Uriah Heep's Lee Kerslake Dies

[munchmemory]

It is with great sadness that I just learned that legendary drummer Lee Kerslake passed at age 73.   It is not an exaggeration to say that Lee's playing and singing with Uriah Heep during their 70s era period will always be remembered as gifted and fantastic.  Later, he also wrote and played on the first two Blizzard of Ozz records although POS Sharon Osbourne tried to say that he and bassist Bod Daisley did not.   This was recently, and properly, correcred when Lee was finally presented with his much deserved gold records for that work.   What kind of a piece of garbage do you nedd to be to try to discredit a musician for his work?  Answer: A s*tbag like Sharon Osbourne who should never be forgiven for this transgression.    **** you, bitch.

RIP Lee.   You were one of the greatest stickmen I ever had the pleasure of hearing.  BTW, very good friend of Bonzo's, too.

 

 

[munchmemory]

Check Lee's work beginning at about 4:00.

 

 

[munchmemory]

"It's with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning," Kerslake's longtime Uriah Heep bandmate Ken Hensley wrote, according to Classic Rock. "He died peacefully, praise the Lord, but he will be terribly missed."

English-born Kerslake’s first notable appointment came with a band called the Gods, with whom he recorded the albums Genesis and To Samuel a Son in 1968 and 1969, and in 1970 he appeared on Orgasm with Head Machine and Toe Fat’s self-titled LP. All these projects featured Hensley, who became part of Heep’s founding lineup. In 1971 Kerslake played on Albert One with National Head Band.

“The English scene was always at a boil,” he recalled in 2002. “We were always waiting to get connected in English music, because there was so much cross-talent. Where I was born and bred, there were major musicians Bob Fripp, Greg Lake, John Wetton – and I consider myself somewhere in among that league. There were some fabulous musicians, but the only way we could make it was to go up to London, because it's the heart of the music industry.”

Later in 1971 he reunited with Hensley in Heep in time to become a member of their classic-era lineup. The drummer’s first studio appearance came on their fourth album, 1972’s Demons and Wizards. “When I was offered it the first time, I turned it down,” he admitted. “And it wasn't [Hensley] that was the deciding factor. It was when I met [band leader] Mick Box. Mick and me got together down at Jubilee Studios. … I set my kit up, he set his guitar up and we just started playing a bit and jamming. About three and a half hours later, when we put our instruments down, we looked at each other and went, ‘Fancy a beer?’”

He added of breakthrough LP Demons and Wizards, “Mick and others said the missing link was, they didn't have the drummer – they didn't have the harmony choral parts quite there … I was the missing part of the key, so to speak. From then on, I wrote music as well. I wrote three songs with Mick on that album, and with David Byron. It seemed to gel when I joined. We all worked with each other.” He played on eight further LPs before being replaced by future AC/DC drummer Chris Slade for 1980’s Conquest.

Read More: Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne Drummer Lee Kerslake Dead at 73 | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/lee-kerslake-dead/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

[munchmemory]

Listen to what this guy was doing.   Yet POS Sharon Osbourne claimed it was Tommy Aldridge.  Blow me, krunt.

[The Crusher]

34 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

It is with great sadness that I just learned that legendary drummer Lee Kerslake passed at age 73.   It is not an exaggeration to say that Lee's playing and singing with Uriah Heep during their 70s era period will always be remembered as gifted and fantastic.  Later, he also wrote and played on the first two Blizzard of Ozz records although POS Sharon Osbourne tried to say that he and bassist Bod Daisley did not.   This was recently, and properly, correcred when Lee was finally presented with his much deserved gold records for that work.   What kind of a piece of garbage do you nedd to be to try to discredit a musician for his work?  Answer: A s*tbag like Sharon Osbourne who should never be forgiven for this transgression.    **** you, bitch.

RIP Lee.   You were one of the greatest stickmen I ever had the pleasure of hearing.  BTW, very good friend of Bonzo's, too.

 

 

Demons and Wizards one of my all time favorite albums. Just amazing ! Rest In Peace. 

[JustInFudge]

Man - life has been taking some straight legends from us over the past few years.  RIP to one of the greats! 

[munchmemory]

 

[munchmemory]

Listen to Kerslake rock.  And he's singing backup, too.

