Heart Album: “Magazine”

When I was 14 years old in 1978, I was the biggest Heart fan around. I saw a picture of the cover of Magazine in a small newspaper fanzine with an accompanying article. I remember the article title clearly: "Heart album ships One Million and you can't buy it anywhere!". The LP became as much folklore to a true heart fan as any Beatles album played backwards.

Heart left Mushroom records in 1977 and quickly joined CBS / Portrait records. Right before Heart left to record "Little Queen" they were in the midst of recording "Magazine" for Mushroom. The album was abandoned but Mushroom took the working tapes, brought in session musicians (who had nothing to do with Heart)to finish the tracks , added 2 live tracks, fleshed it out into a full length album and tried to release it. Heart quickly got an injuction against Mushroom just as the records were sitting in a warehouse waiting to be shipped.

After many court dates and depositions, the courts ruled that Heart had to go back into the studio to finish the album for Mushroom. They were not allowed to record new songs, just finish the ones they started and mix / edit the 2 live tracks. There were even guards in the studio hovering over the master tapes to make sure the band wouldn't vindictively erase them!

Hence, the band finished the album and it is now the CD that you have here.

What is really cool about this whole foklore of an album is that some reviewers on this site don't realize that they own the actual LP that Mushroom tried to release before Heart stopped them! Read Craig Burges' review. He complains that the songs are shorter than the LP and in different sequence - what Craig doesn't realize is that he owns the true goldmind sought after by all Heart fans who through the years have searched for - The original MAGAZINE!

"Mother Earth Blues" is over a minute and a half longer on the original LP. Heart edited Ann's vocal solo for some reason. "Just The Wine" on the original LP has a choir singing behind Ann on the french Chorus and the title song Magazine ends with Roger Fishers solo from Magic man in the background along with a speaker from Elvis Presley's eulogy. This is all gone on Heart's released version.

All of Ann's vocals on the LP are all different with the exception of "Here song" and all tracks are noticeably remixed.

Craig, I also am lucky enough to own a copy of the unauthorized Magazine - If you flip the LP jacket over, you will see a disclaimer from Mushroom indicating that the LP is released without Heart's consent but the label wanted to release this great music as a gift to Heart fans...

So now you can see how this album is the holy grail of all true Heart fans everywhere including a 14 year old teenager from 1978.

Obviously since this album wasn't completed or whatever it is not going to be another Dreamboat Annie or Little Queen. But I think that Magazine has all the elements to a great record. It seemed in the late 70s that the Wilson sisters and the guys could do no harm in their songs! But that is my thought on it apparently not the world's. I love this CD especially "Magazine" because of the signature acoustic and electric guitars that make up it's feel. Ann sounds very vurnerable and intelligent while singing their well written lyrics because you know that they aren't putting out anything they don't truly believe in. "Devil's Delight" is a magical song..maybe one of the darkest Heart had made at that point. The music will put you in a trance if you have any feelings at all.

O.K. it is not the best album, but it worth to listen with headphones very careful. There are a sort of songs for several moods: we have catchy songs like Devil Delight and Heartless, clear examples of the band's stamina in studio. Ballads like Here Song and Magazine (one of the most beauiful ballads in Heart catalog) remember us the tender, feminine side of this band. And finally we have strong blues recorded live in front of a early, warm, small audience (I imagine). This blues give us the chance to imagine how soulful experience was to be there. And in the back of all of this songs, we have the very beautiful Ann Wilson's voice. Forget about the Top Ten or the Top whearever, this album is for enjoy it!!!

During the making of Heart's second album "Magazine",the group had a falling out with Mushroom Records over an advertising campaign celebrating the sales of "Dreamboat Annie" which read "It was only their first time together",showing a photo of Ann & Nancy Wilson leaning up against each other semi-topless.CBS/Portrait had offered the group a lucrative contract,and so the group broke the 2-album contract with Mushroom.The label retaliated by pressing 5000 L.P.'s of the first version of "Magazine",combining 5 not-quite-finished studio tracks plus an early Canada B-side & two live tracks.These copies were sold mostly in Los Angeles,California & Hollywood,Florida and had a disclaimer on the back of the album cover which read in part,"Mushroom Records regrets that a contractual dispute has made it neccessary to complete this record without the cooperation or endorsement of the group Heart,who have expressly disclaimed artistic involvement in completing this record".This first version had the songs in the following order:Side One "Heartless"*,"Without You"*,"Just The Wine"*,"Magazine"* Side Two:"Here Song","Devil Delight"*,"Blues Medley-Mother Earth/You Shook Me","I've Got The Music in Me".The tracks marked * had rough lead vocals,different,longer running times,and some different instrumental solos versus the version of the album available today.In the settlement between Heart & Mushroom Records,Mushroom got the right to release the album,but the group got the right to complete the recordings to their satisfaction.A security guard stood by in the studio to make sure that the group didn't try to erase the multitrack tapes.The group re-recorded the lead vocals for all the studio tracks except "Here Song"(a completed early Canada B-side),and the group edited "You Shook Me",to cut out a part at the end of the song where Ann Wilson immitated Robert Plant's vocal improvisation from the end of Led Zeppelin's version.The synthesizer solo on "Just The Wine" was replaced by a flute solo,and the song "Magazine" was trimmed down more than a minute shorter,eliminating a somewhat meandering original ending.Ann & Nancy Wilson have occasionally stated that the best tracks from "Magazine" & "Little Queen"(their CBS/Portrait debut) would have originally been released on one album.Take the recordings with that knowledge in mind.Both albums have some fine tracks,and a few clunkers.

This is essential Heart. I know all about the label problems and how this is supposedly a lackluster, hodge podge of leftovers. That story is irrelevant, however, because this is still a great album that stands with their very best. Every song is a different style, yet they are all nearly perfect. Of the five original compositions, one is more of an interlude than a complete song, and the others are four of Heart's best songs. In fact, they performed three of them in concert as late as the Dog & Butterfly tour, despite whatever desire they may have had to withhold support for the album. Perhaps this is more of an ep than a full album, but length, not quality, is its only shortcoming. This is classic music from one of the most talented rock lineups in history.

The guitar work is brilliant--especially on Devil Delight and Magazine it rivals anything they've ever done. Early Heart had some of the most incredible and unique guitar playing that I've ever heard, and this album has more than its share of that. As they did on Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, and Dog & Butterfly, Heart takes 70s rock to a whole different level. The songs are very intricate and totally unique. Everything changed after the original lineup started dissolving, but at this point in their career, even an album of their "leftovers" had more inventive songs and incredible musicianship than almost any album done before or since.

This is my take on the songs:

Mother Earth Blues: a fantastic blues cover that shows the range of the band.

I'm ecstatic about the remasters of Little Queen and Dog & Butterfly, but I really hope that Capitol or somebody will remaster this someday soon (perhaps with a reissue of the now out-of-print remaster of Dreamboat Annie). If it doesn't happen because of a continuation of the feud between Heart and Mushroom, it will be a great disservice to the fans.