{"id":2057,"date":"2009-12-07T16:56:59","date_gmt":"2009-12-07T16:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kkdowning.net\/steelmill\/?post_type=interviews&p=2057"},"modified":"2024-09-06T09:45:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T09:45:08","slug":"lee-kerslake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kkdowning.net\/steelmill\/lee-kerslake\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee Kerslake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"lee1\"<\/a>
\n\u00a9 Esa Ahola<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

LEE KERSLAKE<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n


\n<\/strong><\/span>
\na Steel Mill interview<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Interview By Ville Krannila & Kimmo Tattari \/ December 2009<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Steel Mill, while in Salo some time ago, hooked up with another Uriah Heep legend, drummer Lee Kerslake for one hour chat. Lee joined Heep for their seminal \u201cDemons & Wizards\u201d album in 1972 and excluding a two year stint in Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s band in the early 1980\u2019s, played with Mick Box and company for 35 years. He departed in 2007 citing health issues and has been happy playing more infrequently since then. Besides musical activities Lee is also preparing for his autobiography.<\/p>\n

You have now semi-retired from playing, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019ve semi-retired because of illness but I\u2019m getting over it. I\u2019m better now. I\u2019ve had a lot of illnesses which I\u2019ve refused to let take me over and beat me. But there are certain things you cannot beat, old age and everything that comes with it. You can\u2019t deny that. That\u2019s why I had to retire. I have rheumatism in my neck bones, from shoulders to the brain. So because of this I have a headache 24\/7. It\u2019s bit of a pain but I\u2019m not going to complain because that\u2019s my life. I\u2019ve had a tough life, I\u2019ve lived hard and fast and I\u2019ve enjoyed it. And I\u2019m enjoying it now probably more than ever. I\u2019ve got a band called Master\u2019s Project in Switzerland. They are semi-professional guys and we\u2019ve done club gigs and some festivals, it\u2019s went down well. We supported Nazareth and ended up playing three encores! So that was quite a thing for me.<\/p>\n

Obviously it must be easier for you to play occasional gig here and there than a full world tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah, I couldn\u2019t do a three month, six weeks on one go anymore. It just takes all out of me. But I still play just as hard on the drums. As I did when I was 25. Except now it hurts! (laughs).<\/p>\n

Travelling and everything else involved in something such as a big world tour must also take its toll?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, playing on stage is wonderful, the rest of it is crap.<\/p>\n

OK let\u2019s go back to the beginning, when you first joined Uriah Heep, was it in the early 1970\u2019s?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I joined in 1971. November 23rd to be exact.<\/p>\n

What bands were you in before Heep?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was in a band in Barmouth which was kind of my band. I was semi-professional and working same time as an electronics engineer. Then Paul Newton Senior saw me play a gig in Barmouth – he was the father of future Heep bassist Paul Newton. He found out where I lived and came to my house asking me if I wanted a job in a band from London called The Gods. And it was 25 pounds a week. I went \u201c25 pounds? Oh yeah!!\u201d That was thousands of euros to me then! So he told me to get my stuff and move over to Landover where they were living and rehearsing. Then I met Ken and Paul Newton Junior and with a guitar player we started writing and playing. We became a very, very big cult favourite band. We sold out the Marquee two days in a row. We were quite successful and all the harmonies we did later in Uriah Heep, The Gods started doing those. I, Ken, Paul and Joe Konas did them in those early days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee4\"<\/a>
\n\u00a9 Lee Kerslake<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Your first album with Uriah Heep was the all time classic \u201cDemons & Wizards.\u201d While making it, did you have any idea you were creating something special?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, none of us had any idea it was going like that. It\u2019s unbelievable how fast the songs were written and recorded in those days. It was genius. It made things a lot easier as Ken would come with a crutch or a format of a song and we\u2019d play and arrange it right there in the studio. We\u2019d listen to playback and think \u201cWow that\u2019s pretty good!\u201d We never thought it would sell gold in America or go top-20, ever. But we did the album and Deep Purple\u2019s manager said to our manager Gerry Bron they wanted to put Uriah Heep in as a support band in America. And I had never been to America so it was great. We went there in January 1972 and by the end of those two months we were in the charts and headlining our own shows!<\/p>\n

