Little Queen, the legendary rock album from Heart, was released 36 years ago (in 1977). The album has gone Platinum three times and features the hit single Barracuda, one of their signature songs.
Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson had become rock royalty by the time Little Queen appeared in 1977. After the success of their massive-selling debut Dreamboat Annie, the high gave way to a contractual fight with their record label, which lead them to a new label which resulted in this stand-out album.
Barracuda's galloping lead-guitar riff and Kick It Out, the hard-charging anthem, picked up where Heart left-off a few years earlier with Crazy On You. But the band's Zeppelin-influenced brand of rock doesn't completely dominate Little Queen, they also show off their softer side. Nancy Wilson displays her abilities as a, not only a virtuoso acoustic-guitarist, but as a folk-tinged lead-vocalist on Treat Me Well.
Ann Wilson goes full-throttle on the upbeat rockers but sings with precision and restraint elsewhere on the album. And after seeing Heart in concert last Fall, I can say with 100% certainty, that Ann can sing anything and make everyone else in the room seem to sound silly.
36 years ago, Heart crossed a big hurdle, integrity intact, and they've been pushing on ever since... with no signs of slowing down!!
