Head Hunters

Recording history and tape provenance

Hancock had been playing low-profile performances around the Bay Area with the new band through the summer of 1973, then entered the studio in September. The two studios used reflect a typical Bay Area production approach of the period: Wally Heider's large-room main tracking space captured the ensemble's core performances, while Different Fur was used for overdubs and additional recording. The Catero Sound Co. credit reflects Fred Catero's independent production company, from which the mixing was supervised. Catero's engineering placed warmth and body in the low frequencies – essential for the funk character of "Chameleon" and "Sly."

The album was co-produced by David Rubinson, one of the Bay Area's most respected producers, alongside Hancock. The decision to use Rubinson was deliberate – Hancock needed someone who could bridge his jazz sensibility with the commercial accessibility he was pursuing. Harvey Mason's drum arrangement on "Watermelon Man" features a simplified, groove-locked approach very different from Mason's normal jazz-fusion vocabulary – a deliberate choice to serve the funk pocket. The album was remixed for quadraphonic sound in 1974 and released in SQ matrix format as PCQ 32731; the quad mix includes elements not heard in the stereo version, including an additional keyboard melody at the opening of "Sly."

In his own account of the sessions, Harvey Mason described how he joined: Hancock called him out of the blue while Mason was on tour in Japan with a different group, having never actually played with him before. When Mason returned, they jammed once at Hancock's house and Hancock said simply, "That's it. You're in." The rest of the lineup formed gradually around that core – Mason recalls a period of trying out different bass players before Paul Jackson stuck, with Bill Summers (who briefly preceded Jackson) directly recommending him. Mason admits he wasn't initially enthusiastic about adding a percussionist, having found most percussionists of the era to be "bangers and shakers," but came to credit Summers as a serious musicologist versed in Cuban religious ceremonial music, from whom he learned a great deal. Before entering the studio, the band spent weeks rehearsing and developing ideas at Hancock's house rather than writing conventional songs, then played a handful of warm-up club dates in the Bay Area to road-test the material – the name "The Headhunters" itself was applied to the band only after the album was finished, not before.

Mason also gave a specific account of "Chameleon"'s origin: the central bassline came from Paul Jackson, with Mason's drum part built to lock into it; he cites Mandrill's contemporaneous single "Fencewalk" as sharing a similar groove feel around the same time. He believes there's an edit partway through the finished track (the tempo audibly quickens toward the end) though he never asked Hancock to confirm it. For "Watermelon Man," Mason says the idea to revive and rearrange Hancock's own 1962 tune was his own suggestion, and that the Bill Summers hindewhu-whistle intro was something Summers had been doing informally that Mason proposed using to open the new arrangement – Hancock credited Mason for the arrangement on release. Mason ultimately did not join the Head Hunters band for touring, choosing to protect his position as one of LA's top session drummers instead; he has described the decision as one that "tormented" him at the time despite believing it was right in retrospect.

Tape provenance: Columbia's archive of the original 1973 multi-track tapes has been well-maintained. Ryan K. Smith's Analogue Productions mastering credits confirm working "from the original master tapes," and the consistent quality across both the 33rpm and 45rpm AP editions supports that the tapes are in excellent condition. The AP pressing was manufactured for Analogue Productions by Sony Music Entertainment.

Original US Columbia pressings (1973)

Catalogue: Columbia KC 32731. The "KC" prefix denotes Columbia's standard stereo LP designation from this period.

Label: The KC 32731 first pressing uses the orange ring "Columbia" label – the standard Columbia label from the early 1970s onward. The 360 Sound two-eye label had been phased out before 1973; it does not appear on this title.

Cover art: Victor Moscoso's distinctive mask-based cover design shows Hancock wearing a mask based on the kple kple mask of the Baoulé people of Ivory Coast. Positioned clockwise from lower left: Mason, Jackson, Maupin, and Summers.

Pressing plant identification

Columbia's three US plants were all used for this title: - "P" stamp in deadwax = Pitman, New Jersey - "T" stamp = Terre Haute, Indiana - "S" (backwards) or "SX" etching = Santa Maria, California

The alpha suffix (1A, 1B, 1C) indicates lacquer generation. First-generation lacquers are designated -1A; these are the most desirable. The "Customatrix o" stamp (small circled lowercase "o") indicates Customatrix handled the plating – standard for first-year Columbia pressings.

