KEN HENSLEY

Eager to Please

1 Eager to Please 4:51
2 Stargazer 3:46
3 Secret 4:02
4 Through the Eyes of a Child 2:16
5 Part Three 3:46
6 The House on the Hill 3:17
7 Winter or Summer 2:58
8 Take and Take 3:42
9 Longer Shadows 3:32
10 In the Morning 2:34
11 How Shall I Know 3:59

22,50 €

The sophomore solo album by Ken Hensley, this 1975’ “Eager to please”, has a little more rocking sound than his debut “Proud words on a dusty shelf”; Hensley sings and plays keyboards and guitar here, and it’s quite notorious (and a bit strange for me) his derivative guitar sound from Mick Box. In fact, the Hensley riffs have a whole lotta savour of his Uriah Heep bandmate, and his vocals sound many times like David Byron.
“Secret” is either a semi rip-off from Alice Cooper’s “Only women bleed” (released that same year), or the notes of both songs coincide miraculously, don't know if this one was released after the Coop's Welcome to my nightmare though, but just was a sensation I felt listening to this song; on the other hand, “Stargazer” is quite fresh and with grand brass arrangements.
Other interesting tracks here are “Through the eyes of a child”, that is exactly like any melodic Uriah Heep song, the slightly David Bowie-like “Take and take” and “Part three”. The only critique is how Hensley makes his band sound like an Uriah Heep photocopy for moments (Mark Clarke on bass & Bugs Pemberton on drums), and even himself looks like emulating the whole Heep’s style, instead of trying something different. Beyond of this, “Eager to please” it is a correct, even enjoyable record with some fine songs.