Dreamboat Annie Live | Shout! Factory
By BRETT MILANO | October 22, 2007
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Heart are fast becoming the world’s best classic-rock cover band. When they played the Pavilion last month, songs by the Who, Tom Petty, and Neil Young highlighted the set. And this recent live DVD ends with a batch of covers from the Who, Pink Floyd, and their long-time role models, Led Zeppelin (twice). On stage and on disc, it works because Heart seem to be feeling these songs, not just saluting something that’s supposed to be classic. And it doesn’t hurt that Ann Wilson hits high notes on “Love Reign o’er Me” and “Immigrant Song” that Daltrey and Plant will never reach again. The main course of this CD/DVD (both have the same music; the DVD adds interviews) is a complete live remake of Heart’s 1976 debut, with the regular band (all new faces save for the Wilson sisters) joined by a few of Brian Wilson’s back-up singers. Although it wasn’t Heart’s best album (that would be the follow-up, Little Queen), Dreamboat Annie had an engaging mix of innocent freshness and bar-band sass; it’s certainly worn better than Heart’s MTV hits from a decade later. Another advantage: only two of its tracks (“Crazy on You” and “Magic Man”) were real hits, so it hasn’t been ruined by overplay. The lesser-known songs show a more delicate touch that bears out Heart’s long-forgotten prog roots (Wilson plays two flute solos) and, in the case of the lush and sensual “How Deep it Goes,” explains the Beach Boys connection.
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Topics:
CD Reviews
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, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Brian Wilson, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Less
