pop music – Just Giblets

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023

Remembering Christine McVie

As we all age, I knew we would be losing some of my favorite performers in the coming years. Earlier this summer, it was hard to hear about Olivia Newton John’s death, but the loss of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie in November hit me hard. She was my keyboard idol since the 70’s. She was a master pop songwriter. She was a superstar who preferred to stand out of the spotlight and just be one of the band. It was a dichotomy that underscored her talent and made her even more special. Christine is right up there with Kate Bush when it comes to my musical pantheon.

I discovered Fleetwood Mac along with many of the folks my age, with the blockbuster self-titled album, commonly referred to as the “white” Fleetwood Mac album. My older siblings loved Fleetwood Mac, and for me, at the age of thirteen, they were the first “adult” rock & roll band to really capture my attention. Like many young, gay boys, Stevie Nicks fascinated me. Her song Rhiannon was steeped in mythology, and her mystical leanings were quite the draw, but the musician in me was really captured by the smooth, sultry voice and blues-rooted keyboard stylings of Ms. Christine McVie.

Her songs on that album were some of her best. Warm Ways, Over My Head, Say You Love Me and Sugar Daddy all made indelible impressions on me. I thrilled to her organ licks, and her rhythmic piano playing. The incredible harmonies that she spun with her bandmates, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were intoxicating. Rumours followed and Fleetwood Mac became one of the biggest bands in the world, selling more copies of an album than anyone before them. I went back and bought all of Fleetwood Mac’s earlier albums that featured Christine, starting with 1971’s Future Games, and through 1972’s Bare Trees, 1973’s Mystery to Me, and Penguin, and 1974’s Heroes are Hard to Find. Then came the rest of the catalog including 1979’s Tusk, 1980’s Live, 1982’s Mirage, 1987’s Tango in the Night, 1990’s Behind the Mask, 1995’s Time, 1997’s The Dance, as well as three solo albums, 1970’s The Legendary Christine Perfect, 1984’s Christine McVie, 2004’s In the Meantime, and an album with her bandmate Lindsey Buckingham in 2017 simply titled Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie. That was to be her last recorded music.

Chris To honor Christine, I have compiled a ranked list of my favorite songs written by her. It was going to be a Top 40, but I couldn’t cut off there and ended up with my Top 46 Christine McVie songs. It’s not a comprehensive lists; there are many songs that didn’t make the cut, but it’s a great representation. Most are from her time with Fleetwood Mac, but her solo work is represented as well. Somewhat surprisingly, the top two songs were during Fleetwood Mac’s more obscure days, just before Lindsey and Stevie joined, helping to propel them into superstardom. In fact, both of the top two songs came from the Heroes Are Hard to Find album. Her first non-Fleetwood Mac song comes in at #15 from her self-titled solo album.

And here they are, my top 46 Christine McVie songs:

#1) Come a Little Bit Closer – Taken from the Heroes Are Hard to Find album, this track has everything you’d want from a Christine McVie song. A gorgeous piano introduction, her sweetly soaring vocals, and a sweeping string part played on her ARP String ensemble.

#2) Heroes Are Hard to Find – The title track from Fleetwood Mac’s 1974 album was a jaunty, upbeat number complete with a horn section! It’s one of Christine’s most playful song, and I would have given anything to hear this one performed live.

#3) Warm Ways – The instrumentation on this gorgeously, swoony lullaby shows off the best of Fleetwood Mac. The gently brilliant interplay between the electric piano and the organ, the subtly intricate guitar riffs, the gentle, rhythmic drumming, and the anchoring bass all serve to create the atmosphere for Christine’s warm, restless vocals to tell their tale.

#4) Think About Me – I’ve gotta give Lindsey Buckingham a little credit here because Tusk was his baby, and while this track is straight-forward, blues-powered Christine McVie, he applies a little punk-attitude with this hyper-distorted guitar and a little distortion on her Fender Rhodes to really pump it up. If Christine ever displayed a harder edge, it’s in this spunky, cutting pop song.

#5) Songbird – For many, this is Christine’s signature song, and there’s no denying the beauty of this concert closer and it’s message of love

#6) Sugar Daddy – This song from 1975’s Fleetwood Mac album doesn’t get a lot of love, but listen to Christine’s keyboard work. While the remastered version of the album track is first, and has a nice build, starting out being piano driven before the organ sweeps in, I’m going to include an early take that pumps up the organ right from the start. And that bass! It’s really a classic.

#7) Say You Love Me – The third single from the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album (following Over My Head and Rhiannon) this blues-fueled country-pop confection became their third top 20 hit from the album, peaking at #11. Nothing tops the three-part harmony of that chours.

#8) Hold Me – The first single from Mirage was a big step into the glossy, 80’s pop world. It’s also the first of several duets with Lindsey that Christine wrote and are featured on this list. From that great piano break to that offbeat chorus, this one is a special one for me.

#9) Just Crazy Love – This track from 1973’s Mystery to Me album is just so much fun. Christine lets her hair down and just let’s this boppy number take her all over the place. the free-wheeling vocals and that hammering guitar just put a smile on my face. She and guitarist Bob Welch worked well together.

#10) Over My Head – The lead single from the Fleetwood Mac album, and the band’s first song to crack the Billboard Top 20 is vintage Christine. It’s unique too because I think it was the first song I ever heard with a fade-in. I also include the live version which had a great little mini-duet with Stevie Nicks in the middle.

https://youtu.be/SXveFeQFyuU

And the rest…

#11 – You Make Loving Fun – A Rumours classic

#12) The Skies the Limit – Best thing from the post-Lindsey era.

