Head First is the final studio album to be released by British rock band Badfinger, released on November 14, 2000, but recorded 26 years earlier in December 1974 -- January 1975, at the Beatles' Apple Studios in London, although it was not released at the time. Originally intended to be Badfinger's eighth album (and third album under its six-album contract with Warner Bros. Records), the recordings were shelved when legal difficulties erupted between the band and WB that year, and the version that was finally released (as Badfinger's tenth studio album) was a rough mix of the album made in 1975 by Phil McDonald, one of the recording engineers at Apple Studios. The cover art for the album is a lion roaring.

After the recording of Badfinger's previous album, Wish You Were Here, founding member Pete Ham decided to quit Badfinger. To replace him, the band added keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson and undertook a last tour with Ham still in the band. During the tour, Badfinger was told by its management to go back in the studio to record another new album. As a result, long-time member Joey Molland quit the group before the tour ended, and Ham then decided to stay. Because Badfinger's producer Chris Thomas opposed the decision to record a new album so soon after the last one, feeling that the band had had too little time to recover, Badfinger's management replaced him as producer with Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who had just become successful by producing KISS.

The remaining members of Badfinger recorded Head First in just two weeks. The difficult circumstances that surrounded Badfinger at this time contribute to the album's tone and provide the theme for two of its songs. In particular, an investigation by WB's publishing division discovered that approximately $100,000 was missing from a Badfinger escrow account. Inquiries made by WB as to the whereabouts of the money were reportedly met with silence by Badfinger's manager, American Stan Polley. Suspicions were aroused, and, fed up with what it claimed was a lack of cooperation, WB launched a breach of contract suit against Polley and Badfinger virtually simultaneously with the Head First recording sessions, which also sought to attach the royalties due from Wish You Were Here. Consequently, WB suspended sales of Wish You Were Here.

...
Wikipedia