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Post by Cord Hurn »

JOHNNY MOON
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis)

Answers the question before it`s asked
You can see Johnny but he`s not here
Nobody saw Johnny disappear
Mother says his mama`s too easy

Letting him come and go as he pleases
Walls and windows won`t do it
Lock the door
Johnny goes right through it

It`s so hard to get his attention
When he`s out there in another dimension
Johnny I want to follow you outside
I want to feel that high

It`s so hard to get his attention
When he`s out there in another dimension
Johnny, I want to follow you outside
I want to feel that high

Johnny, you, I can pretend with
You`re only one I can really bend with
Take me `cross the river Styx
Fill my eyes with fire tricks

Anything you got up your sleeve
Anything you tell me, Johnny, I`ll believe
It`s so hard to get your attention
When you`re out there in another dimension

Johnny, I want to follow you outside
I want to feel that high

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VKhxJCCAVQ
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Post by Cord Hurn »

HOW CAN I REFUSE
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Howard Leese, Mark Andes, Denny Carmassi, Sue Ennis)

Wake me up with laughter.
Wrap me in your arms.
This ain't no morning after.
Never been so warm.
It didn't take so long
For us to feel this way.
Can a good thing last longer than day?

Where do we take it now, now that we caught fire?
Will something greater grow out of this desire?
Should I drop my guard at the risk of being used?
But when you do those things to me, how can I refuse?

I could get addicted
To your energy
The way you take me over
Mmm, keeps pulling on me

Our hearts beat together
Our timing is the same
But can I trust my feelings
And save myself the pain?
Can I trust my feelings, save myself the pain?

Where do we take it now, now that we caught fire?
Will something greater grow out of this desire?
Should I drop my guard at the risk of being used?
But when you do those things to me, how can I refuse?

We could share the mystery,
Spare ourselves the misery.
Discover it again everyday.
We could take love all the way.

Where do we take it now, now that we caught fire?
Will something greater grow out of this desire?
Should I drop my guard at the risk of being used?
But when you do those things to me, how can I refuse?

(How can I refuse)
(How can I refuse)
(How can I refuse)
(How can I refuse)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX7xnOMD39Y
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Cail wrote:I remember How Can I Refuse getting some tepid airplay. It suffered from having the same opening guitar as Judas Priest's You've Got Another Thing Coming, which automatically triggered disappointment when it came on.
Thank you for reminding me of the similarity in openings between those two songs, Cail! I forgot to mention it. Yeah, when listeners expected a Priest-style song to follow this opening, no doubt their frustration has worked against this song over the years.
Cail wrote:Heart's '80s output was hampered by a couple of things, most notably the image-driven hit machine of MTV. When you've got a band fronted by two hot chicks, you damn well have to have them front and center, and you have to make sure their songs chart. There's some very good material of theirs from that decade.
There are a number of Heart songs produced in the '80s that I have come to like, maybe even love, but the '70s Heart is my favorite. I must acknowledge that. Something was lost, and was hard for the band to replace, when the Fisher brothers pulled up their tent stakes and left the fair. Replacing Michael DeRosier with Denny Carmassi on the drums made them a little blander, too. And you're of course quite right, Cail: MTV was a force that all popular artists had to reckon with back then, and it certainly skewed (corrupted?) the artistic choices of many, and not necessarily for the good of the music
Cail wrote:But it's also pretty toothless. Howard Leese just wasn't an engaging player; they lost their hard edge (with some exceptions, Wild Child's a kick-ass song), and they became more of a pop band.
I may not like the move from hard rock to pop all that much, but I have to concede that they broadened their audience considerably by such a move. At least some good songs came out of it, and at least they evolved out of the pop phase, I keep telling myself. As for Leese, nice guitar tones from him, but his playing reminds me that he was a keyboard player who was made to take up guitar to fill a hole in the band's sound.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Looking back over this thread, I realize that I didn't provide three examples of songs from the first Heart album I reviewed, Desire Walks On.