 

[munchmemory]

After decades of frusration, Lee finally received the recognition he deserved.  Ozzy, you and the POS who you call your wife are still scumbags for denying what Lee and Bob Daisley justly should have received years earlier   I'm ecstatic that these accolades could be properly bestowed on Lee before his death.  But personally?   I'll never forgive Ozzy and sh*tbag for what they put them through.     

 

[munchmemory]

Along with The Who, Deep Purple, The James Gang, T.Rex., Bowie, Cream and so many other great bands from that magical late 60s-mid-70s era, Uriah Heep was a group that touched something in me.   They are my top two or three band ever.  Their complex layered harmonies around those fantastic rock tunes just made me an uber fan.   Today, I feel like I got kicked in the stomach and lost an old friend.

 

[munchmemory]

Lee's great friend and writing partner/bandmate Bob Daisley.  You want talent?   Along with Randy Rhodes, Lee and Daisley wrote Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman.

 

[munchmemory]

That's Randy Rhodes on our left; Bob Daisley on the right.

[munchmemory]

5 hours ago, The Crusher said:

Demons and Wizards one of my all time favorite albums. Just amazing ! Rest In Peace. 

 

[The Crusher]

56 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Along with The Who, Deep Purple, The James Gang, T.Rex., Bowie, Cream and so many other great bands from that magical late 60s-mid-70s era, Uriah Heep was a group that touched something in me.   They are my top two or three band ever.  Their complex layered harmonies around those fantastic rock tunes just made me an uber fan.   Today, I feel like I got kicked in the stomach and lost an old friend.

 

Yep, weekly listen for me since high school. 

[southparkcpa]

My favorite tune of UH

 

[munchmemory]

Last bit of remembrance from me.  This is Ken Hensley's keyboard solo, along with plenty of 70s Moog silliness.   But Just listen to what Lee Kerslake is doing.  He goes down as one of the most  unheralded drummers in rock history.    This man could play well and powerfully.

 

[AFCEastFan]

RIP Lee.  A shame that he never got the recognition he deserved with Ozzy.  Part of the reason for that is understandable (Randy Rhoads's performance on those tracks is truly sublime and his early death only further overshadowed the outstanding work of the rhythm section) and the other part is truly despicable. 

Thanks MM for the tribute to a legendary drummer and for shining a light on Sharon's deplorable behavior.  

[HighPitch]

On 9/25/2020 at 1:42 PM, munchmemory said:

After decades of frusration, Lee finally received the recognition he deserved.  Ozzy, you and the POS who you call your wife are still scumbags for denying what Lee and Bob Daisley justly should have received years earlier   I'm ecstatic that these accolades could be properly bestowed on Lee before his death.  But personally?   I'll never forgive Ozzy and sh*tbag for what they put them through.     

 

You got that right. She is a class A POS all the way.

 

I remember her war with the insane clown posse on stern. She kept putting them down and claimed she came from nothing but really she is the daughter of bob arum, HUGE record company executive she already had one foot in the door so to speak. meanwhile her great contribution to music is coalchamber???? ughhh awful. Then she got studio musicians to rerecord bass and drums on those albums to stop royalty payments? Then she "forgives" ozzy for cheating but nobody mentions that she banged a young randy rhoads behind ozzys back shorly after they married.

 

She is just an awful narcissitic human being

[munchmemory]

1 hour ago, HighPitch said:

You got that right. She is a class A POS all the way.

 

I remember her war with the insane clown posse on stern. She kept putting them down and claimed she came from nothing but really she is the daughter of bob arum, HUGE record company executive she already had one foot in the door so to speak. meanwhile her great contribution to music is coalchamber???? ughhh awful. Then she got studio musicians to rerecord bass and drums on those albums to stop royalty payments? Then she "forgives" ozzy for cheating but nobody mentions that she banged a young randy rhoads behind ozzys back shorly after they married.

 

She is just an awful narcissitic human being

Her father is actually Don Arden, who was a tough as nails agent and manager.  The connection with Ozzy is that Arden managed Sabbath.    (He also managed major acts like ELO and The Small Faces.) So as you say, let's forget all the "from humble beginnings" b/s.

 

[HighPitch]

Ok my bad. Hmm who is bob arum then lol

[Panzer Division Marduk]

10 hours ago, HighPitch said:

Ok my bad. Hmm who is bob arum then lol

Boxing promoter.

Does anyone think the world would be worse off had Ozzy finished the job on Sharon back in 1989? 