#13) Honey Hi – Such a gorgeous song from Tusk

#14) Why – Such a unique song from Christine form Mystery to Me. Live version with Stevie & Lindsey is so cool

#15) Gotta Hold On Me – Christine never really wanted to be a solo artist, but her second solo album spawned this terrific pop hit.

#16) Love in Store – Another hit single and album opener from the Mirage album

#17) Never Forget – Lovely pop gem from the Tusk album

#18) Morning Rain – Amazing, bluesey number from 1971’s Future Games spotlighting her powerful vocals and fantastic piano playing.

#19) Don’t Stop – One of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, and enduring songs.

#20) Over and Over – This is the exquisite song that opened the Tusk album.

#21) Oh Daddy – Often overlooked track from Rumours. The darker side of Christine McVie. A bit of a musical companion piece to Stevie’s Gold Dust Woman.

#22) Believe Me – Nice blues-rockers from Mystery to Me. This clip from Midnight Special has a great guitar-intro from Bob Weston.

#23) The Way I Feel – Gorgeous, gentle ballad from 1973’s Mystery to Me.

#24) Little Lies – Another huge hit, this one firmly in the 80’s from Tango in the Night.

#25) Spare Me a Little – Here’s the first song from 1972’s Bare Trees to appear here, but this is a live recording from 1975 featuring Stevie & Lindsey.

#26) Red Sun – From the Buckingham/McVie album in 2017. She still has those pop song-writing chops. What a great song.

#27) World Turning – Her first song-writing collaboration with Lindsey Buckingham. When I first heard this I couldn’t tell who was singing what; their voices were in the same range!

#28) Only Over You – Great vocals from Christine on this track from Mirage

#29) Wish You Were Here – And a heartfelt ballad from Mirage. Bonus lovely live version from the Buckingham Mcvie tour just 5-years ago at age 74.

#30) Feel About You – Another track from the Buckingham/McVie album — this is pure pop confection.

#31) Never Make Me Cry – Another absolutely gorgeous ballad, this time from the Tusk album. This demo version I found is exquisite. It’s less produced than the album version, but I think I like it even better!

#32) Remember Me – Here’s a great song from the Penguin album. Great piano, organ, vocal arrangements…

#32) Temporary One – Fleetwood Mac performed this for The Dance concert and it was included on the companion album.

#34) Prove Your Love – Nice mid-tempo number from Heroes Are Hard to Find featuring Christine’s soaring vocals.

#35) Show Me a Smile – This lovely, gentle song from Future Games just reinforces the positivity that Christine infuses in so many of her songs.

#36) As Long As You Follow – The one new song from Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 Greatest Hits album. A cheesy video, but a gorgeous song from Christine, with a killer chorus.

#37) Who’s Dreaming This Dream? – A second cut from Christine’s 1984 solo album, this features a lovely harmony vocal from Lindsey Buckingham.

#38) Dissatisfied – Another great, rollicking, blues-influenced number from the Penguin album.

#39) Everywhere – Her last BillboardTop 20 hit with Fleetwood Mac, although it was #1 Adult Contemporary, this glittering pop confection is from Tango in the Night.

#40) Sweet Revenge – Even Christine likes to say that her 2004 solo album, In the Meantime, wasn’t her best effort, but there are some gems on there. Here’s one of them.

#41) I Do – Here’s a surprise. Fleetwood Mac’s 16th album, released in 1995 was called Time. Stevie and Lindsey had both left the band, and Christine wasn’t going to tour. So they brought in some new members, and Christine contributed 5 new songs, with this one being the sole single — although it only charted in Canada.

#42) Save Me – The only single from their 1990 album, Behind the Mask, and the last Top 40 song from Fleetwood Mac, this Christine McVie penned and sung number hit #33 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s a very solid pop song (although I have no idea why the second single, McVie’s The Skies the Limit – #12 above – wasn’t a massive hit.)

#43) Liar – Another strong song from McVie’s 2004 solo album, In the Meantime.

#44) I’m the One – Another great song from McVie’s second solo album fro 1984.

#45) The Challenge – A jaunty number in the early 80’s McVie style from her 1984 self-titled solo album.

#46) Easy Come, Easy Go – And rounding things out, one more song from her 2004 solo album, with a great hook in the chorus.

Thanks for the music, Christine. It will live on forever and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I’m glad I found my hero.

April 24, 2021

My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 21 – 25

Sorry the longish break, but welcome to the newly migrated Justgiblets.com! Had to change my webhosting platform, but fortunately everything seems to have gone just fine. So we’re back looking at my favorite Happy Rhodes tunes, entering the Top 25 this week! Things almost start to get arbitrary here, with the order really reflecting my tastes of the day, I think. All the songs from here on in are just that good. This batch of songs also sees the first appearance of songs from Find Me, the last album Happy recorded of her own material, way back in 2007! (Too long, Ms. Rhodes).

#25.) Play the Game – Equipoise (1993) – I love the sincerity and earnestness that Happy tackles gender roles and identity in Play the Game. It’s pretty direct with its message, almost to the point of treacly, but the simple keyboard arrangement, and the gentle manner in which Happy delivers the melody are undeniably beautiful. I always liked how she points out the difficulties of both genders…

“If I have to be pretty to be liked
Then I think I’m dead in the water
I never want to have to be like the boys
To be allowed to play with the toys”

And it’s a bit of a throwback musically, with Happy on keyboards, and Kevin Bartlett on percussion, but it augments the simpleness of the song that belies the message.

