Headkeeper

Headkeeper is a 1972 album by Dave Mason. Originally released on Blue Thumb Records as Blue Thumb 34 (a subsidiary of Famous Music Group), Headkeeper was reissued by MCA Records as MCA 712, then reissued on CD in 1988 as MCAD-31326).

Headkeeper
Studio album by
Dave Mason
Released1972
Recorded1972
VenueThe Troubadour, West Hollywood
StudioSunset Sound, Hollywood
GenreRock
LabelBlue Thumb
ProducerDave Mason, Tommy LiPuma
Dave Mason chronology
Dave Mason & Cass Elliot
(1971)		 Headkeeper
(1972)		 Dave Mason Is Alive
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

Recording and release

In late 1971, Mason began recording Headkeeper. He envisioned a double album with one disk containing new studio recordings and the other live recordings with his new band. The live tracks had been recorded at some highly regarded dates at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles.[4]

Mason thought that since he was Blue Thumb's most successful artist, they should renegotiate his contract. When they refused, he slipped into the studio and took the master tapes of the recordings made to date.[5]

Producer Tommy LiPuma then assembled an album from two-track safety masters that Mason did not take which Blue Thumb released. Mason publicly denounced the release as a "bootleg".

Mason eventually signed a deal with Columbia Records who bought out his Blue Thumb contract.

Blue Thumb issued Dave Mason Is Alive in 1973 with remaining tracks from the Troubadour set.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Dave Mason; except where indicated.

Side one
  1. "To Be Free" - 3:19
  2. "In My Mind" - 3:19
  3. "Here We Go Again" - 1:56
  4. "A Heartache, A Shadow, A Lifetime" - 3:35
  5. "Headkeeper" - 4:39

Side two
  1. "Pearly Queen" (Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood) - 3:32
  2. "Just a Song" - 3:01
  3. "World in Changes" - 4:47
  4. "Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving" - 3:04
  5. "Feelin' Alright" - 5:40

Personnel
  • Dave Mason - electric and acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Felix Falcon aka "Flaco" - conga and percussion
  • "Dr." Rick Jaeger - drums
  • Mark Jordan - piano and keyboard instruments
  • Lonnie Turner - bass

Background vocals (Special thanks to):

Production
  • Songs 1-5 were recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood (Wayne Dailey, recordist)
  • Songs 6-10 are excerpts from live performances at the Troubadour
  • Recording and mixing engineer - Al Schmitt
  • Remote equipment by Wally Heider and crew - Miles Weiner, Terry Stark, Chris Chigaridas
  • Mastered by Bob MacLeod at Artisan Sound Recorders, Hollywood
  • Photography by Bill Matthews
  • Album design by Ruby Mazur's Art Department

Chart positions
Year Chart Position
1972 The Billboard 200 Pop Albums 51

Headkeeper Track

Year Chart Position
1972 Billboard Top 50 AOL Rock Tracks 1

References
  1. Headkeeper at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 7 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. "Headkeeper - Dave Mason | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  5. "Bill DeYoung.com | We Just Disagree: The Story of Dave Mason". Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  • All information from liner notes from Headkeeper (Copyright © 1972 Blue Thumb Records) and CD release (Copyright © 1972 MCA Records, Inc. MCAD-31326).
  • Released in Brazil thru Young Records 304.0029 (A subsidiary of RGE Discos Ltda.)
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