The Adventurers Club

Heart - How Can I Refuse

Our last Heart Single for Record of the Week Love month.

As the seventies drew to a close, and the eighties began, Heart lost a lot of momentum. First, their Private Audition album became thier first album to miss gold status. That album was followed by Passionworks which also failed. Heart was clearly in trouble. Strangely enough their most popular era was ahead, but no one knew that yet.

This is a great single and Passionworks is a really good album, but FM radio seemed to have tired of Heart for some reason, and because airplay had fallen way off, the record sales declined.

Not everything had gone bad. The Heart tour supporting this album was a dual bill with Kansas, and despite the decline in record sales was a huge success.

Heart - How Can I Refuse - Picture Sleeve

 

Heart - How Can I Refuse - Picture Sleeve

 

Heart - How Can I Refuse

 

Heart - How Can I Refuse

 

How Can I Refuse - The Music Video

 

'til the next album from Ann and Nancy

Keep the Adventure Alive,

@Adventuretom

Heart - Heartless

Continuing our Record of the Week with a Love Month addition, another single from Heart.

Shortly after Heart became a huge success with Dreamboat Annie, they signed a contract with Portrait Records. The folks at Mushroom Records didn't take too kindly to this and the lawsuits ensued.

Mushroom also responded by issuing a very incomplete album, Magazine, with this as the leadoff single.

Though must of the Magazine album is filler, this track is a keeper, and Ann and Nancy still play it today.

Heartless on the Mushroom Records label.

Heart - Heartless - Single

 

Heart - Just the Wine - Single

 

Heart - Heartless - Vinyl 45

 

Mushroom Records - The roster was pretty slim without Ann and Nancy Wilson

 

Heart performs Heartless in 1976, two years before it would be released.

 

Here's an interesting addition to the story. Not long after Heart left Mushroom, one of the label's founders, Shelly Siegel, died. Despite all of the pending lawsuits, Ann and Nancy, the rest of Heart, and some of the other people associated with Mushroom Records placed this nice tribute to him in Billboard.

 

'til we post another Heart single (soon)

Keep the Adventure Alive,

@Adventuretom

Heart - Straight On

Another Record of the Week for love month and we have some more Heart for you. This is the leadoff single from the Dog and Butterfly album, "Straight On".

When this record came out I was pretty neutral to it. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't in love with it either. Compared to singles such as "Barracuda", "Crazy on You", "Kick it Out" and "Heartless" it just seemed to drag.

I'm still not thrilled with the studio version, but it's a much different song in the live show. Ann and Nancy tend to funk it up a bit and it has a lot more energy.

No picture sleeve on this one either, but it does have the very nice Dog and Butterfly painting on the label.

Heart - Straight On - 45 Single

 

Heart - Lighter Touch - 45 Single

 

Heart - Straight On - Vinyl

 

Heart performs Straight On

 

'til Ann and Nancy record the funked up Straight On

Keep the Adventure Alive,

@Adventuretom

Heart - A Tribute to John Lennon

Shortly after John Lennon's death Ann and Nancy Wilson paid for this ad in honor of John.

It was one of the few ads of this type appearing in the December 20th issue of Billboard. Others would follow in the ensuing issues, but I think it says a lot that Ann and Nancy were one of the first to say goodbye.

Ann and Nancy Wilson - A tribute to John Lennon

'til more people make music like John

Keep the Adventure Alive,

@Adventuretom

Heart - Dog and Butterfly

Our first Record of the Week as we enter the month of love.

I decided to feature some Heart stuff for February, because I like Heart, and I have a bunch of Heart records. Plus, Heart kind of fits the month of love. No? Maybe?

Nothing special about this vinyl, it's a generic Portrait label in a generic portrait sleeve, but it's one of my favorite Heart singles, "Dog and Butterfly".

Sadly, radio never grasped how great it was and it barely eked into the top 40 as noted by the "38" I wrote on the label all those years ago.

Heart - Dog and Butterfly - 45

 

Heart - Mistral Wind - 45

 

Heart - Dog and Butterfly - Vinyl Single

 

Ann and Nancy perform "Dog and Butterfly"

 

'til someone covers Dog and Butterfly, and it goes top ten

Keep the Adventure Alive,

@Adventuretom