Magazine

Performer: Heart
Distributor: Gotham Distributing Corp.

Notes: Heart: Nancy Wilson (vocals); Ann Wilson, Roger Fisher (guitar); Howard Leese (keyboards, guitar); Steve Fossen (bass); Michael Derosier (drums). Recorded at Mushroom Records Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia in 1976; The Aquarius, Seattle, Washington in 1975; Sea-West Studios, Seattle, Washington in 1978. Problems with the Mushroom label delayed the release of Magazine, which eventually went platinum and peaked at number 17 on the album charts. Only the hard-rocking "Heartless" made it into the Top 40, and the album didn't really live up to Heart's last few efforts. 1976's Dreamboat Annie showed stronger songwriting, while Little Queen had a lot more bite to it. Magazine lacks in energy and, to a much greater extent, fluency. The songs sound careless and scrambled together, and while some of the blame can be placed on the label controversy, it's apparent that the Wilsons seem unconcerned, for the most part. "Here Song," "Just the Wine," and the predictable "Without You" all have weak seams in both the writing and the articulateness of the tracks as a whole. 1978's Dog & Butterfly shows more interest and rock & roll vitality than its predecessor, making Magazine an album even the band likes to forget about. ~ Mike DeGagne A collection of early demos and outtakes released when the group changed record labels, Magazine accentuates Heart's folkie roots, but that's not what makes the album such an unengaging listen. Instead, the album is mediocre because most of the material is underdeveloped and directionless. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart struck a crucial blow for feminisim in the male-dominated world of '70s rock. They could switch from powerful, Zeppelin-like grandeur to gorgeous acoustic ballads in the blink of an eye and turned out a stream of radio staples. By the '80s, they were churning out slick pop, but the sisters re-emerged in the '90s in stripped-down acoustic duo format as the Lovemongers.

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