Head Like a Rock

Head Like a Rock
Studio album by
Ian McNabb
Released4 July 1994
Recorded1993
StudiosRed Zone Studios, Burbank, California; Mayfair Studios, Regents Park, London
GenreRock
Length67:03
LabelThis Way Up
ProducersRobert Ian McNabb, John Porter
Ian McNabb chronology
Truth and Beauty
(1993)		 Head Like a Rock
(1994)		 Merseybeast
(1996)
Singles from Head Like a Rock
  1. "You Must Be Prepared to Dream"
    Released: June 1994
  2. "Go into the Light"
    Released: September 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Music WeekStarStarStarStar

Head Like a Rock is a 1994 concept album released on 4 July 1994, and recorded by Ian McNabb. McNabb's second solo album, it was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Music Prize. The album was recorded in Los Angeles with the backing band Crazy Horse. The album peaked at No. 29 on the official UK charts.

Late in 2012, McNabb revealed that his first three studio albums were to be re-released as 'expanded editions'. In early December 2013, 'Head Like a Rock (Expanded edition)' was announced on Amazon with a scheduled release date of January 28, 2013: "This expanded version has been re-mastered by Ian himself and is a testament to the great album it was, enhanced with upgraded packaging and a bonus disc of the B-sides that came with the assorted singles. This is a great addition to the canon of Ian's work."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ian McNabb

  1. "Fire Inside My Soul" (8:35)
  2. "You Must Be Prepared to Dream" (6:57)
  3. "Child Inside a Father" (9:02)
  4. "Still Got the Fever" (7:29)
  5. "Potency"(4:38)
  6. "Go Into the Light" (4:08)
  7. "As a Life Goes By" (4:42)
  8. "Sad Strange Solitary Catholic Mystic" (4:45)
  9. "This Time Is Forever"(5:38)
  10. "May You Always" (10:51)
Expanded Edition (Disc 2)
No.TitleLength
1."That's Why The Darkness Exists" (B-side of "You Must Be Prepared to Dream", With guest drummer Zak Starkey)3:23
2."Sometimes I Think About You" (B-side of "You Must Be Prepared to Dream")4:20
3."Woo Yer" (B-side of "You Must Be Prepared to Dream")3:20
4."Love Is A Wonderful Colour" (B-side of You Must Be Prepared to Dream)4:17
5."When It All Comes Down" (B-side of "You Must Be Prepared to Dream")4:27
6."Time You Were In Love" (B-side of "Go into the Light")4:25
7."Go Into The Light (Celestial Dub Mix)" (A-side of "Go into the Light")7:21
8."Rock" (B-side of "Go into the Light")3:00
9."I Stood Before St Peter" (B-side of "Go into the Light")3:47

Personnel

Technical

References

  1. ↑ Michael Sutton. "Head Like a Rock". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ Jones, Alan (16 July 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  3. ↑ The Emotional Party: The Thoughts and Words of Ian McNabb
  4. ↑ Leslie Carl Seiler. "merseybeasts - ian mcnabb discography". Merseybeasts.COM.
  5. ↑ "Mercury Prize - Ian McNabb: Head Like a Rock - 1994 Shortlist - Albums of the Year". Mercury Prize. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 341. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ↑ "Head Like A Rock (2CD Expanded Edition): Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK. 2013.