Released May 1983 Producer Ashley Howe Artist Uriah Heep Label Mercury Records | Length 37:21 Head First
(1983) Equator
(1985) Release date May 1983 | |
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Recorded January–March 1983, The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire, England, and The Roundhouse, London Genres Hard rock, Heavy metal, Progressive rock Similar Uriah Heep albums, Heavy metal albums | ||
Head First was the 15th studio album from British rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in 1983, on Gerry Bron's UK label Bronze Records.
Contents
The album was recorded by the line-up responsible for the previous year's Abominog, but this time with a greater proportion of the songs written by the band members. Bob Daisley left the group shortly after the album's recording to rejoin Ozzy Osbourne; on the Head First tour former Heep bassist Trevor Bolder rejoined the band, effectively replacing his replacement, and remained with the band until his death in 2013.
Though Head First was deemed to be a worthy successor to Abominog by critics such as Geoff Barton, it suffered from a lack of promotion as Bronze went into liquidation the month after its release.
Video footage of the tour, from a show in New Zealand, was heavily featured on the longform video Easy Livin': A History Of Uriah Heep. In Japan only, this was also released on laserdisc.
Track listing
- "The Other Side of Midnight" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Kerslake/Sinclair) 3:55
- "Stay on Top" (Tom Jackson) 3:35
- "Lonely Nights" (Bryan Adams/Jim Vallance) 4:07
- "Sweet Talk" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair/Kerslake/Linda Sinclair) 3:51
- "Love is Blind" (Richie Zito/Joey Carbone) 3:38
- "Roll-Overture" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair) 2:18
- "Red Lights" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair) 2:57
- "Rollin' the Rock" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair) 5:31
- "Straight Through the Heart" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair/Kerslake) 3:39
- "Weekend Warriors" (Box/Daisley/Goalby/Sinclair/Kerslake) 3:50
Head First was remastered and reissued in 1997 with three bonus tracks:
- "Playing for Time" (B-side of Stay on Top)
- "Searching" (instrumental out-take)
- "The Wizard" (live version)
Reissued again in 2005 with the following bonus tracks:
- "Playing for Time" (B-side of Stay on Top)
- "Searching" (extended demo version)
- "Other Side of Midnight" (live version)
- "Lonely Nights" (live version)
- "Angel" (live version)
Personnel
Singles
"Stay On Top" was released as a single and a video was made. A double-7" gatefold edition was released. Non-album track "Playing for Time" was included.
"Lonely Nights", a cover version of the previous year's hit by Bryan Adams, was the second single. A picture-disc 7" was released.
Chart listings
Songs
1The Other Side of Midnight3:57
2Stay on Top3:38
3Lonely Nights4:08