#24.) Warpaint – Warpaint (1991) – It’s mind-boggling, that Happy Rhodes fifth album was recorded and released THIRTY YEARS AGO! I was still two years away from discovering her, but as I’ve mentioned before, Warpaint was the first album Happy conceived of as a piece, rather than just a collection of recorded songs from her past. It’s also the first album for which she used musicians other than herself, and you can feel the change, especially on the title track. Sure the tribal drums and percussion were handled by Ms. Rhodes (programmed or otherwise), but the sinuous guitar parts courtesy of Happy’s new producer, Kevin Bartlett, and that gorgeous fretless bass by Bob Van Detta add the perfect texture fo Happy’s keys.

The song, Warpaint is a powerful one, whether you interpret the lyrics that include references to warpaint, eagles, and the warpath, to apply it to the near genocide of Native Americans, and their resistance, or take it broader, and how experience and the past are represented as the lines on your face, and prepare you for the battles you will inevitably face as you move through life. I love the passion in Happy’s voice on this one too, especially the last few lines of the live version when she sings “I fight to the death.” In a sense, isn’t life one big fight? One struggle to survive? I’ve included a lovely live rendition of Warpaint along with the audio track. I love how so much of Happy’s work is keyboard washes, and when she performs lives, she often replaces those with acoustic guitar, and it still works.

#23.) Fall – Find Me (2007) – The first song to appear in my Top 40 from Happy’s most recent album is a gentle song about passing. Whether it’s about a person dying, or the passing of a season is up for interpretation. On first read, the lyrics seem pretty clear that something is ending, and it very well could be a person’s life. But there are a lot of references that could be pointing to a seasonal transition, spring/summer turning over to fall/winter. There is reference to gardens, cold, moss, moon… all referencing the cycle of time. I really love how Happy writes lyrics that can be open to many interpretations.

Musically, this one really grabs me. I always love a descending melodic progression, and Happy augments that falling melody that she’s singing with some lonely piano notes. (In fact, it’s very reminiscent of one of my favorite Emm Gryner songs, Visiting Hours – ranked at #11 in my Emm Top 40 – which is also about someone dying.) Fall has that same gentleness in the music and the way Happy sings it. I love the gorgeous interplay between the finger-picking of the acoustic guitar, and the spare and haunting, but somehow (for me) comforting piano part. And I love the tenor of Happy’s voice in the final verse.

#22.) Many Worlds Are Born Tonight – Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (1998) – The title track to Happy’s 1988 album, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight is a sonic epic. From the strange scuttling sounds that start the song, I just get drawn right in. Then Happy’s voice, used as a tapestry against which the song will be sung.The layering of the keyboards, Kevin Bartlett’s e-Bow, and the many vocal parts that Happy offers creates a gorgeous sonic pallet. The sounds she creates with her voice are so lush and full, supporting her vaguely inspiring, vaguely cautionary lyrics. In fact, the song ends with the growl of a beast, so I’m left with conflicting thoughts on its meaning.

The song starts off as an exploration of inspiration, or energizing, or a call to live and feel to the fullest, explore the wonders and scary spaces in your head — ‘If you want, then want a lot…’ Happy says, but embrace yourself in your alone time as well: ‘Turns the lights out for a while, and have a rock with the solitude.’ To me it feels like a very uplifting song, and so gorgeously constructed. It sneaks up on you though… I overlooked it for years before really discovering it’s beauty.

#21.) Queen – Find Me (2007) – Queen catches me right from the intro, with those intricate layered harmonies, and Happy’s declaration that she is my queen. Then the song launches into those crunchy rhythms… there are a series of Happy songs that have a similar rhythm that I refer to as crunchy. The song has the feel of a lumbering beast. There’s something about that feel that I love. Another stand-out about Queen are definitely Happy’s vocals. From the layered textures she constructs from her voice, to the afore-mentioned harmonies, to the ping-ponging between registers. Add to that those sustained electric guitar wails, and you’ve got a powerful song that draws you in and thrills your senses.

Lyrically there’s a lot going on, as usual. The narrator is professing her loyalty as a queen, and calling forth lost souls that she will support. Toward the end of the song though, she talks about how wearing it’s been and she can no longer do it. Not sure if this is about a particular character, or an allegory for Happy’s position as a musician with admirers.Either way it works well, but this one is all about the music and production for me.

February 28, 2021

My Next Round of Favorite Music: Happy Rhodes

People occasionally ask me why I m ake lists of my favorite songs by particular artists. It’s not because I think it’s particularly interesting to anyone but me, although I do hope that someone might stumble across something they’ve never heard before, and enjoy a new song or artist. The first list I did was for Canadian singer/songwriter/rock goddess Emm Gryner. I had been listening to Emm’s music for about 20 years after discovering her through a Happy Rhodes e-mail discussion group called Ecto, and she had released quite a few album. Emm is so prolific, and I am such a bad music listener (I rarely take the time to sit and just listen to music so I can learn titles and remember individual songs) I decided to go through Emm’s entire catalog and note my favorite songs. I enjoyed that process so much, listening to songs over and over to get them in just the right order, that I decided to replicate the process with two of my favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac and Heart.

At some point I realized that I was working my way toward the list of my favorite Kate Bush songs, which made me think about Happy Rhodes. Like Emm, Happy was quite prolific and had a major body of work. In addition, I discovered her just as she was releasing her sixth album, so once I fell in love with her music, I went back and bought her first five albums, all while she continued to release new music. Again, because of my poor music listening habits, I knew there were a handful of songs I really loved and could name if someone asked me, the rest of her music kind of blended together for me as music by an artists whose work I really admired. This was the perfect opportunity to really dig into Rhodes’ twelve albums and listen to each song carefully and multiple times to rank all of her music.

