Greatest Hits
Heart is another hard rocking band whose career falls into two categories, Before The Fall and After The Fall. The rock-as-act-of-seduction "Crazy on You," was a powerhouse with its acoustic intro that eventually led to an orgiastic vocal crescendo, thanks to Ann Wilson's throaty pipes. "Magic Man" was their entry into the 1970s-rock-opus category, with its epic guitar and synth solos. The ballsy "Barricuda" and the lilting "Dog and Butterfly" and "Dreamboat Annie" showed the band could deliver the goods, regardless of tempo or volume. Then came The Fall, a several-year long period when the Wilson sisters couldn't get a hit if they had targets painted on their backs. Heart eventually pulled it back together with power rock ballads, including "What About Love" and "These Dreams." The band continued in this vein through the rest of the 1980s, turning in the occasional rocker like "Never." Overall,These Dreams--Heart's Greatest Hitsis a fine sampling of the band's career. Particularly interesting is the acoustic version of "Straight On," which--in its original form--had the band convincingly flexing some funk muscle. --Steve Gdula