Head East is one of those bands that, back in the day, released dozens of songs while never quite achieving the status of a Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith, but their typically midwestern, 1970s style, loaded with synthesizer sounds and some great guitar riffs, made sure they always got plenty of radio play.
The band formed in Illinois in 1969, with vocalist John Schlitt, lead guitar player Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. The band has been through a lot of iterations as members came and went, and their sound evolved somewhat. Here’s the great part: They’re still playing. Of course, the band may be compared to the old man who bragged that he’s had the same axe for fifty years; he’s replaced the handle ten times and the head four times, but it’s the same axe. Head East is still rocking today, but Roger Boyd is the only original member still playing. They remain, though, as they were: A great, 1970s vintage guitar rock band from the Midwest, and the fact that all the members of the band today look to have been around since then sure sells that assertion.
I like their early stuff best, and here are some of my favorites.
Never Been Any Reason (1975): This song, the band’s biggest hit, was written by the second lead guitarist, Mike Somerville, in 1975. It’s a neat piece of 70s guitar-rock, with lyrics telling the story of a rock band member returning home from tour to find his girlfriend has, as the saying goes, a few things to say. It’s a fun song – and was Head East’s first big hit, on their album Flat As A Pancake.
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Love Me Tonight (1975): This song has a little easier feel to it; it is, again, a song devoted to a girl, but not a girlfriend; the relationship described here is considerably more, shall we say, ephemeral. This one was, again, written by Mike Somerville; check out the refrain:
Gettin’ Lucky (1977): From the album of the same name, this song is just about what you’d expect from the name. This seems to be something of a theme with Head East:Love me tonight, don't talk about tomorrow
Love me tonight, don't feed me any sorrow
One night's all we got and then I'm gone, yeah
Love me tonight, don't ever try to stop it
Love me tonight, I'll be gone before you know it
Maybe I'll be back before too long
Every Little Bit Of My Heart (1977): Written by John Schlitt and Roger Boyd, this one takes a different tone. It’s smoother, with almost a blues feel to some parts. It’s a song about a guy disappointed that his girl has left him, despite all he did for her:Gettin' lucky is the name of the game
What you call it, it all means the same
Put on your good looks and your dancing shoes
Go downtown and try to shake those blues
But you know, another night
Another number, gettin' lucky
Gave you money, bought you things
Gave you lovin' without any strings
So when you left me, you could have left
A little bit of my heart
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Don’t Let Me Sleep In The Morning (1977): Finally, a song from Mike Somerville that strikes a happier tone about a relationship. Well, until about the second stanza:
I’m sensing a pattern here.There's a way in which she loves you and no one takes her place
She takes away your sorrow with a warm and easy taste
She leaves you feelin' satisfied that someone really cares
Now she's gone and I wish that she was never really there
Since You Been Gone (1978): Now, a little later, from the album Head East, comes a song that got more radio play than any Head East song since Love Me Tonight. It is, again, about a girl who left her guy, but this one takes a more upbeat sound, almost casting an optimistic tone about how the protagonist can deal with the disappointment. But, she still seems to have hold over him:
Feelin’ Is Right (1979): Finally, a song in which the hero gets the girl. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? John Schlitt wrote and composed this one, and it’s a fun one, even if it only saw some lackluster performance on the charts. But then, I’ve never worried over much about what’s on the charts; didn’t then, don’t now.Some bands just take you back. Head East is, for me at least, one of those. I can put on my Head East playlist, close my eyes, and there I am, barnstorming around the gravel roads in northeast Iowa in a 1966 Ford, radio turned up all the way, having a ball.Since you been gone, since you been gone
I'm out of my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong but since you been gone
You've cast a spell, so break it
Got any great Head East tunes on your personal playlist? The comments, as always, are all yours!