It took me weeks. Even now, as I am embarking on finally writing my list to the public, i suspect I may make a tweak or two as I go along. This was by far the most difficult list to rank to date. Happy’s music is so diverse and varied that I kept moving things around. Of the 120 plus songs I have ranked, I’m pretty confident with the first 75, as songs worthy of attention that I was able to rank. The remaining 45 didn’t stand out to me, so they are rather shoddily ranked. I’m going to focus on my Top 40 Happy Rhodes songs, with just a mention of some of the songs that didn’t make that cut.

Another reason why I was excited to write about Happy Rhodes, is that so very few people have heard her, or even heard OF her. Of the half a dozen people who may read my blog, I’m hoping that one or two may discover a new, incredible talent through this list of favorite Happy Rhodes songs, and of the other few, they already love Happy and we can compare our favorites. Since so few people know about Happy Rhodes, I will start with a brief summary of her musical career.

Happy Rhodes performing with her latest band, a Peter Gabriel appreciation combo, The Security Project.

Born Kimberley Rhodes, she was called “Happy” since infancy, and legally changed her name when she was 16. She was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and spent most of her life in upstate New York. She started out creating music after receiving an acoustic guitar as a gift form her mother at age 11. At age 14 she was performing her own songs at school talent shows, and after dropping out of high school at age 16, and getting her GED, she began her dream of performing by appearing at “Open Mic” nights in the Saratoga, NY area. Happy soon met the owner of a recording studio, Cathedral Sound Studios in Rensselaer, and became a studio intern to learn recording techniques. The studio owner was impressed with Rhodes’ voice and songwriting, and volunteered to record all of the songs she had written to that point.

Soon after, Happy met Kevin Bartlett, a musician who had his own recording label, Aural Gratification, and he released all the songs that she had recorded to date on cassette. She had enough songs to release three cassettes at the same time in 1986, Rhodes Vol. I, Rhodes Vol. II, and Rearmament, followed one year later by a fourth cassette release, Ecto. These first four albums all featured Happy on all instruments, with the first two largely just acoustic guitar and voice, and the latter two adding in electronic keyboards. These releases weren’t conceived as albums, but just collections of her previously written songs.

With the release of her fourth album, Warpaint, Happy was writing new songs, and adding in guest musicians. There was a notable maturing of her songwriting skills as she began to stretch her musicianship and her songwriting to the glorious heights I have come to love her for. She released four more albums on Aural Gratification in fairly quick succession, Equipoise, Rhodesongs, Building the Colossus and The Keep, before moving to another label to release her 10th album a few years later in 1998, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight. Her last album to date, Find Me, was recorded in 2001, but not released until 2007. Recently, a compilation of her early works from the first four albums was released on CD and vinyl on an album called Ectotrophia.

In my next entry I will start to count down my Top 40 songs by Happy Rhodes, but there were so many songs I wanted to fit into my Top 40, that as a preview, here are ten more songs that I just couldn’t leave off. I’ve linked them to their audio/video so go take a listen if you are so moved, and know that there are many more amazing songs to come! And a note for those who don’t know Happy… all the voices you hear are Happy’s, believe it or not.

50.) The Chosen One – Find Me (2007) – From Happy’s final studio release, this is a lovely song about someone who feels left behind as others around her are pairing off in marriage… about buying into the fairy tale and just feeling lonely. Not my favorite lyrically, but it’s a lovely song, and in addition to the link of the recording in the title, here’s a lovely live version.

49.) The Wretches Gone Awry – Rhodes I (1986) – A perfect example Happy’s early work; a simple, gently galloping acoustic guitar finger-picking its way through an enchanted world with Happy’s multiple angelic voices weaving and diving, and singing about the glories and the failings of humanity, and choosing to focus on the good.

48.) Suicide Song – Rhodes I (1986) – Also from Happy’s first release, she wrote this when she was very young, and this was the first song she ever recorded, probably on a portable cassette player. It’s a heart-breaking song that is about exactly what the title states. In addition to the original audio linked in the title, here’s a live version from a concert she performed in 2005.

47.) Dying – Building the Colossus (1994) – Jump forward a decade or so and Happy’s considerably expanded her production level. This lush song isn’t really about death, but about isolation, and fear of showing your heart to the world, and worse, being ignored by someone you love. I love who this song has multiple tempos and styles, something you will see a lot in Happy’s songs. Happy said in an interview that Building the Colossus is her least favorite album. Ironically, I think it’s my favorite.

46.) If Love is a Game, I Win – Ecto (1987) – Heavy synths drive this song that nicely showcases both of Happy’s vocal ranges in a looping melody and storyline about being thoroughly happy in love. Incidentally, Ecto was the last of Happy’s albums that I owned. I thought I had them all, and as I was preparing for this series of posts, I realized that I didn’t have this one, so I quickly dowloaded it I knew many of the songs from various compilations, but I was shocked that I didn’t already own it! Now, my collection is complete.

45.) The Flaming Threshold – Rhodes I (1986) – Another in the vein of Wretches, solo acoustic guitar and Happy using her voice like the instrument it is. I like how Happy pushes her voice a bit on the verses, giving it a little bit of an edge. This one’s about desire, risk and the rush of performance — you reach out, sometimes you’re going to get burned. It’s an interesting point of view told from a performer and looking at the desire in their fans’ eyes and choosing to reach out directly to them. Surprisingly, this one, like Suicide Song were bonus tracks added to Rhodes I when it was released on CD.