I'll try to restore some balance by posting this song, plus another, from that album:

BLACK ON BLACK II
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Lisa Dalbello)

Daddy's little soldier boy
Mama's little pride and joy
Both hands on her apron strings
"Don't you touch that dirty thing"
A warning signal from above
Inspection with a clean white glove
They say that opposites attract
like right and wrong
Black on black

Like pleasure and a little pain
The sacred and profane
Ice and fire counteract like black on black
The oldest story known to man
The willing sacrificial lamb
Behind the light a shadow falls
The code of silence shakes the walls
A whisper to a silent scream
The power is so frightening
They say that opposites attract
like right and wrong
Black on black

Like pleasure and a little pain
The sacred and profane
Ice and fire counteract just like black on black
A warning signal from above
Inspection with a clean white glove
They say that opposites attract
like right and wrong
Black on black

Some things seem so sacred
Like a loaded question the power of suggestion
Like the face of danger the kindness of a stranger
Like a Judas Kiss like pleasure and a little pain
Immaculate seduction absolute corruption
Ice and fire counteract no turning back
like black on black
Black on black.
Black on black

Like pleasure and a little pain
The sacred and profane
Ice and fire counteract like black on black
Like pleasure and a little pain
The sacred and profane
Ice and fire counteract just like black on black
Black
A little pain
Just like black on black
Black
Black on black
Black on black
Black on black

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHZHZoX5NW4
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Post by Cord Hurn »

BACK TO AVALON
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Kit Hain)

Forgive me I can't stay here anymore
I'm leaving with the tide
This evening another breeze blew 'round my door and stirred me up inside
I'm breaking out of this tired old spell
I played it out long and so well
And the phoenix flies straight and high back to Avalon
Now I'm on my way back where I belong

Gonna go down with the sun
Back to Avalon
Where I'm going all my demons disappear
I'm leaving them behind
I'm travelling way up on the atmosphere
'Cause I made up my mind
Gonna find my love
Gonna find my life
Gonna look them so deep in the eye
And the phoenix flies straight and high back to Avalon
Now I'm on my way back where I belong

Gonna go down with the sun
Back to Avalon
Nobody knows what's inside my head or down this road
Oh I know I'm going home
And the phoenix flies straight and high back to Avalon
Now I'm on my way back where I belong

Gonna go down with the sun
And the phoenix flies straight and high back to Avalon
Now I'm on my way back where I belong

Gonna go down with the sun
Back to Avalon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHbtK-tT5xM [studio version from Desire Walks On]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32HoWABs0B0 [live version from The Road Home]
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Earlier in this thread, in the review for [i]Bad Animals[/i], I wrote:There's The Girl - Nancy Wilson takes over lead vocals for the third song of this album crafted by outside writers. The song has a likeable syncopated snap to it (you could dance to it), courtesy of a tight rhythmic union from bassist Mark Andes and drummer Denny Carmassi.
A correction needs to be made: Nancy Wilson actually did have a hand in co-writing "There's The Girl", so I must atone for my error by posting the correct information. Hopefully, the readers of Kevin's Watch are patient enough with me to not recommend I atone for my error further by receiving some sort of punishment. :whip:
Last edited by Cord Hurn on Tue Feb 14, 2017 1:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

It's been fun to review some of Heart's studio albums, but I can't at present (or in the near future) review all 16 because I only own 8 of them. But I'm looking forward to posting just one more little review before I give this thread a rest. :Z:
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Dog & Butterfly

Heart's 4th album is its last with the original lineup of Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher, Howard Leese, Steve Fossen, and Michael DeRosier. Lead guitarist Roger Fisher would be ousted by unanimous consent of the rest of the band before another Heart album would be recorded. Whatever turmoil there was for the band over the horizon doesn't seem apparent in the team spirit on display here; this album is a document of a band ready to pull together to explore a variety of styles and moods with finesse and skill. I enjoy this album with every listen.

Cook With Fire - It starts out with cheering for the start of Heart concert in Memphis, but the song that follows the cheering has enough sharp clarity about it to be a studio version. The deception of passing off a studio cut as a live take irritates me, but that's my only complaint. Brash-sounding guitars, harmonica in the mix, an explosive drum ending: I like it all.

