"Heads Hands & Feet" by HEADS HANDS & FEET – Debut 17-Track US Double-Album from April 1971 on Capitol Records and Debut 11-Track UK Single Album from June 1971 on Island Records – featuring Tony Colton, Ray Smith, Albert Lee, Pete Gavin, Chas Hodges and Mike O’Neill with guest Elton Dean on Saxophone (September 2014 UK Prog Temple Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster of the Original 17 Track U.S. Version) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

"...The More You Get, The More You Want..."

Rinse-haired geezers like me (62 and still no criminal record) will remember with a fuzzyheaded glow and a shape-shifting shuffle in the trouser area SAMPLER ALBUMS of the late 60s and early 70ts.

They were a great way of getting to know tons of new music/genres for next-to-zip amounts of cash. One of these is the now-forgotten "El Pea" double-album from June 1971 on Island IDLP 1 – an Island/Chrysalis Records twofer pitched at £1.99 with a great big green pea on the cover. The double-album and its distinctive artwork were supposed to plug 1971 Rock Music and Folk Rock on both conjoined labels. 

But instead of introducing fans to the likes of Nick Drake, Traffic, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Sandy Denny, Quintessence, Amazing Blondel, Mick Abrahams, Free, Mott The Hoople etc – it became infamous for its rubbish plastic inner holder sleeves with foam lips which were supposed to clean the LPs as you took them out - but just ended up scratching the palm-tree label vinyls to buggery (a great compilation of new music ruined by gimmicky).

Amidst its many other presentational sins was also Side 1's entry for "Song For Suzie" by Heads Hands & Feet. It advertised beneath, that you could find this wickedly good song on their Island Records debut album ILPS 9149. But when punters went looking for the seven-minute opus, the 11-track UK self-titled LP hadn't got the song - nowhere to be seen. This is because their debut "Heads Hands & Feet" had been a 17-track double-album in the USA issued in April 1971 on Capitol Records (containing that song) - but when their debut was eventually issued June 1971 in the UK, Island didn't want to chance a double, so edited it down to an 11-Track single LP minus of course the "Song For Suzie" track (cut probably due to time restrictions). In fact when Universal issued the "Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology 1967-1972" 3CD Box Set of Remasters in 2005 – the booklet compounded the mistake again by saying you could get the song on the UK LP. Well, you can't. But here is a place where you can...

Which brings us via a very circuitous route to this rather splendid fully loaded 2014 Prog Temple CD reissue - finally offering fans the Original 17 Track U.S. Version of Heads Hands & Feet as a CD Remaster for the first time. There is a lot to wade through, so on to the head-bangers...

UK released 1 September 2014 – "Heads Hands & Feet" by HEADS HANDS & FEET on Prog Temple PTCD8029 (Barcode 4753314802919) offers the Original 17 Track U.S. Version on CD for the first time. This 15-Track CD (two of the songs have two parts, hence the 17) plays out as follows (77:55 minutes):

1. I'm In Need Of Your Help [Side 1]

2. Send Me A Wire

3. Look At The World It's Changing / 3a. You Because You Know Me

4. Green Liquor

5. Country Boy [Side 2]

6. Tryin' To Put Me On

7. I Wish You Knew Me

8. Devil's Elbow

9. Pete Might Spook The Horses [Side 3]

10. Everybody's Hustlin' / 10a. Hang Me, Dang Me

11. Delaware

12. The More You Get, The More You Want [Side 4]

13. Song For Suzie

14. Tirabad

15. Little Bit Lonely 

Tracks 1 to 15 are the April 1971 US Debut Double-Album "Heads Hands & Feet" on Capitol Records SVBB-680. It was issued June 1971 in the UK with the same name on Island Records ILPS 9149 as a Single LP with 11 Tracks.  That British album can be sequenced from this 2014 CD Remaster as follows:

Side 1: Tracks 1, 2, 7, 10, 10a and 8 (six tracks)

Side 2: Tracks 5, 6, 11, 9 and 15 (five tracks)

HEADS HANDS & FEET were:

TONY COLTON – Lead Vocals

ALBERT LEE – Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Keyboards, Vibes and Vocals

RAY SMITH – Lead Guitar and Vocals

MIKE O'NEILL – Guitars, Vibes, Keyboards and Vocals

CHAS HODGES – Bass, Banjo, Fiddle and Vocals

PETE GAVIN – Drums, Percussion, Vibes and Vocals

Along with Jerry Donahue and Pat Donaldson (later of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention fame) – Tony Colton, Albert Lee, Ray Smith and Drummer Pete Gavin had been with the group Poet And The One Man Band for their lone self-titled album on Verve Forecast SVLP 6012 – released April 1969. Mike O’Neill had been part of The John Barry Seven and Chas Hodges had been with Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers (amongst others) and would of course go on to be one half of Chas & Dave. And even though he'd left to join Sandy Denny in Fotheringay, Pat Donaldson had been songwriting with them so long that he is listed as the third writer of "I'm In Need Of Your Help" alongside Tony Colton and Ray Smith (principal songwriters on almost every song).

