Little Queen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Little Queen (disambiguation).

Little Queen
Heart - Little Queen.png
Studio album by
Heart
ReleasedMay 14, 1977 (1977-05-14)
RecordedFebruary–April 1977
StudioKaye-Smith, Seattle
Genre
Length39:00
LabelPortrait
ProducerMike Flicker
Heart chronology
Magazine
(1977) 		Little Queen
(1977) 		Dog & Butterfly
(1978)
Singles from Little Queen
  1. "Barracuda"
    Released: May 28, 1977
  2. "Little Queen"
    Released: August 1977
  3. "Kick It Out"
    Released: October 1977
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
PopMattersMixed[2]
Rolling StoneMixed[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3/5 stars[4]

Little Queen is the third studio album by American rock band Heart. It was released on May 14, 1977, by Portrait Records. The album was recorded and mixed at Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle, Washington, from February to April 1977.[5] On June 29, 2004, a remastered version of Little Queen was released by Epic Records and Legacy Recordings with two bonus tracks.[6]

Overview[]

The group intended Magazine to be the official follow-up to their debut album Dreamboat Annie. However, a contract dispute with their label, Mushroom Records, resulted in the group signing with the newly formed Portrait Records, a division of CBS Records (now Sony BMG).[7]

The Mushroom contract called for two albums, and the label took the position that they were owed a second one. On that basis, Mushroom attempted to prevent the release of Little Queen and any other work by Heart. They took the five unfinished tracks for Magazine and added a B-side and two live recordings. The first release of the album in April 1977 included a disclaimer on the back cover.[7]

The court eventually decided that Heart was free to sign with a new label but indeed owed Mushroom a second album. Therefore, Heart returned to the studio to re-record, remix, edit, and resequence the Magazine recordings in a marathon session over four days. A court-ordered guard stood nearby to prevent the master tapes from being erased.[7]

Little Queen was released on May 14, 1977, and the reworked version of Magazine was re-released on April 22, 1978. With the successful single "Barracuda", Little Queen outsold Magazine handily, eventually earning a triple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[8] However, the almost simultaneous 1977 releases also gave the band the distinction of having all three of their albums ("Dreamboat Annie", "Magazine" & "Little Queen") on the charts at the same time.[7]

"Barracuda"[]

After the first album became a million seller, Mushroom took out a full-page ad in the December 30, 1976 issue of Rolling Stone magazine touting the band's success, using the headline "Million to One Shot Sells a Million".[9] The ad looked like the front page of the tabloid newspaper National Enquirer and included a photo from the Dreamboat Annie cover shoot. The caption read: "Heart's Wilson Sisters Confess: 'It Was Only Our First Time!'".[7]

After this ad surfaced, a Detroit radio promoter asked Ann Wilson who her lover was (referring to sister, Nancy). Ann was outraged and retreated to her hotel room to write a song. When she relayed the incident to Nancy, she, too, was outraged. Nancy joined Ann and contributed a melody and bridge. The song became "Barracuda", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[10] and remains one of the band's signature songs.

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Barracuda"
4:20
2."Love Alive"
  • A. Wilson
  • Fisher
  • N. Wilson
4:21
3."Sylvan Song"
  • N. Wilson
  • Fisher
2:12
4."Dream of the Archer"
  • A. Wilson
  • Fisher
  • N. Wilson
4:30
5."Kick It Out"A. Wilson2:44
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Little Queen"
5:10
7."Treat Me Well"N. Wilson3:24
8."Say Hello"
  • A. Wilson
  • Fisher
  • N. Wilson
3:36
9."Cry to Me"
  • A. Wilson
  • N. Wilson
2:51
10."Go On Cry"
  • A. Wilson
  • Fisher
  • N. Wilson
5:52
2004 remastered reissue bonus tracks[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Too Long a Time" (early demo version of "Love Alive")
  • A. Wilson
  • Fisher
  • N. Wilson
3:30
12."Stairway to Heaven" (live at the Aquarius Tavern, Seattle, WA, 1976)
9:20

Personnel[]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Little Queen.[5]

Heart[]

  • Ann Wilson – lead vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8–10); flute (track 2)
  • Nancy Wilson – acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–9); autoharp (tracks 2, 4); vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9); mandolin (tracks 3, 4); piano (track 5); electric guitar (tracks 7, 10); blues harp, lead vocals (track 7)
  • Roger Fisher – lead guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 10); mandolin (tracks 3, 4); electric guitar (track 10)
  • Howard Leese – lead guitar (track 1); Mellotron (tracks 1, 4); acoustic guitar, piano (track 2); vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10); Moog bass (tracks 3, 4); electric guitar (tracks 5, 8); guitar (track 6); grand piano, string arrangements, string conducting (track 7); mandolin (track 8)
  • Michael DeRosier – drums (tracks 1, 2, 5–8, 10); tabla (track 2); percussion (tracks 4, 8); timpani, chimes (track 10)
  • Steve Fossen – bass (tracks 1, 2, 5–8, 10)

Additional musicians[]

  • Lynn Wilson Keagle – vocals (tracks 9, 10)
  • Seal Dunnington – vocals (tracks 9, 10)

Technical[]

  • Mike Flicker – production, engineering
  • Buzz Richmond – engineering
  • Winslow Kutz – engineering
  • Mike Fisher – special direction

Artwork[]

  • Heart – cover concept
  • Mike Doud – art direction
  • Marilyn Romen – art direction
  • John Kehe – design
  • Bob Seidemann – photography

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[8] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Little Queen – Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  2. ^ Horning, Rob (August 9, 2004). "Heart: Little Queen / Dog & Butterfly / Bebe Le Strange [reissue]". PopMatters. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Altman, Billy (June 30, 1977). "Heart: Little Queen". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Coleman, Mark; Berger, Arion (2004). "Heart". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 372. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Little Queen (liner notes). Heart. Portrait Records. 1977. JR 34799.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Little Queen [Expanded Edition] – Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Wilson, Ann; Wilson, Nancy; Cross, Charles R. (September 18, 2012). "Natural Fantasies". Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll. New York City: It Books. ISBN 978-0-0621-0167-9.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "American album certifications – Heart – Little Queen". Recording Industry Association of America. October 26, 1994. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  9. ^ "Mushroom Records Ad" (JPG). Mushroom Records (Canada). Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  10. ^ "Heart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "Little Queen [Expanded Edition] – Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3690a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Heart – Little Queen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Heart – Little Queen" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Heart – Little Queen". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  18. ^ "Heart Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 100 albums of '77". RPM. Vol. 28 no. 14. December 31, 1977. p. 15. ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1977". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  21. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Heart – Little Queen". Music Canada. December 1, 1977. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
Retrieved from ""