Borrowed Time is the second studio album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head, was released in October 1982, through MCA. The album entered and peaked at number 24 on 23 October on the UK Albums Chart.
In a 2008 interview, guitarist Brian Tatler said that this was his favourite period with Diamond Head and that the band "seemed to be getting somewhere after six years of building".
This was the band's first major label released after being signed to MCA Records in 1981. As this was their first album under a major label, the album was much cleaner and better produced. However, some say that MCA was the wrong label for Diamond Head, which is one of the contributions to their downfall. Some have also questioned the necessity for "Am I Evil?" and "Lightning to the Nations" to be included on the album, since they had already appeared on the band's debut album, Lightning to the Nations. The reason for this was that their first album was only meant as a demo with the idea of Borrowed Time being their first official album. However, things have not quite worked out that way, with the former becoming their most notable work to date.
Originally, Borrowed Time was only released on CD in Japan, making it a highly collectible item. Although on 15 October 2008, it was released by Metal Mind Productions on CD format, with bonus tracks. However, this was limited to 2,000 copies. The release contains B-sides, such as "Dead Reckoning", which were previously unavailable on CD. However, Geffen Records have now issued the album on general release. The cover features a lavish Rodney Matthews illustrated gatefold sleeve, based on the album's Elric of Melniboné theme, which was the most expensive sleeve commissioned by MCA at that time.
This album saw the band move away from all-out heavy riffs and towards softer and more progressive songs, such as "In the Heat of the Night" and "Don't You Ever Leave Me", which was well-received by fans, as the former has remained a regular in the live set list to date.
The album managed to get to No. 24 in the UK album charts, becoming the band's first and only album to chart. The band went on to perform a full scale UK arena tour, performing large venues such as London's Hammersmith Apollo.
The album failed to live up to prior expectations as the band's more commercial take to their music turned out to be a disappointment to critics.
Tracklist:
- In the Heat of the Night 04:57
- To Heaven from Hell 06:14
- Call Me 03:54
- Lightning to the Nations 04:09
- Borrowed Time 07:39
- Don't You Ever Leave Me 07:56
- Am I Evil? 07:22
- Trick or Treat 03:30
- Dead Reckoning 03:31
- Shoot Out the Lights 03:23
- In the Heat of the Night 03:30
- Play it Loud (Live) 06:12
- Sweet and Innocent (Live) 03:33
- Interview with Sean Harris and Colin Kimberley by Tommy Vance Recorded June '82 13:37
Time: 01:19:27
Tracks 8-10 are taken from the "Four Cuts" EP, 1982. 11-14 are taken from "In the Heat of the Night" 1982. Track 11 is an edited version of the original.
Recording information:
Recorded at Playground Studios, England.
Mike Hedges – production, engineering, pre-production engineering
Diamond Head – production
Leo Peppas – engineering
Sean Harris – sleeve concept
Rodney Matthews – illustrations
Simon Fowler – photographs
Cream – artwork
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