MEDIUM Vinyl Record WEIGHT 2 x 180gr (black Vinyl) 45rpm Halfspeed CONDITION sealed COVER Gatefold CONDITION COVER M mint COVER DAMAGES No, we take care about that SERIALNUMBER Yes LIMITED Yes MISCELLANEOUS Stereo MUSICIAN HOMEPAGEheart-music.com
Dave Wilson – drums (track 1)
Ray Ayotte – conga (track 1), percussion (track 4)
Mike Flicker – percussion (track 1), timpani (track 10), arrangements
Kat Hendrikse – drums (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 10)
Rob Deans – synthesizer (tracks 3, 9), orchestral arrangements (tracks 4, 7, 9, 10), piano (tracks 9, 10)
Geoff Foubert – background vocals (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10), banjo (track 5)
Tessie Bensussen – background vocals (tracks 3, 5, 10)
Jim Hill – background vocals (tracks 3, 5, 10)
Brian Newcombe – bass (track 9)
Duris Maxwell – drums (track 9)
magic man - 5:28
dreamboat annie (fantasy child) - 1:10
crazy on you - 4:53
soul of the sea - 6:33
dreamboat annie - 2:02
white lightning & wine - 3:53
(love me like music) i'll be your song - 3:20
sing child - 4:55
how deep it goes - 3:49
dreamboat annie (reprise) - 3:50
Heart's breakthrough debut, Dreamboat Annie, has often been framed in the context of a female-led band successfully matching the moves of its male counterparts during an era when women weren't associated with rocking out — particularly on a mainstream level
While that take is true — Ann and Nancy Wilson practically stood alone amid a commercial age dominated by testosterone — it undersells the appeal, scope, and craftsmanship of an album that deserves to be revered strictly because of its merit, not because of the gender of the group's principal members
Mastered at MoFi's California studio, housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g 45RPM LP puts the record's artistic significance in proper perspective
Presented in definitive sound, it invites you to hear with stellar clarity the diverse architecture, passionate playing, and fervent emotions that help make Dreamboat Annie an all-time classic
This 50th anniversary edition also marks the first time Heart's opening salvo has been available in audiophile quality on vinyl in more than four decades
Drop the needle and experience the textures of the guitars, full range of Ann Wilson's voice, spacious backdrops of the arrangements, and rhythmic momentum — crucial components of Heart's songs — free of veiled tones and artificial ceilings
Ample separation between instruments and black backgrounds bring the music into detailed focus, whether it's the full decay of percussive accents, layered stacking of group harmonies, or depth of the bass lines
Helmed by Mike Flicker, Dreamboat Annie features advanced production that belies that of most independent releases of the time
The dynamics alone on this pressing confirm that fact
Although the passage of time, as well as Heart's Hall of Fame career, have nearly caused the historical tidbit to fade into obscurity, Dreamboat Annie was originally issued by the tiny label Mushroom Records after major imprints inexplicably took a flyer on the album
Released in Canada in September '75, it hit shelves in the States in February of the following year
By the fall of 1976, Heart had a platinum LP and three hit singles
As well as an upcoming battle with Mushroom Records that, while another story entirely, further underlined the Wilson sisters' toughness and determination
Those traits resonate throughout Dreamboat Annie, which kicks off with the spellbinding "Magic Man"
Released in advance of the LP as the quartet's second single, the Wilson sisters' anthem partially doubles as an autobiographical tale based on Ann Wilson's then-relationship with band manager Michael Fisher
His brother, Roger, turns in memorable lead-guitar passages that connect with the song's funk-laden structures and Ann Wilson's commanding singing
Mystical, rugged, sensual, persuasive, steady, edgy, well-composed: "Magic Man" possesses a majority of the elements that would define Heart's finest songs and, fittingly, stands as the ensemble's first Top 10 smash
While the record's debut Stateside single, "Crazy on You" didn't climb quite as high, it cracked the Top 40 and demonstrated the authoritative momentum, melodic build, and contagious crunch that the group was capable of summoning without seemingly breaking a sweat
Heart's now-trademark acoustic-electric frameworks, Ann Wilson's ravishing power, and ace timing are all here in spades
Not to be overlooked, the declarative "Sing Child" and strutting "White Lightning & Wine" contain similarly aggressive elements, with the latter combining boogie riffs, cowbell-driven beats, and blustery vocals to remind anyone paying attention that Heart means business
The band further separated itself from its rock contemporaries via a trove of lighter material
Eclipsing the six-minute mark, "Soul of the Sea" depicts Heart's ambitious interest in psychedelia, blues, and folk
Heart's tender side also emerges on the misty ballad "How Deep It Goes," a prime example of Ann Wilson's penchant to deliver softness with the same penchant she does heaviness — and a standout for Nancy Wilson's prowess on guitar
Both sisters similarly shine on the crossover "(Love Me Like Music) I'll Be Your Song," whose mix of vulnerability, strings, and handclaps signal the extraordinary vision Heart had from the start
Decades later, it all sounds better than ever
RECORDING July – August 1975 at Can-Base Studio, Vancouver ENGINEERING Rolf Hennemann LABEL Mushroom MASTER SOURCE 1/4" / 15 IPS Dolby A Analog Copy to DSD 256 to Analog Console to Lathe RE MASTERING Krieg Wunderlich RE RELEASED 2025 AVERAGE RATING 4.89 Stars out of 5 PRESSING by Fidelity Record Pressing MADE IN USA STYLE Pop / Rock AVAILABLE as long as inventory stock
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