Greatest Hits＜完全生産限定盤＞

ロックの殿堂入りしたウィルソン姉妹率いるHeart(ハート)の1998年発売ベストアルバム『Greatest Hits』(2枚組アナログ盤)

アメリカ シアトル出身、アンとナンシーのウィルソン姉妹が率いる世界的ロックバンド=ハート。エレクトリックとアコースティックを融合し、時にハードに、時に叙情的に展開するサウンドや、ウィルソン姉妹の美しい風貌と中世のお伽噺を想像させるようなファッションも相まって世界中を魅了し、2013年にはロックの殿堂入りも果たした。このアルバムは1998年発表の1975～1983年までの「Magic Man」「Barracuda」「Crazy On You」などの大ヒット曲に加え、当時の新録曲「Strong, Strong Wind」を収録した全17曲のベスト盤。

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