1980 Live Show coming on CD

A new unauthorized release is appearing from the depths of sketchy label land. The label “Cargo” is announcing the release of a 2CD “Strange Night” on May 25th 2015. Some sites list the label: “FM in concert”

Pre-sale on amazon.co.uk!

Here’s more unconfirmed info:

The radio performance featured on this DOUBLE-CD release comes from 1980, when the band had recently undergone a line-up change with the departure of founder member and guitarist Roger Fisher. In these days the band was promoting the fifth studio album ‘Bebe Le Strange’. The performance, recorded in Texas, finds the band performing a set full of classic tracks drawn from previous albums (‘Magic Man’, ‘Crazy On You’, ‘Dreamboat Annie’, ‘Barracuda’ and ‘Dog And Butterfly’) alongside material from ‘Bebe Le Strange’.

And here’s the cover supposedly (from Japanese Amazon):

"Strange Night"
“Strange Night”

Info from Amazon.co.ukHeart came out of the Seattle area in the mid-seventies with a classic album entitled Dreamboat Annie. Various support slots with larger acts such as Rod Stewart gained the band a big foothold with the rock audience and very quickly the band established themselves on the touring circuit across America. The success of the band could be said to be split into two halves; the early period between 1976 and 1983 and the later success from the eighties when Heart would become a massively popular band, both in the concert arena and also in terms of record sales. Whilst the second period of success from the mid-eighties sealed the band’s reputation across the world, it is the earlier more rock orientated period that still has an attraction for many rock fans. The radio performance featured on this release comes from 1980 when the band had recently undergone a lineup change with the departure of founder member and guitarist Roger Fisher and the band were promoting their fifth studio album Bebe Le Strange. The performance here recorded in Texas finds the band performing a set full of classic tracks drawn from previous albums (Magic Man, Crazy On You, Dreamboat Annie, Barracuda and Dog And Butterfly) alongside new material from Bebe Le Strange. In fact the band performed no less than eight of the albums, ten tracks as part of this set including the set opener and title track of the album Bebe Le Strange. The album would go on to reach the top five in the Billboard album charts and ultimately achieve Gold status. This then was the start of another era for the band, although this line up itself would splinter and a new line up headed by Ann and Nancy Wilson and longtime member Howard Leese would emerge in 1983 with the release of the band’s seventh studio album Passionworks. That line up would take the band through its most successful period in the eighties and beyond. This performance however finds them in fine form and proving that the loss of a key member was something they could overcome with ease and continue the high standard set by the band over previous albums and concert appearances. Line Up Ann Wilson: guitar and vocals, flute, violin, autoharp. Nancy Wilson: guitar and vocals, mandolin, synthesizer, harmonica . Steve Fossen: bass, percussion . Howard Leese: keyboards, guitar, synthesizer, autoharp, mandolin, recorder, backing vocals . Michael DeRosier: drums, percussion. Recorded at Tarrant County Convention CenterFort Worth, Texas April 3, 1980.

The same treatment was given a couple of years ago to a Pittsburgh show. Plus in 2010 a mid seventies show was released outside the US as well.

Updated May 26th 2015: the set has arrived in stores. Here’s mine:

The set is housed in a fold out digipack, with liner notes by Jon Kirkman
The set is housed in a fold out digipack, with liner notes by Jon Kirkman

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5 thoughts on “1980 Live Show coming on CD

  1. It’s interesting that both of these “new” releases of old live shows, “Strange Night” & “Live In Portland 89,” are well circulated bootlegs easily available on the web.

  2. I just received “Strange Night” in the mail earlier today. Top notch sound and performance quality; much better sound quality than the earlier Pittsburgh live release.

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