Spice were a British

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band featuring David Byron (vocals),

Mick Box Michael Frederick Box (born 9 June 1947) is an English musician who is the lead guitarist of rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron.Larkin, Colin (20 ...

(guitar), Paul Newton (bass guitar), Alex Napier (drums) and

Colin Wood Colin Arthur Wood (born 15 June 1943) is a British musician engaged in the field of jazz and rock music. Wood was born in Camberwell, South East London, & was moved to Somerset in 1950. He played jazz piano while still at school. In 1962 he went ...

(keyboards). (Napier was a replacement for drummer

Nigel Pegrum Nigel John Pegrum (born 22 January 1949) is a music producer and former drummer, most known for playing on many albums by Steeleye Span. Biography Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of the Small Faces, then with Lee Grant And The ...

; Pegrum would later join the

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

band Steeleye Span). In late 1969, organist

Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...

, formerly of The Gods and

Toe Fat Toe Fat were an English rock band, active from June 1969 to 1971, notable for including two future members of Uriah Heep and a future member of Jethro Tull. Career Formed in June 1969, the band was fronted by former Rebel Rouser Cliff Ben ...

joined. The band's last concert was on 21 February 1970 at St Mary's College in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

, supporting Deep Purple - the band changed its name to Uriah Heep shortly after. The first concert as Uriah Heep was on 20 March at the Technical College in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Discography

Spice released one

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "What About The Music" (b/w "In Love") in 1968, eventually transforming into Uriah Heep during the recording of their first full-length album. Songs recorded under the Spice name and line-up have surfaced on: *''

The Lansdowne Tapes ''The Lansdowne Tapes'' is a compilation album by the British rock band Uriah Heep and released in 1993. The recordings featured on the album date from the time before the change of name to Uriah Heep and during the early sessions that culminat ...

'' (compilation of recordings by Spice, and outtakes from the first three Uriah Heep albums) - Recorded 1968-1971, released 1994 *''A Time of Revelation'' (four-disc anthology of Uriah Heep material, including recordings by Spice) - Recorded 1968-1995, released 1996 Spice recordings on these compilations consisted of "Astranaza", "Born In A Trunk" (vocal and instrumental versions), "Celebrate", "I Want You Babe", "In Love", "Magic Lantern", "Schoolgirl", and "What About The Music". Additionally, two of the songs released on the first Uriah Heep album were recorded by the Spice line-up before Hensley's inclusion, with

appearing on keyboards ("Come Away Melinda" and "Wake Up (Set Your Sights)"). "Astranaza" was originally a three-part composition, but only parts 1 and 2 were included on the compilations featuring it (part 3 was said to be a repeat of part 1).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spice (band) 1967 establishments in England 1970 disestablishments in England English rock music groups Uriah Heep (band) Musical groups established in 1967 Musical groups disestablished in 1970