The success of \u201cEasy Livin\u2019\u201d single must have helped a lot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It just flew. Every station played it, no matter where you went it was heard on the radio and that set the album off as well. They started playing the album tracks too and we were on our way.<\/p>\n

After \u201cDemons & Wizards\u201d you did several classic rock albums..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah we had a good run. All albums had classics in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee3\"<\/a>
\n\u00a9 Esa Ahola<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Especially great achievement considering the short amount of time in which these were issued?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, we did two albums a year and were touring as well. We were doing about 11 months solid on the road every year.<\/p>\n

Why do you think the bands don\u2019t do that anymore?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They get it too easy. I think that\u2019s the problem. They don\u2019t even have to play or do any kind of entrepreneurship. If a guy\u2019s good looking, has good hair, can play the guitar and is average they will just train him. And you have to have that entrepreneurship and hardship, trying to make it. That makes you experienced and makes you work harder and be good at your job.<\/p>\n

Heep followed \u201cDemons & Wizards\u201d with \u201cThe Magician\u2019s Birthday.\u201d The title track was a classic and featured a \u201cduel\u201d with Mick Box\u2019s guitar and your drums. What memories do you have of recording that song?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we wanted a fight in between the song. We had to have a guitar and a drum thing in the middle. With guitar being the good wizard and drums the bad wizard. So it created an image of light sabre swords and pandemonium. We did a rough take and I said to Mick: \u201cthat\u2019s it, we\u2019re going to have to do it in one take.\u201d It was going to be 10-12 minutes flat out. There had to be a lot of energy. Then we did it and it was just magic, it just happened. We looked at each other and smiled. All the notes were there, it worked. And it was just one-off take.<\/p>\n

After \u201cThe Magician\u2019s Birthday\u201d you recorded few more classic albums, but problems started to arise, first with bassist Gary Thain\u2019s sacking and death not long after..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, Gary was a loner in a way. And unfortunately he had a drug habit which became a problem. Anyone of us could have had that problem but discipline with certain people is another way to getting over it. I mean I used to drink Southern Comfort, that was my problem. But next day you would have a hangover and would not want to drink. Whereas with Gary, he\u2019d just take more drugs. It was unfortunate but that was the curse of touring and having to work so much. We were on the road constantly and that added to the problem. We didn\u2019t take the time off to evaluate ourselves or our heads, we just kept on working. You never knew when it was going to finish, so you worked on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee7\"<\/a>
\nUriah Heep with it’s most classic line-up:
\n(left to right:) Ken Hensley, Lee Kerslake, Mick Box, David Byron and Gary Thain<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

And David Byron had a similar problem?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was a drinker but he couldn\u2019t handle it. There was just so much pressure. You got to imagine it, getting up every morning, then flying, doing a soundcheck, 30 000 people, meet and greet, do the show, then a record company party with all the people there again. And next morning up at 8.00 o\u2019clock. It wears you down. We used to do three days in a row, then have one off. Then four days, one off \u2013 just to keep the momentum.<\/p>\n

David\u2019s last album with Heep was \u201cHigh & Mighty,\u201d which wasn\u2019t as successful as previous records…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I thought it was a great album. I really liked it. We just had the inability to cope, we were all getting on each others nerves. Which happens when you live with a band together like a family for nigh on seven years. You end up hating your wife if you were together that much! (laughs) So we had our problems, they came to the surface and people had to go. I mean I had to go too. I couldn\u2019t stand Gerry Bron anymore, I was fed up with him. He was ripping us off, taking 50 % of everything we earned. And his whole attitude which was \u201cI am god.\u201d He always said he was Uriah Heep, don\u2019t know what we were supposed to be.<\/p>\n

Bron worked at the same time as your manager, record producer and also ran Heep\u2019s record company..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, you couldn\u2019t do that now. Nowadays that kind of thing is illegal. It\u2019s a conflict of interest.<\/p>\n

An era ended with the departure of David Byron in 1976. For a while there was confusion whether he was fired or left on his own?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He got sacked and it was really sad. Gerry, that guy just brushed him off. It left a bit of bad taste in my mouth because I thought what if it had happened to me with those times I got a bit drunk or had blown it on stage? Although I never blew it on stage, I always did afterwards. I got a bit rowdy. So it was basically down to Gerry Bron not being the right person to manage the band, even though he did.<\/p>\n

