timstar78 wrote:Rockindeano wrote:Let's break it down:
Let's.
Rockindeano wrote:Catalog? Dude, it's nice, but pales in comparison to say, Journey, Adams, Foreigner and even REO. Those bands off the top of my head have bigger and better catalogs.
I like a couple of these bands, but I would disagree in terms of "better."
In terms of number of albums, Heart has 13 studio albums.
As far as the Heart catalog itself, when you're talking true '70s era gems like "Dreamboat Annie," "Little Queen" and "Dog & Butterfly" and the big three for Capitol in the '80s, we're covering quite a bit of ground in terms of albums and songs that had impact. And I could go on about some of their other lesser-known studio albums ("Bebe Le Strange," "Passionworks," etc.).
Rockindeano wrote:Hits? Yes, sure they have some, but the previous sentence applies here as well, and moreso.
They've had 21 Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits. That's actually more Top 40 hits than each of the bands you listed above have. Then you have diversity, in terms of classic rock staples like "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You" soaring ballads like "Alone," folk-laced numbers like "Dreamboat Annie," huge hits like "These Dreams," great covers like "Tell It Like It Is"...
Yes, outside writers wrote most of the hits in the '80s era. I could write an essay about my thoughts on this subject, but I will just say that those songs, no matter who they were written by, were not guaranteed to be hits. "These Dreams," as great as it is... who could have guaranteed that song would have went to No. 1? Nancy Wilson never had a hit with Heart....ever. Heart was essentially dead in the water in 1984. The success they had was a case of the planets lining up...the right songs, the right artist, the right team, the right image, the right producer, the right label.
To that end, give any song to talents like Ann and Nancy Wilson and you bet your bottom dollar they'll make it better. Case in point, Toronto's "What About Love." A nice song that took on a whole new life when Ann Wilson sang it.
Toronto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lua9OrloDkgHeart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE5GGMhmo-MStill, when bands such as the Ramones are getting inducted into the Hall, do hits really matter?
Rockindeano wrote:Talent? Absolutely.
Agreed.
Can you name a better female rock vocalist than Ann Wilson?
Rockindeano wrote:Longevity? Again true. I think longevity is important. Ask Journey about this. That may be their problem. They in the eyes of the voters were only around from '78 to '86.
Agreed. I think longevity is important. Ann and Nancy still have Heart alive and ticking in 2010. A 35-year career is pretty impressive.
Rockindeano wrote:Influence? This is a serious question. Who in your mind has Heart influenced?
Heart --- namely Ann and Nancy --- have the respect of their peers. I can't recall reading a negative comment about A/N from a fellow musician. If you know of any, feel free to share.
As far as musicians who have been in the band, Mike Derosier, Steve Fossen, Howard Leese, Denny Carmassi, Mark Andes...these are all top-notch musicians who have been praised by fellow musicians and producers.
In terms of influence, off the top of my head, I have read or heard that the following artists were influenced by Heart:
Gretchen Wilson
Sugarland
The Bangles
Pat Benatar
Pink
Fergie (Black Eyed Peas)
Carrie Underwood
Alice In Chains
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
More importantly, I ask this question, in the rock genre in 1976 which female artists were fronting their own band and writing a majority of their own songs and calling the creative shots? There weren't that many, if any... So I, along with many, argue that Ann and Nancy helped blaze a trail for female musicians to follow. That's influence right there. Print that and book it.
How come you always have to rip off Kevin Cronin?