There was a deeply personal feel to Heart’s Fanatic, and a grinding loudness. That incompatible juxtaposition could make for a difficult entry.
It was, on its face, a confessional recording. There’s “Dear Old America,” which traced the story of a soldier returning after war, a thematic line that goes back to the Ann and Nancy Wilson’s father and his time as a Marine. The nostalgic “Rock Deep (Vancouver)” referenced Heart’s pre-stardom days in Canada.
The title track had the feel of long-held revelation. This sense of introspection shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, considering the two major projects that proceeded Fanatic: Heart’s career-spanning anthology Strange Euphoria and their emotional biography Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll.
At the same time, however, Fanatic arrived on Oct. 2, 2012 as the heaviest recording that Heart had ever produced, with torrents of guitars rushing out around these thunderous rhythms. Those who were looking to rock out might be distracted by the sharply confessional musings. Those looking for a singer-songwriter vibe might have ended up with their hair in a tangled mess from the noise.
Keep listening, though, and Heart ultimately bridged the gap between both sets of expectations, crafting songs that continue to mature into something more over repeated sittings.
Producer Ben Mink, who also worked on Heart’s 2010 comeback recording Red Velvet Car, did much to capture the fire and energy of their flintiest early moments – even if no one, unfortunately, can quite replicate the presence of long-gone lead guitarist Roger Fisher. Dig deeper into the project, and these deft modern touches began to reveal themselves, as well.
For instance, the double-time cadence in the middle of “Dear Old America” – which, to my ear, seemed to recall Heart’s early fascination with Led Zeppelin – was actually the result of a computer tempo error. Everyone liked the mistake so much, however, that they left it in and then built something even better on top of it.
The earliest demo of “Skin and Bones,” this nasty little blues, was originally recorded onto an iPhone during a moment of inspiration, and you can hear a snippet of that on the album, as well. Taken together, they kept Fanatic from sounding like a cob-webbed throwback, even while establishing an atmosphere that feels loose and live.
The difficulty must have been in weaving all of this together into something that didn’t sound gimmicky, or like the Wilsons were trying too hard — and in that regard Heart’s Fanatic enjoyed complete success. Many of the songs clearly grew out of lengthy conversations, from raw emotion and real caring. This sense of communal purpose can be found everywhere on Fanatic, even if it takes a while to fully appreciate the album’s deeper complexities.
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