Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

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This complete version of the early Headlong mix is something I've been working on in the background for over a year, and finally, we've landed on a satisfactory result 🤩 I was hoping to share this alongside the official music video, but it's now being automatically blocked on YouTube so we'll have to settle for this instead.

For those who don't know the backstory, an earlier mix of Headlong exists (different from the common version on CDs/streaming). I can only assume it was to accommodate the music video which was filmed months in advance. This mix also featured on the single edit and early Innuendo LP releases. The differences to the later mix aren't all that drastic, but I definitely like the early one more. The drums are a little more distinguishable and the track sounds less murky.

Digitally, only the single edit was available to work with (via Greatest Hits II)... or so I thought! I found out very recently (thanks to user @k1990s) that the 2004 Japan remaster of Innuendo actually features this mix too, except without the edits! I never made that distinction before, due to how differently the 2004 CD was EQed.

Now, the single edit is still by far the better base for this restoration, as it's not hindered by brick-walling and/or compression, but the 2004 CD still came in clutch for restoring the edits in the middle and towards the end of the song. Of course, I didn't just paste these back in willy-nilly. I made sure the EQ was an identical match and repaired any discrepancies in volume beforehand.

Up until that recent revelation, I'd been using the HiFi VHS of Greatest Flix II to patch in those edits, as it's the only other lossless version of this mix out there. BUT, this source still came in handy for the extra guitar riff around the 1:00 mark, which doesn't currently appear anywhere else besides the music video ☝ Blending this source in seamlessly was a bit more of a challenge, as analog and digital presents different sets of characteristics. Again, EQ and speeds had to match perfectly in order for this to work. The high end rolled off rather early on the VHS source, but thankfully, it was fully recoverable 😃

The final result is something I'm extremely happy with. It's the first time this complete early mix of Headlong ever appears on digital formats in high, lossless quality. Hope you enjoy...

🚨 IN OTHER NEWS: Updates/upgrades on the entire 2024/25 Restoration Project have been in the works since February, and are live in the folder right now at the bottom of linktr.ee/qlrvault (clickable link can be found in the comments)!!

What's been updated? Well, the "Complete Works" inspired high-end enhancements on all the 70s and early 80s albums are great and all, but my claim from the beginning was to bring the albums back as faithfully as possible to their original state - the way the band intended them to sound. In a way, I've been contradicting myself by only offering the enhanced versions for those albums. New editions have now been rolled out, which finally live up to the moniker 🙂

There's multiple benefits to having both the "enhanced" and "original" editions on offer. If you really like to crank your music, the restored high-end may not be the favorable option. Or simply, your particular system may suit a particular sound 🤷‍♂️

How to tell which edition is which? Basically, if you see any albums labelled 2025 as opposed to 2024, they're brand-new updates. I've also re-structured the folders slightly to reflect the changes. The pre-existing "enhanced" installments are now labelled on the folders to reflect that, which further helps differentiate them from the new "non-enhanced" (aka 100% based on the original vinyl) editions 👍

High-end aside, my skills have advanced considerably since the beginning of the project. I've been able to go back and implement many, many further refinements to almost all of the albums, driving the point across that these restorations are now TRULY 1:1 with the vinyls they've been modelled after. Some albums were almost completely redone from the ground up! A lot of the differences are subtle to the point where you likely won't find them all, but I was determined to eliminate any and all doubt that I've gotten the absolute most I could out of my evolved skill-set 💪😉

Revisiting all 15 albums has been a hell of a lot of work, not gonna lie! But I knew if I were to undertake this project once again, it had to be all or nothing. That way, I'm not compelled to come back in for further tweaks down the line 😅 That's not to rule out the possibility of new things from being added in the future though. It's about time I sit back and start enjoying the music as a fan again. It's been roughly 3 years since that's been the case!

An even more detailed breakdown of each album's changes/upgrades can be found on our latest YouTube post 👌 Enjoy...