Long Way to Heaven is the fifth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Helix. This album was their third for Capitol Records, and there were bigger expectations from the band after the success of the previous Walkin' the Razor's Edge (featuring the hit "Rock You"). The first single was "Deep Cuts the Knife", co-written by Paul Hackman and Bob Halligan Jr. The song received heavy airplay in the U.S., gaining "double breaker" status, and in Canada was added to heavy video play on MuchMusic. Q107 in Toronto had the song riding at number 1 for several weeks on their "Top Ten at Ten". Their first tour to kick off the album was in Sweden where they became the first Canadian rock band ever to tour that country extensively. For this they achieved their first number 1 album in that country.
| Long Way to Heaven | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1985[1] | |||
| Studio | Phase One Studios, Toronto[2] | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:25 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Tom Treumuth | |||
| Helix chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Returning to North America, they toured with Accept and Keel, as well as headlining dates. They also played odd one-off dates with Meat Loaf and Heart. While headlining in Newfoundland, a local band called KAOS opened for Helix. This band featured Rainer and Cindy Wiechmann, who joined Helix 19 years later in 2004, on lead guitar and backup vocals respectively.[3]
The second single released from the album was "The Kids Are All Shakin'", a song inspired by a fan letter from Poland. The album went platinum in Canada, and they headlined their first Canadian tour with the Headpins as the supporting act. The Long Way to Heaven album was released for the first time on CD in September 1999.[4]
Track listing edit
- "The Kids Are All Shakin'" (Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 3:48
- "Deep Cuts the Knife" (Paul Hackman / Bob Halligan Jr.) - 4:01
- "Ride the Rocket" (Halligan / Brian Vollmer) - 3:24
- "Long Way to Heaven" (Daryl Gray / Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 3:34
- "House on Fire" (Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 4:15
- "Christine" (Brent Doerner / Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 3:34
- "Without You (Jasmine's Song)" (Brent Doerner / Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 3:40
- "School of Hard Knocks" (Brent Doerner / Daryl Gray / Paul Hackman / Brian Vollmer) - 4:06
- "Don't Touch the Merchandise" (Brent Doerner / Brian Vollmer) - 2:47
- "Bangin' Off-A-The Bricks" (Brent Doerner / Brian Vollmer) - 3:15
Video version edit
There was a remix made of "The Kids Are All Shakin'" which was used in the music video. The audio track was not available for purchase until the Helix Deep Cuts compilation of 1999.
Personnel edit
- Brian Vollmer – vocals
- Paul Hackman – guitar and vocals
- Brent "The Doctor – guitar and vocals
- Daryl Gray – bass and vocals
- Greg "Fritz" Hinz – drums
Additional personal edit
- Ken Sinnaeve – additional bass
Production edit
- Produced by Tom Treumuth and co-produced by Paul Hackman
- Mixed by David Whittman
- Robert Meecham – technician
- Heather Brown – art direction
Charts edit
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] | 29 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 14 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 109 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. May 31, 1985. p. 24. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Review: Long Way to Heaven". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Cindy Wiechmann bio Archived October 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Planet Helix - Long Way To Heaven". Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0550". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Helix – Long Way to Heaven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Helix Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Helix – Long Way to Heaven". Music Canada.
