Dog & Butterfly [Bonus Tracks] (CD - 1978)

Producers: Mike Flicker, Heart, Mike Fisher.

Heart: Nancy Wilson , Ann Wilson .

Audio Mixer: Chris Wonzer.

Liner Note Authors: Nancy Wilson ; Nancy Jo Wilson .

Recording information: Sea West Studios, Seattle, WA (1978-1982); Seattle, WA (1978-1982).

Illustrator: Fuding Cheng.

Photographers: Retna; Neal Preston; Gary Heery; Neil Zlozower.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Ann Wilson ; Roger Fisher; Howard Leese; Michael DeRosier; Steve Fossen.

Arranger: Lynn Wilson.

Heart's third release, 1978's DOG AND BUTTERFLY, completed the trilogy of Heart's classic '70s albums begun with DREAMBOAT ANNIE and LITTLE QUEEN (not counting the spotty MAGAZINE which was not a band-approved release). Along with a host of other new rock bands (Foreigner, Boston, Cheap Trick, etc.), Heart helped fill the void for hard rock bands left by Led Zeppelin's late-'70s absence, all the while ignoring such musical trends as disco.

DOG AND BUTTERFLY was another strong album for Heart, spawning such FM radio hits as "Straight On," and the acoustic title track. It would be the last album issued by the original line-up (guitarist Roger Fisher left after the album's subsequent tour).

Released in 1978, Dog & Butterfly was Heart's fourth success in a row. Like its predecessors, Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen, it sold over a million copies and cast Ann and Nancy Wilson's superstardom in concrete. There was a price to pay for all of this success, and after Dog & Butterfly original guitarist Roger Fisher left the band. The disc reached number 14 on the Billboard album chart, matching Magazine's position. This remastered and expanded edition of the album features brilliant 24-bit sound and three bonus tracks. In many ways, Heart were beginning to make their transition, but the wonderful balance of hard, Led Zeppelin-influenced power rock and multi-textured ballads is still everywhere in evidence here. The single from the album -- "Straight On" -- continues to resonate with its sultry power and slippery, soulful rockist funk, and the title track is one of the finest examples of the Wilson sisters' otherworldly ballad style. The bonus tracks include "Heartless" from a live BBC show that same year, "Feels" (a very early and radically different version of "Johnny Moon"), and the previously unissued Nancy Wilson guitar solo "A Little Bit." Dog & Butterfly is still a magical and thought-provoking record some 26 years after the fact, and a stellar example that not all rock had deteriorated into corporate formula slickness and hollow bombast in the late '70s. ~ Thom Jurek minimize