44.) Charlie – Find Me (2007) – And here’s the first of the dark rockers that I like to think of as a little bit like juggernauts. They have a heavy power the propels them inexorably forward. This one is taken from her last album, and combines her deep register with some electronically distorted shrieks to tell the story of a disturbed, hopeless man who killed himself, and how the singer could have just as easily been in his position, as could all of us. Happy often writes about literary and film characters, so I don’t know if Charlie is one of those, or completely comes from Happy’s imagination.

43.) Wrong Century – Warpaint (1991) – Happy definitely mines science fiction themes i her songs, and again, whether Wrong Century is based on another work or just Happy’s own imagination, she paints the picture of a man trapped in a woman’s body in another time period than their own. What’s notable about this song is the dramatic duet with Mitch Elrod in the chorus. Their songs blend together really well and make for quite the powerful moment.

42.) If So – Ecto (1987) – In this song, the singer has been horribly hurt by someone she loves. She asks what they did was worth it, and to tell her the truth, and if it’s true, then it’s over between them. Happy’s vocals are deceptively gentle, making the tone of the song much more chilling. The live clip below was taken from a 1996 concert at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia.

41.) I Say – Equipoise (1993) – My first experience with Ms. Rhodes came when I purchased Equipoise. I’m very glad my first impressions of her were during this period, when she was experimenting with more lush, expansive production, combining her gentle acoustic work with more electronic sounds. This album closer is a gentle ode to claiming one’s own identity and cautioning others not to rely on the words of others to define them. It’s another complex song where Happy creates multiple sections that all have a different feel, while maintaining the themes and gentle momentum of the song as a whole.

Before closing, I need to thank Vickie Williams, Happy’s greatest evangelist, without whom it is doubtful that I would have ever heard of her. Many of the audio and video clips linked here from YouTube are courtesy of Vickie and her husband. Thanks for bringing some Happy into my life, Vickie!

December 27, 2020

My Top 40 Heart Songs – #5 – 1

And here we are, my favorite Heart songs of all time. It’s a more interesting and varied batch from multiple time periods that i would have expected. It’s also a bit mellower than I’d expected. Heart can certainly rock out, and I love when they do, but these are the 5 songs that grab me the most. I’ve got to admit, the top 5 is heavily 1970’s leaning, but the 80’s, and even 2010 make their mark here, proving that Heart is still giving it. The prevalence of acoustic guitar does say something, though, and while i love Barracuda as much as the next person, it’s that acoustic rock that Heart does so well that thrills me the most.

#5 RSVP – Bad Animals (1987)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis

Imagine my surprise to see a song from Bad Animals in myTop 5 Heart songs! My least favorite time period for the band — the big hair, 80’s period, and they still manage to score a Top 5? Maybe it’s because it’s one of the few songs from that era that was written by Wilson, Wilson and Ennis? Possibly it’s also the first time an acoustic guitar pops up audibly – and it’s the last track of the second album of the period? And it not only pops up ; it drives the song, and Nancy is nothing if not a consummate talent with the acoustic guitar.

Mainly, I think it’s because it features another amazing vocal rendition from Ann Wilson. She and Nancy do some beautiful harmonizing on the chorus. I love Ann’s shouts at the end of each chorus. Howard Leese plays a gorgeous, mournful and soul-filled guitar solo, that perfectly matches the desire oozing form the song. Did I mention the vocals? Maybe Ann throws in some extra emotion and passion when she’s singing one of her own songs (not true – she’s a professional; she even sings the heck out of the crap songs) but I love the way RSVP builds. The verses sung with restraint before exploding into the chorus. Sure, it’s got those omnipresent 80’s synths blasting in, and those arena-pounding drums, but it all works.

I really don’t know much else about the song. I couldn’t find any specific anecdotes about it. I can’t see that they performed it in concert. There’s no video for it. Let’s just say the song speaks for itself, and here, it anchors my Top 5 Heart songs.

#4 Sylvan Song/Dream of the Archer – Little Queen (1977)
written by Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher, Ann Wilson

Ah, if this doesn’t resonate with my youth, listening to records in my parents living room, I don’t know what does. Honestly, Sylvan Song and Dream of the Archer probably made the biggest impact on me when I listed to Little Queen the first time. As a boy who devoured fantasy novels, how could this medieval epic not speak directly to my soul. Like Led Zeppelin’s Battle of Evermore, Dream of the Archer was Heart’s nod to both their rock & roll idols, and the bard himself, J.R.R. Tolkien, and his Lord of the Rings. More, it featured Nancy Wilson (and Roger Fisher) rockin’ the mandolin! These two songs just transported me to another world, and I was in love.

It starts with the sounds of the forest, frogs, birds, a footstep in the brush, the Roger and Nancy’s intertwining mandolins softly begin their descent. The elaborate picking is thrilling in its intricacy, but when the moog bass comes in and the mandolins start strumming its as if they are lifting you up to heaven, as the chords ascend higher and higher until they break and wash down on you like sweet, warm rain. With barely a moment to sigh with contentment, the acoustic guitar comes in and we’re in the Dream of the Archer. Ann’s voice, I can’t say it enough, it crystalline beauty just makes you think of elf-queens, witches, spells, and heroes. It’s gentle at first, the beginning of a dream, but when danger comes, it leaps octaves, and its clarion call like an angel roaring battle or inspiring the archer to let loose his arrow to fly.

So unique, so unabashedly geeky, yet with musicality that is astounding, this duology from Heart inspired the album art for Little Queen, and inspired this young teen to become a lifelong fan. (Still, this pair of tracks is only #4… there are three more still to come!) Below, enjoy the audio track from the album, and a gorgeous live rendition from their The Road Home concert in Seattle in 1995.

