Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on May 25, 2006 0:27:19 GMT -5
Ken Hensley Of Uriah Heep/Blackfoot
Interview by Nightwatcher
November 18, 2005
One of the most legendary heavy rock bands of the 1970's was undoubtedly Uriah Heep. Criminally and unjustly slammed by rock critics back in the day, the British rockers put out a streak of progressive, heavy Hammond inflected albums which form the basis of the Heep canon, and which continue to influence metal and hard rock to this very day. Songs such as "Easy Livin'," "Stealin'," "Gypsy," "Lady In Black," "The Wizard," and "July Morning" were all in constant rotation on FM rock radio, quickly earning a die hard, loyal following, in the process making the band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early to mid 70's. Formed by guitarist Mick Box and vocalist David Byron in 1970, the band's sound truly began to gel during the recording of 'Very 'Eavy.. Very 'Umble' when keyboardist Ken Hensley joined the fold, contributing not only majestic organ work but also strong songwriting skills as well. It was this core of musicians, later joined by bassist Gary Thain and drummer Lee Kerslake, who recorded such classic albums as 'Demons & Wizards,' 'The Magician's Party,' 'Sweet Freedom,' and the thundering 'Uriah Heep Live,' which today remains one of the classic live albums of the hard rock/metal genre.
After leaving Heep after 1980's 'Conquest,' Hensley went on to record and tour with Southern rockers Blackfoot before embarking on a full fledged solo career, the latest fruit being the brand new anthology 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' the second of a planned trilogy. Combined with the massive 6 CD Heep boxset 'Chapter And Verse,' there's plenty of activity going on. Recently we had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with one of the true legends of rock keyboard during a lull in his current Scandinavian tour. Read on as we talk with "The Wizard" himself, Mr. Ken Hensley!
Rock N Roll Universe : First off Ken, we'd like to thank you for taking the time out to talk with us, we really appreciate it.
Ken Hensley : You are quite welcome!!
RNRU : You have a new anthology of your solo work out entitled 'Cold Autumn Sunday.' What can you tell us about that, and what can fans expect when hearing the album?
KH : 'Cold Autumn Sunday' is the second part of three records I had planned, the first being 'The Wizard’s Diary,' which is an anthology of songs I wrote for Uriah Heep, which was released earlier this year. For 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' I chose (with the help of fans who wrote in their favorites to the web site (www.ken-hensley.com) a selection of songs from the three solo records I did while I was in Heep and gave them to Tommy Lopez who, at the time, was my live drummer and who is a great re-mix producer. I left them with him for a while and the idea was to give the songs “new life” in some way…any way. Not having been involved in the songs before he was able to look at them from a different perspective and the result is that the songs sound fresh and, with the possible exception of "When Evening Comes," it almost sounds like a new record to me. The rhythms are new, as are the arrangements, and the whole record has a very contemporary feel to it. I also included a new song, “Romance,” to add value and the two bonus tracks are interesting too I think!
RNRU : Are there any plans for a brand new studio album at this point?
KH : Yes. I am working on the songs now and plan to begin recording in mid January. I am not sure when this record will be released but I suspect it will be in late May or thereabouts.
RNRU : Who were your early influences when you started out playing?
KH : Well…I actually started playing instruments to try and turn my poems into songs (which is why my playing style is so unorthodox!) because I wanted to be Elvis Presley. I didn’t want to be like him I wanted to be him! I listened to a lot of different music in the 60’s and bands like The Who fed my urge to perform but it was Dylan and Lennon/McCartney who really inspired my song-writing because, for me, they began the trend of writing serious lyrics into pop songs.
RNRU : While rehearsals were taking place in 1969 at the Hanwell Community Centre in West London, Deep Purple were reportedly next door working out their similarly styled brand of heavy rock. How much, if any, was Purple's sound an influence on what you were coming up with at the time, and do you think there was any cross influencing going on between the two bands?
KH : The short answer is no. I think the comparison is fair only in as much as we developed at the same time and that was a time of great searching, rebellion and energy. Along with Zeppelin, Sabbath etc., we were at the forefront of the English hard rock style that inspired and energised generations of musicians and bands all over the world. It was a very exciting thing to be a part of.
RNRU : Whose idea was it to come up with mixing the harmony vocals with heavy rock, which has to this day remained an identifiable Heep trademark of sorts?