High Time - Galloping melodies in the verses do much to pique my interest in hearing how the song progresses. There's a slight echo of the keyboard part from the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" in this song's intro. Thereafter in the song the keyboards stay subtle in the mix. Roger's exuberant lead guitar is the catalyst for communicating this song's declaration of a happy realization.

Hijinx - The music is playful but not really rowdy, so this song doesn't really represent "hijinks" as much as it does a kind of calm anticipation of later fun, which ties this song to the previous track, thematically. The stop-and-start that happens to the music here keeps it more involving, demonstrating flair in an otherwise rather mediocre song.

Straight On - The aspect of this song that I think makes it most memorable is the blending of Nancy's and Roger's guitars that at the end of each lyrical line in the choruses. There, those guitars chime out for the victory of a reclaimed sense of purpose, for the satisfaction of a renewed grasp on clarity. Another feature of this song that I've noticed I like is how Ann, Nancy and Sue wrote for Steve's bass to sometimes wander away from what the others are playing and then return to synchronization: I enjoy how the behavior of the bass (which is treble-boosted for this song so that you will notice it more) adds another intriguing layer to this track. The song's closing offbeat, with its quick bursts of rhythmic energy, is enjoyably flashy. This song is iconic.

Dog & Butterfly - The gentle beginning signals that this is to be a contemplative effort, a gentle sermon using memory and nature, as it turns out. If I am not too off-base with my guess of this song's meaning, it's meaning is probably that even though we often must confront the pain of failure when we try in life, it's important to be appreciative of being able to keep trying because doing so is a part of life, and we have lots of company in the world when it comes to reaching and falling short. If someone has another interpretation of this song that differs from mine, feel free to post it. Ann's vocals on the bridge ("We're getting older...", etc.) is my favorite part of the song.

Lighter Touch - Another song about clarity, and Howard's piano and Michael's drums have an especially cozy rapport going, making them even more fun to listen to than to Roger's expressive leads. The bass stay's unobtrusive through most of the proceedings, but it more boldly punctuates the song's outro. Another good song.

Nada One - This is somber but passable entertainment, thanks to some precision plucking by Nancy and Roger to make it all sound more beautiful and poignant. There are occasionally some unsettling synthesizer sounds from Howard, but his efforts mostly add a pleasant calm to the song. I have to say, I'm still impressed with how the original band lineup could effectively convey so many musical moods.

Mistral Wind - Six notes, played slowly and quietly on an acoustic guitar, open this song, not providing any clue that this song is going to get adventurous before it's all done. Soon it all gets louder like a musical rendition of supreme impatience. Probably there could be numerous plausible interpretations of this song's meaning, but I think it's about hoping to catch inspiration to move the creative process along. The ending chimes give this song a fantasy feel.

The following are bonus tracks appearing on the deluxe CD version of Dog & Butterfly:

Heartless (live BBC) - This has the same appealing bouncy crispness to it that the studio version of this song possesses, complete with the frantic piano notes that pop up in the song. This is as good a showcase for Ann's vocal prowess on the high notes as anything else Heart has ever produced. The synthesizer at the end of the choruses has a gelid feel that complements the lyrical description of a cold person without conscience for consequences.

Feels - An early version of what would become "Johnny Moon" on the album Passionworks, this track has more of a suspenseful feel to it compared to its final incarnation. Which means, I like this better than "Johnny Moon". The way the instruments work together on this tune suggest a tapestry being woven. The keyboard ending indicates nothing has been resolved in the situation described by the lyrics, leaving the listener with a definite sense of disquiet. I kind of like this.

A Little Bit - This brief acoustic piece from Nancy exudes the feel of sunshine on lush green meadows with a nearby brook flowing and a gentle breeze blowing. That's how naturally happy it sounds. It evokes a rural atmosphere, tinged a bit with the influence of country music. It's short, but sweet.

Another great Heart album, right up there with Little Queen and Red Velvet Car.




