“These Dreams”/“Never” by Heart

I revisit Dreamboat Annie often, as well as a few of the other songs from the 70's (Mistral Wind!), but I listen to the 80's stuff just as much. Some may call it manufactured pop rock that anyone could have released and had a hit with in the 80's, but the voices of Ann and Nancy took those songs to heights that most others couldn't have achieved at the time.

 

My best friend, she had a little boom box and really liked this, I remember listening to it quite a bit. I really liked the album and saw a great show in Wisconsin. Thus I was quite disappointed when I first heard this on a really good system-the mix seemed very odd. Maybe they mixed mostly to Auratones or something; there was like a discontinuity in the midbass.
- What's the best release(s) of this album?
- Any live shows from this period extant?

 

Heart went mainstream pop with “These Dreams”/“Never” and the "Heart" album. Though they love to rock and they certainly do, they also love pop music and ballads. They did a nice cover of Donna Summer's "The Woman In Me."

 

Strange, but Heart S/T is missing from Apple Music. And all the songs from it are missing from Greatest Hits 1985-1995. Anyone know what’s up?

 

Great song! They recorded a Spanish-language version, too, Mujer Que Hay En Mi - not sure if it's on all versions of the album, but it's on my European CD of Desire Walks On, along with Te Quedaras (En La Mañana), the Spanish version of Will You Be There (In The Morning). Underrated album!

 

I especially like the lighter side of the earlier era of the band. Some of the rockier stuff is to my taste but - unlike the mid Eighties stuff - there's usually a few tracks that are not for me.

 

I always get a 'pang' when I hear These Dreams. I was about to leave home for university and it makes me think back to that time. I know that Ann is a fantastic singer but Nancy brings a lovely plaintiveness to this song. The melody/chords are really beautiful.

 

The stuff Heart did in the 70’s is up there with my favourite artists, but.....

That Heart S/T album has a few tracks on it that I really love

If Looks Could Kill
All Eyes
The Wolf
Shell Shock

I thought these were pretty good rock tracks considering the time period in which it was released

 

I can't deny the vocal talent, but I never liked 80s Heart. Give me the 70s stuff. Surprising to me how known this stuff is stuff is on the other side of the pond.

 

Seeing this thread title always reminds me of the 1988 re-issue we got here in the UK, which paired the two songs as an AA-side and made the Top 10. The UK label obviously wanted to cash in on the success of Bad Animals here.

EG.

 

I actually only got into the earlier Heart stuff because I got the 1985 Heart album and then discovered their back catalogue

I thought the 1985 album was really good at the time, I was a teenager after all, but when I heard the earlier albums I was blown away.

In fact I’m thinking I probably only got that Heart 1985 album in 1987

 

While not my favorite stuff from Heart, both of these songs are great compared to "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You"- I *hate* that song.

 

That music seemed to kind of endure over here, so you wouldn't of been much behind the curve. I can remember still hearing it a lot in the 90s in certain places. They were a real band in the 70s and people took note of Leese/Fisher and Durocher--think that was the drummer.. They were the only really notorious band I can think of that came from out here in the Pacific Northwest in the 70s.

 

I hated “These Dreams” at the time and thought it ruined them, but in retrospect, maybe Heart was never slated to be a truly great rock group to begin with.

 

Agreed! Real talent can sing almost anything.

 

I think Heart actually went mainstream pop in 1983 when they recorded the Journey reject "Allies". It wasn't a huge hit but it showed they were willing to record AOR power ballads written by outside songwriters, and set the stage for the 1985 breakout.

 

Both were better than "Alone" so I liked them. Best song on that album was "If Looks Could Kill." Although slicker, I liked this album. They really blew the comeback with the next too, which got WAY too slick and soft-sounding. Also, the production on S/T has too much high end and not enough bass.

 

But the only good song on this entire album was "How Can I Refuse." That should be on all their compilations.

 

Who was the opening act?

 

Shooting Star had just released their best album.

 

Uh...no. Passionworks is a fantastic album from start to finish.

 

Weird same on Spotify but the Greatest Hits has all the singles available aside from Nothin' At All which is grayed out.

 

I noticed that yesterday. I asked Alexa to play "Nobody Home" from Heart and she said she was going to play it but dead silence. I opened my Spotify and the whole album is gone and Nobody Home was on a compilation but grayed out. I had to take the ole CD out. Tough times my friend. BTW, Nobody Home, written by the Wilsons, is a wonderful ballad.

 

What comp would Nobody Home be on? My friends still laugh at me that I have CDs but here's another example of why I do!

 

Strange Euphoria