[HighPitch]

no it would be a better world for sure. poor ozzy

[munchmemory]

Just read long-time Uriah Heep guitarist/founder Mick Box' take on the Sharon/Ozzy changing of Kerslake and Daisley's work.  Cost Kerslake all he had paying for the legal battle

URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box has blasted Sharon Osbourne for removing the original drum and bass tracks from Ozzy Osbourne's first two albums, saying it is about "as low as you can get."

The 2002 re-releases of "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary Of A Madman" featured FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin and METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo — both then members of Ozzy's solo band — in place of Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley.

The controversial move was spearheaded by Sharon after Kerslake and Daisley sued Ozzyover royalties and songwriting credits. Daisley and Kerslake's original performances were restored in the 2011 reissues of the albums.

Box, who had played with Kerslake in URIAH HEEP for three and a half decades between 1971 and 2007, was asked in a new interview with Radio Forrest if Lee ever mentioned anything to him about not getting credited for the Ozzy albums. Mick responded (hear audio below): "Of course he did. It was a big bone of contention with him. 'Blizzard Of Ozz' and 'Diary Of A Madman', I think Sharon took off Bob and Lee from both those albums and put on Tommy Aldridge and whoever. It's just as low as you can get, really, isn't it?

"The versions of the albums with Bob and Lee on, and Randy [Rhoads] and Ozzy, were just immense," he continued. "They're rock history. Anything else that Sharon did to replace that is just bad news bears, mate, in my book. And in Lee's, it really hurt him. He got the platinum [plaques from Ozzy before he died], but he didn't get the financial reward that should have gone with it. And that's very sad. But sometimes that's how it goes in our business. If I got paid for everything I did correctly, I would be in a different position. [Laughs]"

Kerslake and Daisley were fired before "Diary of A Madman" was released and in the process had their names removed from the album. Bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge are credited in the original LP's liner notes and featured in the photo on the inner sleeve.

Kerslake and Daisley's multi-year legal battle with the Osbournes had taken a massive financial toll on the drummer.

"I went belly-up bankrupt when I lost the case to Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the courts," Lee told The Metal Voice. "It cost me hundreds of thousands and I had to sell the house and then started to get ill. I never managed to get back up, but a platinum certification on my wall for these albums would be fantastic and it would say I helped create those albums." 

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/uriah-heeps-mick-box-blasts-sharon-osbourne-for-removing-original-drum-and-bass-tracks-from-ozzys-first-two-albums/

[jetophile]

munchmemory a/k/a Borgo Dead Rock Star Obituary Guy. Do you comb the internet for dead guys who used to play instruments? lol

RIP

[munchmemory]

9 minutes ago, jetophile said:

munchmemory a/k/a Borgo Dead Rock Star Obituary Guy. Do you comb the internet for dead guys who used to play instruments? lol

RIP

lol  No, not really.  Have always been a fanatic about rock music (various other genres, too).  Was a little kid when the Beatles played the Sullivan Show, which started it off for me.  Pestered my parents for a guitar not long afterwards.  Took two buses with my Mom and brother to Korvettes to buy a cheap acoustic which had the most atrocious factory action and was almost impossible to tune.  Still a hacker today and music is playing in my home almost incessantly.

The names of dead rockers I have posted are usually the result of showing up on my daily forays on the internet.  Especially when they may have been a part of some of my favorite bands, I like to share their stories and music.

[jetophile]

1 minute ago, munchmemory said:

lol  No, not really.  Have always been a fanatic about rock music (various other genres, too).  Was a little kid when the Beatles played the Sullivan Show, which started it off for me.  Pestered my parents for a guitar not long afterwards.  Took two buses with my Mom and brother to Korvettes to buy a cheap acoustic which had the most atrocious factory action and was almost impossible to tune.  Still a hacker today and music is playing in my home almost incessantly.

The names of dead rockers I have posted are usually the result of showing up on my daily forays on the internet.  Especially when they may have been a part of some of my favorite bands, I like to share their stories and music.

Korvette's, well isn't that a blast from the past.

[munchmemory]

2 minutes ago, jetophile said:

Korvette's, well isn't that a blast from the past.

They had the best deals on albums back then.  Also the largest selection.  Can't remember exactly.  But Korvettes had one day of the week when you could get two albums for something like $4-5.