KH : It was simply something I carried over from my time with The Gods. We took the inspiration from Vanilla Fudge and I can point to their version of “You Keep Me Hangin On” as the original source of that inspiration. We were the first band to incorporate it into the hard rock format and the influence certainly spread, didn’t it?
RNRU : In March of '71, the band came over to the U.S. for the first time, and played at the Fillmore East in New York City. What do you recall about coming over the first time, and what was that experience like for you?
KH : I can recall enough about that experience to fill a book and some of it does actually appear in the book I am writing now. It was like a fairy-tale from the moment we got on the plane in London to being searched at customs in Boston, landing in Indianapolis and checking in to the Holiday Inn Raceway, which I thought, at the time, was the most luxurious hotel in the world!! Going from 200-300 capacity clubs in Europe to The Indianapolis Fairgrounds for our first show opening for Three Dog Night was just the beginning of many incredible experiences for us in America.
RNRU : What was the reception to the band's show that night?
KH : I really don’t remember but it was probably good because we went down really well on that entire tour. All I remember is the shock of walking into a building of that size, and wondering why on earth they were having a gig there, and seeing groupies and limos for the first time!!
RNRU : You guys toured extensively throughout the U.S. during the '70's. What were the high points, as well as the low points, of being on the road that much?
KH : There’s no short answer to this question because it was all like a magic carpet ride! In the space of 18 months we went from being an opening act to a headliner in the biggest market in the world and this success was a platform from which the whole world was opened up to us. And you have to remember that it was a very, very different time in the history of rock & roll! I suppose getting our first gold record with Mercury was a major moment as was our first sell-out headlining tour. The down moments came with the problems some of us had with booze and/or drugs, really, because that affected us, our performances and our popularity!
RNRU : During the band's heyday Uriah Heep, with the exception of perhaps Grand Funk Railroad, received some of the worst reviews of any major band it seems. Why do you think that was, and how did that make you feel at the time?
KH : It was a bit confusing to be honest but we learned to listen to the people who bought the tickets and the records….they are the most important barometer of success! I think what bothered our critics the most was that we achieved everything they said we wouldn’t!!
RNRU : How authentic of a live album was 'Uriah Heep Live'? Was there any "doctoring" done to the live performances on the album? The results are pretty much perfect.
KH : I think the live album is one of the best we did and I remember the experience very clearly. In terms of energy and performance it was and still is really solid. We did fix a couple of vocal things but the rest of it is exactly as it was played on the night! I think the secret to the success of this record is that we had given up on the idea of getting a live recording on that particular tour. The previous show recordings were not good and when we walked into the venue in Birmingham we were pretty much convinced that we wouldn’t get a result because of the terrible acoustics. So we just forgot about it and got on with the show in our normal way…..perhaps it was an extension of the studio “red light” syndrome!!
RNRU : Despite all the negative reviews, the band certainly has, and continues to influence heavy rock bands to this day. In fact, there's a very strong case that could be put forth that Heep were actually one of the first, if not THE first, progressive metal bands. Bands such as Dream Theater and Axel Rudi Pell certainly owe a lot to the classic Heep sound. Does the influence the band has give you any sort of vindication?
KH : Vindication no….satisfaction yes!
RNRU : You're considered one of the finest Hammond players of the rock era, up there with Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. How would you rate your playing?
KH : Terrible! I am grateful for the consideration but it always amuses me to see my name listed with people like Keith, Jon, Rick Wakeman etc… Those guys are real, trained players and I have no idea how they do what they do. For reasons I explained before I never “studied” the instrument, I just loved the sound of it and I used it as a tool for writing as much as anything else. But it is an honor to be thought of in such a respectful way.
RNRU : What is your favorite Uriah Heep album, and why?
KH : This is always such a difficult question to answer but if I have to pick one it would be 'Demons & Wizards,' and that is because I think the band was at its musical peak then and it was a groundbreaking record in so many ways. Of course there are others like 'High & Mighty' which I like for very different reasons but 'Demons & Wizards' would have to be the one.
RNRU : Out of all your compositions, which one has the most meaning to you?
KH : That would be “The Return” from 'A Glimpse of Glory'. It is a faith-based song that speaks of a very special hope that is available to all of us. I am going to re-master this CD next year and offer it again on my web site.
