Return to Fantasy

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Return to Fantasy
Studio album by
Uriah Heep
Released13 June 1975
RecordedSpring 1975
StudioLansdowne and Morgan, London
Genre
Length40:35
LabelBronze
ProducerGerry Bron
Uriah Heep chronology
Wonderworld
(1974) 		Return to Fantasy
(1975) 		High and Mighty
(1976)
Singles from Return to Fantasy
  1. "Prima Donna"
    Released: June 1975
  2. "Return to Fantasy"
    Released: July 1975 (Europe and Japan) [1]

Return to Fantasy is the eighth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released on 13 June 1975 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was the first of the two albums to feature John Wetton as the new bass player, who replaced Gary Thain in early 1975.

The sleeve-art is by British artist Dave Field.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal5/10[3]

Return to Fantasy "retains the musical experimentation that marked Sweet Freedom and Wonderworld, but has an overall harder-rocking feel that makes it more consistent than either one of those albums", said Donald A. Guarisco in his retrospective AllMusic review. He criticized some of the album's "genre-hopping", and concluded, "In the end, Return to Fantasy lacks the coherence of a top-shelf Uriah Heep classic like Demons and Wizards but remains a strong and likable album that is guaranteed to please the group's fans".[2] The review by Canadian journalist Martin Popoff was very critical of the album's recording "dominated by blaring but thin organ and sloppy drumming" and of Byron's "distant and unsure" performance, judging the album "completely adrift without a trace of spark".[3]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by David Byron, Mick Box, Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Return to Fantasy"Hensley, Byron5:52
2."Shady Lady" 4:46
3."Devil's Daughter" 4:48
4."Beautiful Dream" 4:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Prima Donna" 3:11
6."Your Turn to Remember"Hensley4:22
7."Showdown" 4:17
8."Why Did You Go" 3:53
9."A Year or a Day"Hensley4:22
Total length:40:35
1996 Essential remastered and expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Shout It Out" (B-side to single "Prima Donna")Hensley3:34
11."The Time Will Come" (B-side to single "Return to Fantasy") 4:10
12."Beautiful Dream" (previously unreleased version) 5:49
13."Return to Fantasy" (edited version) 3:39
Total length:57:49
2004 Sanctuary Midline remastered and expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Shout It Out" (B-side)3:34
11."The Time Will Come" (B-side)4:08
12."Prima Donna" (alternate demo version)4:05
13."Why Did You Go" (alternate demo version)5:18
14."Showdown" (alternate demo version)4:18
15."Beautiful Dream" (alternate demo version)5:48
16."Return to Fantasy" (extended version)7:18
Total length:75:08

Personnel[edit]

Uriah Heep
Production
  • Gerry Bron – producer
  • Peter Gallen – engineer
  • Dave Burns, Dave Harris – assistant engineers
  • Harry Moss – mastering engineer at EMI Abbey Road Studios, London
  • Dave Field – illustration
  • Joe Gaffney – photography

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
  2. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. Uriah Heep - Return to Fantasy review at AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 303. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4021b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "Return to Fantasy - Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1975. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Uriah Heep – Prima Donna (Song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Prima Donna - Uriah Heep". Danske Hitlister.dk. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". Ultratop.be (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
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