Head First (Uriah Heep album)
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- The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell)
- Roundhouse (London)
| Head First | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | January–March 1983 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:21 | |||
| Label | Bronze | |||
| Producer | Ashley Howe | |||
| Uriah Heep chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Head First | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[4] |
| Uncut | [5] |
Head First is the fifteenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in May 1983 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. It is Uriah Heep's last album released by Bronze Records.
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,[6] 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 long-form video Easy Livin': A History of Uriah Heep. In Japan only, this was also released on laserdisc.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Other Side of Midnight" | Mick Box, Bob Daisley, Peter Goalby, Lee Kerslake, John Sinclair | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Stay on Top" | Tom Jackson | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Lonely Nights" (Bryan Adams cover) | Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Sweet Talk" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair, Linda Sinclair | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Love is Blind" | Joey Carbone, Richie Zito | 3:38 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Roll-Overture" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, J. Sinclair | 2:18 |
| 7. | "Red Lights" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, J. Sinclair | 2:57 |
| 8. | "Rollin' the Rock" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, J. Sinclair | 5:31 |
| 9. | "Straight Through the Heart" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Weekend Warriors" | Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Playing for Time" (B-side of the single "Stay on Top") | Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair | 4:27 |
| 12. | "Searching" (instrumental out-take) | Box, Daisley, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair | 3:52 |
| 13. | "The Wizard" (live 1984) | Mark Clarke, Ken Hensley | 4:52 |
| Total length: | 50:32 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Playing for Time" (B-side of the single "Stay on Top") | 4:27 | |
| 12. | "Searching" (extended demo) | 4:54 | |
| 13. | "The Other Side of Midnight" (live 1984) | 4:36 | |
| 14. | "Lonely Nights" (live 1984) | 6:45 | |
| 15. | "Angel" (live 1985) | Trevor Bolder, Box, Goalby, Kerslake, J. Sinclair | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 63:25 | ||
Personnel
- Uriah Heep
- Mick Box – guitar, backing vocals
- Lee Kerslake – drums, backing vocals
- Bob Daisley – bass guitar, backing vocals
- John Sinclair – keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Peter Goalby – lead vocals
- Trevor Bolder – bass guitar and backing vocals on live tracks
- Additional musician
- Frank Ricotti – percussion on "Roll-Overture"
- Production
- Ashley Howe – producer, engineer, mixing
- Nick Rogers – engineer, mixing on "Roll-Overture"
- Keith Nixon – assistant engineer
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.
