Heart - Dreamboat Annie Live
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Free Music Notes for Dreamboat Annie Live
Free Music Review: I love this CD
Hit: 5 Stars
I love this CD. Ann and Nancy are amazing and give an awesome performance. The sound quality is excellent. This is a must have for any Heart fan and a must have for anyone starting to like Heart.Free Music Review: Fantastic
Hit: 5 Stars
I caught this concert on PBS one night by chance and couldn't change the channel. The music is great and it brought back lots of memories from my younger years.Free Music Review: +1/2 -- Live performance of Heart's debut LP
Hit: 4 Stars
The LP's dominance as the unit of musical exchange between artists and listeners lasted from roughly the late '60s rise of underground FM radio through the technology disruption of the MP3. Plenty of challengers, including Disco, CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio), House and Rap kept the single viable, but it was the ease with which MP3s turned listeners into DJs, and the service of on-line music sales that re-dissected albums into their constituent parts. Full-length CDs are still conceived, recorded, issued and sold through physical retail channels, but they're increasingly a collection of individual tracks, rather than holistic artistic statements.
With the artist-controlled musical arc of an album turned aside by the shuffling playlists of listeners, the concert stage has dawned as a space in which the power struggle is tipped back in favor of musicians. This is nothing new - artists have often taken the opportunity to produce their stage shows as something more than a recitation of songs - but there's an increased number of productions that include beginning-to-end performances of classic LPs. Brian Wilson recently staged tours that essayed "Pet Sounds" and "Smile," Lou Reed ran through the entirety of "Berlin," and Cheap Trick worked through their early catalog on sequential club dates.
Though the album run-through is nothing new (bands hawking concept LPs gave complete performances of their song cycles on contemporaneous tours), there's a streak of nostalgia (or, some might say, opportunism) that adds a new twist. Throwback performances of 30- and 40-year old works leave artists to find a balance between playing the album "as it lays," and reinventing studio creations for the stage. The latter includes the rethinking of songs that were rarely (or perhaps never) performed live, and were studio-crafted without performance even in mind.
Shout! Factory inaugurates their "Legendary Albums Live" series with an April, 2007 performance by Heart of their 1976 debut LP, "Dreamboat Annie." Taped live before an enthusiastic audience of hand-picked Heart fan club members in Los Angeles for a DirecTV special, the album's ten original tracks are augmented by encores that spell out the band's then-current influences, notably Led Zeppelin and The Who. The 2007 model of Heart is comprised of only two original members, vocalist Ann Wilson and guitarist/vocalist Nancy Wilson, backed by drummer Ben Smith, guitarist Craig Bartock, keyboardist Debbie Shair and bassist Ric Markmann.
The group faithfully recreates the album, or, more accurately, the sound of Heart touring the album in the wake of its release. Much like the original band's performances, "Dreamboat Annie" played live doesn't capture the studio-perfect production of the original LP, and it's really not meant to. After thirty years and thousands of performances, Ann Wilson can be forgiven the original vocal nuance here and there, and given the iconic nature of her voice and these songs, they're hardly noticeable. What is noticeable is that her voice, though still strong, is huskier and aged when applied full force on the power notes. She no longer soars as freely or smoothly as thirty years earlier, but her signature tone and control remain the essence of Heart's sound.
The album's non-hits, which received less and less attention on stage as Heart's catalog grew, sound especially fresh here. "Soul of the Sea" is pristine, with the Stockholm Strings (and a well-placed telephone ring) woven into the band's performance. "Sing Child" is rearranged with strings and a rock-beat replacing the original's funky rhythm; Nancy Wilson's harmonica replaces the original guitar solo, but Ann Wilson's flute brings the song some of its original mojo. The songs, and the arc of the album, hold up impressively, providing the listener multiple dramatic peaks and respites, including a reprise of the title theme to close things out. It's as gratifying to hear live as it was in 1976 to hear on two sides of a vinyl LP.
The encores include the band's "Mistral Wind" (which eventually turned up on Heart's "Dog & Butterfly" album), echoing Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" in its dramatic grandeur. Zeppelin itself is represented in covers of "Black Dog" and "Misty Mountain Hop," and AOR heavyweights The Who ("Love, Reign O'er Me") and Pink Floyd ("Goodbye Blue Sky," covered by Ann Wilson on her recent solo album) are also featured as early Heart influences. Wilson's enthusiasm for the Zeppelin sides is particularly obvious, and the impact these bands had on Heart's debut is equally clear.
Obviously this is no replacement for the original studio album, but as a celebration of Heart's roots, and as a compelling stage performance this is a winner! Note that there is an accompany DVD that includes the full concert along with bonus interview footage. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]
Free Music Review: Anything from Heart is a plus!!
Hit: 4 Stars
Wow, has it been that long already? It's hard to believe really, but the fact is, this release was a huge album when it came out and put Heart on the map.
These tunes just don't seem to age and sound just as fresh today as they did back them. This live release was a surprise as I had heard nothing about it at all and I'm always looking for new stuff from these girls whether it be new releases or just nicely remastered cd's, which by the way they seriously need to do. When I say remastered, I mean the entire Heart collection, not just a few!!
Overall the sound of this release is great and it's got a truly wonderful feel about it. The songs flow along beautifully and the live interaction is very cool. I'm not sure the DVD wouldn't be the better buy though? I guess it's a mater of choice really. Either way you can't go wrong.
Check it out!
Free Music Review: heart cd dvd
Hit: 4 Stars
Received the Heart cd /dvd of Dreamboat Annie. Originally had the vinyl. then the cd of same. The album was a great favourite when it came out and it is good to see it getting a frshen up and by the way Ann's still hitting the notes! Great album.
Gordon Strong