In the 1960’s, the Pacific Northwest of the US was a hotbed of raw, garage-rock bands like The Sonics, The Wailers, and The Kingsmen. In the 1990’s, grunge planted its flannel flag in the misty mountains with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice In Chains.

And in between, there was Heart.

The Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, made up the core identity of the band, but the rest of the members actually started without them, on the outskirts of Seattle, performing under a few different names at local high schools and clubs. A combination of draft dodging and love led to everyone ending up across the border in Canada. Ann joined as lead singer and later brought in Nancy.

Heart signed with a Canadian indie label and their debut album took the country by storm in 1975, eventually going double Platinum in the Great White North. Six months later, they conquered American rock radio and the hits kept on coming until the 80’s arrived and the band lost direction. They found direction again by reinventing themselves as big-haired, fancily clad, power balladeers and then proceeded to top the pop charts.

Their fortunes faded once again as grunge razed the rock landscape, but Ann and Nancy served as mentors to the scruffy newcomers on the Seattle scene, all of whom had grown up listening to Heart.

Tell yourself that you’re doing alright and try, try, try to understand. Here’s the least you need to know:

Dreamboat Annie (1975) The debut. Heart emerges fully formed with a unique amalgam of hard rock and Brit-influenced folk. Both ethereal and earthy.

Little Queen (1977) BARRACUDA!

Icon Because they appeared on different labels, Heart’s hits are often divided — you can have all the 70’s songs on one comp or all the 80’s songs on a different comp. Only two sets combine everything. Icon is a single disc which gives you everything you need outside of the two above albums. Essential is a two disc set which serves as a fantastic “more than casual but less than fanatic” compilation, but it’s too much for our purposes. If we’re talking the very least you need to know, go find Icon (although if you stream your music, it’s not on Spotify).