RNRU : Do you ever take the opportunity to listen to the albums, and if so, what are you most proud of musically speaking?
KH : I enjoy the live album and 'High & Mighty,' and I do play certain songs from other records now and then, but it is simply the experience that I get the most pleasure from in recollection. Now it seems like another life, but I am most thankful for the fact that I did what so many people can only dream of doing…and I am still doing it!!
RNRU : Is there anything that you would like to, if you had the opportunity to, to go back and change?
KH : Well, there are a lot of minor things I would definitely change but the single biggest mistake I made was getting involved with drugs!! Cocaine destroyed me, my personality, my relationships and my music for a long period of my life. I believed “the lie” that I needed it and I would love to have that time back!! The saddest thing about it is that I know I didn’t just hurt myself, I hurt a lot of other people and that is a lasting regret to me.
RNRU : "Stealin" has become one of the most well known Uriah Heep songs of all time. What was the inspiration behind the song?
KH : Pure imagination! The story is not true….honest! When I play that song the lyrics to the bridge are really scary because it almost happened!!
RNRU : During your time in Uriah Heep, you worked with vocalists David Byron, John Lawton and John Sloman. Who was the most talented of the three in your opinion, and which one do you feel was most suited for your compositions?
KH : David was the perfect singer for me. He had a gift for interpretation and delivery that no-one else had. And of course I wrote for David which meant that anyone else, including myself, could only “cover” the songs he made his own. The other guys are good in their own way but David was the master in my opinion.
RNRU : What has been your most memorable live performance?
KH : A festival in Mannheim, Germany where I heard over 100 thousand people singing the chorus of "Lady in Black"!!
RNRU : What was the reason that you ultimately left Uriah Heep?
KH : I finally left in June of 1980 at the end of a long European tour and the reason was that the band had become almost a parody of itself, a cover band almost. It no longer “felt” like Uriah Heep even though it sounded a bit like it and the result was that it became like “work” for me. I didn’t agree with the choice of John Sloman for the band but I was out-numbered, although shortly after I left they got rid of him and brought in Pete Goalby, whom I had wanted in the first place which kind of makes you wonder what the real reason for choosing Sloman was in the first place! I had tried to leave a couple of times before but was talked out of it though, in the end it was an easy decision and the right one because it set me on the road to fixing my problems and re-discovering myself.
RNRU : After you left Heep you did a couple of solo albums, then joined Southern rockers Blackfoot for 2 albums before the band broke up for the first time. How did working in the Southern rock genre compare to working with Heep, and your own solo work for you?
KH : It was enjoyable personally but quite difficult musically for two reasons. First, that particular style doesn’t really lend itself to the Hammond, especially my style and secondly because I couldn’t help comparing everything we were doing (and not doing) to Heep!
RNRU : You've also made guest appearances throughout the years on other artist's albums, such as Cinderella, W.A.S.P, Peter Green, Bruce Cameron, Ayreon and Metalium. Of these, which artist was the most enjoyable for you to work with?
KH : They were all good, although I was a little disappointed with the end result of the first W.A.S.P. record. Blackie is a great guy and very intelligent, but I did the record without hearing a single lyric (which is challenging in itself) and then when I heard the lyrics I almost died from embarassment….but he has his market!
RNRU : Do you get a lot of requests to guest on other artists' albums?
KH : Yes…more than I can handle actually. I just worked on a record with a Danish artist who came to the studio in Spain and I did it because I liked the music, which is the only reason I would do it again in the future!
RNRU : Sanctuary has just released a six disc box set 'Chapter And Verse,' which covers pretty much the entire history of the band, from The Gods to the last Heep studio album 'Sonic Origami.' How much input were you consulted for this, and how pleased are you with the results?
KH : I think it’s a lovely package and it contains more than 40 of my songs, but that’s where the virtue ends as far as I am concerned. Sanctuary does good work but there have been others who flooded the (shrinking) market with so many re-issues, re-masters and bogus tracks that I think it’s been completely overdone. I understand the band is working on a new record and that is the best thing they can do!!
RNRU : How would you rate Heep's work since you left the band?
KH : I think what’s been missing is songs. They’ve made some decent pop/rock records and they play well (and I congratulate Mick for keeping it going) but it’s all about songs and I hope they come up with a great record sometime.