John Lawton replaced David and Heep went towards more commercial direction. Was this a conscious decision?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, we tried to outgrow the fantasy. We didn\u2019t know which way to go. We had spent so much time on demons, wizards and other things so we tried to go commercial. And it was good, but the fans didn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

According to John Lawton, this was one of the reasons he left and the band fell apart..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes he wasn\u2019t happy so we decided to call it a day. And when he left, I left at the same time. It was virtually within a month. I just had enough of the politics, I was tired and wanted to do my own solo album. So I met a bass player who ran a studio in London. And I started to record my own songs with Peter Cox, from Go West. This was before he was famous, he was a great singer.<\/p>\n

Before this, while in Heep, did you ever feel you weren\u2019t getting your own material across?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I was happy with what I put out. I wrote with David, Mick and Gary. We were always on the same opinion. I could write the whole song except maybe one verse, yet we all shared. There was no animosity, no \u201cI\u2019m going to get 10 %, you get 80 %, you get the rest.\u201d We just shared it, it saved us a lot of energy, a lot of hassle. And other times Mick would come in with a great riff, I wouldn\u2019t think of it. We\u2019d write it and we shared.<\/p>\n

And you wrote one of the all-time Heep classics \u201cCome Back To Me\u201d with Ken Hensley, which was about your divorce..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah but actually I wrote the whole thing. Gerry Bron again wanted a middle section, a link of sorts, so Ken brought that in. But the majority of the song was mine. And I helped Ken write that link section anyway.<\/p>\n

After you left Heep, they recorded one album in 1980 without you..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah they did \u201cConquest\u201d and I was doing my own solo album. Then I got a phone call from an agent for Black Sabbath in Germany. He said: \u201cI\u2019ve got a friend of yours, Ozzy Osbourne, who wants you to join his band.\u201d I thought about it for a while and then asked \u201cWell, who\u2019s their manager?\u201d And I found out it was Don Arden and thought: \u201cOh my God, the crook, the villain!\u201d (laughs)<\/p>\n

But I told them I would audition for them and they would audition for me and we\u2019d see how we get on. I had never heard Randy (Rhoads) at that point. So we set up studios for rehearsal and as I didn\u2019t know any of the songs I was given \u201cCrazy Train\u201d to learn before. And Randy started playing the riff and I went: \u201cWhoaah! Yeah!!\u201d (laughs). I thought to myself what a guitarist! It was mind boggling.<\/p>\n

Within two weeks we were in studio recording the first album. They had already written most of it but I put in a lot of arrangements, a lot of ideas, riffs and parts.<\/p>\n

With Ozzy Osbourne, you recorded two of his most classic solo albums: \u201cBlizzard Of Ozz\u201d and \u201cDiary Of A Madman\u201d..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes and I wrote the songs on \u201cDiary Of A Madman\u201d with Randy and Bob (Daisley). Then my mother fell seriously ill so I had to leave and take care of her. But that was a great time and those were great records. \u201cFlyin\u2019 High Again\u201d was one of my ideas, \u201cOver The Mountain\u201d was another. The basic tracks were just Bob\u2019s words, my vocals \u2013 though some of the words I wrote \u2013 and Randy\u2019s playing. It was unreal. And then we got Don Airey to come in and do the keyboards. Soon after I was back out on the road with Uriah Heep in America. And suddenly the album was number 10 on the charts! We\u2019d done it again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee6\"<\/a>
\n(left to right:) Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Being on the road with Ozzy must have been an experience since he was a quite wild man?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes he was wild guy, but I was only with him on the English tour. I didn\u2019t go to America because before that we had a big fight with his wife Sharon and she got rid of me and Bob. It was really unfair but there you go, and that was that. And I\u2019m really glad in one way because I probably would have been on that plane with Randy. I used to love flying, so I could have been killed. I wish Randy had never been on that plane either, I wish he never would have stayed with Ozzy. Because he was going to leave Ozzy, he was going to study classical music and would have wanted to work with me and Bob. And that would have been brilliant. But I didn\u2019t know that until later on.<\/p>\n

