Loud Music

If your knowledge of Heart extends no further than the power ballad years, ("These Dreams" "What About Love?", "Alone"), you owe it to your love of good rock music to get hold of the new live recording of Heart's seminal 1976 debut Dreamboat Annie.

It was originally written by the twin creative force of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson and went on to sell loads of copies. The sisters were only 22 and 26 at the time and they created a little niche for themselves as female rockers in a musical tapestry fashioned from yarn of disco-divas and Joni Mitchell-a-likes.

Wind forward to Los Angeles, April 2007, where the band reprised its first album in its entirety. In the first of series of similar releases of pivotal albums performed by well known bands Shout! Factory has released the DVD/CD of that concert.

Dreamboat Annie Live quickly dispels any doubts about Ann's ability to recreate the vocal performances of her youth. If anything her voice is better; bluesier, ballsier.

Admittedly, I've just finished reviewing Ann's excellent solo effort, Hope and Glory and that album had given me something of a foretaste for the enduring strength and passion of her great voice. It excels when it's driven hard on songs like "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man;" tunes which prove beyond a doubt that Heart rocked as hard as their male fronted counterparts.

However, Ann's voice is a beast she has tamed, and for the gentle folk-tinged title track "Dreamboat Annie" (of which there are three versions throughout the album), she harnesses her power to deliver a measured and melodious performance.

If you ever questioned Nancy's guitar abilities (surely some mistake) then you absolutely must play the DVD. It's one thing to hear it on the CD, quite another to watch her throw the corresponding shapes on the DVD.

These women are in their 50s for goodness sake, but you wouldn't know it to watch Nancy. Like her sister, she can turn down the volume too; the acoustic intro to "Crazy On You" is really quite beautiful, no wonder it’s a fan favourite.

Most of the songs are faithful reproductions, except jazzy "Sing Child" which has been given a new lease of life with an arrangement provided by the Stockholm Strings. This welcome change elevates the song from the original, since this is the only track which could have dated badly, but it escapes that fate with the welcome tinkering.

"Mistral Wind" is in the latter third of the album, a Heart song from a different album, Dog & Butterfly. It is one of the highlights of the album, moving tempo from the gently sung opening, rising malevolently into a wailing crescendo of a track. The strings are there, the guitars are there, Nancy is there and playing like the rock star she surely is and Ann is there, belting out in heartfelt glory. A wonderous encore.

Further encores are provided courtesy of the rich collage of artists from the '70s that helped to shape Heart's musical style. They perform cover versions of Pink Floyd ("Goodbye Blue Sky"), The Who ("Love, Reign O'er Me") and of course, Led Zeppelin. A female Robert Plant? She could be: But the originals of Black Dog and Misty Mountain Hop remain the best; perhaps the band needs to be a little more addled and dirty. However, the songs are done no disservice in their reproduction on this CD/DVD, no disservice at all.

The DVD contains bonus features. Interviews with the Wilson sisters introduce the music, adding context to the performance of this 31 year old album. There are further interviews with those individuals who attended the concert, a little superfluous perhaps, but it's good to see how well they are loved by their fans.

With two copies of this album, Dreamboat Annie Live and its 31-year old forebear, sitting on my computer desk, I know which I prefer. Both are excellent, but I definitely like my beautiful Heart songbirds a little aged — this live album wins my vote.

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