Ignored           Obscured            Restored

Ann and Nancy Wilson’s Heart formed in 1967!  They had huge commercial success from the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s.  At the time I never gave them much consideration.  Their brand of Rock seemed a little too corporate for my tastes – not edgy enough.

But over time my opinion has changed.  Ann’s powerful vocals were never in doubt.  I undervalued Nancy’s guitar playing.  One of the “ah-ha” moments for me was when I saw Heart perform at the Bridge School benefit concert on October 27, 2013.  They played a beautiful version of Led Zeppelin’s “Rain Song.”  It wowed me and led me to connect how much their music was influenced by Zep.  That may be obvious to all of you, but I was late to the realization.

The signs were there earlier.  Who could forget their amazing performance of “Stairway to Heaven” at the Kennedy Center on December 2, 2012, complete with strings, horns, and a gospel choir?  Led Zeppelin was there to accept the honor and you can see the expressions of approval as they were as blown away as the rest of the audience.

Today’s SotW is a Heart original that captures the spirit of Led Zeppelin as well as any of their recordings.  It is “Love Alive” from Little Queen (1977).

It follows the same blueprint as “Stairway…”  It starts with an acoustic guitar and softly sung verses and grows into a full blown rock and roll rave.

Heart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18, 2013.  Their fans thought it was long overdue.

Enjoy… until next week.