Relaxing With the Heads

Heads (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rooster
• ASIN: B003U0I9IM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,666 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of this 1996 album including bonus tracks. Amidst a world suffocating in Britpop smarm, The Heads' debut cut a timely swath of unkempt Psychedelic Rock into the face of the English underground. Featuring ten tracks of guitar-driven, amp-destroying jams, Relaxing With... takes its cues from the U.S.--Stooges, MC5, Mudhoney, Pussy Galore, early Monster Magnet--but adds a distinctly British stamp with the drone and fuzz of Loop/Spacemen 3, the attitude of The Fall, Pink Fairies and Walking Seeds and the spaced Rock of early Hawkwind. It is obvious that the four members of The Heads are music obsessives. 27 tracks. Rooster. 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a gateway to harder stuff, January 29, 2011

By 

K. McQueen - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Relaxing With the Heads (Audio CD)

This is one of those albums that reminds me of the long gone summers of irresponsibility; a time when Spacemen 3 and Loop LPs were new imported gems and the truly great bands of Seattle had yet to be smeared with the "Grunge" label.
I rarely give five stars, much less write reviews, but I feel this is one selection that deserves mention. Tracks like "Quad," "Spliff Riff," and "Television" are my personal favorites. It's cool to have the 7" versions here as they are scarce as hen's teeth.
I can understand the previous reviewer's disappointment. If you're looking for a band channeling Hawkwind, you probably would be disappointed. But, I can sense that the Heads were inspired by Hawkwind as well as some of the above mentioned references. In fact, I believe one of their 7" singles that appears on this selection was recorded by a Hawkwind member or affiliate. They also tread the path of some contemporary groups like Wooden Shjips, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Black Angels, and Sun Dial, for example.
The Heads tend to be truly lo-fi in their recording approach. Most of their output, with some exceptions, were recorded with portastudios or a mini-disc recorder. Presumably, while jamming live.
So why five stars? I've been rocking this album for the last month or so with few breaks and sought out as much of their output as I could readily get my hands on. The personal nostalgia factor is probably another reason.
Also, "Relaxing With..." is good starting point for anyone interested in this band.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a good cd, November 6, 2010

By 

Joseph L. Kolb (harris, mn USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Relaxing With the Heads (Audio CD)

never heard of the heads before but bought this because they are described as psychedelic, sounding like early hawkwind, the pink fairies, and the detroit sound of the stooges and mc5. recorded in '96, they certainly are a good grunge-rock band (i wouldn't compare them with neither the stooges nor mc5 though), but there is not much psychedelia, nor hawkwind influence. if i was forced to compare them to hawkwind, i'd say it was nik turner's version with helios creed. but that is pushing it. the second bonus cd are 7" versions of the songs on the first cd. overall, a good grunge-guitar driven rock cd, though i'm not sure it needed a second disc of roughly the same songs. comes with thick informative booklet.