Perhaps this is what Kiss fans felt like when the costumed rockers released the pop crossover attempt Dynasty (forever known as "the album with the disco single on it") in 1979.
After nearly a decade and a half of Stooges and MC5-inspired scuzz-rock stomp, Head Off is a curiously clean, poppy, and fundamentally unexciting album's worth of cover songs.
In their favor, the Hellacopters should be commended for avoiding the time-worn Pin Ups route (à la the Ramones' weak Acid Eaters) and recording old garage rock singles that everyone's already heard.
The songs on Head Off come from the pens of the Hellacopters' friends, labelmates, tour partners, and other contemporaries, shining a light on some lesser-known acts in the international garage rock underground like Australia's Asteroid B-612, L.A.'s Humpers, and several of the other bands on Stockholm's local scene as the Hellacopters themselves were just starting out.
Somewhat better known acts like the BellRays, the Gaza Strippers, and the New Bomb Turks are also represented, but the anodyne, sterile sound of Head Off does none of the songs any favors.
It isn't surprising that the Hellacopters announced that they were breaking up concurrent with the album's release.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrocute | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Midnight AngelsMagnus Hägerås, Peter Wolfbrandt | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | (I'm) Watching YouJimi Silveroli | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | No SalvationAnders Björnlund | The Hellacopters | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | In the Sign of the OctopusPiotr Wawrzeniuk | The Hellacopters | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Veronica LakeBill Randt | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Another Turn | The Hellacopters | Play | 01:59 | 4 MB | 15 MB |
| 8 | I Just Don't Know About Girls | The Hellacopters | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | Rescue | The Hellacopters | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | Making Up for Lost TimeFate Federation | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:33 | 5 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | Throttle BottomRick Sims | The Hellacopters | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | Darling DarlingKurt Dräckes | The Hellacopters | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 35 mins | 82 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 280 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anders Björnlund | Composer |
| 2 | Kurt Dräckes | Composer |
| 3 | Fate Federation | Composer |
| 4 | Magnus Hägerås | Composer |
| 5 | The Hellacopters | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Tim Hemensley | Composer |
| 7 | Bill Randt | Composer |
| 8 | Jimi Silveroli | Composer |
| 9 | Rick Sims | Composer |
| 10 | Piotr Wawrzeniuk | Composer |
| 11 | Peter Wolfbrandt | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |