{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Use British English|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox album | name = Abominog | type = studio | artist = Uriah Heep | cover = Abominog(album).jpg | alt = | released = April 1982<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/82/Record-Mirror-1982-04-10-OCR.pdf|title=Record Mirror}}</ref> | recorded = October and December 1981 | studio = Roundhouse (London) | genre = Hard rock<ref name="allmusic" /> | length = 41:48 | label = Bronze | producer = Ashley Howe | prev_title = Conquest | prev_year = 1980 | next_title = Head First | next_year = 1983 | misc = {{Singles | name = Abominog | type = studio | single1 = On the Rebound | single1date = February 1982 | single2 = That's the Way That It Is | single2date = May 1982<ref name="Martin">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/859/mode/2up|title=The Great Rock Discography|year=1995 |page=859 |isbn=9780862415419 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles|publisher=Canongate Press }}</ref> }} }}
'''''Abominog''''' is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Uriah Heep, released in April 1982 by Bronze Records in the UK,<ref name="Martin"/> and on 12 July 1982 by Mercury Records in the US.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=25 June 1982|title=New Releases|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1982/FMQB-Album-1982-06-25.pdf|magazine=FMQB|page=34|access-date=24 March 2023}}</ref> It was their first album without keyboardist Ken Hensley. The album was critically acclaimed and fairly commercially successful, due in part to the band retooling and updating their sound to a polished contemporary hard rock style, "delivering a punchier, more pop-metal–oriented sound", according to AllMusic.<ref name="allmusic-uh">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/uriah-heep-mn0000835648/biography |title=Uriah Heep Biography |last=Monger |first=James Christopher |work=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref>
The album featured their final US hits, "On the Rebound" and "That's the Way That It Is". The latter was their highest-charting single of the 1980s, reaching No. 25 on the American rock airplay chart.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ling |first1=Dave |title=Uriah Heep - Uncensored On the Record |publisher=Coda Books Ltd. |date=31 October 2011 | asin=B006286WJW|quote=Preceded by an EP called 'Abominog Junior' that included a Russ Ballard song called 'On the Rebound', 'Son of a Bitch' and a cover of the Small Faces track 'Tin Soldier', the 'Abominog' album was an unqualified success.}}</ref>
The album was preceded by a 7-inch EP titled ''Abominog Junior'', featuring "On the Rebound" and two non-album tracks: the Small Faces cover "Tin Soldier", and the original song "Son of a Bitch".
==Lineup== When the previous line-up disintegrated, guitarist Mick Box briefly considered forming a new group entirely, but ultimately decided to continue with the Heep name. ''Abominog'' was the first of three albums to feature both vocalist Peter Goalby and keyboard player John Sinclair. It also marked the return of drummer Lee Kerslake to the band; his previous departure had been due to his unhappiness with the band's management, rather than the personnel. Coming along with Kerslake was bassist Bob Daisley; the two musicians had been in Ozzy Osbourne's ''Blizzard of Ozz''-era band before being fired by Sharon Osbourne.
==Cover versions== Half of the ten tracks are cover versions of recordings by other artists: * "Hot Night in a Cold Town" was originally recorded by John Cougar, on his ''Nothin' Matters and What If It Did'' album (1980). The song was written by songwriters Geoffrey Cushing-Murray and Richard Littlefield. * "On the Rebound" was originally recorded by Russ Ballard, on his ''Russ Ballard & the Barnet Dogs'' album (1980). * "Prisoner" was originally recorded by Sue Saad and the Next, on their self-titled album (1980). The lyrics were written by D.B. (Dirty Boy) Cooper. * "Running All Night (With the Lion)" was originally recorded by Gary Farr's Lion, on their ''Running All Night'' album (1980). Lion keyboard player Sinclair brought this song with him when he joined Uriah Heep. * "That's the Way That It Is" was originally recorded by the Bliss Band, on their ''Neon Smiles'' album (1979).
The album also included a remake of "Think It Over", a song recorded by the prior (and largely different) line-up of Uriah Heep. The original version (featuring Trevor Bolder on bass, Gregg Dechert on keyboards, Chris Slade on drums, and John Sloman on lead vocals), was the A-side of a 1980 Heep single.
