Maps of Music

Bébé le Strange (1980)

Where the lyrics of Bébé le Strange take you, and where it was really made.

Heart's fifth album was the first made without lead guitarist Roger Fisher, who had left months earlier, and it still reached number five on the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Kaye-Smith Studios, the recording and mixing site (1980)

Recording site Kaye-Smith Studios — The first pressing credits list Kaye-Smith Studios as the place where the album was recorded and mixed. The point is placed at the studio's coordinates from the candidate record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Bébé le Strange: fifth studio album by the American rock band Heart
• Released in February 1980 by Epic Records
• Track list includes the title track, "Even It Up", "Break", "Raised on You" and "Pilot"
• Credits list Heart members Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Howard Leese, Michael Derosier and Steve Fossen

Background

• First album without founding member Roger Fisher on lead guitar
• Fisher left the band months earlier, along with his brother Michael
• Don Wilhelm sang some backing vocals; he had been in a 1960s group called The Army with Steve Fossen and Roger Fisher
• Howard Leese is credited on guitars and keyboards on several tracks

Recording

• Credited production, engineering and mixing by Mike Flicker; production also credited to Connie and Howie
• Engineering by Rob Perkins; recording and mixing at Kaye-Smith Studios according to Discogs credits
• Mastering by John Golden at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
• Tower of Power's horn section appears on track 6, "Even It Up"

Cover

• Art direction by Tony Lane
• Logo graphics by Tom Girvin
• Photography by Jeff Burger

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Heart is an American rock band formed in 1974 in the Pacific Northwest, coalescing from earlier projects including the Army (1967–1969), Hocus Pocus (1969–1970), and White Heart (1970–1973).
• By 1975 the lineup had settled with Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier, Howard Leese, Roger Fisher, and Steve Fossen.
• The band rose to fame with music influenced by hard rock, heavy metal, and folk.

Members

• Ann Wilson (lead vocals, flute) and Nancy Wilson (rhythm guitar, vocals) are the only consistent members across the band's history.
• Early members included Roger Fisher (guitar), Steve Fossen (bass), Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese (guitar, keyboards).
• Mark Andes (bass) and Denny Carmassi (drums) joined around 1982 after the earlier lineup changes.

Career

• Debut album Dreamboat Annie (1975) produced the hits "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You" and sold over a million copies.
• The band split from Mushroom Records and signed with Portrait; "Barracuda" became a major hit in 1977.
• A commercial decline in the early 1980s was followed by a mid-1980s comeback led by the album Heart (1985), which produced the No. 1 hit "These Dreams".
• The 1987 single "Alone" spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Heart disbanded in 1998, reunited to tour and record several times afterward, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
• The band has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Record World on the single "Raised on You": Anne's [sic] lavish lead is enhanced by bold keyboard runs and Nancy's confident guitar.
• The album was described in its own era as a commercial success.
• Singles released from the album were "Even It Up", backed by the Tower of Power horn section, and the title track.

Records

• US Billboard 200: peaked at number five
• Time on the US Billboard 200 chart: 22 weeks
• RIAA certification: Gold, on May 5, 1980
• Chart success came with the first album made without Roger Fisher on lead guitar.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was re-released on June 29, 2004 by Epic and Legacy Recordings in a remastered expanded edition.
• Don Wilhelm, who sang some backing vocals, had been in a 1960s group called The Army with Steve Fossen and Roger Fisher.
• The Discogs release notes say the sleeve booklet includes Japanese liner notes.
• The first pressing credits list Kaye-Smith Studios as the recording and mixing site and Kendun Recorders as the mastering site.
• The horn section on "Even It Up" was Tower of Power, credited as Lenny Pickett, Greg Adams, Emilio Castillo, Steve Kupka and Mic Gillette.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact