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Trollheart · 07-05-2011, 04:03 PM

Brigade --- Heart --- 1990 (Capitol)

Yay! I made it to the 90s!! The much-mooted follow-up album to 1987's chart-smashing “Bad animals”, I actually believe “Brigade” to be a far superior album. Although I love “Bad animals”, and that album was in fact my first introduction to Heart, I love this album more. I find it rockier than its predecessor which, on the back of the success of singles like “Alone” and “Who will you run to”, seemed more pop-oriented. There are some fine tracks on this outing, and hardly a bad one, which is not often the case on Heart albums.

The only thing this album suffers from, in my opinion, is the songwriting contribution of mega-producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who penned the truly awful “All I wanna do is make love to you”, the second track on the album. It was a big hit, but the lazy rhyming couplets in it (”So we found this hotel/ It was a place I knew well” and ”Then it happened one day/ We came round the same way/ You can imagine his surprise/ When he saw his own eyes.” What???) really annoyed me. While I would never disparage the man's work --- I know he has won several awards, written some great songs and is one of the most successful and respected producers in the music business ---- everyone can have an off-day and write a turkey, and this one should be on someone's plate with some ham and potatoes at Christmas!

That aside, I have few complaints about this album. It starts off well, rockin' hard with “Wild child”, and things get off to a great start before the aforementioned “All I wanna do...” spoils things briefly, but that's quickly forgotten as “Secret” gets going. It's a powerful ballad in the mould of “Alone”, with Ann Wilson in fine voice as Nancy accompanies her on acoustic guitar, swapping it for her electric during the chorus, then back to acoustic for the verses. Really nice. Kicking back into top gear then for “Tall dark handsome stranger”, a good rocker, great stabbing keyboards here from Howard Leese, managing to make it sound like a whole horn section !

The acoustic intro to “Fallen from grace” is very effective, and sets up a powerful mid-paced rocker, with keyboards recalling Van Halen's 1984 hit “Jump”, and is in fact penned by ex-Halen man Sammy Hagar, with Heart drummer Denny Carmassi. ”I'm left with all these feelings/ But nothing fills the space/ Of the love that once was/ That's fallen from grace.” This starts off a trio of very commercial songs, any of which would have made a good single. “Under the sky”, up next, is another acoustic opening, with a great boppy beat and a terrific line in drums, while “Cruel nights” completes the trio. Written by Dianne Warren, it's a real slice of commercial pop/rock, and leads into “Stranded”, another ballad with a hard edge. There's just time for one more rocker before things wrap up with two slower tracks, and “Call of the wild” fits the bill.

As I say, the album comes to a close on two slow tracks, two ballads, one being “I want your world to turn”, which is the faster of the two, and the final track simply entitled “I love you” is an acoustic-sounding --- though I'm pretty sure it's played on electric guitar --- ballad which gives the finishing touch to a really great album.

I personally consider this to be one of Heart's best efforts, though I haven't yet heard their latest. The two girls are on top of their game all through “Brigade”, and ably supported by the other members of Heart. It would be another three years before they would release the flawed gem that is “Desire walks on”, eleven before the one after that, “Jupiter's darling”, and a further three years before their most recent in 2010, so no-one can say they rush albums! If the result of that length of time between albums is releases the quality of “Brigade”, it's well worth the wait.

TRACKLISTING

1. Wild child
2. All I wanna do is make love to you
3. Secret
4. Tall, dark, handsome stranger
5. I didn't want to need you
6. The night
7. Fallen from grace
8. Under the sky
9. Cruel nights
10. Stranded
11. Call of the wild
12. I want your world to turn
13. I love you

Suggested further listening: “Heart”, “Bad animals”, “Desire walks on”

07-05-2011, 04:03 PM	#64 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Brigade --- Heart --- 1990 (Capitol) Yay! I made it to the 90s!! The much-mooted follow-up album to 1987's chart-smashing “Bad animals”, I actually believe “Brigade” to be a far superior album. Although I love “Bad animals”, and that album was in fact my first introduction to Heart, I love this album more. I find it rockier than its predecessor which, on the back of the success of singles like “Alone” and “Who will you run to”, seemed more pop-oriented. There are some fine tracks on this outing, and hardly a bad one, which is not often the case on Heart albums. The only thing this album suffers from, in my opinion, is the songwriting contribution of mega-producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who penned the truly awful “All I wanna do is make love to you”, the second track on the album. It was a big hit, but the lazy rhyming couplets in it (”So we found this hotel/ It was a place I knew well” and ”Then it happened one day/ We came round the same way/ You can imagine his surprise/ When he saw his own eyes.” What???) really annoyed me. While I would never disparage the man's work --- I know he has won several awards, written some great songs and is one of the most successful and respected producers in the music business ---- everyone can have an off-day and write a turkey, and this one should be on someone's plate with some ham and potatoes at Christmas! That aside, I have few complaints about this album. It starts off well, rockin' hard with “Wild child”, and things get off to a great start before the aforementioned “All I wanna do...” spoils things briefly, but that's quickly forgotten as “Secret” gets going. It's a powerful ballad in the mould of “Alone”, with Ann Wilson in fine voice as Nancy accompanies her on acoustic guitar, swapping it for her electric during the chorus, then back to acoustic for the verses. Really nice. Kicking back into top gear then for “Tall dark handsome stranger”, a good rocker, great stabbing keyboards here from Howard Leese, managing to make it sound like a whole horn section ! The acoustic intro to “Fallen from grace” is very effective, and sets up a powerful mid-paced rocker, with keyboards recalling Van Halen's 1984 hit “Jump”, and is in fact penned by ex-Halen man Sammy Hagar, with Heart drummer Denny Carmassi. ”I'm left with all these feelings/ But nothing fills the space/ Of the love that once was/ That's fallen from grace.” This starts off a trio of very commercial songs, any of which would have made a good single. “Under the sky”, up next, is another acoustic opening, with a great boppy beat and a terrific line in drums, while “Cruel nights” completes the trio. Written by Dianne Warren, it's a real slice of commercial pop/rock, and leads into “Stranded”, another ballad with a hard edge. There's just time for one more rocker before things wrap up with two slower tracks, and “Call of the wild” fits the bill. As I say, the album comes to a close on two slow tracks, two ballads, one being “I want your world to turn”, which is the faster of the two, and the final track simply entitled “I love you” is an acoustic-sounding --- though I'm pretty sure it's played on electric guitar --- ballad which gives the finishing touch to a really great album. I personally consider this to be one of Heart's best efforts, though I haven't yet heard their latest. The two girls are on top of their game all through “Brigade”, and ably supported by the other members of Heart. It would be another three years before they would release the flawed gem that is “Desire walks on”, eleven before the one after that, “Jupiter's darling”, and a further three years before their most recent in 2010, so no-one can say they rush albums! If the result of that length of time between albums is releases the quality of “Brigade”, it's well worth the wait. TRACKLISTING 1. Wild child 2. All I wanna do is make love to you 3. Secret 4. Tall, dark, handsome stranger 5. I didn't want to need you 6. The night 7. Fallen from grace 8. Under the sky 9. Cruel nights 10. Stranded 11. Call of the wild 12. I want your world to turn 13. I love you Suggested further listening: “Heart”, “Bad animals”, “Desire walks on” __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-25-2019 at 06:38 PM.