Sweet Freedom is the sixth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in September 1973 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US.
| Sweet Freedom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1973 | |||
| Recorded | June–July 1973 | |||
| Studio | Château d'Hérouville, France | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:23 | |||
| Label | Bronze | |||
| Producer | Gerry Bron | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Sweet Freedom | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[5] |
The original vinyl release was a gatefold, reproducing the lyrics within. There was also a central page with a photograph of each band member.
It was the first Uriah Heep album to be released by Warner Bros. in the U.S. Sweet Freedom reached No. 33 in the US Billboard 200 chart.[6] It was certified gold by the RIAA on 5 March 1974.[7]
AllMusic's retrospective review noted that Heep "began to explore new styles to flesh out their combination of prog complexity and heavy metal muscle."[4]
The album was remastered and reissued by Castle Communications in 1996 with two bonus tracks, and again in 2004 in an expanded deluxe edition.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ken Hensley, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreamer" | Gary Thain, Mick Box | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Stealin'" | 4:49 | |
| 3. | "One Day" | Hensley, Thain | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Sweet Freedom" | 6:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "If I Had the Time" | 5:43 | |
| 6. | "Seven Stars" | 3:52 | |
| 7. | "Circus" | Thain, Box, Lee Kerslake | 2:44 |
| 8. | "Pilgrim" | Hensley, David Byron | 7:10 |
| Total length: | 37:23 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Silver White Man" | Byron | 3:40 |
| 10. | "Crystal Ball" | Thain | 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Sunshine" | Thain, Box | 4:48 |
| 10. | "Seven Stars" (extended version) | 7:03 | |
| 11. | "Pilgrim" (extended version – previously unreleased) | Hensley, Byron | 8:29 |
| 12. | "If I Had the Time" (demo) | 6:02 | |
| 13. | "Sweet Freedom" (alternative live version) | 6:48 | |
| 14. | "Stealin'" (alternative live version) | 5:41 |
Personnel
editUriah Heep
- David Byron – lead vocals
- Mick Box – guitars
- Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
- Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Gary Thain – bass guitar
Production
- Gerry Bron – producer
- Peter Gallen – engineer, mixing at Lansdowne Studios, London
Charts
edit| Chart (1973–1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 19 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] | 9 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] | 5 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[11] | 14 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[12] | 2 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 12 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] | 45 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 18 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 33 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 302. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "RIAA Database: Search for Uriah Heep". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4940". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Sweet Freedom – Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "British album certifications – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom". Recording Industry Association of America.
