Heart

[winston]

Heart is a band that I got to know albeit from a distance for the most part, quite well. They had moved to Vancouver in the mid 70's and were signed with Mushroom records. As a side note, former bandmate of mine is the drummer on the song Barracuda.

This is an unusal band in the sense that it's only two remaining original members are Anne and Nancy Wilson. They are sisters of course.

I met both Anne and Nancy through a mtual friend shortly after they moved to Vancouver. They were playing at the Royal Towers in New Westminster and I was able to have a couple of very informative discussions between sets.

They are two of the most likeable individuals to ever grace the Rock and Roll scene. In short, I have always liked their body of work (no pun intended) a lot since it contained qualities that were both smooth and powerful. The musicianship on their albums was always first class and Anne and Nancy penned some very well written tunes. Nancy is quite a singer songwriter in her own right and to me she was the quiet leader. She preferred to stay in the background and let Anne take the limelight but Nancy was not just a pretty face. She was very much involved in the creative process and she is a very good guitarist.

What are your thoughts about this band that started off in Bellevue Washington and made a decision to move North to Vancouver BC in a highly successful bid to top the charts in two neighboring countries?

[phlemmy]

They were a band that I heart a lot of growing up and never disliked them, but they didn't become a fave of mine. However, I do love the mid-80s stuff like Never, Alone etc. Great band, each version. The girls still have the pipes too.

[ozover50]

Always a fan, Brian!

[winston]

Always a fan, Brian!

I know that you probably noticed this Aitch but Nancy was not exactly hard on the eyes when she was young. In fact in their youth they were both very photogenic.

[shamustwin]

I too, liked their mid '80's stuff. Bernie Taupin co-wrote These Dreams, IIRC.
Never cared for them in the early days.
Anne is a hottie even when packing the pounds.

[ozover50]

Er......... yes...... er..... oddly enough I did notice, Brian. Couldn't agree more.... eye candy of a very high order!!

Some very beautiful songs as well. One of my favourites is the live version of 'Straight On'...... the mix is awesome and it rocks!!

[paologregorio]

I have some Heart on vinyl

[jps]

Heart was/is one of the best bands to come out of the '70s/'80s. I have all their earlier material on vinyl/CDs. I did get to meet Nancy and Howard at The String Shoppe in Columbus in the early '80s.

[woodyng]

perennial favorites from the get-go! loved the early led zep influences,the original band was killer,i do miss them,esp,howard leese,but have seen recent concerts with brand new material,and they still got it! great songs/vocals/instrumental arrangements are always key. and i can't stand to hear anyone else sing "alone".

[soundmasterg]

I like the earlier Heart stuff quite a lot. I especially like the guitar tones and players. I didn't care much for their 80's stuff though.

Greg

[winston]

I liked a lot of their catalogue. I suspect that their acrimonious break with Mushroom Records provided them an impetus to seek a bit of a new direction and as you probably know they also went through some personnel changes as they untangled their relationships.

[rickenbrother]

I liked Heart until they tuned into a pop music band in the '80's.

[alanz]

Good: with Roger Fisher.

Bad: After he left.

There's video on YouTube of him having a massive meltdown on stage. Very funny.

[melibreits]

Heart.... Great band! Those girls know how to rock!

"These Dreams" was one of my favorite songs when I was in high school, and probably influenced the poem I wrote back then, which has evolved into my song "Dreamer's Eyes."