1983 studio album by Saga
Heads or Tales |
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Heads_or_tales.jpg/220px-Heads_or_tales.jpg) |
Studio album by Saga |
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Released | September 1983 |
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Recorded | The Farmyard, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England |
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Genre | - Progressive rock
- new wave
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Length | 40:23 (vinyl) / 47:47 (CD) |
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Label | Portrait, Maze |
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Producer | Rupert Hine |
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Saga chronology |
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In Transit (1982) | Heads or Tales (1983) | Behaviour (1985) | |
Professional ratingsReview scores |
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Source | Rating |
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AllMusic | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) [1] |
Heads or Tales is the fifth studio album by the Canadian progressive rock band Saga, released in 1983. The album was the second of the band's to be produced by Rupert Hine. Although it did not attain the same commercial success and status of the previous collaboration between the band and Hine, Worlds Apart (1981), both "The Flyer" and "Cat Walk" became respectable radio hits for the band with the album eventually securing gold status in Canada (50,000) and Germany (250,000). A third single from the album, "Scratching the Surface", became a live staple and fan favourite in the band's concert line-up during the late-1990s and 2000s as a piano solo played by Jim Gilmour during a break by the other band members. The song reached #45 in the Canadian Singles charts, April 1984.
Track listing
Side OneNo. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "The Flyer" | Jim Crichton | J. Crichton, Michael Sadler | 3:47 |
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2. | "Cat Walk" | J. Crichton | J. Crichton, Jim Gilmour, Ian Crichton | 4:24 |
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3. | "The Sound of Strangers" | Sadler | Sadler, J. Crichton, Gilmour, I. Crichton, Steve Negus | 4:09 |
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4. | "The Writing" | J. Crichton | J. Crichton, Sadler | 4:14 |
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5. | "Intermission" | Sadler | Sadler, J. Crichton, I. Crichton | 5:28 |
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Side TwoNo. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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6. | "Social Orphan" | Sadler | Sadler, J. Crichton | 3:24 |
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7. | "The Vendetta (Still Helpless)" | Sadler | Sadler, J. Crichton, Gilmour, I. Crichton | 3:55 |
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8. | "Scratching the Surface" | Gilmour | Gilmour, J. Crichton | 5:26 |
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9. | "The Pitchman" | J. Crichton | J. Crichton, Sadler, I. Crichton, Gilmour, Negus | 5:46 |
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Bonus track (CD and cassette only)No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Cat Walk" (Unabridged) | 7:44 |
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Personnel
Saga:[2]
- Michael Sadler – lead vocals (all but track #8), keyboards
- Ian Crichton – guitar
- Jim Gilmour – lead keyboards, backing and lead (8) vocals, sax
- Jim Crichton – bass guitar, keyboards
- Steve Negus – drums, percussion, electronic percussion
Production:[2]
- Judith Salavetz, Spencer Drate – art direction, design
- Stephen Durke – front and back illustrations artwork
- Andrew Scarth – assistant engineer
- Stephen W Tayler – recording and mixing engineer
- Larry Williams – inner sleeve photography
- Producer – Rupert Hine
Charts
Weekly charts | Year-end charts |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
Canada (Music Canada)[11] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[12] | Gold | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Hinds, Andy. Heads or Tales Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Saga – Heads Or Tales (Vinyl, LP, Album)" at Discogs. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4383a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Saga – Heads or Tales" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Saga Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Saga – Heads or Tales". Music Canada. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Saga; 'Heads or Tales')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
External links
- Heads or Tales at Discogs (list of releases)
Saga
- Michael Sadler
- Ian Crichton
- Jim Gilmour
- Mike Thorne
- Dusty Chesterfield
- Jim Crichton
- Brian Doerner
- Steve Negus
- Christian Simpson
- Peter Rochon
- Gregg Chadd
- Rob Moratti
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Studio albums | |
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Live albums | |
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Videos | - Silhouette
- All Areas - Live in Bonn 2002
- Worlds Apart Revisited
- Contact - Live in Munich
- Spin It Again! Live in Munich
- So Good So Far - Live at Rock of Ages
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Compilations | - The Works
- How Do I Look
- Best of - Now and Then - The Collection
- The Polydor Legacy
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Related articles | |
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Authority control databases ![Edit this at Wikidata](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png) | - MusicBrainz release group
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