==Reception== {{Album reviews |rev1=AllMusic |rev1score={{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/abominog-mw0000039373 |title=Uriah Heep - Abominog review |last=Guarisco |first=Donald A. |work=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref> | rev2 =''Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal'' | rev2Score = 10/10<ref name="martin" >{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties |publisher=Collector's Guide Publishing |date=1 November 2005 |location=Burlington, Ontario, Canada |isbn=978-1-894959-31-5 |page=379}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Uncut'' | rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Knighton |first=Steve |date=December 1997 |title=Uriah Heep: ''Live at Shepperton / Conquest / Abominog / Head First'' |magazine=Uncut |page=94 |issue=7}}</ref> }}
A retrospective review by AllMusic noted that "echoes of the group's old style could be heard in the drama and instrumental firepower of the new songs, but the overall sound owed a greater debt to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and harder-rocking AOR groups of the time", and concluded by saying that the album "rocks hard enough to please heavy metal addicts but is slick enough to win over AOR fanatics and this combination makes it one Uriah Heep's most enduring achievements.<ref name="allmusic" /> Canadian journalist Martin Popoff defined ''Abominog'' an "intelligent, well-paced record" where the "reinvented" Uriah Heep retools the genres of each song over "a decisively strong foundation of melodic metal", evoking "the magic of the NWOBHM, tinged with the complex chemistry of the peak Byron years."<ref name="martin" />
==Track listings== {{Track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = Too Scared to Run | writer1 = Mick Box, Bob Daisley, Peter Goalby, Lee Kerslake, John Sinclair | length1 = 3:49 | title2 = Chasing Shadows | writer2 = Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, Sinclair | length2 = 4:39 | title3 = On the Rebound | writer3 = Russ Ballard | length3 = 3:14 | title4 = Hot Night in a Cold Town | writer4 = Geoff Cushing-Murray, Richard Littlefield | length4 = 4:03 | title5 = Running All Night (with the Lion) | writer5 = Box, Daisley, Gary Farr, Goalby, Kerslake, Sinclair | length5 = 4:28 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | title6 = That's the Way That It Is | writer6 = Paul Bliss | length6 = 4:06 | title7 = Prisoner | writer7 = D. B. Cooper, James Lance, Tony Riparetti | length7 = 4:33 | title8 = Hot Persuasion | writer8 = Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, Sinclair | length8 = 3:48 | title9 = Sell Your Soul | writer9 = Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, Sinclair | length9 = 5:25 | title10 = Think It Over | writer10 = Trevor Bolder, John Sloman | length10 = 3:42 }}
===North American version=== {{Track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = Too Scared to Run | length1 = 3:49 | title2 = On the Rebound | length2 = 3:14 | title3 = Chasing Shadows | length3 = 4:39 | title4 = Prisoner | length4 = 4:33 | title5 = Sell Your Soul | length5 = 5:25 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | title6 = That's the Way That It Is | length6 = 4:06 | title7 = Think It Over | length7 = 3:42 | title8 = Hot Night in a Cold Town | length8 = 4:03 | title9 = Hot Persuasion | length9 = 3:48 | title10 = Running All Night (with the Lion) | length10 = 4:28 }} {{Track listing | headline = 1997 remastered edition bonus tracks | title11 = Tin Soldier | note11 = Small Faces cover, from the EP ''Abominog Junior'' | writer11 = Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott | length11 = 3:49 | title12 = Son of a Bitch | note12 = from the EP ''Abominog Junior'' | writer12 = Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, Sinclair | length12 = 4:08 | title13 = That's the Way That It Is | note13 = demo | length13 = 4:27 | title14 = Hot Persuasion | note14 = demo | length14 = 4:04 | total_length = 58:16 }} {{Track listing | headline = 2004 deluxe edition bonus tracks | title11 = Son of a Bitch | note11 = from the EP ''Abominog Junior'' | length11 = 4:07 | title12 = Tin Soldier | note12 = from the EP ''Abominog Junior'' | length12 = 3:54 | title13 = Think It Over | note13 = video soundtrack | length13 = 3:17 | title14 = Too Scared to Run | note14 = live | length14 = 4:19 | title15 = Sell Your Soul | note15 = live | length15 = 5:43 | title16 = That's the Way That It Is | note16 = live | length16 = 3:58 | total_length = 67:06 }}
==Personnel== ;Uriah Heep * Mick Box – guitars, backing vocals * Lee Kerslake – drums, backing vocals * Bob Daisley – bass guitar, backing vocals * John Sinclair – keyboards, backing vocals * Peter Goalby – lead vocals
;Production * Ashley Howe – producer, engineer, mixing * Nick Rogers – engineer * Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (1982) ! Peak<br />position |- {{Album chart|Germany|52|id=11100|artist=Uriah Heep|album=Abominog|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 November 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Norway|30|artist=Uriah Heep|album=Abominog|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 November 2023}} |- {{Album chart|UK2|34|date=19820411|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 November 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Billboard200|56|artist=Uriah Heep|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 November 2023}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Uriah Heep}}
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Category:1982 albums Category:Uriah Heep (band) albums Category:Bronze Records albums Category:Mercury Records albums