Heads & Tales

Harry Chapin

Elektra, 1972

http://www.harrychapinmusic.com

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/09/2024

Every artist needs to start somewhere. Sometimes, that first trip up to the plate results in a home run; other times, a complete strikeout.

In the case of Heads & Tales, the debut effort from the late singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, he definitely got a hit of sorts - "Taxi" peaked on the singles charts at number 24, an impressive feat for a song just under seven minutes long. But Chapin was still coming into his own voice and discovering his style of songwriting, and the overall feel of this disc is more of "what could have been".

Chapin does prove early on in his career that he could tell an amazingly powerful story within the confines of his music. "Sometime, Somewhere Wife" is certainly not one of his best-known tracks, and it most certainly is a downer for the bulk of its running time. However, a nice twist at its end demonstrates his ability to hook a listener in and take them on a powerful journey. In a similar fashion (though nowhere nearly as dramatic), you can hear the same thing in songs like "Same Sad Singer" and "Any Old Kind Of Day".my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

And then, there's "Taxi"... had Chapin never released "Cat's In The Cradle," this would have still been a nice legacy to be remembered by. A tale of rediscovering someone from one's past, it certainly has the ability to resonate with anyone over the age of 25 who's had their heart broken at least once. Whether or not the story in the song is based of anything that really occurred in Chapin's life... well, I personally think that's best left up to individual interpretation.

I'd love to say that Heads & Tales is made up of lots of great moments like these... but, sadly, I can't. I'm not insinuating the album is bad by any means; rather that much of the music contained herein has a tentative feel and sound to it. Chapin would quickly develop a style that led him to some magnificent work, but tracks like "Greyhound" (even with its rhythmic shifts to simulate a speeding bus), "Could You Put Your Light On, Please" and "Dogtown" don't have the same emotional punch or power as the stronger tracks do.

Heads & Tales is still worthy of one's attention, if only to get a grasp on what got Chapin started on the path to success - and any chance to take seven minutes out of one's day to listen to "Taxi" is well worth it. But if you go into this disc expecting numerous songs in its vein or that of "Cat's In The Cradle," you're going to walk away disappointed. This was a good first step for Chapin... but he was capable of far better work.

Rating: C

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