‘Streetheart’ was a very successful fifth album for these Canadian AOR legends, and deservedly so. From the opening bars of ‘Without Your Love’ you know there’s a 1982 classic on the cards.
Written by: Lee South Africa
ARTIST: Streetheart
ALBUM: Streetheart
LABEL: Capitol
SERIAL: ST-6491
YEAR: 1982
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
LINEUP: Kenny Shields – vocals * Daryl Gutheil – keyboards, vocals * Jeff Neil – guitars, vocals * Ken ‘Spider’ Sinnaeve – bass * Herb Ego – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Without Your Love * 02 Mad As Hell * 03 Miss Plaza Suite * 04 Wired * 05 What Kind Of Love Is This * 06 Snow White * 07 Look In Your Eyes * 08 Ain’t In No Hurry * 09 One More Time
WEBLINKS: Wikipedia Page
Streetheart Background
‘Streetheart’ was a very successful fifth album for these Canadian AOR legends, and deservedly so. From the opening bars of ‘Without Your Love’ you know there’s a 1982 classic on the cards.
Comparisons with Loverboy are inevitable, since Paul Dean and Matt Frenette were members of Streetheart in the late 70’s.
Certainly the riffing and percussive momentum are reminiscent of Loverboy. But the overall melodic approach is refreshingly distinctive, showcasing Shields’ unmistakable vocals and Gutheil’s pulsing keyboards.
The Songs
The opener ‘Without Your Love’ is the most obvious Loverboy comparison. It’s based on a crunching riff that wouldn’t be out of place on their records. The superbly played keyboards manage to be melodic and percussive, pulsing along in grand style.
‘Mad As Hell’ comes across like Judas Priest gone AOR. It has an aggressive chorus but still boasts a high anthem factor.
Coming in third is ‘Miss Plaza Suite’, to these ears the showpiece of the record. After a Rush like intro, it’s a combination of sheer AOR keys and riffing. It sweeps us into the most spine chilling anthem chorus this side of Roadmaster.
‘Wired’ is really the only let down on show, rattling along at a furious pace but lacking the requisite hooks and melodies.
Next up is ‘What Kind Of Love Is This’, the first of two stately power ballads. It’s flowing harmonies were heard all over Canadian radio at the time.
‘Snow White’ kicks off with a memorable sha la la la vocal motif. It builds into a classic slice of early 80’s AOR, all hooks and choruses.
‘Look In Your Eyes’ is the other ballad, not as slow paced as the previous one, but equally plaintive and catchy.
The last two tracks are a very pleasant surprise, since this is where you’d usually find the filler material.
‘Ain’t In No Hurry’ is very reminiscent of Le Roux‘s ‘Yours Tonight’ from their ‘So Fired Up’ record. It glides along at mid tempo, with a simple yet ethereal melody providing the magic.
Closing the record is the stomping ‘One More Time’. Again it’s built on a great riff, and featuring a chorus chanted over a melodic descending keyboard hook.
In Summary
As mentioned, this album did good business in Canada, going double platinum.
By 1983, things had changed. Some for the better, some for the worse. Streetheart had their first opportunity to record outside of Canada during the ‘Dancin’ With Danger’ sessions.
The new producer Spencer Proffer changed the sound, the end result saw the album released to little fanfare.
The band released a live set late in 1983, but by early 1984, Streetheart had run its course.
Streetheart on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