Still do you have great memories about being part of those two classic albums?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I wrote a lot of them. I remember every minute. I remember there was a huge piano in the middle of the studio, I played something with it and Randy picked it up and a song would come out of it. And other times Randy would do a solo and I\u2019d come up with an idea for it. We all helped each other out.<\/p>\n

You returned to Uriah Heep for 1982\u2019s \u201cAbominog,\u201d which was a heavy record..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, that was a great album. Geffen Records wanted Uriah Heep in America and that album was ready to go, but they didn\u2019t want Gerry Bron. And Gerry just sniffed it. The album would have gone to top-10 but the way it went, it just died. It was such a shame. That album was a return back to real heavy rock.<\/p>\n

How do you remember Pete Goalby as a vocalist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was a great singer, everything was fine and we were all getting along. \u201cHead First\u201d (1983) was a good one too.<\/p>\n

After that you had \u201cEquator,\u201d which was another slightly problematic era..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes that was another one with changes. After that it all fell apart again. We got Steff Fontaine for an American tour but we got rid of him quickly. He was a total fake, a typical Californian fraud. He was an idiot. Then we auditioned Bernie (Shaw) for couple of times and it worked out great. And it just got better and better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee5\"<\/a>
\n\u00a9 Lee Kerslake<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

That line-up with yourself, Mick Box, Phil Lanzon, Bernie Shaw and Trevor Bolder would last over 20 years..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah that was solid. We got Bernie in 1985 or 1986 – can\u2019t remember, it\u2019s been so many years. It was right before we went to Russia. We were the first heavy rock band ever to go there.<\/p>\n

With this line-up you recorded three records in a row ending with \u201cSea Of Light\u201d in 1995, which was a great rock album released when traditional bands were suffering from lack of good press and promotion. This in part because grunge had taken over and generally record industry was going through a change..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, with the CD\u2019s and DVD\u2019s it all totally changed. I was a bit slow on all that but it had to happen.<\/p>\n

Were the changes within record industry the reason there were ten years in between 1998\u2019s \u201cSonic Origami\u201d and last year\u2019s \u201cWake The Sleeper\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we were in between record deals and we put out live albums to keep the momentum. The record industry is a funny business, one guy like Robbie Williams gets 28 million to sign to EMI and Billy Joel 50 million to sign to RCA. And then they turn around and offer us 60\u00a0000 to do an album. Well, I don\u2019t step out the door with my share of that. You do the album with that and you don\u2019t have any money for your own living expectations. And the 60 or 70\u00a0000 they can use as a tax write-off so it\u2019s gone, just like that.<\/p>\n

In your opinion, why Uriah Heep never became as big rock mammoth as for example Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a question I don\u2019t have an answer to but the songs we had were equally as good. I think we were a bit late, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin had been there 3-4 years before us. They had already left their mark and we got the tail end.<\/p>\n

Heep never did 40-minute jams on stage either, which was popular during the 1970\u2019s..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s what it was those days. Deep Purple never did jams in a sense but some of the bands including Led Zeppelin had these jams in their sets. We never did that, we never did 10 songs and then half an hour jam to fill up the contract.<\/p>\n

Zeppelin also never had singles..<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, they had \u201cWhole Lotta Love\u201d but their manager Peter Grant was very clever, pulled it off the charts and put the album in. And the album was on the singles chart which was unique.<\/p>\n

During your time in Ozzy\u2019s band you set a plate with your drum style, which other drummers then followed. How do you feel about that today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, I\u2019m honoured because it puts me in a category. In between my Uriah Heep stints in the early 1980\u2019s I was rated as one of the top 20 drummers in the world. At that time I was constantly in the top 10-15 in different ratings. To be one of the top drummers in the world, that was a great honour. That\u2019s like being a world champion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"lee2\"<\/a>
\n\u00a9 Esa Ahola<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In your opinion, what makes a great drummer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has to have a character and a lot of heart. And a lot of guts like John Bonham had. John was my idol, I loved him and knew him fairly well. He was a great fellow and I loved his drumming. He was hard rock to me. Cozy Powell was another great drummer and Carmine Appice another. I mean there\u2019s a legacy of excellent drummers and I was proud to be put in that same category of hard drummers. You get into a band, go out on tour and people come to you saying \u201cyou are one of the greatest drummers in the world.\u201d It\u2019s lovely but you can\u2019t let that get to your head. It\u2019s a nice compliment.<\/p>\n