#3 Sand – Red Velvet Car (2010)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, Frank Cox

Here’s a drank horse to be coming in so high, and it’s a cover to boot, but a cover of a Lovemongers song. The Lovemongers was a Heart side project that came together in the late 80’s, when the Wilson sister wanted to get away from that big hair, MTV behemoth that Heart had become, and get back to basics. They started playing acoustic shows in clubs in Seattle with their friend and songwriting partner, Sue Ennis, and Frank Cox. Sand first appeared on the Lovemongers only full-length studio album, Whirlygig. The song would pop up in various Heart live shows, so the band finally recorded it for their fourteenth studio album, Red Velvet Car in 2010. It’s the only song from that album to appear on my Top 40, but it was a big commercial comeback for the band, reaching #10 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart, and #3 in the U.S. Rock Albums Chart, making it Heart’s first top 10 album in two decades.

Sand is a gorgeous elegy of sorts, a song about a special person who’s no longer with us. I’m not sure if it was written with anyone specific in mind, but the Wilson sister performed it with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell at Layne Staley’s funeral in 2002. Staley, the former lead singer of Alice in Chains, sang with Heart on the Bob Dylan dover Ring Them Bells from the Desire Walks On album and appeared on this Top 40 list at ##32. It’s a powerful song lyrically and melodically, often performed with just the sisters on acoustic guitar and harmonizing. Again, it shows off Nancy’s virtuosity on the acoustic guitar, and showcases Ann’s amazing voice. Filled with emotion, it builds to powerful moment when Ann wails good-bye to her friend. It ranks this high on my list of Heart songs because it makes me emotional every time I listen to it. Below is the studio track from Red Velvet Car, and a live version of the song from 2005.

#2 Straight On – Dog & Butterfly (1978)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis

Landing strongly in the #2 spot, I was a little surprised to find Straight On, Dog & BUtterfly’s lead single. Honestly, I can’t believe how well this song has aged, as one of the most playful, well constructed grooves that truly melds rock, funk, and dance together in the way only Heart does it. Ann Wilson calls Straight On the bands first dance song, possibly influenced by the massive disco movement going on at the time? The song became the band’s third Top 20 hit, peaking at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

The great intro, with a funky bass line and scratch electric guitar just make you want to move. When Ann launches with her big, “Quite some time…” line, you are primed. Nancy’s acoustic providing edgy texture throughout. The gambling metaphors fly, but it’s Ann and Nancy’s fantastic harmonizing that really elevate the energy and beauty of the song. Roger Fisher’s lead guitar lick brings the rock & roll back into the funk, and he and Howard do a beautiful duet line that I always miss now that the band doesn’t have two lead guitarists. Steve Fossen and Michael DeRosier really shine here as well with the bass and drums just making you want to groove.

In addition to the original audio track, I’ve included two live tracks. The first from the Dog & Butterfly tour, when the song was brand new, and the band was still young and scrappy. I had to include a second live performance through, this from their 2002 Summer of Love tour where you can really see how much they’ve matured, and how much they really seem to enjoy performing this song. Ann is so free and easy with her vocals, with her movements… she just looks so relaxed and is enjoying herself while performing. That live rendition best captures the energy and spirit of what makes this song deserving of its #2 slot!

#1 Love Alive – Little Queen (1977)
written by Ann Wilson, Roger Fisher, Nancy Wilson

My favorite Heart song has been a favorite since the beginning, and it’s possibly one of the most understated Heart songs around, but it’s magnificent in its complexity and its beauty. Love Alive is a deep cut off their 1977 Little Queen album, and it’s acoustic intricacies and power chord chorus create an evocative, three part rock & roll ballad with a tinge of folk-rock and a dash of medieval mysticism. Lyrically it’a message is simple and powerful — keep your love alive, whether it’s the simple thrill of seeing the sun rise, being held by your lover, or performing on stage in front of thousands of people, keep that love fresh and alive.

Despite being a fairly standard 4+ minute song, it’s broken up into three parts. The delicate acoustic guitar intro played by Nancy and Roger herald Ann’s calm, low-key vocals. The first two verses are joined by a brief flute interlude played by Ann. After the second chorus, a bright barrage of acoustic/electric power chords sweeps in followed by the drums and a flowing bass line that ushers in that trademark Heart chorale of voices – Ann, Nancy and Howard; their aahs rising up into the stratosphere where Ann takes the lead for the final denouement. Basically the final verse, but with more intensity as Ann lets the soul fill her voice and bring it home to the two acoustic guitars entwining one final time to bring us back down.

I remember how this song made me feel as a teen, singing along at the top of my lungs. I will never forget seeing them perform this song live at my very first concert, preceded by an extended flute solo that would give Ian Anderson pause. The light show was thrilling, and the guitar play just incredible. Over 40 years later, I still remember that experience vividly. Below, in addition to the album track, I found a concert performance from 1978 that is very similar to the one I experienced, and I couldn’t resist including the 2002 Summer of Love tour performance because that whole concert was pretty amazing.

And there you have it, my Top 40 Heart songs. Heart and Fleetwood Mac defined music for me in the 70’s, and both pretty much continued to provide me sonic delight throughout my adult life. In the end, making this list made me listen to Heart a bit more critically than my memory was allowing, so that songs I thought I remembered as amazing really… weren’t, and other songs that I either never really gave much of a chance, or forgot about deserved more accolades. It allowed me to go through those 80’s big-hair albums and rediscover some of the non-hits that the band wrote that were actually damn good. It reminded me of the talent wielded by these two women and the people they surrounded themselves with throughout the years. I’ll be back with one more post ranking Heart’s albums in the next several days.

