Different World
	Produced by Trevor Bolder
	Released on February 1991
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
CLACD 279 cover

H eep found themselves behind the heavy metal curve with Different World, softening their sound since Abominog in an age when speed metal was all the rage. The keyboards and melodic choruses are more in line with acts like Def Leppard and Foreigner, which pegs Heep as something of a retro rock group. While the band was never on the cutting edge of anything, it’s not coincidental that their fan base was increasingly European, as many of those countries were still catching up to the ‘80s musically speaking. If the songs themselves aren’t groundbreaking, the performances are predictably solid. “Blood On Stone,” “Different World” and “One On One” are well executed rock songs with on-key harmonies, tart guitar licks, and enough personality to warrant interest. Despite some pretty negative reviews that I’ve read, Different World isn’t bad by any means. Some of their musical mannerisms may be throwbacks to a bygone age, but anyone looking for Heep on the leading edge are looking in the wrong place. Fans of the band are likely to appreciate this effort as another solid entry in the catalog. True, it feels like a spin through the rock radio days of the ‘80s, whether it’s the Aerosmith-ian swagger of “Which Way Will The Wind Blow” or the Steel Monkey-shines of “Blood On Stone,” but Heep fans are a nostalgic lot by nature. In fact, as time proved, Heep’s future was their past, whether it was new music played with old sensibilities or vice versa. As a way of acknowledging their anachronistic role, the album closes with the lines “It’s a funny old world, but different.” Different World does sound out of place next to the new wave of very heavy metal, but longtime loyalists will find a place in their hearts for one more good batch of songs from these unsinkable ancients.

TRACK LISTING

1. BLOOD ON STONE    (Trevor Bolder)
2. WHICH WAY WILL THE WIND BLOW    (Trevor Bolder)
3. ALL GOD'S CHILDREN    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
4. ALL FOR ONE    (Trevor Bolder)
5. DIFFERENT WORLD    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
6. STEP BY STEP    (Trevor Bolder)
7. SEVEN DAYS    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
8. FIRST TOUCH    (Phil Lanzon)
9. ONE ON ONE    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
10. CROSS THAT LINE    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
11. STAND BACK    (Mick Box/Phil Lanzon)
    
    CD reissue bonus tracks
    
12. BLOOD RED ROSES   
13. HOLD YOUR HEAD UP (EDIT)   
14. ROCKARAMA (LIVE)   

CREDITS

TREVOR BOLDER -- bass, vocals, mixing
MICK BOX -- guitars, vocals
LEE KERSLAKE -- drums, vocals
PHIL LANZON -- keyboards, vocals
BERNIE SHAW -- lead vocals
Benny Marshall -- harmonica
Brett Morgan -- drums
Roy "tawt those toms" Neave -- computer programming
Steve Piggot -- keyboard programming
Queen Elizabeth Grant maintained Grammar School -- choir (3)
Andrew Willoughby -- choir conductor (3)
Danny Wood -- accordion
Brian Burrows -- type
Peter Chambers -- photography
Paul Lanzon -- diary artwork
Tony Patrick -- sleeve design
Pepsi Tate -- "Different World" lettering

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