4.5 stars - Another great album from Heart's forgotten age

Passionworks (1982.) Heart's seventh album.



When the seventies ended, the musical shift killed many bands of the former decade. Many of the classic rock bands of the day called it quits, not wanting to create unprofitable music while at the same time not wanting to bow down and conform to the changing musical trends. Other bands changed their sound to reflect the changes and totally lost their old fans. But there were some bands that managed to retain their old sound, while fusing elements of the new era. One such bands was Heart. The Wilson sisters and their comrades were one of the most accomplished classic rock groups of the late seventies, and when the eighties came, the band shifted their sound - but still managed to maintain many of the elements of their seventies sound. Unfortunately, this era of the band was ridiculed by critics and forgotten by fans of the band. This was a shame, since it is actually one of the band's most interesting musical periods. Passionworks is the third and final of the three "forgotten eighties" Heart albums, the latter two being 1980's Bebe Le Strange and 1982's Private Audition. Read on for my review of Passionworks.



I am shocked to discover that Heart's mid-late eighties material gets so much publicity, but their material from the former half of the decade is pretty much unknown, even to fans of the group. In my opinion, the group created some of its best music in this era - and I don't care what any of the critics think/thought. On this album, the band continues what they did on Bebe Le Strange and Passionworks - incorporating elements of eighties pop-rock into their sound. The group was in a gradual shift, which each album in these trio shifting a little closer to that of the eighties rock sound. The transformation was completed on the band's 1985 self-titled album, which was extremely popular and is widely considered their comeback album. That said, this album is easily forgotten, despite the fact that it contains some of the group's best material. The band does seem to be in an identity crisis of sorts, but it's all good, because it mixes things up and keeps it interesting. There is a plethora of different sounds explored on this album, and that's one of the reasons I like it so well. Kicking things off is the Loverboy-esque How Can I Refuse, which definitely serves as a premonition to the sound the band would popularize on the self-titled album. Following it up is Blue Guitar. This sounds like a typical eighties rock ballad, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Number three is Johhny Moon, arguably my favorite song on the album. It's a slow-paced, melodic and bluesy ballad which, in backing guitar instrumentation, sounds similar to Robin Trower's I Can't Wait Much Longer(that's a GOOD thing, people.) But with Ann Wilson's vocals, it's distinctly a Heart song (the interludes, with keyboards/synths, also help to set it apart from the aforementioned Trower song.) The band even tries their hand at straight-up hard rock with Sleep Alone. Nancy Wilson's guitar playing in this song is absolutely masterful. Ultimately, the song reminds me of KISS from the late seventies/early eighties (that should give you an idea of just how much the song rocks!) After it comes Together Now, which starts as a typical, mid-paced eighties rocker, but before long incorporates some hard rock elements to keep things interesting. Not one of my favorites on here, but still good. Allies comes next. This is an interesting track which has a backing piano track, but still incorporates elements of rock. In many ways, the song reminds me of David Bowie's Life On Mars. (Beat By) Jealousy comes next. Although this is a pretty simplistic and uncomplex song, it does feature some excellent guitar work from Nancy (just listen after the second verse to see what I mean.) Track eight is Heavy Heart. This is another one of those songs that fuses eighties pop and eighties hard rock. It's also one that shows a major hint at the musical direction the band was moving in. The next track, Love Mistake, sounds like it could very well have been the prototype for Sweet Dreams, the hit off of their next album which would become their first number one hit. The two songs are very similar to one another, although this one has a slightly more "rocking" feel to it. The tenth song the album serves up is Language Of Love. Melodic hard rock would be the best way to describe it. If you want to see just how diverse of a guitarist Nancy is, listen to this song, and listen to some of the more folksy, acoustic tunes from the first two albums the band released - if you didn't know better, you wouldn't think it was the same person! The finale on Passionworks is Ambush. For the last song on the album, the band combines keyboards and synths with Nancy's newfound hard rock guitar styling. The end result is something reminiscent of what you'd find on the first Bon Jovi album (which is GOOD, Bon Jovi didn't start sucking until late in the eighties.) And that's Passionworks for you - a great Heart album that never gets the proper respect.



The latter two albums from Heart's forgotten early eighties period, along with the nineties album Desire Walks On, are long since out of print. This is a shame, because these are all great albums that aren't likely to get reissued anytime soon. Let's hope the record companies come to their senses and do the right thing.



To overlook Heart's early eighties material is, indeed, the ultimate sin. This was an age in which the band was evolving, and the age in which they cut some of their finest songs. If you want to listen to the Heart no one else knows (but should), give Passionworks a listen. And don't overlook the two albums from the same era that preceeded it, Bebe Le Strange and Private Audition. These aren't the best albums for new fans of the band, though (Dreamboat Annie is the best starting place if you're more into the band's seventies stuff, and the self-titled 1985 album is the best place if you're more into the eighties stuff.) If you're a tried and true fan of the group, it's time to go back and get the albums you forgot.

Good 80s Heart

Geez, I thought I was the *only* person who even noticed Love Mistake. Glad to see I was wrong. ;-)

The album of missing songs.

Heart is the one enduring great bands of Rock and Roll. Yeah, the might be in yet another incarnation now. (If you've listened to Jupiters Darling you know that The Wilson can still rock as hard as ever. This (Passionworks) being the first transition after the emotional upheaval in the band of the seventies. I don't understand why his album is not more represented in the Greatest hits albums. Beat by jealousy, is not only a qintisential Ann Wilson rant, It is the explaination how such a great band could be broken up. It is also the proof that the Wilson sisters are the talent of all the incarnations. Because any way you look at it these women are the real deal. Rock Stars!