Definitive Collection [Single Disc]
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November 07 2008 | heart | No Comments »
Archive for the 'heart' Category
Alive in Seattle
Recorded at the last stop on their 2002 tour, Alive in Seattle documents an impeccable performance and production, mixed for surround-sound playback on both regular and Super Audio CD formats. A warm artist/audience vibe permeates this set; it’s easy to imagine families sprawled out on an amphitheater lawn, taking in the music on an early summer evening. All that’s missing is any sense of urgency. The musicians hit every note flawlessly — too flawlessly, perhaps. Ann Wilson hints at the problem in the album notes, where she describes bandmember Ben Smith’s transformation from “studio cat to being a real rock roll drummer.” In fact, some element of “studio cat” dispassion colors these performances; even the sisterly banter between tracks seems forced, if not, in their spoken prelude to “Magic Man,” slightly condescending. Ultimately it’s Ann Wilson who brings each track home, with a vocal delivery that never lacks soul. On their cover of “Black Dog” she even challenges Robert Plant’s original rendition, more than holding her own on high notes, power, and drama. On balance, that’s enough to recommend Alive in Seattle, lack of warts and all.
- Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
November 07 2008 | heart | 1 Comment »
Brigade
Heart entered the 1990s with Brigade, which isn’t quite as strong as Heart or Bad Animals, but is nonetheless a respectable effort that has more pluses than minuses. While producer Richie Zito’s approach is undeniably slick and glossy, he maintains enough rough edges to keep things interesting on songs ranging from the aggressive hard rock of “Call of the Wild” (not to be confused with the Ted Nugent/Amboy Dukes classic), “Wild Child” and “The Night” to the arena-oriented powerful ballads like “Stranded” and “Secret.” Heart unintentionally generated some controversy with the hit “All I Want to Do (Is Make Love to You),” a tale of an intimate encounter with a hitchhiker. The “Thought Police” argued that the song encouraged women to endanger themselves by picking up hitchhikers — overlooking the fact that the song, like a romance novel, is pure fantasy. Though Heart or Bad Animals would serve as a better introduction to Heart’s Capitol output, Brigade is an album that diehard fans shouldn’t overlook.
- Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
November 07 2008 | heart | 2 Comments »
These Dreams: Heart’s Greatest Hits [1997]
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Heart’s two decades of rock hits are compiled on this collection combining original studio recordings and live renditions. Among the featured cuts are the smashes “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda (Live),” “Magic Man,” “Straight On (Live),” “What About Love?,” “Dreamboat Annie,” “Dog and Butterfly (Live)” and “These Dreams.”
- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
November 07 2008 | heart | 5 Comments »
Collection [Box Set]
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Epic/Legacy’s Heart Collection is a sparsely decorated box set that contains the label’s 2004 reissues of Little Queen, Bebe le Strange and Dog Butterfly in their entirety. All three discs feature the same bonus tracks that appear on the individual releases, as well as their accompanying liner notes. This collection is only notable for its lack of a jewel case, as each reissue album is roughly the same price if purchased individually.
- James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
November 05 2008 | heart | No Comments »
Bad Animals
Switching from Epic to Capitol with 1985’s Heart proved to be a wise move for the Wilson sisters, who experienced a major resurgence in popularity and gained many new followers. Heart’s arena rock sound had become even glossier, and the band was selling more albums than ever. But for all its production gloss (courtesy of Ron Nevison) and pop slickness, Bad Animals comes across as sincere rather than formulaic or cynical. From the rockers “You Ain’t Too Tough” and “Easy Target” to the power ballads “Alone” and “Wait for an Answer,” all of the songs are quite memorable. The folk elements and acoustic leanings that characterized many of Heart’s early ballads were long gone, and the Wilson sisters keep the volume high but slow the tempo.
- Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
November 05 2008 | heart | 2 Comments »
Essential Heart (Remastered)
Essential Heart is the only compilation that covers the group’s tenure at both Epic and Capitol. All the hits of the ’70s are featured on the first disc and include “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda” and “Straight On.” The second disc includes all of their comeback material recorded in the ’80s such as “What About Love?,” “These Dreams,” and “Nothin’ at All.”
- Al Campbell, All Music Guide
November 05 2008 | heart | 1 Comment »
Heart
Heart was pretty much considered washed up when they released Heart in 1985. They learned a few important things while they had taken a short sabbatical — they knew that hooks were important and they knew they could play up their looks for MTV. So, they delivered both with Heart, giving their audience anthemic hooks and tightly corseted bosoms, leading to the most popular album they ever had. This doesn’t mean it’s the best, since its calculated mainstream bent may disarm some long-term fans, but it is true that they do this better than many of their peers, not just because they have good polished material from professional songwriters, but because they can deliver this material professionally themselves. Yes, “These Dreams,” “Never,” and “What About Love” don’t quite fit into the classic Heart mode, but they are good mid-’80s mainstream material, delivered as flawlessly as possible. There’s still a lot of filler on this record, but the best moments are among the best mainstream AOR of its era.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
November 05 2008 | heart | 1 Comment »
Greatest Hits: 1985-1995
Heart had a second run on the charts in 1985 when they signed to Capitol Records and refashioned themselves as a mainstream pop/rock band, heavy on melodies and power ballads. The move paid off immediately, as they scored four Top Ten hits from Heart, their first record for the label: “What About Love?,” “Never,” “These Dreams,” and “Nothin’ at All.” Heart kept up their hot streak for several more years, reaching the Top Ten three other times with the number one hit “Alone,” “Who Will You Run To,” and “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You.” All of those songs are on Greatest Hits: 1985-1995, along with 11 other tracks, including the semi-rarities of the Ann Wilson and Robin Zander duet “Surrender to Me” and the “studio version” of “You’re the Voice.” It may run a little long for the more casual fans, but overall, this is an excellent overview of the era, perfect for fans that don’t need the full-length studio albums.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
November 05 2008 | heart | 2 Comments »