Couple of years ago you left Uriah Heep again, was this because of your illness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I had to leave. We were doing an acoustic set in Germany and I wasn\u2019t sleeping on the bus. I cannot sleep on the buses, it really is claustrophobic for me. So I had to sleep in the back, sat up. And I could only sleep for 3 or 4 hours at a time so I was really tired. And I just blew it on stage, just couldn\u2019t remember. Then I realized I had to quit and pack it in. And I said to them: \u201cYou have got to go on and do your thing, get a new drummer.\u201d It\u2019s a hell of a job getting a drummer and it had to be a totally different kind of player. Most of the guys wouldn\u2019t have worked but that guy (Russell Gilbrook) is quite good.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your take on Heep\u2019s \u201cWake The Sleeper\u201d album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t love the album. And I seriously wanted to like it, because if it was good all the back catalogue with me would have gone up and sold! But I wasn\u2019t too impressed with it. It\u2019s not sour grapes, not at all. It\u2019s just my opinion.<\/p>\n

So back to present, you will be up on stage again tomorrow, what can we expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

All hell breaking loose! (laughs) We\u2019ll have some fun, get up there and do about 8 to 10 songs. We are going to enjoy it and hope fans will too.<\/p>\n

One project of yours not mentioned yet is the \u201cLiving Loud\u201d-album you recorded with Bob Daisley, Don Airey, Jimmy Barnes and Steve Morse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah that was a great album. We did some covers of Ozzy\u2019s tracks and some stuff of our own.<\/p>\n

Will there be a follow-up at some point?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, at the moment we are going to re-release the first album in America next year if we can and get a good release date. It\u2019s a good album. It was quite popular here and in Germany but nowhere else.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve had a long career, can you name some of the highlights?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh there\u2019s so many, I can\u2019t possibly name them all. One was receiving a gold album for the first time, it was just amazing! And then achieving the platinum one was even more amazing. That was something to behold. And basically playing to 30\u00a0000 people, they are lighting candles and you see 20\u00a0000 candles and lighters when you are singing \u201cStealin\u2019\u201d \u2013 it was unbelievable! We had one gig in Pittsburgh in a huge stadium and the place opened up, they let off hundreds of thousands of fireflies. And the whole stadium just lit up with fireflies. You should have heard the cheering and clapping, it was fabulous! Great memories and there\u2019s so many of them. I\u2019m starting to get a book together at the end of this year. A writer is going to come in with me and we\u2019ll start writing my life story. So you can look forward to that.<\/p>\n

Before we wrap this up, can you tell us the story of the J\u00e4germeister advert you were involved in?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was asked to do it by Gunther, Uriah Heep\u2019s tour manager in Germany. I used to drink a lot J\u00e4germeister so he said: \u201cyou should do an advert.\u201d And I told him to set it up. So I called them and was told I would get 300 Deutsch marks and a case of J\u00e4germeister and my face on the magazine. That sounded cool, it was fine by me. I asked them if I could wear a t-shirt with the new album cover on it. This was \u201cFirefly.\u201d They agreed to it. But the way they did it; I was in Stern-magazine centrefold which sold millions. And I was on every bus, every train, my face sold J\u00e4germeister! Plus \u201cFirefly\u201d was sold over 200.000 copies more, it was fabulous promotion! (laughs) You couldn\u2019t beat that, it was a big deal.<\/p>\n

