Wizard

This song was written by Ken Hensley and Mark Clarke, who was Uriah Heep's bassist for a short period, during a 1971 tour and the early stages of the recording of Demons & Wizards. This song was Clarke's only writing contribution, as he got tired of touring and left the band as soon as they had found a replacement, Gary Thain. Clarke would later play with bands like Rainbow, Mountain and Billy Squier. Mark Clarke got to sing a couple of lines in the middle part of the song, as the melody was deemed too high for Heep's main lead vocalist David Byron. It has also been disputed whether Clarke or his replacement Gary Thain is playing bass on the song, but it is indeed Clarke playing. The song was released as the first single from Demons & Wizards, but it did not reach the same level of success as the second single "Easy Livin'," which became a smash hit in many areas. However, "The Wizard" still lives on as one of Heep's most loved classics. German power metal-band Blind Guardian did a cover of the song, which was first released as a B-side on their single "A Past and Future Secret" in 1995.

[Verse 1] He was the wizard of a thousand kings And I chanced to meet him one night wandering He told me tales and he drank my wine Me and my magic man, kinda feelin' fine [Verse 2] He had a cloak of gold and eyes of fire And as he spoke, I felt a deep desire To free the world of its fear and pain And help the people to feel free again [Bridge] Why don't we listen to the Voices in our heart? Cause then I know we'd find We're not so far apart Everybody's got to be happy Everyone should sing For we know the joy of life Peace and love can bring [Verse 3] So spoke the wizard In his mountain home The vision of his wisdom Means we'll never be alone And I will dream of my magic night And the million silver stars That guide me with their light [Outro] Ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah