Epic Records/Legacy Recordings
After delivering four decades of blistering,
straight-forward, true blue Rock and Roll Heart have really hit their stride.
While the band seemed to struggle musically through much of the nineties as well
as the early new millennium, 2010’s Red Velvet Car revealed them to be focused,
mature, and more comfortable in their skin than they had been in decades.
Strange Euphoria, follows that lead by revealing deep cuts, demos, alternate
takes, and live performances that leave little question as to how this band
survived over the years. Superb musicianship, integrity, and more raw talent
than you can shake a stick at come front and center on this three disc, one DVD collection. For the most part, this box set explores
Heart’s inner workings in three eras. Disc one is basically the seventies, disc
two is basically the eighties, and disc three covers the nineties and on.
The highlights here include pretty much everything if you
are even a semi-well-versed Heart fan. Disc one starts out with the pre-Heart
(but still pretty much Heart) “Through Eyes & Glass.” It’s a beautiful
early track and is billed as Ann Wilson & the Daybreaks (which sounds like
a Motown band doesn’t it?!). The demos of “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You” aren’t
as biting as their official versions but you definitely get a better sense of
the sister’s urges early on. They have a different kind of groove, despite the
fact that they are not a million miles from their finished versions. Disc two highlights include the often
overlooked “Bebe Le Strange” (I always felt that this was a classier version of
“All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You”…) and an acoustic live performance of
“Never” featuring John Paul Jones. “These Dreams” and “Alone” are two of my favorite
Heart songs and I was excited to hear the versions on Strange Euphoria- to say
they lived up to those expectations would be an understatement. Disc three
rounds it all out simply by including three tracks (two of which are live) that
are technically Lovemongers songs and a live track from Nancy Wilson
(“Everything”) that quite assuredly rivals anything on Strange Euphoria. The
“Any Woman’s Blues” demo is performed with the Seattle Blues Revue Horns and
stands out due to its different musical nature. It really highlights what
vocalist Ann Wilson has become over the years as it’s undeniably her but also
an entirely different kind of thing. The semi-comical box set title track is
also contained on this disc. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I smirked a little
bit when it was playing. The recent hit “Hey You” is a highlight here as well
and kisses the box set off in a way that lets the fans know that Heart’s well
is nowhere near running dry.
The DVD included
here is from The Second Ending. It was recorded in early 1976 for KWSU-TV and
contains hits like “Dreamboat Annie,” “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” and
“Heartless.” The band rips it up here musically, sounding loose and anthemic
all at once, but it’s quite honestly not much to watch as the band doesn’t seem
to have much room to move. I also thought the bass player was a girl at first
until I noticed that I could see his nipples so it couldn’t be a girl (they
were on television and all). Weird. Fans of Heart’s early history will most
enjoy this and it’s a nice inclusion on the box set, even if you won’t find
yourself returning all too often to it. On the other hand, aside from a Jethro
Tull performance, where else will you see a rock and roll flute solo?
One of the most impressive things about Strange Euphoria
though is the booklet. Bound as proper book, it contains a ton of great photos
spanning the band’s amazing career. It’s really easy to see the band’s
different eras visually through the photographs, names on the tour passes, and,
of course, the use of different logos. It’s a fun trip through time for us
older folks. Additionally, there are fairly detailed descriptions of each song
choice. The Wilson
sisters explain why they like each song, why this particular version was chosen
for the set, and why they feel it represents this or that in a real way. I’d
buy this book as a stand alone without a doubt and it makes me look forward to
their upcoming memoir.
“Personally curated by Ann and Nancy Wilson” is the phrase
that says the most here. Strange Euphoria feels very natural. It has an
artistic flow that you don’t always get on a Heart album. After hearing their
choices and reading about why they chose them, you realize that Heart’s veins
run even deeper than you may have thought. You also realize quickly what kinds
of things they were “talked into” over the years and what was really
representative of who they were as people and as a group. Strange Euphoria, in
some ways, sets the record straight for both longtime, die-hard fans and music
enthusiasts. This is a great piece of musical history that any fan of rock and
roll should own.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
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