[Edited for typos.]
Last edited by Cord Hurn on Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

MISTRAL WIND
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, Roger Fisher)

No wind when I took the watch
My ship was still and waiting
I lay on that mirrored sky
A restless sailor waiting
I closed my eyes, said the
Words of will for the gentle
Breathing that moves the seas
Make my sails fill

Whisper waves cloud the glass
Awake at last like a lover
It rushed around me, talking sweet
Roll over, roll over. roll over
And in my ear
It sounds so strange but I heard it plain
Mistral, mistral wind

I have always held the wheel, but
I let the wind steal my power
Spin me 'round lose my course
Nights run by like hours
Well, it would show me the way
To the deepest mountains
Too high and beautiful to be
Mistral, mistral wind, yeah, yeah

All the hours on the water
Oo, move me, move me, move me
Blow me back to that place
Magic space all through me
And I sigh your name
Across the empty water
You made a crazy dreamer out of me
Oh, mistral, mistral, mistral, mistral
Mistral, mistral!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOfQaYPYXSo
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Post by Cord Hurn »

DOG & BUTTERFLY
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis)

There I was with the old man
Stranded again, so off I ran
A young world crashing around me
No possibilities of getting what I need
He looked at me and smiled
Said, "No, no, uh, no, no...no, child!

"See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air it like to fly
Dog and butterfly
Below, she had to try
She rolled back down
To the warm, soft ground
Laughin'...she don't know why
She don't know why
Dog and Butterfly......!"

Well, I stumbled upon your secret place
Safe in the trees, you had tears on your face
Wrestling with your desire
The frozen stranger stealin' your fires
The message hit my mind
Only words that I could find....

"See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly
Below, she had to try
And she rolled back down
To the warm, soft ground (rolled back down to the ground)
Well, laughin'...to the sky
Up to the sky
Dog and Butterfly."

We're getting older
The world is getting colder
For the life of me
I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin'
Making us give in
Hearts rollin' in
Taken back on the tide
We're balanced together
Oceans upon the sky

Another night in this strange town
Moonlight holdin' me, light as down
Voice of confusion inside of me
Just begging to go back where I'm free
Feels like I'm through
Then the old man's words are true

"See the dog and butterfly (the dog and butterfly)
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly
Below, she had to try
And she rolled back down
To the warm, soft ground (back down to the ground)
With a little tear in her eye, yeah
She had to try
She had to try
Dog and Butterfly, yeah-eh
Up in the air he like to fly
The dog and butterfly
Below, she had to try
And she rolled back down
To the warm, soft ground
Laughin'...she don't know why
But she had to try
Heh, she had to try
Dog and Butterfly."

Ooo ooo ooo woo hoo woo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv69q_oeDOk
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Post by Cord Hurn »

STRAIGHT ON
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis)

Quite some time
I been sittin' it out
Didn't take no chances
I was a prisoner of doubt
I knocked down the wailing wall
Ain't no sin
Got the feel of fortune
Deal me in

Comin' straight on for you
You made my mind
Now I'm stronger
Now I'm comin' through
Straight on
Straight on for you
Straight on for you!

Now, I know
I got to play my hand
What the winner don't know
The gambler understands
My heart keeps playin' it through
With you, my friend
I'll take my chances on you
Again and again
Again!

Comin' straight on for you
You made my mind
Now I'm stronger
Now I'm comin' through
Straight on
Straight on for you
Straight on for you!
Ooo-ooo-ooo
Ooo-ooo-ooo
Oo. yeah, for you!

Comin' straight on for you
You made my mind
Now I'm stronger
Now I'm comin' through
Straight on
Straight on for you
Straight on, straight on
Straight on for you
Straight on for you!
Ooo-ooo-ooo, ooo-ooo-ooo
You made my mind
Now I'm stronger
Now I'm comin' through
Straight on, straight on for you
Straight on, straight on
I'm straight on for you
Straight on for you!

