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December 3, 2009
Back To The Future With The Women of Heart
Classic rock powerhouse Heart is embracing their roots. In this case, that means plans for their next album are taking them back to the days before all-things-digital became the norm.
Although the group has been touring for a while, they have also been logging some studio time in between dates to work on a new album, which is being produced by Ben Mink. Mink also worked with lead singer Ann Wilson on her solo album Hope & Glory.
Little is known about the new album beyond what Nancy Wilson recently revealed to Spinner. There are said to be ten songs pretty well finished up, with a couple more to work out before the album is completed. The group hopes to release it in the spring, but what’s most interesting is Wilson’s statement revealing that “We’ve been approaching it on a really human level. There’s not a digital construct anywhere.”
In addition, the recording is a return to a more old school methodology where all of the musicians are playing at the same time in the same space. “We are putting up baffles and playing together at the same time: drums, bass and guitars, all at once, in the same room, looking at each other and jiving off each other, so that it’s really a conversation in process,” Wilson adds.
Hearing this news can really raise expectations for fans like myself who consider Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie one of the greatest rock albums of all time. That’s due, in part, to the quality of the recording, which, needless to say was 100% analog back on the mid-1970’s. It was recorded on an old Ampex MM1000 16-track tape machine (for the engineering geeks out there), which the technical crew somehow coaxed an astoundingly beautiful mix from.
For my money, it’s one of the best recordings I have ever heard, and I’m hoping that the folks in the control room can at least come close to the exemplary work done by Patrick Collins and Rofl Henneman, who are credited for the mastering and engineering on Dreamboat Annie.
If I may borrow some terminology from the world of sports, I envision my Heart “fantasy band” in the studio with some or all of the original musicians from the early days, with the result being something that really sounds like material from the 1970’s version of the group.
That may be the sound they are shooting for with this new album, and I’d love for them to hit the bull’s-eye, but as other enduring groups have discovered, the old magic can be very elusive. That is especially true when only two original members remain in the group.
I don’t want to come across as a wet blanket, but even though this analog-only thing sounds like a cool idea, for this fan, Heart will always be that group that blew my mind with Dreamboat Annie; not the band I’ve seen and heard more recently which the enormously talented Wilson sisters have been fronting.
I’m content to leave it at that. I know there are still legions of loyal fans out there who still love the group in its current form, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt and wrap this up by saying I will let the new album speak for itself when it is released.
June 24, 2009
Heart’s Wilson Sisters Broaden Their Horizons With Children’s Book
You may know them as the rocking sisters of the veteran rock act Heart, but sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are set to make a name for themselves as authors as well. They are in the process of finishing up work on a children’s book that is based on their 1978 album Dog & Butterfly. Admittedly not one of my favorite Heart albums, but it does sound like a great inspiration for a children’s book.
Ann and Nancy Wilson may be writing a book, but that does not mean they have any career-changing plans. They are also in the process of working on a new album, although they are uncertain about its completion date.
“We’re recording with just a real woodshed, small acoustic element, people playing together at the same time and (in) the same room — like what they used to call a hootenanny,” Nancy Wilson says. “There’s no ProTools feel to it at all. We’re just sitting around playing guitars together and going for a performance that is on the spot.”
That’s the kind of talk I lake to hear coming from Heart, since I think that is the kind of environment where they really shine. Their 1976 album, Dreamboat Annie, which remains one of my favorite albums of all time, was recorded on a 16-track Ampex tape machine coupled with a used tube-driven console that was purchased from United Studios who was in the process of upgrading their own consoles to the newer solid-state versions at the time.
The sound they coaxed out of that old set-up over thirty years ago amazes me to this day. One of the best-sounding albums I have ever heard. That’s what makes Wilson’s comments about keeping the process of recording the new album simple so intriguing.
Returning to the present day and getting back to the new album, Nancy Wilson reports that they have about eight songs that they are really pleased with and that three basic tracks have been recorded so far. It’s interesting to note that in addition to recording in Los Angeles, some recording has been done in various hotel rooms during the course of the group’s tours. I’m very interested to find out what a new Heart album will sound like.
Some of the material from the new album may be debuted live this summer. Heart is scheduled for a number of dates into September, including nine shows they are opening for Journey.
Thanks to Billboard for the news.
April 24, 2009
Wilson Sisters To Share More Vocal Duties on Next Heart Album
For decades most fans have likely envisioned Ann Wilson as the vocal powerhouse behind the sound of Heart, and rightfully so. Ann has served as the lead vocalist since the beginning, and has made a name for herself as one of the best female rock vocalists of all time.
These days Ann and her sister Nancy — who is no vocal slouch herself and is also a fine guitarist – are planning
some changes for their next new album, which the group has already begun working on. This time, they are experimenting with more harmonies, a development that does not seem to bother Nancy at all.
“It’s just a way of reinventing, and having more fun, and taking some of the pressure off of Ann as a singer,” she told Reuters during a recent interview.
She also went on to say that she really enjoys the chance to use her vocal talents when the opportunity presents itself, but adds that the material has to be a perfect fit for her voice.
The new album is scheduled to be released next summer, but since they are said to be taking their time on it, it’s hard to think that fans can be certain of a 2010 summer release. As for how the release will be done, that’s something they are currently thinking about.
