''Passionworks'' is the seventh studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

, released on August 20, 1983, by Epic Records. The album marks a shift in musical direction from hard rock and folk to mainstream rock. It is the first Heart album to feature

Denny Carmassi Denny Carmassi (born April 30, 1947) is an American drummer most notable for playing with many rock bands. Biography Carmassi was born into a family of drummers; his father, his uncle, and his brother each played the drums. Some of Denny's e ...

and

Mark Andes Mark Andes (born February 19, 1948) is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal. Early life Andes was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Los Angeles, one ...

, who had replaced longtime members Mike Derosier and

Steve Fossen Steve Fossen is an American bassist and a founding member of the band Heart.

. ''Passionworks'' was the band's final album with Epic Records before their comeback-fueled move to Capitol Records. It reached number 39 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album's lead single, " How Can I Refuse?", peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topped the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week. The second single, "

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

", peaked at number 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On July 13, 2009, ''Passionworks'' was re-released in the United Kingdom by BGO Records as a double CD with the band's previous album ''

Private Audition ''Private Audition'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on May 20, 1982, by Epic Records. The album reached number 25 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, spending 14 weeks on the chart. It spawned the single " This Man ...

''.

Remastering of tracks

Heart's sixteenth studio album, '' Beautiful Broken'' (2016), contains two remastered tracks from ''Passionworks'', along with a few other remastered songs from their 1980s era and a few new ones. These two tracks are "Johnny Moon" and "Language of Love". In an interview with ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'', Nancy Wilson explained the idea to remaster the songs, saying, "Like, 'Wow, these songs were so misunderstood production-wise.' And I thought I would love a chance to redesign and reimagine them in the studio."

Critical reception

Alex Henderson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote, "''Passionworks'' isn't recommended to casual listeners, but serious Heart devotees will find it to be an enjoyable way for the Wilson sisters to end their Epic period." Errol Somay of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' felt that the album "seems like the soundtrack to an off-Broadway show that closed after two nights", concluding, "Almost totally lacking in hummable tunes and danceable rhythms, ''Passionworks'' does little more than showcase Ann Wilson's vocal pyrotechnics."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Passionworks''.

Heart

Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...

– lead vocals, background vocals * Nancy Wilson – lead vocals, background vocals, rhythm guitars,

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

s, acoustic guitars, synthesizers *

Howard Leese Howard M. Leese (born June 13, 1951, in Hollywood, California, United States) is an American guitarist, record producer, and musical director who played with Heart as guitarist and keyboardist for 23 years (1975 through 1998). He continues to rec ...

– lead guitars, rhythm guitars, background vocals, synthesizers *

– bass, background vocals *

– drums

Additional musicians

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

– arrangements * David Paich – piano ; synthesizers * Steve Porcaro – synthesizers ; synthesizer programming * Lynn Wilson – background vocals

Technical

* Keith Olsen – production, engineering * Brian Foraker – engineering * Dennis Sager – engineering *

Greg Fulginiti Gregory Fulginiti (born February 13, 1951 in Cape May Court House section of Middle Township, New Jersey) is an American recording and mastering engineer. Fulginiti grew up in Wildwood, New Jersey and graduated from Wildwood High School in 1969 ...

– mastering at

Artisan Sound Recorders Artisan Sound Recorders was one of Southern California's premier disk mastering facilities. It was founded by Robert M. MacLeod Jr. in the 1960s, and acquired by Kent Duncan in 1979 when MacLeod retired. In the early 1990s, it was sold to Jon Lo ...

(California)

Artwork

Neal Preston Neal Preston (born 1952) is a photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Preston is known primarily for his photographs of rock musicians. He has worked closely with such artists as Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood ...

– concept, photography *

Tony Lane Anthony Samuel Lane (May 2, 1944 – January 1, 2016) began his career as an assistant to Alexey Brodovitch at Harper's Bazaar, and became an early art director for Rolling Stone magazine. He was the designer of iconic album covers for Simon & Garf ...

– art direction * Isgo Lepejian – black-and-white photographic prints

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1983 albums Albums produced by Keith Olsen Epic Records albums Heart (band) albums