Ooo-hoo
Ooo-hoo, ooo-hoo
Ooo-hoo, ooo-woo-hoo
Ooo-hoo-woo, hoooo!
Ooo-ooo-ooo, hoooo!
Ooo-ooo-ooo, hoooo!
Ooo, hoo-woo, woo-hoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeEA9yuZ2G8 [studio version]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxot454ksRg [live version from 1978]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTb-m_GZWk4 [live version from 2002]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXiAye81h8U [live version from 2005]
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Post by dlbpharmd »

Heart just announced a new concert recording on DVD/bluray.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

dlbpharmd wrote:Heart just announced a new concert recording on DVD/bluray.
Yes, I believe it's called "Live At The Royal Albert Hall With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra".
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Jupiters Darling

In 2004, Ann and Nancy re-formed Heart with Craig Bartok on guitar, Mike Inez from Alice In Chains (on indefinite hiatus due to AIC singer Layne Staley's death) on bass, Ben Smith on drums, and Darian Sahahaja on keyboards. Bartok and Smith would stay with the group, and Bartok would contribute to songwriting on their next album Red Velvet Car as well as this album. All members of this lineup would stay to do this album's supporting tour, then Inez would rejoin the re-formed Alice In Chains. Together, they created this pleasant but not particularly memorable album.

Make Me - This starts out slow with some plucked notes from an acoustic guitar, but it picks up with a moderately catchy and moderately fast melody from the band. Ann's singing is more subdued than usual, though her recognizable high register comes into play quickly enough. A decent opener.

Oldest Story In The World - This has a more distorted guitar sound, almost like one of Nirvana's harder-rocking tunes. The right ingredients are there for some enjoyable jamming, yet the melody manages to be forgettable, and this song comes across to me as filler, alas.

Things - One thing that my ears fixated upon when I first listened to this is that it takes the opening notes of Led Zeppelin's excellent "Over The Hills And Far Away" and explores another direction to take from that starting point. This song offers more evidence that Nancy's voice is underrated.

The Perfect Goodbye - The guitar blend as it starts out is rich and confident, as if it reiterates the fresh discovery of a fundamental truth--or so it strikes me on an emotional level. It's a song about coming to terms with a situation that's already "said and done", so the emotion of the melody fits well.

Enough - This is the clearest and cleanest sounding song on the album so far. The keyboard contributes to this tune's "feel" by sounding both sad and sweet, but I don't like how it manages to slow down this song like cold-running molasses syrup. This is an example in a song where less is more, and leaner is meaner.

Move On - There's a satisfying stomp to the vibe of this one, and the bass from Mike makes the thud of the melody shake and vibrate that much more. This has a confident swagger about it, but the slow break in the track's middle section sounds rather out of place.

I Need The Rain - Pedal steel guitar is in the mix here, played by Terry Davison. The tingling chiming guitar sound gives me memories of the exquisite-sounding playing heard on Little Queen's "Sylvan Song" and "Dream Of The Archer". Nancy was a good choice for lead vocals, here.

I Give Up - Start-and-stop plucking with echo effects begins this effort, but I find it rather annoying. Ann's voice mostly stays in her middle range, where she is competent but not nearly as impressive as she can be in her high and low ranges. Craig's guitar adds some interest to the tune.

Vainglorious - Brash-sounding guitar from Craig and Nancy, and Mike Inez and Ben Smith lock tight into the groove. Ann puts an angry snarl into her voice when vocal emphasis is needed. Though they are quite unalike in style, I like this song as much as I like "I Give Up", which is to say I mostly enjoy it.

No Other Love - A slow ticking sound from Ben with restrained and ponderous guitar from Craig and Nancy make this sound like a song about coming to terms with a recognition of some fundamental truth, a realization of a spiritual goal. Cello from Jami Sieber gives a kind of reassurance like one is on the right path.

Led To One - Nancy's lead vocals are treated through production to give an impression of a more nasal sound. Basic folk guitar strumming and more cello from Jami make this seem like a folk ballad with production providing some window-dressing. Pleasant, but forgettable.

