Return to Fantasy is the eighth studio album released by British rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep (band)

Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...

.

The experienced John Wetton

John Wetton

John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...

 was the band's new bassist.

The original vinyl release was as a gatefold-sleeve, with the lyrics reproduced on the inner-liner.

The band finally made the UK Top 10, reaching #7. Return to Fantasy remains one of Uriah Heep's best selling works. The singles were "Return to Fantasy" and "Prima Donna".

Track listing

All songs written by Mick Box

Mick Box

Michael Frederick Box , better known by his stage name Mick Box, is the lead guitarist of British rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron. He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is...

, David Byron

David Byron

David Byron -Early Life 1967-1969:From mid-60's to early 70's David Byron did a lot of session work for a company called Avenue Recordings singing lead and backing vocals...

, Ken Hensley

Ken Hensley

Kenneth William David Hensley is a keyboard player , guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s....

, and Lee Kerslake

Lee Kerslake

Lee Kerslake is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep, in addition to his work in the Ozzy Osbourne band...

, except where noted.

1. "Return to Fantasy" (Byron, Hensley) - 5:52
2. "Shady Lady" - 4:46
3. "Devil's Daughter" - 4:48
4. "Beautiful Dream" - 4:52
5. "Prima Donna" - 3:11
6. "Your Turn to Remember" (Hensley) - 4:22
7. "Showdown" - 4:17
8. "Why Did You Go" - 3:53
9. "A Year Or a Day" (Hensley) - 4:22

Bonus disc on expanded de-luxe edition from 2004

1. "Shout It Out" (Ken Hensley) - 3:35
2. "The Time Will Come" - 4:08
3. "Prima Donna" (Demo) - 4:06
4. "Why Did You Go" (Demo) - 5:19
5. "Showdown" (Demo) - 4:18
6. "Beautiful Dream" (Demo) - 5:49
7. "Return To Fantasy" (Byron, Hensley) (Extended Version) - 7:14

Personnel

• David Byron
  David Byron
  David Byron -Early Life 1967-1969:From mid-60's to early 70's David Byron did a lot of session work for a company called Avenue Recordings singing lead and backing vocals...
  
   – vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  
• Ken Hensley
  Ken Hensley
  Kenneth William David Hensley is a keyboard player , guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s....
  
   – keyboard
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  , guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s, synthesizer
  Synthesizer
  A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
  
  , vocals
• Mick Box
  Mick Box
  Michael Frederick Box , better known by his stage name Mick Box, is the lead guitarist of British rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron. He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is...
  
   – guitars
• Lee Kerslake
  Lee Kerslake
  Lee Kerslake is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep, in addition to his work in the Ozzy Osbourne band...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  , vocals
• John Wetton
  John Wetton
  John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
  
   – bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , mellotron
  Mellotron
  The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
  
  , vocals

The 2004 Remastered version by Castle (UK) as SMRCD100, team:

• Remastering by Robert Corich
  Robert Corich
  Robert M. Corich is a remastering engineer and record producer, who started his career as a remastering engineer, producing new re-releases for bands such as Uriah Heep, Nazareth, Budgie, Status Quo, and many others....
  
  
• Remastering by Mike Brown
• Assistant Remastering: Pavel Salgado