The original Heart, so young and fresh. this line-up was never topped, in my opinion.
From left, Nancy Wilson, Steve Fossen, Ann Wilson, Michael DeRosier, Roger Fisher, Howard Leese

December 20, 2020December 20, 2020

My Top 40 Heart Songs — #10 – 6

My Top 10 Heart songs. Some of the big ones… the classics… show up here. A coupe of lesser known cuts as well, but from here on out, we’re is the company of really special songs. This batch mostly pulls from their 70’s catalog, but surprisingly, we do dip into their most recent release as well. Rest assured though, you’re definitely going to know at least a couple of these songs.

#10 Kick it Out – Little Queen (1977)
written by Ann Wilson

Heart’s second album, Little Queen has only appeared once so far on this list, with the title track at #24… but with this entry you’re about to see a lot more. Kick It Out, a compact, sassy song with a swaggering, in-your-face attitude explodes off the album as a the perfect “side 1” (in the old days) closer. You had to think about things like that back in the day of vinyl. Kick it Out is pure pure rock & roll with a killer electric guitar riff-to kick things off, With a compact running time of 2 minutes 44 seconds, the song gallops along like the “tail-shaking filly” they’re singing about. Steve Fossen really shines on bass in this number, counter-pointing Roger Fisher’s guitar riffs all over the place. The addition of Nancy’s honky-tonk piano adds to the just-this-side-of-trashy lyrics about a young woman who is just too much for her hometown when she decides she’s got to rock out.

Ann wrote the song solo, and she said in a concert intro that it’s basically about her. She likens herself to an untamed horse who was just born to be wild and free. Someone who likes to have fun and loves her men, but will never be captured and tamed… “a hard, racy game of give and take, she leaves them dazed, half-crazed in her wake.” I love who if this song had been written and sung by a man, it would be borderline sexist, but coming from a woman, it’s more an anthem to living life to the fullest and embracing your wild energies. Energy is really what Kick it Out is all about, and has in spades. I get so revved up just listening to it.

The song was released as a third single from the Little Queen album. It didn’t do that great, peaking at #79, but I remember hearing it quite a bit on rock & roll radio. I’ve included the original studio track, and live version from 2010, but I couldn’t find a good live version from their early days which really capture the energy of their youth. Still, the song rocks, and it anchors my Top 10.

#9 Heaven – Alive in Seattle (1993)/Beautiful Broken (2016)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis

This was a surprise appearance in my Top 10! First appearing on the band’s Alive in Seattle DVD in 2003 as a new song debuting at the concert, I never really noticed Heaven. To be honest, I’m not sure if I own the DVD (and if I do, I probably watched it once, and shelved it) and I don’t own the CD. I do have their last studio album, 2016’s Beautiful Broken, where they included a studio recording of Heaven, and it made quite an impression on me as one of those songs where you listen to Ann sing and wonder how she does it. This marks the highest position for Beautiful Broken, which had three songs in my Top 40. Not sure if it’s a comment that all three were written over 15 years ago.

With a decided middle-eastern influence, and some unusual instrumentation, Ann playing an autoharp, Nancy on a bowed guitar, and Craig Bartok playing a pedal steel, it’s got a great, exotic sound and a powerful build to that chorus, where Ann crushes the vocals. I really enjoy Nancy and Craig’s backing vocals as well. Oh man, I just listened to the chorus again while writing this and it just sends chills up and down my spine. The lyrics are so powerful too… “Hang on, hang on , hang on strong to me. Let me show you, let me show you how sweet the strong can be.”

I’m really glad Heart chose to record a version of this song for Beautiful Broken or I probably wouldn’t have discovered it and have the song luxuriating in my Top 10! I’ve included first, the live version, which is amazing in and of itself, but the studio version as well.

#8 Barracuda – Little Queen (1977)
written by Ann Wilson, Roger Fisher, Nancy Wilson, Michael DeRosier

Ten years ago I would have said Alone was probably Heart’s best known song, but in recent years, with the kids all grooving back on 70’s and 80’s music, I think Barracuda has rightfully reclaimed it’s place as the most well-known Heart song. Some might wonder why this song isn’t higher on my list, and I’m sure many would rank it higher than some of the songs I’ve got above it, but honestly, all my Top 10 songs are very close together in ranking, and as you will see, I tend to favor Heart’s mellower side.

But back to Barracuda… what a song! That incredible galloping guitar intro that captures the attention of everyone who hears it, and things just don’t let up. The drums kick in and pull you in further, just to throw you face first into Ann Wilson’s powerful, take-no-prisoners voice. And you do not mess around with Ann on this song. She is laying it out for you, no-holds barred. (But we’ll get to they lyrics later). Upon first listen, Barracuda comes across as a straight-forward rock & roll song, but listen more closely, the unusual time signature shifts, the intriguing use of acoustic guitar to add texture to the song, the extensive use of back and forth harmonics from Roger Fisher and Howard Leese’s dueling guitar outro, and the magnificent, propulsive drumming with complex fills that really enhance the song, and quite possibly are some of the reasons why drummer Michael DeRosier gets songwriting credit.