Down The Nile - Mike McCready of Pearl Jam plays the leslie guitar on this song, and he adds some confident fire to the track with his contribution. The harmonica is a surprise, yet it fits well enough. This is an "it's great to be in love" song that doesn't sound sappy, but sometimes sounds chaotic.

I'm Fine - Here the lead guitar is played by neither Nancy Wilson nor Craig Bartok but by McCready and it makes this song sound like a grungier version of Heart. I like Nancy singing with an abrasive edge in places, and enjoy the slamming intro from Ben.

Fallen Ones - Alice In Chains bandleader Jerry Cantrell plays guitar on this track. The interplay between the aggressive strumming of Jerry, Nancy, and Craig with the hard-thumping of Ben on the bongos galvanizes my interest. Unfortunately, the vocal melody Ann devised erodes my interest somewhat. It's an okay song, but not great.

Lost Angel - This song has the most low-key beginning of any on the album. It stays that way for the first one-third of the tune, then Ben, Craig, Mike, and Darian come in respectively with drums, electric guitar, bass, and keyboards. A marginally likeable song for me, nothing more.

Hello Moonglow - Great harmonies are usually a "given" with this band, and they are in evidence here. Some simple strumming accompanies the harmonies, and Nancy gets to sing the last lines. It's almost like this is an answer or a companion-piece to the Beatles' "Good Day Sunshine"--and it's a pleasant album closer.

This album is a nice enough listen, but in my opinion is by no means their best.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

HELLO MOONGLOW
(Written by Nancy Wilson, Craig Bartok)

Hello moonglow
I need you here
Don't disappear
Bring your halo
Don't let me down
Come shine around
You know sometimes it's a long way through the day
I'm blown away
And if you know when I land back on the ground
You'll be around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWHAyJq0xXs
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Post by Cord Hurn »

VAINGLORIOUS
(Written by Nancy Wilson, Ann Wilson, Craig Bartok)

Rock it up baby get ready to fight
Get ready to light up the whole damn night
Jupiters darling standing in the ring
You got your heart set on being king of kings
Slowly like a drop of tupelo honey rolling on down some little girls money

Here he comes ~ vainglorious
First serve first come ~ vainglorious
Dig me now ~ avoid the rush ~ vainglorious

Offer up all that devil delight
Keep the camera on the money in the big spotlight
All the other kids think you're so extreme
You don't want sugar baby but you'll take the cream
Bundle up baby said the fortune teller cause vanity man is gonna bring some big weather

Here he comes ~ vainglorious
First serve first come ~ vainglorious
Dig me now ~ avoid the rush ~ vainglorious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTLjcXTyOZE
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Post by Cord Hurn »

I'M FINE
(Written by Craig Bartok, Nancy Wilson)

Anyway, as I was saying before we got all blown away ~ oh man
Flash flood in a paper cup ~ no chance to study up ~ oh man
What's the chad confetti stuff shooting out the TV is it Y2K or is it World War 3?
The dogs of reason ran away ~ way into the fray ~ and whoosh the hell we have to pay
Have you heard?

As I was saying, I'm fine
Things don't make sense to me all the time
I'm hanging right on that line
As I was saying, oh I'm fine

Midsummer lifeline in stone crimson love
Slow-mo explosion come down form the above
Tune out the noise of the tumbling world
If you can hear me it's all in a word, have you heard?
Anyway, as I was saying, 'scuse me for just a minute please ~ oh man
I'm OK I'm OK I'll come around right after I have this little break down

As I was saying, I'm fine
Things don't make sense to me all the time
I'm hanging right on that line
As I was saying, oh I'm fine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KroMgO4uQ
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Cord Hurn
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Post by Cord Hurn »

Magazine

Heart's producer Mike Flicker had a falling out with their label Mushroom Records, and the band figured that since their contract with Mushroom stipulated Flicker must be the producer, that they were free to sign with CBS/Portrait Records. Mushroom felt another album was owed to them, and in 1977 released an unauthorized (by the band) version of Magazine consisting of demos. Heart and Mushroom Records met in court, where it was determined that the band owed Mushroom another album, but that Heart had the right to re-record or re-mix the album to their own satisfaction. So, for four days under the supervision of a court-appointed guard, Heart re-recorded Magazine and it was re-released as their 3rd album in the spring of 1978. Of the four albums Heart released in the 1970s (Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, Magazine, and Dog & Butterfly, I think that Magazine is my least favorite, as it feels a bit like what it is, a contractual obligation. It's still a pretty good album, though.

