Head First (Uriah Heep album)

Head First
Head First
Studio album by Uriah Heep
Released	May 1983
Recorded	January–March 1983
Studio	The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell); Roundhouse (London);
Genre	Heavy metal; AOR;
Length	37:21
Label	Bronze
Producer	Ashley Howe
Uriah Heep chronology
Singles from Head First
	"Lonely Nights"; Released: June 1983; "Stay on Top"; Released: August 1983;

Professional ratings
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.

Track listings

Side one
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"	Richie Zito, Joey Carbone	3:38

Side two
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

1997 remastered edition bonus tracks
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

2005 Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
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)	Box, Trevor Bolder, 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.

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[7]	56
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[8]	19
UK Albums (OCC)^[9]	46
US Billboard 200^[10]	159

References

^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.
^ ^a ^b ^c Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - Head First review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 20 May 2012. After rising from the ashes with 1982's impressive Abominog, Uriah Heep continued to pursue a similar combination of heavy metal firepower and AOR sleekness on Head First
^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.
^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
^ Knighton, Steve (December 1997). "Uriah Heep: Live at Shepperton / Conquest / Abominog / Head First". Uncut. No. 7. p. 94.
^ Head First (CD Booklet). Uriah Heep. UK: Sanctuary Records. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Head First" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Head First". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
^ "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

External links

The official Uriah Heep website

[1] Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.

[allmusic-2] Guarisco, Donald A. "Uriah Heep - Head First review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 20 May 2012. After rising from the ashes with 1982's impressive Abominog, Uriah Heep continued to pursue a similar combination of heavy metal firepower and AOR sleekness on Head First

[3] Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780862415419.

[martin-4] Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.

[5] Knighton, Steve (December 1997). "Uriah Heep: Live at Shepperton / Conquest / Abominog / Head First". Uncut. No. 7. p. 94.

[liner-6] Head First (CD Booklet). Uriah Heep. UK: Sanctuary Records. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Germany_Uriah_Heep-7] "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – Head First" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

[ac_Norway_Uriah_Heep-8] "Norwegiancharts.com – Uriah Heep – Head First". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

[ac_UK2_-9] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

[ac_Billboard200_Uriah_Heep-10] "Uriah Heep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

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v t e Uriah Heep
Mick Box Phil Lanzon Bernie Shaw Russell Gilbrook Dave Rimmer Ken Hensley David Byron Paul Newton Alex Napier Nigel Olsson Keith Baker Ian Clarke Lee Kerslake Mark Clarke Gary Thain John Wetton Trevor Bolder John Lawton Chris Slade John Sloman Gregg Dechert John Sinclair Peter Goalby Bob Daisley Steff Fontaine
Studio albums	...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble Salisbury Look at Yourself Demons and Wizards The Magician's Birthday Sweet Freedom Wonderworld Return to Fantasy High and Mighty Firefly Innocent Victim Fallen Angel Conquest Abominog Head First Equator Raging Silence Different World Sea of Light Sonic Origami Wake the Sleeper Into the Wild Outsider Living the Dream Chaos & Colour
Live albums	Uriah Heep Live Live in Europe 1979 Live at Shepperton '74 Acoustically Driven Live in Armenia
Compilations	The Best of Uriah Heep The Lansdowne Tapes The Ultimate Collection Easy Livin': Singles A's & B's Loud, Proud & Heavy: The Best of Uriah Heep Celebration – Forty Years of Rock Totally Driven
Singles	"Gypsy" "Lady in Black" "Look at Yourself" "The Wizard" "Easy Livin'" "Sweet Lorraine" "Blind Eye" "July Morning" "Stealin'" "Something or Nothing" "Prima Donna" "Return to Fantasy" "One Way or Another" "Wise Man" "Sympathy"
Other songs	"Bird of Prey" "Sunrise"
Related articles	Discography Members The Gods Spice Toe Fat Colin Wood

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