Editing Severed Heads (section)

===Major label years and mainstream success (1983–1998)===
1983 saw British label Ink Records issue ''[[Since the Accident]]'', which was later released by [[Nettwerk]] records in North America and [[Volition Records]] in Australia. [[AllMusic]]'s John Bush described the album as not "quite a crossover effort" with the lead single, "Dead Eyes Opened", being "surprisingly melodic synth-pop".<ref name="Bush">{{cite web | url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r17745|pure_url=yes}} | publisher = [[AllMusic]] | title = ''Since the Accident'' – Severed Heads | last = Bush | first = John | accessdate = 1 January 2014 }}</ref> The band's recording deals led to a world tour, which became a multimedia event with the addition of [[video synthesizer|video synthesisers]] performed by Jones. After the tour, Severed Heads returned to Australia in August 1984.<ref name="Kelson">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134419664 | title = Under Current: Ex Concerts Young Docteurs / Machinations / Icehouse | last = Kelson | first = Marcus | newspaper = [[Woroni|Woroni (Canberra, ACT : 1950 - 2007)]] | date = 3 August 1984 | accessdate = 2 January 2014 | page = 5 | publisher = [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> However, this period saw more personnel change for the band. Bradbury had departed during the recording of ''Since the Accident'' in 1983 (leaving most of the recording to Ellard) and Knuckey departed soon before the 1984 world tour, so the lineup that went on tour consisted of Ellard, Jones and the newly recruited Paul Deering.

In 1985, Severed Heads issued ''[[City Slab Horror]]'', again on Ink Records for the European market.<ref name="McFarlane"/> For this album, Bradbury returned as guest musician and contributed to vocals and songwriting. Clashes with Ellard caused Deering to leave the band in order to continue working with Bradbury. In October that year, Jon Casimir of ''[[the Canberra Times]]'' described the group as "Australia's most innovative electronic band", which had an "obsession with the ugly and horrific" with music "reminiscent of [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]] and [[Throbbing Gristle]]."<ref name="Casimir">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132368429 | title = The Good Times: The Best of the Underground with an Esoteric Following – Mixing White Noise with a Beat | last = Casimir | first = Jon | newspaper=[[The Canberra Times|The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926–1995)]] | date = 3 October 1985 | accessdate = 2 January 2014 | page = 6 Supplement | publisher = National Library of Australia }}</ref> Local label Volition compiled international tracks for the local-only album ''Stretcher'' in November 1985.<ref name="McFarlane"/> In August the following year, the band followed with ''[[Come Visit The Big Bigot|Come Visit the Big Bigot]]''.<ref name="McFarlane"/> During that year, Ellard and Jones took Severed Heads on a European and North American tour.<ref name="McFarlane"/> ''[[Bad Mood Guy]]'' was issued by Volition in October 1987.<ref name="McFarlane"/> ''The Canberra Times''{{'}} Kathryn Whitfield felt the group had "gone way beyond experimental" to provide "a commercially viable product" while Ellard reflected "we have just worked carefully and solidly in an area that we think is good".<ref name="Whitfield">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122112806 | title = Off with His Head! | last = Whitfield | first = Kathryn | newspaper = [[The Canberra Times|The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995)]] | date = 5 November 1987 | accessdate = 2 January 2014 | page = 39 | publisher = National Library of Australia }}</ref>

Severed Heads peaked at No.&nbsp;19 in the United States on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Dance Club Songs]] chart in 1988 with the [[12-inch single]] "Greater Reward", which later appeared on the album ''[[Rotund For Success|Rotund for Success]]'', issued in October 1989.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="AMG Charts">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5394/awards|pure_url=yes}} | title = Severed Heads {{pipe}} Awards | publisher = [[AllMusic]] | accessdate = 1 January 2014 }}</ref> The album included several remixes by Sydney-based producer [[Robert Racic]], who produced tracks for the band through the late 1980s and early 1990s and contributed to their sound.<ref name="McFarlane"/> Another single to make the ''Billboard'' chart was "All Saints Day" in 1989, which reached No.&nbsp;25.<ref name="AMG Charts"/>

In 1989, Nettwerk and Volition re-released ''Since the Accident'' and ''City Slab Horror'', each with tracks from ''Blubberknife'', for the first time on CD. The releases were cut from the original masters resulting in superior quality compared to the original Ink Records releases which Ellard later remarked were "cut from a tape of a tape".<ref name="ap-5-30-1990" />

In 1992, one year after the release of ''[[Cuisine (With Piscatorial)]]'', Jones left the band, leaving Ellard as the group's sole official member. Nettwerk did not renew its contract with the band, leaving Severed Heads adrift in the marketplace. Ellard sought out another label for his next release, ''[[Gigapus]]'', in 1994, which was released on Volition in Australia and Decibel Records in the US. Around this time, the band had a major Australian hit with a remixed version of "[[Dead Eyes Opened]]", which samples [[Edgar Lustgarten]] reading from ''Death on the Crumbles''. Both Volition and Decibel soon folded, and once again, Severed Heads were unaligned with the traditional music industry, and they did not fully own the rights to their music. This changed in 1998 when [[Sony Music]] released claims to Volition material.