RNRU : You've gotten back together with Heep several times for live performances, the most recent I believe being for The Magician's Birthday Party in 2002. Have you ever considered working with the band again for a studio recording? Is that something you'd even be interested in doing at this point?
KH : I think a couple would be more accurate than several but let’s not split hairs! I did ask Mick to come over to Spain and play on my last CD, 'The Last Dance,' but he was too busy and I have offered them songs in the past but that offer was rejected too. I have a totally open mind and I would consider anything if it made sense musically but I will not take a single step backwards.
RNRU : If Heep were a new band coming out today, do you think you'd even stand a chance at being successful given today's musical climate?
KH : No….absolutely not, but, then again, neither would Pink Floyd, would they?
RNRU : What's next on the horizon for you?
KH : I am currently touring Scandinavia with my new band. December is a writing month, Christmas at home with my wife and our animals and then I begin recording the new songs in mid-January. At the end of January, I will be back in Scandinavia to support the Universal Music release of 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' and we are looking at offers from South Africa and many others for next year. I don’t want to tour without a real purpose and I am planning to write for film and television next year too…plus I need to get this darned book finished!!
RNRU : Do you keep up with any of the current musical scene? If so, are there any bands or artists that have caught your ear?
KH : Not really! I am so busy and when I listen to the radio all I hear is the manufactured pop that so totally dominates the European music scene at the moment. I did buy Bruce Springsteen’s last CD on the strength of the one song I was hearing on the radio but that turned out to be a disappointment. Sincerely, I would have to say that I am so busy creating and making music that I don’t have much time to listen to anything else!!
RNRU : What advice, if any, would you have for someone just starting out in the business?
KH : Do it for fun, that way you won’t be disappointed and you can do exactly what you want to do!!
RNRU : Is there anything else that you'd like to say to all the fans out there?
KH : I can only thank them for the part they played in making Heep a success. Without them it couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to do all the things I am doing today. Without them I would probably have to work for a living and that’s the scariest thought of all!!
For more info on Ken Hensley and what he's currently up to and to purchase many of his CD's go to www.ken-hensley.com
Interview by Nightwatcher
November 18, 2005
One of the most legendary heavy rock bands of the 1970's was undoubtedly Uriah Heep. Criminally and unjustly slammed by rock critics back in the day, the British rockers put out a streak of progressive, heavy Hammond inflected albums which form the basis of the Heep canon, and which continue to influence metal and hard rock to this very day. Songs such as "Easy Livin'," "Stealin'," "Gypsy," "Lady In Black," "The Wizard," and "July Morning" were all in constant rotation on FM rock radio, quickly earning a die hard, loyal following, in the process making the band one of the most popular hard rock groups of the early to mid 70's. Formed by guitarist Mick Box and vocalist David Byron in 1970, the band's sound truly began to gel during the recording of 'Very 'Eavy.. Very 'Umble' when keyboardist Ken Hensley joined the fold, contributing not only majestic organ work but also strong songwriting skills as well. It was this core of musicians, later joined by bassist Gary Thain and drummer Lee Kerslake, who recorded such classic albums as 'Demons & Wizards,' 'The Magician's Party,' 'Sweet Freedom,' and the thundering 'Uriah Heep Live,' which today remains one of the classic live albums of the hard rock/metal genre.
After leaving Heep after 1980's 'Conquest,' Hensley went on to record and tour with Southern rockers Blackfoot before embarking on a full fledged solo career, the latest fruit being the brand new anthology 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' the second of a planned trilogy. Combined with the massive 6 CD Heep boxset 'Chapter And Verse,' there's plenty of activity going on. Recently we had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with one of the true legends of rock keyboard during a lull in his current Scandinavian tour. Read on as we talk with "The Wizard" himself, Mr. Ken Hensley!
Rock N Roll Universe : First off Ken, we'd like to thank you for taking the time out to talk with us, we really appreciate it.
Ken Hensley : You are quite welcome!!
RNRU : You have a new anthology of your solo work out entitled 'Cold Autumn Sunday.' What can you tell us about that, and what can fans expect when hearing the album?
