REVIEW

Music Review: Heart - Dreamboat Annie Live

Written by Coryluscontorta
Published November 11, 2007

If your knowledge of Heart extends no further than the power ballad years, ("These Dreams" "What About Love?", "Alone"), you owe it to your love of good rock music to get hold of the new live recording of Heart's seminal 1976 debut Dreamboat Annie.

It was originally written by the twin creative force of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson and went on to sell loads of copies. The sisters were only 22 and 26 at the time and they created a little niche for themselves as female rockers in a musical tapestry fashioned from yarn of disco-divas and Joni Mitchell-a-likes.

Wind forward to Los Angeles, April 2007, where the band reprised its first album in its entirety. In the first of series of similar releases of pivotal albums performed by well known bands Shout! Factory has released the DVD/CD of that concert.

Dreamboat Annie Live quickly dispels any doubts about Ann's ability to recreate the vocal performances of her youth. If anything her voice is better; bluesier, ballsier.

Admittedly, I've just finished reviewing Ann's excellent solo effort, Hope and Glory and that album had given me something of a foretaste for the enduring strength and passion of her great voice. It excels when it's driven hard on songs like "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man;" tunes which prove beyond a doubt that Heart rocked as hard as their male fronted counterparts.

However, Ann's voice is a beast she has tamed, and for the gentle folk-tinged title track "Dreamboat Annie" (of which there are three versions throughout the album), she harnesses her power to deliver a measured and melodious performance.

If you ever questioned Nancy's guitar abilities (surely some mistake) then you absolutely must play the DVD. It's one thing to hear it on the CD, quite another to watch her throw the corresponding shapes on the DVD.

These women are in their 50s for goodness sake, but you wouldn't know it to watch Nancy. Like her sister, she can turn down the volume too; the acoustic intro to "Crazy On You" is really quite beautiful, no wonder it’s a fan favourite.

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Corylus is pleased to live in Scotland, living as disgracefully as is possible given her lamentable state of finances. She bears life’s little hiccups by repeating the mantra ‘life is inherently absurd’ until she feels calmer, but sometimes a very spicy Bloody Mary is the only solution.
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Music Review: Heart - Dreamboat Annie Live
Published: November 11, 2007
Type: Review
Section: Music
Filed Under: Music: Video, Music: Rock, Music: Live Concerts, Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Review
Writer: Coryluscontorta
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Comments

#1 — November 12, 2007 @ 16:49PM — JC Mosquito

Gotta tell you my Heart story (probably did already once). As a teenager, I saw them on a Canadian tour opening for April Wine right after Dreamboat Annie came out. Everyone was saying along the lines, "Never heard of Heart - what a terrible name for a band. So - lightweight." When they finally ht the stage, it was like, "Oh, man - chicks in a band - this is going to be so wimpy!"

Then they opened with I believe "Barracuda." After that, I never questioned whether women can rock or not - who sez a fifteen year old can't learn to change his preconceptions?

#2 — November 12, 2007 @ 17:24PM — Martin Lav

I saw this performance on a Jet Blue flight on VH1 or something and while waiting in JB/JFK terminal for my connection, I went on JB's free WiFi and bought the CD on Amazon. Now this isn't a commercial for JetBlue, Amazon or the like, however, the DVD sold this CD to me and everything else enabled it.
Well, I got the CD in the mail last week and have enjoyed playing it daily ever since. Good CD, but I'd recommend the DVD as well.

Nice review and article Corylus! Thanks...

#3 — November 12, 2007 @ 19:04PM — Ms. Tralwind [URL]

Thanks for the well earned glowing review of both Dreamboat Annie Live, Dreamboat Annie and Hope & Glory.

I was at the Dreamboat Annie Live concert in April. While I love the DVD and the CD and feel both are must have additions to any Heart fans' collection, there is nothing like having been there at that concert. It was a magical night and the crowd, a few thousand strong was certainly more responsive and louder than the shows I attended in the 80s when Ann and Nancy were playing arena size venues. And Ann and Nancy and crew seemed to feed off of that energy and returned possibly the best Heart show I've ever seen. And I'm well into twenty shows at this point.

The DVD does a great job capturing the vibe as much as it can. But being there was an experience I will never forget barring a forced lobotomy.

Take Heart,

Andrea

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