Thanks a lot, Lee!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lee Kerslake on the web:<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/lee_kerslake<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Special thanks to Tapio Minkkinen and Esa Ahola.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Where from:<\/strong> UK<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Active:<\/strong> late 1960’s -><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Style:<\/strong> hard rock, heavy metal<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
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Discography:
\n<\/strong>Uriah Heep \u2013 Demons & Wizards (1972), Uriah Heep \u2013 The Magician\u2019s Birthday (1972), Uriah Heep \u2013 Sweet Freedom (1973), Uriah Heep \u2013 Live (1973), Uriah Heep \u2013 Wonderworld (1974), Uriah Heep \u2013 Return To Fantasy (1975), Uriah Heep \u2013 High & Mighty (1976), Uriah Heep \u2013 Firefly (1977), Uriah Heep \u2013 Innocent Victim (1977), Uriah Heep \u2013 Fallen Angel (1978), Ozzy Osbourne \u2013 Blizzard Of Ozz (1980), Ozzy Osbourne \u2013 Diary of A Madman (1981), Uriah Heep \u2013 Abominog (1982), Uriah Heep \u2013 Head First (1983), Uriah Heep \u2013 Equator (1985), Uriah Heep \u2013 Raging Silence (1989), Uriah Heep \u2013 Different World (1991), Uriah Heep \u2013 Sea Of Light (1995), Uriah Heep \u2013 Spellbinder (1996), Uriah Heep \u2013 Sonic Origami (1998), Uriah Heep \u2013 Future Echoes Of The Past (2000), Uriah Heep \u2013 Acoustically Driven (2001), Uriah Heep \u2013 Electrically Driven (2001), Uriah Heep \u2013 The Magician\u2019s Birthday Party (2002), Uriah Heep \u2013 Live In The USA (2003), Living Loud \u2013 Living Loud (2004)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Trivia: <\/strong>The eyes of the snake in the cover of Uriah Heep\u2019s \u201cInnocent Victim\u201d- album are said to belong to Lee Kerslake.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Essential releases (top5):<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\nUriah Heep:
\nThe Magician\u2019s Birthday (1972)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Lee\u2019s second album with Heep is an underrated masterpiece, from Roger Dean\u2019s awesome cover art to excellent musicianship, every single track is a monster. David Byron sings like a demon on \u201cTales\u201d and like an angel on \u201cRain\u201d. \u201cBlind Eye\u201d remains a forgotten favourite and the classic title track with its famous guitar\/drum battle has lost none of its charm after 37 years. One of the key elements here is Lee\u2019s drumming which fills the sound picture but every member\u2019s work is to be applauded. Read the Steel Mill review<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\nOzzy Osbourne:
\nBlizzard Of Ozz (1980)<\/p>\n

<\/strong>No one expected anything from Ozzy after his departure from Black Sabbath. Thus the surprise when \u201cBlizzard Of Ozz\u201d was released in 1980. The album is still the greatest thing Mr.Osbourne has recorded and a lot of it is down to sheer power of his band, the one and only Randy Rhoads on guitar, Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums. \u201cMr. Crowley,\u201d \u201cSuicide Solution\u201d and immortal \u201cCrazy Train\u201d are rightful classics you never get tired of hearing. Follow-up \u201cDiary Of A Madman\u201d was equally great effort, also embellished by Lee\u2019s great drum work.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\nUriah Heep:
\nAbominog (1982)<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Kerslake returned to Heep with a bang as the band unveiled arguably their heaviest album to date. Pete Goalby lacked stage presence but had a strong set of pipes and group\u2019s compositions backed him well here. Even with Heep\u2019s main song writer Ken Hensley gone, good songs still prevailed and the band kept up a powerful melodic intensity on tracks like \u201cToo Scared To Run\u201d and \u201cOn The Rebound.\u201d<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\nUriah Heep:
\nSea Of Light (1995)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Latter day Heep highlight, after two solid studio efforts with singer Bernie Shaw the band struck gold with this 1995-offering. It perfectly combined their usual sense of melodic dynamism and those famous Heep- harmonies. Everything from \u201cAgainst The Odds\u201d to \u201cUniversal Wheels\u201d works on all levels and everyone excels on their respective instruments.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\nLiving Loud:
\nLiving Loud (2004)<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Living Loud started as an idea of Bob Daisley and Lee already in the 1980\u2019s, with the prospect of re-recording some of the classic Ozzy tracks and adding few new tunes. In 2004 guys put together a super group of Jimmy Barnes on vocals and current Deep Purple members Steve Morse on guitar and Don Airey on keyboards. A result is an energetic fusion of metal and hard rock, Barnes\u2019s bluesy voice combined with Morse\u2019s stylish guitar playing and Lee\u2019 & Bob\u2019s solid rhythm work makes this a rare gem to look out for.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 Esa Ahola LEE KERSLAKE a Steel Mill interview Interview By Ville Krannila & Kimmo Tattari \/ December 2009 Steel Mill, while in Salo some time ago, hooked up with another Uriah Heep legend, drummer Lee Kerslake for one hour chat. 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