KH : 'Cold Autumn Sunday' is the second part of three records I had planned, the first being 'The Wizard’s Diary,' which is an anthology of songs I wrote for Uriah Heep, which was released earlier this year. For 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' I chose (with the help of fans who wrote in their favorites to the web site (www.ken-hensley.com) a selection of songs from the three solo records I did while I was in Heep and gave them to Tommy Lopez who, at the time, was my live drummer and who is a great re-mix producer. I left them with him for a while and the idea was to give the songs “new life” in some way…any way. Not having been involved in the songs before he was able to look at them from a different perspective and the result is that the songs sound fresh and, with the possible exception of "When Evening Comes," it almost sounds like a new record to me. The rhythms are new, as are the arrangements, and the whole record has a very contemporary feel to it. I also included a new song, “Romance,” to add value and the two bonus tracks are interesting too I think!
RNRU : Are there any plans for a brand new studio album at this point?
KH : Yes. I am working on the songs now and plan to begin recording in mid January. I am not sure when this record will be released but I suspect it will be in late May or thereabouts.
RNRU : Who were your early influences when you started out playing?
KH : Well…I actually started playing instruments to try and turn my poems into songs (which is why my playing style is so unorthodox!) because I wanted to be Elvis Presley. I didn’t want to be like him I wanted to be him! I listened to a lot of different music in the 60’s and bands like The Who fed my urge to perform but it was Dylan and Lennon/McCartney who really inspired my song-writing because, for me, they began the trend of writing serious lyrics into pop songs.
RNRU : While rehearsals were taking place in 1969 at the Hanwell Community Centre in West London, Deep Purple were reportedly next door working out their similarly styled brand of heavy rock. How much, if any, was Purple's sound an influence on what you were coming up with at the time, and do you think there was any cross influencing going on between the two bands?
KH : The short answer is no. I think the comparison is fair only in as much as we developed at the same time and that was a time of great searching, rebellion and energy. Along with Zeppelin, Sabbath etc., we were at the forefront of the English hard rock style that inspired and energised generations of musicians and bands all over the world. It was a very exciting thing to be a part of.
RNRU : Whose idea was it to come up with mixing the harmony vocals with heavy rock, which has to this day remained an identifiable Heep trademark of sorts?
KH : It was simply something I carried over from my time with The Gods. We took the inspiration from Vanilla Fudge and I can point to their version of “You Keep Me Hangin On” as the original source of that inspiration. We were the first band to incorporate it into the hard rock format and the influence certainly spread, didn’t it?
RNRU : In March of '71, the band came over to the U.S. for the first time, and played at the Fillmore East in New York City. What do you recall about coming over the first time, and what was that experience like for you?
KH : I can recall enough about that experience to fill a book and some of it does actually appear in the book I am writing now. It was like a fairy-tale from the moment we got on the plane in London to being searched at customs in Boston, landing in Indianapolis and checking in to the Holiday Inn Raceway, which I thought, at the time, was the most luxurious hotel in the world!! Going from 200-300 capacity clubs in Europe to The Indianapolis Fairgrounds for our first show opening for Three Dog Night was just the beginning of many incredible experiences for us in America.
RNRU : What was the reception to the band's show that night?
KH : I really don’t remember but it was probably good because we went down really well on that entire tour. All I remember is the shock of walking into a building of that size, and wondering why on earth they were having a gig there, and seeing groupies and limos for the first time!!
RNRU : You guys toured extensively throughout the U.S. during the '70's. What were the high points, as well as the low points, of being on the road that much?
KH : There’s no short answer to this question because it was all like a magic carpet ride! In the space of 18 months we went from being an opening act to a headliner in the biggest market in the world and this success was a platform from which the whole world was opened up to us. And you have to remember that it was a very, very different time in the history of rock & roll! I suppose getting our first gold record with Mercury was a major moment as was our first sell-out headlining tour. The down moments came with the problems some of us had with booze and/or drugs, really, because that affected us, our performances and our popularity!
RNRU : During the band's heyday Uriah Heep, with the exception of perhaps Grand Funk Railroad, received some of the worst reviews of any major band it seems. Why do you think that was, and how did that make you feel at the time?
KH : It was a bit confusing to be honest but we learned to listen to the people who bought the tickets and the records….they are the most important barometer of success! I think what bothered our critics the most was that we achieved everything they said we wouldn’t!!
