The following are Heart's albums. Click on the thumbnail for CD information.

Dreamboat Annie (76)	Little Queen (77)	Dog and Butterfly (78)	Magazine (78)	Bebe Le Strange (80)

Private Audition (82)	Passion Works (83)	Heart (85)	Bad Animals (87)	Brigade (90)

Rock the House Live! (91)	Desire Walks On (93)	The Road Home Live (95)	Greatest Hits (98)	Alive in Seattle (03)	Jupiter's Darling (05)

Comments

Until Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and the other Grunge bands surfaced in the early 90s, Seattle had Heart. Sure, Jimi Hendrix came from Seattle but obviously that didn't last long. The dynamic sister duo Ann and Nancy Wilson have however weathered the storm and endured hardship after hardship to remain Seattle's most prized rock possession. Ann's unmistakable signature vocals have remained the bands bread and butter since the very beginning. The moment 'Magic Man' started getting airplay in the mid 70s, you just knew Heart was going to be huge. Not since Janis Joplin had a woman's vocals commanded so much attention. Keep in mind, 'Magic Man' was only one of a whole slew of great songs on that debut record, including the title track, 'Dreamboat Annie', and 'Crazy on You', which all became hit singles. Would it be possible for this fresh young band to back up that first recording with something comparable.

'Little Queen' was released the following year on a brand new label and produced a smash hit in 'Barracuda'. The next couple albums, 'Dog and Butterfly' and 'Bebe Le Strange' would prove that Heart was serious about sticking around by cranking out the best music of their careers. It would be good to note that both of these albums are my favorites in an extensive discography.

Oh did I mention 'Magazine'? Yeah...there was this little record company called Mushroom that had the hottest thing to happen in Rock music since Led Zeppelin and they blew it. Heart had three hit singles on that debut record, which if you were any kind of business person at all, wouldn't you want to really go out and push this phenomenon and make some money? I guess they had a different marketing approach then most record companies, or maybe they didn't have a marketing department at all. Anyhow, once Heart made the move to a real label, Mushroom felt they were getting the short end of the stick and released the half-baked 'Magazine', which was to be Heart's sophomore release. The interesting thing is that even though the recordings were never fully produced and mixed properly, it's not a bad record. It produced the killer 'Heartless' and two fun cover tunes in 'I've Got the Music in Me' and 'Without You'.

Yep, Heart was at the top of their career, then suddenly, they slid into a rut. Well, perhaps not a rut but a detour at the very least. 'Private Audition' and 'Passion Works' were the two weakest albums in Heart's impressive discography. I have no clue what happened with these two albums, but the fire just wasn't there.

Just as a true championship sports team is capable of pulling themselves out of a slump, Heart decided to change the game plan, and suddenly, they morphed into this glam-clad bunch of 80s rockers. The self-titled '85 record saw the return of the quality that we were used to from the band. Heart continued this run for two more studio albums and then slid again.

Ann and Nancy decided to give Heart a break in the early 90s and create the Lovemongers, which was a very refreshing change for the girls. They produced some excellent material, including a cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Battle of Evermore' for the Singles soundtrack. It seemed as if Heart were finally going to fade into the rock and roll history books, but alas, 2004 saw the release of a new Heart studio album, 'Jupiters Darling'. Now, one would probably instantly assume that this was simply a last-ditch effort to cash in on those mid 30s and early 40s rockers that may see the CD on the shelf at Walmart while waiting for the kids to get out of the toy department and decide to give it a shot. Ah, but as we all know assumptions often lead to incredibly huge mistakes, which is exactly what would be happening if you decided to pass on this CD. I admit it, I picked it up and thought, hmmm, very nice artwork, but I bet this is pretty lame, I should get that new Pearl Jam compilation disc. Naw...screw it, you have all the rest of Heart's CDs, you might as well finish off the discography.

Let me just tell you, out of all the CDs I bought in 2004, 'Jupiters Darling' is one of my favorites. I can't stop playing it. This is the Heart that I remember from when I was a kid. This record sums up everything Heart was in their prime, mix in a little new tuning and some heavy melodies, and you have one hella kick ass album. Moreover, I was going to buy a Pearl Jam disc and it just so happens that Mike McCready lends his masterful guitar artistry to several tracks on the CD, BONUS! That's not all, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains fame also guests on the axe. There is no filler material on this CD. It's solid through and through. In fact, you should drop what you're doing right this minute, pack up the kids, and run up to Walmart and buy this CD right now!

Ann and Nancy sound as if they have the fire and the hunger that was so evident at the beginning of their career...Welcome back girls!

Image borrowed from their offical site.