Sweet Freedom is the Heep's initial album for Warner Bros. and is as awful as its six Phonogram predecessors, perhaps even more so. Lord knows how they ever got a reputation as a heavy metal band—anyone listening carefully will notice that they are little more than a Top-40-based outfit in drag. Their new disk alternates between oppressive organ drone ("Pilgrim" and "If I Had the Time") and somnambulating sonic shuffle ("Steelin'"). Were it not for the inclusion of two songs of somewhat minimal fascination ("Dreamer" and "Seven Stars"—a little high energy rock & roll on both counts), the album would be as big a zero as the New Orleans Saints' defense. As is, it's worth a five on a 100-point scale. (RS 147)

G.F.