RNRU : How authentic of a live album was 'Uriah Heep Live'? Was there any "doctoring" done to the live performances on the album? The results are pretty much perfect.
KH : I think the live album is one of the best we did and I remember the experience very clearly. In terms of energy and performance it was and still is really solid. We did fix a couple of vocal things but the rest of it is exactly as it was played on the night! I think the secret to the success of this record is that we had given up on the idea of getting a live recording on that particular tour. The previous show recordings were not good and when we walked into the venue in Birmingham we were pretty much convinced that we wouldn’t get a result because of the terrible acoustics. So we just forgot about it and got on with the show in our normal way…..perhaps it was an extension of the studio “red light” syndrome!!
RNRU : Despite all the negative reviews, the band certainly has, and continues to influence heavy rock bands to this day. In fact, there's a very strong case that could be put forth that Heep were actually one of the first, if not THE first, progressive metal bands. Bands such as Dream Theater and Axel Rudi Pell certainly owe a lot to the classic Heep sound. Does the influence the band has give you any sort of vindication?
KH : Vindication no….satisfaction yes!
RNRU : You're considered one of the finest Hammond players of the rock era, up there with Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. How would you rate your playing?
KH : Terrible! I am grateful for the consideration but it always amuses me to see my name listed with people like Keith, Jon, Rick Wakeman etc… Those guys are real, trained players and I have no idea how they do what they do. For reasons I explained before I never “studied” the instrument, I just loved the sound of it and I used it as a tool for writing as much as anything else. But it is an honor to be thought of in such a respectful way.
RNRU : What is your favorite Uriah Heep album, and why?
KH : This is always such a difficult question to answer but if I have to pick one it would be 'Demons & Wizards,' and that is because I think the band was at its musical peak then and it was a groundbreaking record in so many ways. Of course there are others like 'High & Mighty' which I like for very different reasons but 'Demons & Wizards' would have to be the one.
RNRU : Out of all your compositions, which one has the most meaning to you?
KH : That would be “The Return” from 'A Glimpse of Glory'. It is a faith-based song that speaks of a very special hope that is available to all of us. I am going to re-master this CD next year and offer it again on my web site.
RNRU : Do you ever take the opportunity to listen to the albums, and if so, what are you most proud of musically speaking?
KH : I enjoy the live album and 'High & Mighty,' and I do play certain songs from other records now and then, but it is simply the experience that I get the most pleasure from in recollection. Now it seems like another life, but I am most thankful for the fact that I did what so many people can only dream of doing…and I am still doing it!!
RNRU : Is there anything that you would like to, if you had the opportunity to, to go back and change?
KH : Well, there are a lot of minor things I would definitely change but the single biggest mistake I made was getting involved with drugs!! Cocaine destroyed me, my personality, my relationships and my music for a long period of my life. I believed “the lie” that I needed it and I would love to have that time back!! The saddest thing about it is that I know I didn’t just hurt myself, I hurt a lot of other people and that is a lasting regret to me.
RNRU : "Stealin" has become one of the most well known Uriah Heep songs of all time. What was the inspiration behind the song?
KH : Pure imagination! The story is not true….honest! When I play that song the lyrics to the bridge are really scary because it almost happened!!
RNRU : During your time in Uriah Heep, you worked with vocalists David Byron, John Lawton and John Sloman. Who was the most talented of the three in your opinion, and which one do you feel was most suited for your compositions?
KH : David was the perfect singer for me. He had a gift for interpretation and delivery that no-one else had. And of course I wrote for David which meant that anyone else, including myself, could only “cover” the songs he made his own. The other guys are good in their own way but David was the master in my opinion.
RNRU : What has been your most memorable live performance?
KH : A festival in Mannheim, Germany where I heard over 100 thousand people singing the chorus of "Lady in Black"!!
RNRU : What was the reason that you ultimately left Uriah Heep?
KH : I finally left in June of 1980 at the end of a long European tour and the reason was that the band had become almost a parody of itself, a cover band almost. It no longer “felt” like Uriah Heep even though it sounded a bit like it and the result was that it became like “work” for me. I didn’t agree with the choice of John Sloman for the band but I was out-numbered, although shortly after I left they got rid of him and brought in Pete Goalby, whom I had wanted in the first place which kind of makes you wonder what the real reason for choosing Sloman was in the first place! I had tried to leave a couple of times before but was talked out of it though, in the end it was an easy decision and the right one because it set me on the road to fixing my problems and re-discovering myself.
