David Byron Band  – Lost And Found
Angel Air
http://www.angelair.co.uk/

Rating:  C

The late David Byron deserved a better lot in life, but like too many others before him he died of a lifestyle;  succumbing  to his battle with alcoholism in 1985 only a month after his thirty eighth birthday. Byron of course made his mark as the charismatic front man for Uriah Heep who between 1969 and 1976 churned out ten albums which included such classics as Demons & Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday. However by 1976 his problems had escalated to the point where Heep were forced to sack him. Without the security of Heep, and more importantly without a strong songwriting partner like Ken Hensley or Mick Box, Byron’s various post-Heep projects and solo career never really got off the ground.

Lost And Found is double CD re-release from Angel Air Records that gathers together David’s demo recordings, rehearsals, and portions of a live show recorded in Liverpool in 1980. Disc one concentrates on original recordings from 1982 and features the young baby faced guitarist Robin George trying his best to rev up what unfortunately amounts to a bunch of tepid sounding rockers, although Byron does turn in a very poignant vocal on the final track “One Minute More”. The second disc only fairs slightly better, as it begins by taking the listener through a rather ragged sounding London rehearsal from 1981.The set concludes with the energetic Liverpool show, which sees the band, which in addition to George also featured sax man Mel Collins, concentrating primarily on new material from his then yet to be released On The Rocks album. Songs like “Bad Girl” and “Start Believing” definitely comes across better in the live setting, and in general the material here has more of an edge to it than the studio versions. Byron doesn’t abandon his past entirely either as they offer up a couple of Heep classics in “July Morning” and “Sweet Lorraine” to keep the punters happy. Is it enough to make this collection a worthwhile purchase? Well I’d say if you’re a casual fan then you can probably afford to take a pass on Lost And Found. If on the other hand you’re a diehard fan of both Heep and David Byron’s solo work, then you’ll probably want to add this one to your collection, even though it definitely feels like it’s aimed at the completist.

    -Ryan Sparks