revolutionary blueprint were all in evidence on the album’s dramatic opener, “Gypsy” [...]"[8]

Release

The song was included on the band's first compilation album, The Best of Uriah Heep (1974) and most other compilations including Totally Driven (2001), The Ultimate Collection (2003), Easy Livin': Singles A's & B's (2006), Loud, Proud & Heavy (2007), and Celebration (2009). It was also on two live albums, 1973's Uriah Heep Live and the 2011's Live in Armenia.[9]

Cover versions

The song was covered by American noise rock band godheadSilo in 1996, appearing on their Booby Trap 7-inch single.[10]

In 2023 the British heavy metal band Saxon covered the song for their covers album More Inspirations.[11]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1971) Peak
position
West Germany (GfK)[12] 28

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ "Gypsy single release".
  3. ^ Guarisco, Donald A. "Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble - Uriah Heep | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ Thompson, Dave (2004). Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story. ECW Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-55022-618-8.
  5. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  6. ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 300–301. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  7. ^ Sippel, John (19 February 1972). "Talent In Action - Uriah Heep". Billboard. Vol. 78. p. 16. This was especially evident on "Gypsy", an outstanding representative cut from their first of three Mercury albums.
  8. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (13 June 2015). "45 Years Ago: Uriah Heep Unveil Their Debut Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Uriah Heep Discography – Live Albums Archived 23 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine", The Official Uriah Heep Discography. Retrieved 8 October 2012
  10. ^ "Uriah Heep Cover Songs", the covers project. Retrieved 8 October 2012
  11. ^ "Discogs - Saxon, More Inspirations", Discogs. Retrieved 26 March 2023
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Gipsy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 15, 2024.