Chosen as the first single from their third studio album (second official), the song became their second Top 20 hit, climbing all the way to #11. But anyone who was listening to the radio at the time, knows that Barracuda was all over the airwaves. Heart had captured the attention of rock & roll radio big time. The story of Barracuda is well-known, and I’ve recounted it earlier in this blog, but here’s the short version. Mushroom Records wanted to capitalize on the success of Heart’s first album, Dreamboat Annie, so they took out a full-page ad in Rolling Stone Magazine of the Wilson sisters, bare-shouldered and back to back with the quote, “It was only our first time…” implying they were incestuous, lesbian lovers. When a male radio promoter approached her after a concert and asked how her “lover” was, Ann assumed he meant Mike Flicker, the band’s manager. After he revealed he was talking about her sister Nancy, in reference to the ad, Ann became outraged, went back to her hotel room, and wrote the lyrics for Barracuda on the spot. The song cleverly uses aquatic metaphors, referring to Nancy as “the porpoise” and using a barracuda to represent all the money-hungry, misogynist, male music industry types they’d had to deal with. It’s a scathing, sarcastic torrent or rage the Ann and Nancy got to vent every time they performed the song.

There’s not much more to say about this blistering piece of come-uppance, other than, it’s got it all. Searing vocals that Ann still performs live to this day, crazy rock & roll that hits like a bulldozer, smart, biting lyrics, and intricate musicianship. Below is the official 1977 video for the song (listen to how crisp the recording is, and make note of DeRosier’s incredible drumming) and the link to a live version taken from the Alive in Seattle DVD so you can hear how she hits those crazy notes live.

#7 High Time – Dog & Butterfly (1978)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis

Here’s a bit of a dark horse from the Dog & Butterfly album. A jittery, rock & roll number that brings together great guitar work and wacky time signature shifts with some optimistic lyrics and you’ve got a great song that most people probably have ever heard. You’re welcome, enjoy it.

High Time isn’t necessarily a song that wows you on first listen, but I found it really grows on you. The twitchy-twangy acoustic guitar creates a bit of a skittery vibe as the song opens, with some interesting keyboards reminiscent of The Who’s Baba O’Reilly, then Ann’s voice comes bobbing in, weaving around Nancy’s strumming and the time signature changes provide some disorienting moments before the drums come rolling in to herald that chorus, which brings all the disparate parts together in unity. By the time the second chorus comes around, those nifty Heart harmonies come in before things get interesting in the bridge with Roger and Howard really enjoying some really nice guitar work, driven by Nancy’s acoustic. As I’m beginning to understand is often the case, Michael DeRosier’s drumming stands out again, keeping things driving forward. I love the way the bridge builds into a soaring moment that takes off in the form of Roger’s thrilling guitar solo.

High Time is really special to me because I remember it so clearly from that very first concert I ever attended. As you’ll see in the video below, that ending where Howard, Nancy and Roger all run up to the drum platform and do those big chords at the end is burned in my mind from seeing them do it at the Music Hall in Boston. It’s a very hopeful song as well, with Ann saying it’s a song about freedom. I’ve included the audio track from the Dog & Butterfly album, then a very special clip of Heart’s crew setting up for a concert, then Howard, Nancy and Ann on roller skates (!) rehearsing the number before morphing into the the band performing it live. I find it curious, that I can’t find any evidence that they ever performed the song in concert again after the Dog & Butterfly tour. It’s high on my list through, coming in at my 7th favorite Heart song!

#6 Crazy On You – Dreamboat Annie ( 1975)
written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson

While Barracuda may be the most recognizable Heart song, I think Crazy on You is their most definitive. Appearing on their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, Crazy On You was the third single released in Canada, but their first single to be released to the U.S.A. Something unique in so many ways, not sounding like anything else on the radio at the time, Crazy On You heralded the Heart signature, blending acoustic guitar finery with blistering hard rock guitar riffs, both in service of the most amazing female vocals to be heard in rock & roll.

Nancy Wilson sets us up with a Spanish influenced acoustic guitar introduction the really shows off her skills. She wrote the intro after the songs was already completed, but she really wanted to be able to lead into the driving rhythm part that was inspired by a Moody Blues song called Question. Roger Fisher came up with the electric guitar riff that drives the song. Nancy was inspired by the lyrics that Ann had written in response to two major factors in her life, the fact of falling in love with her ‘magic man’ Michael Fisher, and the state of the world, most notably the Vietnam War that had caused Fisher to become a draft dodger by moving to Canada. Ann has said, “The world had gone to hell in a hand basket and the culture was just standing on its ear and everything was overwhelmingly in trouble, bombs and devils and the Vietnam War and the gas crisis. It was very frustrating. So I poured that frustration into the words of the song. I was in a very close relationship with Michael. When you’re in that situation you just climb up into your love’s lap and say: ‘Oh God, what do we do about this world?’ That’s the feeling of the song.”

Ann’s visceral howling of those words, “let me go crazy on you…” are such a release, such a rock & roll moment. In an article, Ann estimated that she has sung the song more than 16,000 times, but it still resonates with her, and remains fresh for her when she does perform it. Surprisingly, despite the longevity of the song, it only climbed to #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released, but it got them into the Top 40, it was all over AOR radio, and paved the way for the Top 10 Magic Man shortly after. I think for quite a while, Crazy on You was probably my favorite Heart song. The amazing acoustic guitar work fostered my early love of Nancy Wilson, which eventually gave way to an ever deeper love for Ann, when I truly came to understand the power of that voice.

And you’ve got three versions of the song to choose from below. The first is the studio version lifted from Dreamboat Annie, the second is live in 1979 from the Dog & Butterfly tour (I enjoy how she sneaks some Hijinx into her intro – that track from Dog & Butterfly narrowly missed the Top 40, coming in at #45), and the third is thirty-four years later when the original line-up was reunited to perform when the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.