Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie Review

Thirty Years On . . .

Reviewed by Michael Reuben February 29, 2012

Fresh from reviewing Heart: Live, the impressive Blu-ray of the venerable band's 2005 performance for the PBS Soundstage series, I was eager to see the Blu-ray version of the "concept" performance from two years later entitled "Dreamboat Annie". Dreamboat Annie results from the same Heart revival era that engendered the Soundstage concert, but it's less of a career review than a look back at a particular moment in time, specifically 1977, when the Wilson sisters, vocalist Ann and guitarist Nancy, released their first album and began getting noticed outside the local scene in Vancouver. On April 13, 2007, thirty years after the album's release, the sisters played through its entire songlist (and more) at Los Angeles' Orpheum Theatre with a band that was still called Heart but in which all of the key musicians besides the Wilsons had been replaced over the years. Of course, the sisters too had changed. Having so recently provided an overview of their careers, I direct the interested reader there rather than repeating what I've already written.

The Dreamboat Annie concert was released on DVD later that same year in October 2007, but a Blu-ray release was delayed until November 2008. For reasons unknown, that disc wasn't reviewed here upon release, but the gap has now been filled.

Leaving aside some significant technical issues (which are discussed in the appropriate sections below), Dreamboat Annie features a delightful introductory interview with the Wilson sisters lasting just over nine minutes, in which they reminisce about their formative years in music, their influences and the circumstances that gave birth to the Dreamboat Annie album. It's clear as they speak that preparing for the concert has been the equivalent of taking down old photo albums and turning the pages to encounter faces and scenes long forgotten but, once seen, recalled with the shock of familiarity that often accompanies youthful memories. Both women are forthright in describing the dearth of female rockers when they first began—a situation they did much to change, though that certainly wasn't their intention. They just wanted to play music.

Underscoring the sense of history are extensive montages of vintage photos, old articles from rock journals, album covers and other memorabilia showing the Wilson sisters and their original bandmates in Heart's salad days. Hats off to these ladies for being so offhand about letting images of their 20-something selves be placed onscreen next to their faces of thirty years later. Not many people in show business, male or female, would do the same thing so casually, Then again, the Wilson sisters have never been known for their vanity. As they both say during the interview, it's hard to look pretty when you're rocking out, sweating and tossing your hair every which way. (I beg to differ, but never mind.)

The band's line-up for the Dreamboat Annie concert consists of: Anne Wilson on vocals and flute; Nancy Wilson on guitar and harmonica; Craig Bartock on lead guitar; Ben Smith on drums; Debbie Shair on keyboards; and Ric Markmann on bass. Additional backing vocals are provided by Jeffrey Foskett and Libby Torrance, as well as Darian Sahanaja, who also supplies percussion and effects and conducts the Stockholm Strings.

The Dreamboat Annie album has several hard rock cuts that became standards at Heart concerts over the years, notably "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You", but overall it's among the band's gentler recordings, as reflected in the yearning title track, which recurs in several versions. The performance presented on this Blu-ray is no less energetic and intense than the career-spanning concert the band played for Soundstage, but it leans more toward the ballad side of Heart's repertoire, at least until they reach the "encore" segment consisting of songs that were major influences on the Wilsons' early songwriting efforts, some of which (e.g., Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog") have remained a standard in their concerts to this day. An additional short interview segment precedes the encore in which the sisters discuss the artists they admire. Then it's back to the Orpheum Theatre for an intense build-up to the band's searing rendition of The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me", which closes the show.

The complete song list follows:

1. Magic Man
2. Dreamboat Annie (Fantasy Child)
3. Crazy On You
4. Soul Of The Sea
5. Dreamboat Annie
6. White Lightning Wine
7. (Love Me Like Music) I'll Be Your Song
8. Sing Child
9. How Deep It Goes
10. Dreamboat Annie (Reprise)
Encore

11. Mistral Wind
12. Goodbye Blue Sky
13. Black Dog
14. Misty Mountain Hop
15. Love, Reign O'er Me

Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Despite the listing on the jacket, the video on this VC1-encoded Blu-ray is a disappointing 720p (not 1080i, as is typical of most concert videos recorded in hi-def video). Unlike Soundstage's productions, the Dreamboat Annie concert was staged and lit in classic razzle-dazzle rock show style, with brightly colored lights, mist on the stage and the audience in the dark. (I love L.A.) When I first started watching the concert, I thought perhaps the slight indistinctness of the images resulted from the lighting effects. Then I began to wonder whether, somewhere along the mastering chain, someone had fiddled with the contrast and blown out the details—but that seemed unlikely, since the blacks remain solid, inky and unaffected. But when I got the disc over to my desktop to begin taking screencaps, the truth came out. The detail is weaker, because, at 720p resolution, there's less picture information on the disc to begin with.

Making allowances for this lesser image, what's there does have nicely saturated colors, a complete absence of noise or motion artifacts and a generally pleasing appearance if you're not expecting too much. Then again, 720p isn't a very demanding resolution, and it can cover a multitude of sins in the source material. I'm enough of a Heart fan to say that this concert Blu-ray is worth owning (at the right price), but buyers should know what they're getting.

(Note: The screencaps included with this review have been upconverted to 1080p.)

Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dreamboat Annie's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is, to me, a classic demonstration of the adage that the source is more important than the format. Is it good? Yes. Does it have power, punch and bass extension? Sure. Does it give you a sense of the audience at the Orpheum Theatre applauding, cheering and surrounding you? Of course. Can it hold a candle to the mixes achieved by the engineers who have perfected the art of reproducing the sound of live performance for Soundstage. Not a chance.

Now, in fairness to Dreamboat Annie's sound mixers, some of the difference no doubt reflects an alternate philosophy toward reproducing live performance. The mixers for Soundstage carefully layer the individual instruments so that they blend but don't muddy each other, which, let's face it, is not how attendees at a rock concert typically experience heavily amplified sounds as they're spontaneously created. The mix on Dreamboat Annie is probably much closer to the real thing, in the sense that it's mushy, messy and imperfect, with none of the clean-up or acoustical purification that Soundstage's engineers impart to their mixes. In theory, I understand the appeal. In practice? No thanks. The rough edges of live performance are offset by the adrenaline rush of actually being there in the moment. But when listening to something after the fact, something that's been recorded and mixed for the ages and for multiple plays at a later date, give me the cleaned-up version every time.

Don't get me wrong; the track is eminently listenable and powerful. It's just that a lossless presentation of a rough-edged, occasionally indistinct, sometimes brittle mix remains just that. Lossless treatment doesn't make it better.

Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Heart Mongers Speak! (SD; 1.78:1, enhanced; 4:41): Fans profess their enthusiasm.


• Photo Gallery (SD; various): A memorable collection of vintage photographs. They are preceded by a helpful disclaimer that the presentation is not in high definition.

Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite the inexplicable decision by Summit to master the Blu-ray at 720p and my reservations about the sound mix, any performance by Heart is worth owning, if you're a fan, and the interviews with the Wilson sisters on this disc are essential viewing. Look for a bargain price and add it to your collection.