Heads or Tales

Not to be confused with heads or tails, the practice of throwing a coin in the air.
Heads or Tales
Studio album by
Saga
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1983[1]
RecordedThe Farmyard, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England
Genre
Length40:23 (vinyl) / 47:47 (CD)
LabelPortrait, Maze
ProducerRupert Hine
Saga chronology
In Transit
(1982) 		Heads or Tales
(1983) 		Behaviour
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

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 One
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."The Flyer"Jim CrichtonJ. Crichton, Michael Sadler3:47
2."Cat Walk"J. CrichtonJ. Crichton, Jim Gilmour, Ian Crichton4:24
3."The Sound of Strangers"SadlerSadler, J. Crichton, Gilmour, I. Crichton, Steve Negus4:09
4."The Writing"J. CrichtonJ. Crichton, Sadler4:14
5."Intermission"SadlerSadler, J. Crichton, I. Crichton5:28
Side Two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
6."Social Orphan"SadlerSadler, J. Crichton3:24
7."The Vendetta (Still Helpless)"SadlerSadler, J. Crichton, Gilmour, I. Crichton3:55
8."Scratching the Surface"GilmourGilmour, J. Crichton5:26
9."The Pitchman"J. CrichtonJ. Crichton, Sadler, I. Crichton, Gilmour, Negus5:46
Bonus track (CD and cassette only)
No.TitleLength
1."Cat Walk" (Unabridged)7:44

Personnel

Saga:[3]

Production:[3]

  • 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

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 50,000^
Germany (BVMI)[13] Gold 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. September 26, 1983. p. 10.
  2. ^ Hinds, Andy. Heads or Tales Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Saga – Heads Or Tales (Vinyl, LP, Album)" at Discogs. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4383a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Saga – Heads or Tales" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Saga – Heads or Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Saga Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Saga – Heads or Tales". Music Canada. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Saga; 'Heads or Tales')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
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