They do not sound terribly satisfied with the way the release of their last album was handled by Capitol back in 2004 when they released Jupiter’s Darling. Perhaps they will consider an exclusive deal with one of the big retailers – something we mentioned quite recently here, and seems to be working well for other veteran acts like the Eagles and AC/DC.
With eight tracks reportedly recorded so far, Heart returns to the studio in a few weeks to resume work. Also on their itinerary is a summer tour with fellow classic rockers Journey, which is probably keeping the group quite busy with rehearsals and other preparations. It’s clear that the Wilson sisters are not just sitting around and waiting to grow old, something their fan base is most likely very happy to see.
For the full story, visit Reuters.
February 2, 2009
New Interview With Heart’s Nancy Wilson
A recent interview with Nancy Wilson of Heart began with the topic of politics. Probably something that a lot of us have heard enough of for a while, but Wilson seemed willing to talk about the well-publicized flap regarding the McCain campaign’s use of Heart’s hit song “Barracuda” when asked.
Although at the time there seemed to be some uncertainly about whether they had the right to use the song at a campaign event, Wilson admits that “…it’s in the rule books they’re allowed to do that. We just thought we’d have our say because it’s America and we can do that here.”
She also makes the point that they (not sure if she meant herself and sister Ann or the entire group) are well-read and keep abreast of important issues that relate to the country. “…we’re not your average doofus entertainers,” she adds.
There is also talk of the group’s evolution through the years, and how they have embraced different styles and 
eventually realized that what they really needed to do was to “get back to the basics and remember why we wanted to pay music in the first place after the ’80s.”
One of the more interesting things Wilson mentioned was that they are now working on a new album of all original material which, she says, they plan to take their time on and do some touring as well. No word on whether they’ll go down the Wal-Mart route, although that would seem an unlikely choice for the Wilson sisters. She did add that they will be trying to figure out how to market the new album digitally.
When asked why Led Zeppelin has not been in touch with sister Ann Wilson as a possible stand-in for Robert Plant, Wilson replies, “It might be too challenging for the boys’ club. There’s a sailor scene, the old-fashioned idea that the women are bad luck for the ship.”
Heart is well-known for their fondness for covering Led Zeppelin tunes and Wilson admits that it’s the Led Zeppelin covers that remain stuck in her head after a performance.
The good news for Heart fans is that there seems to be no sign that they are thinking about calling it quits, and are instead continuing to make plans for the future.
Read the entire interview at AZCentral.com.
October 16, 2008
Rockers Continue To Protest McCain Campaign’s Use Of Their Material
I’ll admit that my memory isn’t quite what it used to be, but I don’t recall a Presidential campaign in which we have heard this much complaining from certain musical luminaries as we have this time around. Perhaps “W” did not use that much controversial musical material during his two campaigns. But again, I’m working with the memory of a middle-aged classic rock fan here, who was around before it became known as “classic.”
The latest artist to hop aboard the “Stop using my music, John McCain” bandwagon is Jon Bon Jovi. This certainly comes as no surprise since he’s very well known as a supporter of Senator Obama, and has even hosted a fundraising dinner at his home in New Jersey for Obama.
It seems that the McCain campaign’s use of the Bon Jovi song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” a few times within the last day or two does not sit well with Mr. Bon Jovi, and he says that he was “…surprised to hear that our song ‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home’ was used by the McCain campaign at rallies yesterday and today. We wrote this song as a thank you to those who have supported us over the past 25 years."
OK, so we add Jon Bon Jovi to the list of ticked of rockers who do not appreciate their music being in any way connected with the Republican party. But before we’re done, we may as well add the lesser-known, but apparently no- less-ticked-off Survivor to the list.
Remember “Eye of The Tiger?” Personally, I’d rather forget, but there was a time back around 1982 when the song racked up its share of airtime on radio stations across the country. The song was written at the request of Rocky star Sylvester Stallone and was used as a theme song for the movie Rocky 3.
Well I guess John McCain, or whoever is responsible for choosing his music, decided that their campaign could use a little bit of well-known fightin’ music to energize the crowd, and decided that “Eye of The Tiger” would fit the bill nicely. Survivor does not agree, and has asked the McCain campaign to stop using the song.
I think a lot of people, including myself, have wondered if these protests — and in the case of the Wilson Sisters from Heart, a cease and desist letter — really have any legal weight behind them. Well, I may have stumbled upon the answer today.
According to this article, the songs were used mostly during campaign events inside venues like large convention centers, and in those cases, the venues have paid the appropriate entities for the use of those songs as part of a licensing agreement that allows the venues to play a rather large list of songs for various artists.
However, as the article from E! Online points out, the McCain people might actually have some trouble on their hands where the Jackson Browne case is concerned. Since Browne’s material was used during a television commercial, there are different rules and restrictions involved.
Browne has actually filed a lawsuit which is claiming copyright infringement, which I presume will convince whoever McCain has hired to craft his television commercials to study up a bit on copyright law.
With just a little over two weeks to go before this is all over, I’m wondering if there is enough time to hear from at least one more disgruntled artist. This campaign just won’t be the same if we don’t.