RNRU : After you left Heep you did a couple of solo albums, then joined Southern rockers Blackfoot for 2 albums before the band broke up for the first time. How did working in the Southern rock genre compare to working with Heep, and your own solo work for you?
KH : It was enjoyable personally but quite difficult musically for two reasons. First, that particular style doesn’t really lend itself to the Hammond, especially my style and secondly because I couldn’t help comparing everything we were doing (and not doing) to Heep!
RNRU : You've also made guest appearances throughout the years on other artist's albums, such as Cinderella, W.A.S.P, Peter Green, Bruce Cameron, Ayreon and Metalium. Of these, which artist was the most enjoyable for you to work with?
KH : They were all good, although I was a little disappointed with the end result of the first W.A.S.P. record. Blackie is a great guy and very intelligent, but I did the record without hearing a single lyric (which is challenging in itself) and then when I heard the lyrics I almost died from embarassment….but he has his market!
RNRU : Do you get a lot of requests to guest on other artists' albums?
KH : Yes…more than I can handle actually. I just worked on a record with a Danish artist who came to the studio in Spain and I did it because I liked the music, which is the only reason I would do it again in the future!
RNRU : Sanctuary has just released a six disc box set 'Chapter And Verse,' which covers pretty much the entire history of the band, from The Gods to the last Heep studio album 'Sonic Origami.' How much input were you consulted for this, and how pleased are you with the results?
KH : I think it’s a lovely package and it contains more than 40 of my songs, but that’s where the virtue ends as far as I am concerned. Sanctuary does good work but there have been others who flooded the (shrinking) market with so many re-issues, re-masters and bogus tracks that I think it’s been completely overdone. I understand the band is working on a new record and that is the best thing they can do!!
RNRU : How would you rate Heep's work since you left the band?
KH : I think what’s been missing is songs. They’ve made some decent pop/rock records and they play well (and I congratulate Mick for keeping it going) but it’s all about songs and I hope they come up with a great record sometime.
RNRU : You've gotten back together with Heep several times for live performances, the most recent I believe being for The Magician's Birthday Party in 2002. Have you ever considered working with the band again for a studio recording? Is that something you'd even be interested in doing at this point?
KH : I think a couple would be more accurate than several but let’s not split hairs! I did ask Mick to come over to Spain and play on my last CD, 'The Last Dance,' but he was too busy and I have offered them songs in the past but that offer was rejected too. I have a totally open mind and I would consider anything if it made sense musically but I will not take a single step backwards.
RNRU : If Heep were a new band coming out today, do you think you'd even stand a chance at being successful given today's musical climate?
KH : No….absolutely not, but, then again, neither would Pink Floyd, would they?
RNRU : What's next on the horizon for you?
KH : I am currently touring Scandinavia with my new band. December is a writing month, Christmas at home with my wife and our animals and then I begin recording the new songs in mid-January. At the end of January, I will be back in Scandinavia to support the Universal Music release of 'Cold Autumn Sunday,' and we are looking at offers from South Africa and many others for next year. I don’t want to tour without a real purpose and I am planning to write for film and television next year too…plus I need to get this darned book finished!!
RNRU : Do you keep up with any of the current musical scene? If so, are there any bands or artists that have caught your ear?
KH : Not really! I am so busy and when I listen to the radio all I hear is the manufactured pop that so totally dominates the European music scene at the moment. I did buy Bruce Springsteen’s last CD on the strength of the one song I was hearing on the radio but that turned out to be a disappointment. Sincerely, I would have to say that I am so busy creating and making music that I don’t have much time to listen to anything else!!
RNRU : What advice, if any, would you have for someone just starting out in the business?
KH : Do it for fun, that way you won’t be disappointed and you can do exactly what you want to do!!
RNRU : Is there anything else that you'd like to say to all the fans out there?
KH : I can only thank them for the part they played in making Heep a success. Without them it couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to do all the things I am doing today. Without them I would probably have to work for a living and that’s the scariest thought of all!!
For more info on Ken Hensley and what he's currently up to and to purchase many of his CD's go to www.ken-hensley.com