Head East / Gettin Lucky

Head East | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Select
• ASIN: B000BQP12A
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,087 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Midwest has turned out some great rock bands in its time, working bands, no-nonsense bands that rock hard for their day's pay. Head East is right up there on the list. Known by most for their widely-anthologized classic rock radio staple "Never Been Any Reason," they never quite got their props outside their home territory for the great body of work they created during the late Seventies and early Eighties. We'd like to redress that wrong, at least in a small way, by releasing 1977's Getting' Lucky and 1978's Head East for the first time anywhere on compact disc. The music still sounds phenomenal, thanks in part to a careful remastering from the original tapes by Universal Mastering's Erick Labson. New notes have been penned by noted critic Scott Schinder for this release as well. But when all is said and done, it comes down to the tunes. We defy you to sit still when "Call To Arms And Legs" comes rockin' out of the subwoofer. The acoustic guitar opening of "Back In My Hands" sounds as crisp and clear as if Mike Somerville were in the room with you, and Roger Boyd's trademark synth lines sizzle right through the mix. And these guys had a great insight into one of the key elements of rock: they knew how to have a good time while they were playing, and they were able to convey it to the audience. These are "park-your-Trans-Am, knock-back-a-couple-of-beers and party-all-night-long" records. We could use more of them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, November 14, 2005

By 

Mark R. Van Wagenen "viagracat" (Elgin, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Head East / Gettin Lucky (Audio CD)

I know I'm preaching to the choir as no one is just going to stumble onto this review, so it'll be to the point. Yes, they should've been bigger than they were instead of being limited in appeal to over-40 Midwestern natives, etc etc. We can all agree on that.

I think Head East's second and third albums, "Get Yourself Up" and "Gettin Lucky" were their best, and the most under-represented on the otherwise decent 20th Century Masters CD. While "Get Yourself Up" is still not available on CD, "Gettin' Lucky" is the first half of this CD. Boyd was at the top of his game with the keyboards and synthesizers, Somerville was great with both acoustic guitar and the power chords, and the entire album is clean-sounding and more importantly, re-mastered well. Best tunes are the title track with the snarling organ, "Back In My Own Hands" with the aforementioned acoustic and synthesizers and my favorite, "Call to Arms and Legs"; a once-dated but somehow relevant-again environmental message but more impotantly, about as hard-charging a tune they've ever done. You want to turn that one up loud, women, children and dogs be damned.

Their eponymous (I love that word) fourth album is the back half of this CD, and not quite as strong as "Gettin' Lucky" as they de-emphasized the keyboards and synthesizers for guitar power (the further and largely unsatisfactory changes seen in the subsequent "A Different Kind of Crazy", I think, was a precursor toward this band's demise). However, it still works well if you're a fan. This album contained Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone", the only Head East tune you ever hear on the radio other than "Never Been Any Reason". Other good tracks include "Open Up the Door", "Man I Wanna Be" and "Dance Away Lover". This album has a lot of upbeat lyrics with some spiritually-tinged numbers, perhaps a precursor to Schlitt's later career as a member of the Christian rock band Petra.

You have to be a fan, but if you are, this is a must-have.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 2 Album Combo, August 8, 2008

By 

Legend (U. S. A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Head East / Gettin Lucky (Audio CD)

These are my 2 Favorite Head East Albums on one cd. My two Favorite songs by them are Back In My Own Hands, and Getting Lucky. Also Take It On Home, Call To Arms And Legs, Open Up The Door, Nothing To Loose,and I'm Feelin Fine which are all Great Songs by this Group.What more could You ask for having these two Great Albums on one cd. If You like Head East. You will want this Great Combo.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love It, August 24, 2007

By 

Road Tripper "JW" (DSM, IA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Head East / Gettin Lucky (Audio CD)

Truely one of the under rated bands in rock. There's no profound message just good music. So much better than my old worn LP's. 2 albums back to back is so great. Simple party songs, easy lyrics, good guitar riffs, very 70's.