Maps of Music

Desire Walks On (1993)

Where the lyrics of Desire Walks On take you, and where it was really made.

Heart's 1993 album drew mostly negative reviews, yet its one Bob Dylan cover features a singer from the grunge band Alice in Chains.

Key places

Mastering at Sterling Sound (1993)

Recording site Sterling Sound — George Marino mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York City, as the album credits state. The point marks the city-level credit and not a verified spot inside the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Desire Walks On: eleventh studio album by American rock band Heart
• Released November 16, 1993 by Capitol Records
• Majority co-written by lead members Ann and Nancy Wilson
• Layne Staley, lead vocalist of Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains, sings with the Wilson sisters on the cover of Bob Dylan's 'Ring Them Bells'

Background

• Final studio album with longtime members Howard Leese and Denny Carmassi
• Leese joined in 1975 and, aside from the Wilson sisters, is the band's longest-serving member
• Carmassi had been the band's drummer since 1982
• Recorded 1992–1993

Recording

• Mixing by Mick Guzauski on tracks 1–8 and 10–13, Mike Shipley on track 9
• Production and mixing credited to John Purdell and Duane Barron
• Mastering by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City
• Keyboards and background vocals by John Purdell
• Bass by Schuyler Deale; Howard Leese played bass on track 4
• String section: Ella Marie Gray, Walter Gray, Timothy Hale, Simon James

Cover

• Art direction by Tommy Steele, design by Jeff Fey, photography by Scott Morgan

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

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

• Critical response was mixed to negative
• Variety called the album 'unfocused and inconsistent.'
• AllMusic described the release as 'unimpressive', citing 'unevenness and a shortage of really strong material'
• Reviewers noted the album came out when many 1970s and 1980s arena rock and pop-metal acts were struggling against alternative rock and grunge
• Critics said Heart's style on the album looked increasingly out of step with prevailing trends

Reappraisal

• One retrospective review said only 'Crazy Head' and 'Will You Be There (In the Morning)' stood out
• That review said the latter, though rather formulaic, would have worked better as the album opener
• The opening track 'Black on Black II' was criticized for its harsh production and vocal delivery

Records

• Peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard 200
• Certified gold by the RIAA on August 24, 1995, denoting shipments above 500,000 copies in the United States
• 'Will You Be There (In the Morning)' reached number 39 on the Hot 100
• 'Black on Black II' peaked at number 4 on the Mainstream Rock chart
• 'The Woman in Me' peaked at number 24 on the Adult Contemporary chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original 1993 European release and the 2001 US re-release were expanded with Spanish-language versions of 'The Woman in Me' and 'Will You Be There (In the Morning)'; the latter was remixed in that format.
• Lisa Dalbello helped write 'Black on Black II' and 'Anything Is Possible' and sang backing vocals on both songs.
• Howard Leese left the band right after recording finished, then joined Paul Rodgers' solo project and later Bad Company.
• Layne Staley sang a third lead vocal on track 8, the Dylan cover.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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