As a sort of newly formed supergroup, there was a lot of major label interest, and as the eight-page FRASER MASSEY liner-notes explain (with the aid of Tony Colton) – the British boys were wined and dined at the legendary Troubadour club in Hollywood, then signed for very big money at the time to the established Capitol Records in the USA - to be handled by the hipper independent label Island Records in the UK. On this 2014 Prog Temple CD it clearly states DIGITALLY REMASTERED but there is no name associated. No problems because the audio throughout is really great - fantastically alive and without being over-trebled too. Nice job done. Let's get to the music...

Recorded between November 1970 and February 1971 and Engineered by EDDIE OFFORD of Yes fame - the double-album splurge begins with "I'm In Need Of Your Help" - a rapido Funk-Rock chaser that even feels a tad Prog as it begins. Better is "Send Me A Wire" where I always felt their strengths lay - a sort of Rock-Funk groover that chugs along very nicely - put out the smoke - put out the fire - can't get any higher. I've included it on some compilations of mine where I dig Rock on a Funky tip. We're then hit with a seven and a half minute two-parter - (3) "Look At The World It's Changing - and (3a) "You Because You Know Me". The first part is a dreadfully syrupy love song that overdoes the melodrama whilst part two goes all acoustic Simon & Garfunkel which is only a little better. Side 1 ends with the boozy swagger of the tasting-fine "Green Liquor" - a sort of precursor in song style to their fabulous single "Warming Up The Band".

Side 2 of the American double also opens Side 2 of the single British LP - a cotton-picker horse and cart romp non-surprisingly called "Country Boy" - and again amazing clarity in the Remaster. That's followed by the Dobro and Fiddle Country Blues of the excellent "Tryin' To Put Me On" - a fave amongst fans - put this one in the steel house. "I Wish You Knew Me" opens on an acoustic guitar flourish only to be followed by a wall of harmonising vocals - a sort of Beach Boys meets Bronco moment (gorgeous remaster too). A Methodist Minister calls on our vocalist and asks his domination - trying to convert the Rock 'n' Roll man away from the "Devil's Elbow" - though even despite the mellow feel of the track - I think the preacher has his work cut out for him.

Side 3 opens with "Pete Might Spook The Horses" - a drum-driven rocker co-written by Colton and Smith with sticks-man Pete Gavin. Again the Remaster leaps out of the speakers as PG whacks his kit to the accompaniment of funky chugging guitars from the boys (shine on sunshine). Another countrified two-parter follows – Uncle Joe hustling the bar and everything for that matter (including his kids) in (10) "Everybody's Hustlin'" - while things get funky-rock again with the rolling across my mind (10a) "Hang Me, Dang Me". And again another great audio spread. Side 3 ends with five minutes of piano-peace in "Delaware" – probably the prettiest song on the album – lines down in Utah – raining in Delaware – still things are good.

Side 4 gives us seven-minutes of the J.J. Cale Tony Joe White Vocal stylee Bass-Funky "The More You Get, The More You Want". Unfortunately UK fans lost on this one (wasn't on the single LP) and what a loss. Our boy is looking for some Hookfoot – servicing another turnstile to keep that hooch flowing and the girls by the bar rolling their eyes. This wickedly groovy funky-as-a-tweeter Swamp-Country-Rock tune was Heads Hands & Feet stock in trade – sexy-cool flicking guitar work from Albert Lee and fantastic wild Alto Sax soloing from guest musician Elton Dean. What a tour de force, and for me, a definite highlight on the album. That is then followed by the epic Moody Blues-sounding "Song For Suzie" - a prayer ballad for a lost lady's peace of mind. The Little Feat guitar boogie of "Tirabad" and the Spanish acoustic of "Little Bit Lonely" bring a big album to a quietly majestic end. It's not all magic - but damn - when they hit that groove - they were so damn good.  

Heads Hands & Feet would issue their second studio album "Tracks" in late April 1972 on Island ILPS 9185 (June 1972 in the USA on Capitol Records ST-11051) and a final UK studio set called "Old Soldiers Never Die" in March 1973 – newly signed to Atlantic Records for K 40465 – but all to no avail. Not even the wickedly good "Warming Up The Band" stand-alone single broke the charts for them - when it should have (both it and its non-album B-side are featured as Bonus Tracks on the "Tracks...Plus" CD reissue - see my review). 

England's Heads, Hands & Feet are a footnote now in the history of Seventies Rock Music - but they're remembered with affection for a reason and the better tracks on this wicked-sounding 2LPs-onto-1CD Remaster prove why. A very cool little reissue really and I'd love to see someone tackle all three of their Seventies albums in a mini box set with Extras - and right soon...