The Heads

Arising from the relatively quiet music scene in Bristol, England, the Heads comprise singer/guitarist Simon Price, lead guitarist Paul R.A. Allen, bassist H.O. Morgan, and drummer Wayne C. Maskell. On the surface, their independent 1995 debut, Relaxing With the Heads, seemed to slot right into the mid-'90s bustling stoner rock scene, built upon predominant Sabbath and '70s hard rock influences. But upon closer inspection, it soon became clear that the Heads never even made it that far. Instead, the band draws most of their inspiration from the late '60s, combining the sounds of proto-punk Detroit and post-British Invasion psychedelic bands with the acid trips typical of U.K. space rock pioneers like Hawkwind. Approached by the Man's Ruin label (company owner and legendary artist Frank Kozik often claimed that they were his favorite band), the Heads spent the next three years participating in the odd stoner rock collection and issuing a wealth of 7" singles and split E.P.s, most of which were eventually compiled onto 1998's The Time Is Now! Personal differences and university studies drove the band apart for the next couple years, but they eventually made an unexpected return in the year 2000 with their second/third album (depending on who you ask), the critically acclaimed Everybody Knows We Got Nowhere.