I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for early ‘80s Uriah Heep. Even though I would become totally besotted with the Hammond-pounding Hensley/Byron era, my entry point into the music of Uriah Heep was not through demons, wizards or magicians but rather through the Abominog album in 1982. And it was the Peter Goalby-fronted version of the band which I first saw live as a teenager.
Accordingly, I was delighted when two albums of archive solo material finally saw the light of day several decades after Goalby retired from the music business. These being Easy With the Heartaches (reviewed here) in 2021 and I Will Come Running in 2022.
Just as we might have thought the archives were now well and truly empty, a third solo album has also just been released. Goalby originally recorded the album not long after leaving Uriah Heep. However, it was only when a poorly labelled DAT was spotted at a storage facility over 30 years later, that the lost album was rediscovered.
Peter Goalby: “In 1987 I was offered a recording and publishing contract with RAK Records just after I’d left Uriah Heep. I thought these songs would be very commercial in the 1980s and Smokie recorded Fallin’ Apart. I later found out the master tapes had been lost and I silently carried the disappointment that music I’d put my heart and soul into was gone forever. Never say never!”
The nine-track album was personally overseen (from tape transfer, mastering and artwork) by Goalby. What will be of particular fascination for Heep fans is that this lost album was only finally completed in 2025 when Goalby’s former Uriah Heep bandmates, Mick Box (guitar) and John Sinclair (keyboards), added the final overdubs to the tracks.
While it’s immediately obvious that this is an album that could only have been made in the 80s and contains many sonic motifs of the era, production-wise Don’t Think This Is Over is a very polished affair. It comes over as a fully-rounded album in every sense, not simply a collection of archive material. Songs like ‘I’ll Be The One’, ‘It’s Just My Heart Breakin’’ and the title track are all instantly catchy yet satisfyingly muscular AOR containing some great guitar licks and showcasing Goalby in very fine voice. Meanwhile, ‘Another Paper Moon’ and ‘Fallin’ Apart’ underscore his knack for turning out some great lighter-in-the-air (not phones – it’s still the ‘80s remember!) anthemic rock ballads.
Don’t Think This Is Over is essential listening for any fans of Peter Goalby / ‘80s Uriah Heep and is a very worthy companion both to his recently-released solo albums and to Abominog, Head First and Equator.
Released: 5th December 2025
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