Heart had a pair of greatest-hits collections to their credit by 1997, but both did not contain all the renowned studio versions of their classic hits from the '70s (both 1980's
Heart Greatest Hits: Live on
Epic and 1997's
Greatest Hits on
Capitol contained half studio and half live material). 1998's
Greatest Hits on
Epic/
Legacy finally corrected this once and for all -- collecting all of
Heart's '70s studio hits on a single disc. Nearly all of the songs have become classic
rock staples, the best-known being the
Zep-esque rockers
"Crazy on You," "Barracuda," and
"Magic Man," while the more subdued acoustic material (
"Dreamboat Annie," "Love Alive," "Dog & Butterfly") showcases the immense talents of vocalist
Ann Wilson. Other notables include
"Kick It Out," "Heartless," "Bebe le Strange," "Straight On," and
"Even It Up," while an all-new studio cut recorded in 1998 (
"Strong, Strong Wind") and a live cover of
Led Zeppelin's
"Rock and Roll" from 1980 are included as bonuses. While
Heart may have enjoyed their biggest commercial success in the '80s with
pop-oriented material, their more straight-ahead '70s work, showcased on
Greatest Hits, has stood the test of time incredibly well. ~ Greg Prato