Heart Album: “Dreamboat Annie Live”

I realize some fans of the original Heart line-up are less than thrilled with this concert, but I'm not going to compare it to the original album. I believe the new, live versions of the songs are more than strong enough to stand on their own. From the opening of Magic Man, to the solo intro of Crazy On You done only the way Nancy Wilson can, and the rockin' White Lightning and Wine, to the lush melodies and harmonies in the three versions of Dreamboat Annie, Soul of the Sea, Love Me Like Music, and How Deep It Goes, to the reworked spin on Sing Child, the songs really show how skilled every band member is. And if that's not enough, for encores they throw in their larger than life version of Mistral Wind, the unsettling cover song Goodbye Blue Sky and some fun Led Zep covers of Black Dog and Misty Mountain Hop. And finally, give Ann Wilson credit. Not many singers with any sanity would tackle Love Reign O'er Me by The Who for their final song in a concert and sing it all-out like it's the last song they'll ever sing. I can't believe she had any vocal chords left. In summary, it's a concert that still gives me chills and goosebumps whenever I hear it. To me, it's simply one of their best concerts.

This album is an interesting concept-having a band go back and time and revisit their eraly work and put a new spin on it. Van Morrison is doing that now with his classic "Astral Weeks" album, but Heart did it first with their classic first album "Dreamboat Annie" album. After 33 year, the material still holds up well and the band is in fine form. Also, they cover Led Zeppelin better than anyone else!

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.

I have been listenng to this album/8-track/cassette/cd/mp3 now for 30 years. Now I have another full version of it to listen to! This is a fantastic trip down memory lane, created firmly in the present. The Wilson's re-create their masterpiece with richer voices and new arrangements (check out "Sing Child"). And seriously, some reviewer is mad that Steve Fossen and Roger Fischer aren't on this remake? Puh-leeeze. The heart of Heart are Ann and Nancy. Plenty of bands have gone through metamorphosis' like that. Be happy they have survived the turmoil and are still making music.

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!