Matrix: The coveted first-generation matrices are AL 32731-1A (Side A) and BL 32731-1A (Side B). Discogs collectors who specifically sought -1A/-1A copies report: "Picked up an -1A/-1A pressing this afternoon, definitely changed my appreciation for this album for the better." Another: "Wow wow wow... this pressing beats all other pressings including Analogue Productions ones."

Market values: Clean first-generation -1A/-1A originals remain genuinely affordable, since this album was pressed in very large quantities – one Discogs reviewer recalled finding a -1A/-1A copy for a few dollars at a local shop. Good copies continue to surface at record fairs and shops without needing to pay a premium.

European CBS pressings – same mastering, a real quality gap

A first-pressing European CBS release exists sharing the same stampers/mastering lineage as the first US Columbia pressing, rather than a separate European remaster. One detailed direct comparison between the two found a genuine, audible quality difference despite the shared mastering – the US pressing carried noticeably more fullness and information, particularly audible on the trumpets, while the European pressing sounded comparatively more compressed. This is a pressing-plant difference, not a mastering difference: worth knowing if you're choosing between the two on the secondary market, though the European copy is still a reasonable, more affordable option in its own right. No specific European catalogue number has been confirmed; look for the shared -1A-style matrix suffix pattern to identify a copy from the same lacquer generation as the sought-after US pressings.

CBS/Sony Japanese pressings (1970s–80s)

The first Japanese release was SOPL-238 (CBS/Sony, 1973), manufactured by CBS/Sony at their Japanese pressing facility. The early Japanese pressing (r1049796) bears matrix SOPL-238A1 1 A 1. The Shizuoka CBS/Sony plant was regarded by collectors as among the best vinyl pressing operations in the world – dead-silent surfaces and faithful reproduction are the consistent reports. One Discogs reviewer: "Great sounding Japanese reissue... the snare lacks a bit of snap" compared to the AP, but the vinyl quality is superlative. The CBS logo with Sony branding "CBS/Sony" appears on both cover and labels. Typically found with obi.

A second, more collectible Japanese pressing followed in 1977 on CBS/Sony's "AP" audiophile half-speed series: catalogue 25AP 561 (Discogs). The AP-series prefix denotes CBS/Sony's premium domestic audiophile line of the period, and copies command a real premium over the standard SOPL-238 among Japanese-pressing collectors, particularly for copies with the obi.

Quadraphonic SQ matrix pressing (1974)

Columbia released the quad mix in SQ (Stereo Quadraphonic) matrix format as PCQ 32731. The quad mix features elements absent from the stereo version, including an additional keyboard melody at the opening of "Sly." Decodable with an SQ decoder for full four-channel playback; plays as enhanced stereo without one. The quad remixing was engineered by Fred Catero, keeping it in the original production family.

The reissue hierarchy

Analogue Productions 45rpm 2LP (2017/2020) – the sonic benchmark

Cat. AAPJ 084-45 | Format: 2×180g (originally 200g) 45rpm, gatefold, Stoughton tip-on jacket. Mastered at Sterling Sound by Ryan K. Smith, AAA, from the original master tapes. Pressed at QRP. Manufactured for Analogue Productions by Sony Music Entertainment. The 2020 repress (r16493715) is 180g rather than the original 200g; the mastering and matrix are identical to the 2017 first pressing (r10453858).

From Acoustic Sounds: "Listening to the opening track 'Chameleon' on any release will get you feeling funky, but the Analogue Productions 2LP 45rpm release will get you groovin'!... I'd previously had a run-of-the-mill reissue of this album that I thought was good and did the job, but because of how much I love this album I opted to spend some more bucks on the AP release, not expecting a huge difference. Boy was I wrong. There is so much more clarity to every instrument."

Joseph Taylor at SoundStage! Hi-Fi on what the AP mastering reveals: "Columbia's LP release had decent sound, but Analogue Productions' new vinyl mastering by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound takes the sound up several notches from there. Harvey Mason's kick drum is too forward on the CD and crowds the music; on AP's LP, it's audible but in support. Reverb is now audible in the notes of Bennie Maupin's sax, and Paul Jackson's bass, still the funk backbone of the album, isn't as overbearing as it now sometimes sounds to me on the CD."

