Head First is the tenth and final studio album by the Welsh rock band Badfinger, released on 14 November 2000. It was recorded over 25 years earlier at the Beatles' Apple Studios in London, but was not released at the time. Originally intended to be Badfinger's third LP under its six-album contract with Warner Bros. Records, the recordings were shelved when legal difficulties erupted between the band and the label.

The version that was finally released in 2000 was a rough mix of the album made in December 1974 by Phil McDonald, one of the recording engineers at Apple Studios. Head First was released again on 13 December 2024, featuring a remix from the rediscovered master tapes by surviving member Bob Jackson and musician Andy Nixon.

After the recording of Badfinger's previous album, Wish You Were Here, founding member Pete Ham decided to quit Badfinger. To replace him, the band added keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson and started rehearsals for a U.K. tour supporting the Welsh band Man. During rehearsals, Ham decided to rejoin the group after advice from Warner Brothers. The tour ended up as a quintet, during which long-time member Joey Molland decided to quit the group after the tour ended. Following the tour, Badfinger was told by its management to go back in the studio to record another new album. Their American manager Stan Polley hired producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who had just become successful by producing Kiss.

The remaining members of Badfinger recorded Head First in just two weeks. Rough mixes were made at Apple Studios by engineer Phil McDonald the day after sessions ended on 16 December 1974, and further remixes were made in Los Angeles by producers Kerner and Wise between 19–24 January 1975, in an effort to get the album released as soon as possible. A photo session took place in February 1975 and artist Peter Corriston sketched a picture of a lion for the potential album cover design.

The difficult circumstances that surrounded Badfinger at this time contribute to the album's tone and provide the theme for at least two of its songs. In particular, an investigation by WB's publishing division discovered that approximately $100,000 was missing from a Badfinger escrow account related to music publishing. Inquiries made by WB as to the whereabouts of the money were reportedly met with silence by Polley, arousing suspicions within WB. Angered by what it claimed to be a lack of cooperation, WB launched a "breach of contract" suit against Polley and Badfinger virtually simultaneously with the Head First recording sessions, which also sought to attach the royalties due from Wish You Were Here. Consequently, WB suspended sales of Wish You Were Here.

Although the master tapes of Head First were delivered to and accepted by WB's A & R division in Los Angeles, WB's publishing arm there refused to accept and publish the songs because of the lawsuit. With a lack of publishing protection, the A & R division shelved the tapes and the album was not released.

Unaware of the lawsuit at the time, the group had nevertheless argued amongst themselves regarding Polley's honesty and his handling of their money, factors which had contributed to Molland's departure. These sentiments came to the surface in the lyrics for at least two Head First tracks, "Rock and Roll Contract" and "Hey, Mr. Manager", which are indictments of Polley by bassist Tom Evans.

Badfinger became aware of the lawsuit in early 1975, simultaneous to a discontinuation of the group's salary checks from Polley. As financial turmoil mounted for the band members and its future became more uncertain, group leader Pete Ham committed suicide on 24 April 1975, only four months after the album was completed. Because of continuing financial difficulties related to Polley, which led Apple Records to also suspend the group's royalty payments and pull the group's albums from distribution, Evans later took his own life on 19 November 1983.