Heart
Sibling rivalry is well known but sometimes it can have positive results. When Ann Wilson starting playing guitar her sister Nancy vowed to play it better. Eventually, Ann lost interest but Nancy kept practicing and it paid off, big time.
The Seattle based Heart started out as the Army with Ann Wilson (vocals) Howard Lesse (guitar/keyboards), Steve Fossen (bass), Michael Derosier (drums) and Roger Fisher (guitar). They did standard Hard Rock material but showed a decided preference for Led Zeppelin.
The band played all over the Northwest and finally changed their name to White Heart. After a try at college, Nancy joined the group. They then re-located to Vancouver, Canada. There were a couple reasons for this. At the time the Vancouver music scene was much more vibrant. Secondly, safely in Canada the male members of the band didn't have to worry about the draft.
In '75 Heart released "Dreamboat Annie" which featured "Crazy On You," "Magic Man" and the title track. They jumped on one of the 70's major Rock trends Rock trends - blending acoustic and electric instruments. But contractual problems with their record label, Mushroom, kept Heart from capitalizing on their success. Once the dust cleared they were on Columbia Records and that led to their most successful period including the "Little Queen" album with "Barracuda," one of the most blistering Rock tracks of the decade.
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Romantic entanglements and band pressures caused Fisher, Fossen and Derosier to leave after the "Private Audition and "Passion Works" LPs in the early '80s. That looked like the end of Heart. Not so, they returned as a five-piece group that included veteran Mark Andes on bass. Andes had been in Spirit in the early '70s with Randy California and Jay Ferguson. From there he went to the highly forgettable Firefall. Heart was certainly a step up. This line-up was primarily known for ballads ("What About Love," "Alone" and "These Dreams") but they could still Rock with "Who Will You Run To" and "There's The Girl" from the "Bad Animals" CD.
In the 90's, Ann and Nancy Wilson performed as part of the Lovemongers. "Jupiter's Darling," released in '04, marked Heart's first album of original material in over a decade.
Ann Wilson's debut solo album "Hope & Glory" arrived in '07. The set's first single was a remake of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." "Our version starts a little like a little dot on the horizon, but by the time it's done you've been overrun by all the barbarians," said Wilson. The covers album contained "Goodbye Blue Sky" (Pink Floyd), "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (The Animals) and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" (Bob Dylan). Sister Nancy, Wynonna, Lucinda Williams and k.d. lang contributed.
Late '07 turned out to be a relatively active period for Heart. They performed on the ABC special Frosted Pink. Proceeds benefited organizations that focused on cancers that affect women. Ozzy Osbourne's wife, Sharon, also appeared on the program. Just a few days later, "Dreamboat Annie Live," a CD and DVD documenting a Heart concert in L.A. that featured the group performing their entire debut album, was issued. The disc also had covers of songs originally recorded by Led Zeppelin, the Who and Pink Floyd.
Heart made a high profile appearance on the '08 edition of Idol Gives Back, American Idol's charity effort. The group played a shortened version of "Barracuda" with pop singer Fergie. "'Barracuda' is usually five minutes long, so we were sweatin' it with the arrangement," said Nancy Wilson. U2's Bono, former Idol contestant Chris Daughtry and actor Brad Pitt also appeared. Though the show failed to earn the previous year's ratings it did raise millions of dollars for various U.S. charities that help disadvantaged children.
Heart's "Greatest Hits/Live" does an excellent job of demonstrating their prowess, especially on the live material. They rip into Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." It's a great overview of the group's '70s output.
"Dreamboat Annie" (with "Magic Man" and their all time best track "Crazy On You") and "Little Queen" (containing their second best Rocker "Barracuda") are Heart's signature studio albums. The band went through a rough spot in the late '70s and early '80s. They returned with the hit ballad "What About Love" from "Heart." The album also contains the mid-tempo "Never." Overall, the next album "Bad Animals" has their best '80s performances.
"Jupiter's Darling" harks back to the '70s Heart. Ann and Nancy, backed by recent additions (no one from the 70s through 90s line-ups), shows there's still some power and glory left in the old group. When they Rock, as on "Oldest Story In The World" and the hot "Vainglorious," they do an admirable impersonation of their younger selves. The songs aren't as good as they once were since the group now lacks the ability to attract top drawer songwriters. But having hits doesn't seem to be the point. This CD is a group (or at least Ann and Nancy) reclaiming their legacy. For Heart fans who have drilled "Crazy On You" into their cerebral cortex, that is enough.
Heart was a major '70s act but Ann Wilson came of age in the late-60s. "Hope & Glory" uses that era's songs as a commentary on today's events. Both then and now the dividing line (or one of them) is an unpopular war.
The low-key acoustic yet urgent renditions often give additional weight to the songs. On nearly every track Wilson is joined by another vocalist ranging from Elton John to Shawn Colvin, with Rufus Wainwright in between. The album works best when the subject matter and arrangement lightens up and the tempo picks up. This is especially true on the "Immigrant Song," "We Gotta get Out Of This Place" and "Bad Moon Risin'," which has an irresistible Country shuffle.