Discogs owners: "Impressive mastering and pressing, one of the best sounding LP I own." "Awesome pressing. I can't even believe it. It almost makes you want to cry when you hear it." One owner who compared the AP 33rpm against a clean 1973 Pitman original chose the AP: "just a bit more refined and smooth but still the magic of the original." A direct A/B against a first US pressing reached the same verdict from a different angle: more spaciousness and clearer individual-instrument definition (trumpets, keyboard) without artificially separating the mix – "they beat the original."

Periodically in print from Acoustic Sounds.

Analogue Productions 200g/180g 33rpm (2015/2021/2022) – strong value

Cat. AAPJ 084 | Format: single 200g or 180g LP, 33⅓. Same Ryan K. Smith / Sterling Sound / AAA mastering. QRP pressing. Earlier pressing was 200g; recent runs are 180g with identical matrix (r7495983).

One Discogs reviewer who compared it with the Music On Vinyl: "I was able to tell the difference between this and the 2009 Music On Vinyl press almost immediately. The bass on this is RICH and the midrange is lively. Each instrument has plenty of room to shine." The 33rpm is widely considered the best entry into this album for most listeners, offering nearly all the sonic gains of the 45rpm at lower cost and without the extra disc-flipping.

Available new from Acoustic Sounds or online retailers.

Music On Vinyl MOV (2009) – a step below

Music On Vinyl issued Head Hunters under their Columbia catalogue licence, mastered at TuckerSound, New York. It is consistently rated below the AP editions by those who have done direct comparisons. Dead-silent surfaces; perfectly competent as a reissue, but not in the same league sonically.

Pressings to avoid

Late 1970s+ Columbia PC/JC reprints: The KC prefix was changed to PC (and later JC) in Columbia's catalogue numbering revision. These pressings use later-generation lacquers from the Carrollton, GA plant (identified by "G" in runouts) and are notably thinner-sounding than the 1973 originals. Fine for casual listening; not recommended for serious playback.

Grey-market EU reissues: Various European budget reissues (DOL, Waxtime, etc.) circulate. These are not from the original master tapes. Avoid.

"Giant" bootleg: An unofficial pressing exists using metal parts copied from a Columbia Terre Haute plant original, with "Giant" catalogue information overprinted on Columbia's original runout etching. Not a licensed release. Avoid.

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): A clean original 1973 Columbia KC 32731 with first-generation metalwork, Pitman or Terre Haute plant, -1A/-1A matrices. One of the best deals in jazz vinyl – this album was pressed in enormous quantities and NM copies remain accessible.

$$ (Affordable): The AP 180g 33rpm (AAPJ 084) – the modern audiophile standard, same mastering as the 45rpm, available new from Acoustic Sounds.

$$$ (Mid-range): The AP 45rpm 2LP (AAPJ 084-45) – the definitive version. The upgrade from the 33rpm is audible on any decent system; if Head Hunters is important to you, the 45rpm is worth the premium.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/19493-Herbie-Hancock-Head-Hunters
• Wikipedia, "Head Hunters": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Hunters
• YouTube, Jammcard, "Harvey Mason: Creating the First Headhunters Album with Herbie Hancock": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOKjHbbzroE
• SoundStage! Hi-Fi, Joseph Taylor, "Analogue Productions Reissues Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, and Nina Simone" (October 2015): https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/feature-articles/on-music/894-analogue-productions-reissues-jeff-beck-herbie-hancock-and-nina-simone
• Acoustic Sounds, product page for the AP 45rpm 2LP: https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/104680/Herbie_Hancock-Head_Hunters-45_RPM_Vinyl_Record
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original KC 32731, AP 45rpm and 33rpm, CBS/Sony Japan SOPL-238 and 25AP 561, Music On Vinyl, quadraphonic PCQ 32731)
• YouTube, Top 5 Records, "Herbie Hancock - Headhunters - Analogue Productions 45 RPM Vs OG US 1973": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgw7wBJ6U3k

Related guides: Maiden Voyage · Empyrean Isles · The Inner Mounting Flame