Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf

Ken Hensley must be one of the most underrated musicians in rock history. The sheer quantity and quality of its output in the first half of the seventies, both with Uriah Heep and alone is astonishing. That many critics didn't like Heep much is a clear sign that you should never trust rock critics, only use them to gain information and then make your own point of view. But let's get to this first record as a solo artist, an album I only got round to buy recently, I must admit in general I'm not too keen on solo records by members of solid groups, usually either you get a third-rate version of the original or some overblown effort to show "I can do better". Not so with Mr.Hensley, clearly using his solo space to use songs he couldn't use well or adapt to Uriah Heep but rightly reckoned worthwhile. His voice, heard in some Heep tracks, has little to do withe the mighty Byron, but it's a good voice nonetheless and suits the much less heavy stuff here very fine, his guitar playing may not be hot as Box's but there's nothing wrong with it and his keyboard playing is just as good as with Heep (he may not be a virtuoso like Emerson or Wakeman, but who cares). I'd say he would have passed an audition for his own band both as a singer and a guitar player! So what you get is good songwriting, clever, subtle arrangements and a final result which is both very far from any Uriah Heep record but not disjointed, not like he didn't want people to think of Heep. There is also a distinct country influence, to the point that at least one track wouldn't be out of place in an Eagles album! What would Heep fans make of his country leanings I fail to imagine, nevertheless, I still think an open-minded Heep fan should give it a try and so should fans of seventies rock in general. A nice surprise.

I actually prefer this album to anything by Uriah Heep.It has a softer, more 'singer/songwriter' sound.

I have been looking for this album in CD format for quite some time as I had the original album. It was Ken Hensley's début solo effort, he was the keyboard player/songwriter of Uriah Heep and although is was a more mellow sound than Uriah Heep I liked it and really enjoyed listening to it after all this time

Has been a favourite album for many years. Cold Autumn Sunday is just brilliant

It was so Nice to hear the good old Music in Perfect sound.********

A great cd from a great musician.

This is Ken Hensley's first solo album and was a gem. Ken was a member of Uriah Heep. Every track is great. This album would do justice to every shelf (hopefully not dusty). It's a real classic.

For me, Ken Hensley was the songwriting genius behind Uriah Heep, both melodically & lyrically. When this vinyl album first came out I was looking forward to hearing 'Rain', which he'd originally decided to record with a heavy drumbeat backing, until outvoted by the rest of the band, as they liked the simple beauty of the song as it stood, so I was looking forward to comparing both versions. To my disappointment, the version here is similar to the 'Heep' version.Overall though, this is an impressive album, with some lovely guitar, keyboard & synthesiser work, strong melodies & lyrics. The weaker pieces, such as 'King Without a Throne' don't rise above the pedestrian, but these are well outweighed by some really strong numbers, such as 'Fortune', 'When Evening Comes', 'From Time to Time', 'Black-hearted Lady', and 'The Last Time', which feature richly melodic guitar, strong unforgettable melodies, and great lyrics, well delivered.I've never tired of this album, and feel the best tracks (like the best of Heep's output) are ageless.