Heartless - Having already reviewed the live version of this song that appears as a bonus track on recent reissues of the Dog & Butterfly album, I find I can only repeat that the song has an engaging crisp bounciness, has liveliness added from frantic-sounding piano notes, and has a concluding cold synthesizer tone that sums up the theme of describing a cold soul. Good tune.

Devil Delight - The song comes on like a stomping dinosaur, but that's not meant to imply criticism, because it makes me tune into the music instantly. Roger's lead playing and Ann's lead wailing sound as hedonistic as the song's lyrics. The gentler-sounding bridge is tasty, too! :P

Just The Wine - A quiet beginning in the folk style on guitar occurs, with strings then coming on heavy in the melody. The flute sounds add enough ethereal magic to keep the song from being dragged down into a boring depressing tune. This way, it successfully evokes a dream landscape without putting me to sleep.

Without You - Covering a group as terrific as Badfinger naturally sounds like a great idea to me, and Ann obviously has the vocal chops to pull off performing this. Howard Leese becomes the lead melody purveyor for a song like this that is ideal for a sparkling piano line. Michael gets in some nice speedy drum fills that add to rather than disturb the flow.

Magazine - When Howard is playing the synthesizer it has much the same tone as he used on "Magic Man". He adds some piano playing that spruces up the musical landscape, as well. Steve's bass and Michael's drums are adequate for the song, nothing more--and I feel the same can be said for Nancy's rhythm guitar. Beautiful lead playing from Roger, though.

Here Song - Beautiful acoustic guitar from Nancy, serene-sounding synth from Howard, and angelic singing from Ann. This song, which was the B-side to the "Heartless" single, is short but sweet. The best compliment I think that I can give any song is that "I wish it could have gone on longer", and that applies here.

Mother Earth Blues (live) - This is actually a mix of blues songs "Mother Earth" and "You Shook Me". Roger shows here that he was a natural at playing blues licks, and the restrained playing by Michael and Steve lets him stretch out. I'm biased towards liking tracks like this, as I love the blues.

I've Got The Music In Me (live) - Ann's confident manner of singing clicks tightly with the optimistic lyrics. Michael's drum intro revs up an emotion of eagerness. Some bass thumping and lead guitar wailing in the song is adequate enough to give me the optimistic mood the song tries to evoke. The ending has a nice soulful vibe to it. It's a good closing track to a pretty decent album.
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HERE SONG
(Written by Ann Wilson)

Today summer day
Warm and green and grey
Wake up in the morning making love to me

Old man, lover child
How do you keep that smile
In the rain and in pain
All the same

All the same
Smiling through the rain
You know I got to stay here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3bmqaTGhtI
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Post by Cord Hurn »

DEVIL DELIGHT
(Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson)

Come on down from the top of the mountain, flowing
Doin` the slow slide into town, keep on going
Darkness dancers get down, heavily hoping
Stroking the stone soul, loving, drinking and doping

Like a blind moth looking for color in the lights
Dance in the spotlight, I feel alright
Just my devil, my devil delight

I've seen those midnight ladies just for the moment`s using
She keep on playing, never know whether she`s losing it
He got those sexy green eyes, clicking the trigger, no warning
It`s all gonna come rolling back in the morning

You might feel me burning all night
Like a dirty demon daughter, don`t put up no fight
I dance in the spotlight, I`m alright
It`s just my devil, my devil delight

Lover and fool, glass and jewel, the potion
Comedy, tragedy, making the game, emotion
On your toes, do the gambling roll for your fortune
We fall for love from up above to the ocean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9dikg4HtxY
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