Little Queen

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).{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|p=115}}

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.{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|p=115}}

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.{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|p=116}}

Little Queen was released on May 14, 1977, and the reworked version of Magazine was entered Billboard on April 22, 1978.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/heart/chart-history/hsi/|title=Billboard|magazine=Billboard }} With the successful single "Barracuda", Little Queen outsold Magazine handily, eventually earning a triple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). However, the almost simultaneous 1977 releases also gave the band the distinction of having all three of their albums (Dreamboat Annie, Magazine, and Little Queen) on the charts at the same time.{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|p=121}}

After Dreamboat Annie 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".{{cite web |url=https://www.superseventies.com/oaaa/oaaa_heart1.jpg |title=Mushroom Records Ad |format=JPG |publisher=Mushroom Records (Canada) |access-date=May 20, 2014}} 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!'"{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|p=113}}

After this ad surfaced, a Detroit radio promoter asked Ann Wilson about her lover—referring to Nancy, thus implying that the sisters were incestuous lesbian lovers. Ann was outraged and retreated to her hotel room to write a song. When she relayed the incident to Nancy, she, too, was infuriated. Nancy joined Ann and contributed a melody and bridge.{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|Cross|2012|pp=116–118}} The song became "Barracuda", which entered Billboard Hot 100 on May 28, and peaked at number 11.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/heart/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Heart Chart History (Hot 100) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 21, 2019}} and remains one of the band's signature songs.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Barracuda

| writer1 = {{hlist|Ann Wilson|Roger Fisher|Nancy Wilson|Michael DeRosier}}

| length1 = 4:20

| title2 = Love Alive

| writer2 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|Fisher|N. Wilson}}

| length2 = 4:21

| title3 = Sylvan Song

| writer3 = {{hlist|N. Wilson|Fisher}}

| length3 = 2:12

| title4 = Dream of the Archer

| writer4 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|Fisher|N. Wilson}}

| length4 = 4:30

| title5 = Kick It Out

| writer5 = A. Wilson

| length5 = 2:44

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Little Queen

| writer6 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|N. Wilson|Fisher|DeRosier|Howard Leese|Steve Fossen}}

| length6 = 5:10

| title7 = Treat Me Well

| writer7 = N. Wilson

| length7 = 3:24

| title8 = Say Hello

| writer8 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|Fisher|N. Wilson}}

| length8 = 3:36

| title9 = Cry to Me

| writer9 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|N. Wilson}}

| length9 = 2:51

| title10 = Go On Cry

| writer10 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|Fisher|N. Wilson}}

| length10 = 5:52

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2004 remastered reissue bonus tracks{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/little-queen-expanded-edition-mr0000920951 |title=Little Queen [Expanded Edition] – Heart |website=AllMusic |access-date=May 23, 2020}}

| title11 = Too Long a Time

| note11 = early demo version of "Love Alive"

| writer11 = {{hlist|A. Wilson|Fisher|N. Wilson}}

| length11 = 3:30

| title12 = Stairway to Heaven

| note12 = live at the Aquarius Tavern, Seattle, WA, 1976

| writer12 = {{hlist|Jimmy Page|Robert Plant}}

| length12 = 9:20

}}

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Little Queen.{{cite AV media notes |title=Little Queen |type=liner notes |others=Heart |publisher=Portrait Records |year=1977 |id=JR 34799}}

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

• Lynn Wilson Keagle – vocals {{small|(tracks 9, 10)}}
• Seal Dunnington – vocals {{small|(tracks 9, 10)}}

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

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

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Heart|title=Little Queen|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=1977|certyear=1977|date=December 1, 1977|access-date=July 21, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Heart|title=Little Queen|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1977|certyear=1994|date=October 26, 1994|access-date=July 21, 2019|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
• {{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Ann |author-link1=Ann Wilson |last2=Wilson |first2=Nancy |author-link2=Nancy Wilson (rock musician) |last3=Cross |first3=Charles R. |author-link3=Charles R. Cross |url=https://archive.org/details/kickingdreamings0000wils |title=Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll |location=New York |publisher=It Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-0621-0167-9 |url-access=registration}}

{{refend}}

{{Heart (band)}}

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Category:1977 albums

Category:Albums produced by Mike Flicker

Category:Heart (band) albums

Category:Portrait Records albums