It's time for the hardest rocking song ever written about sea life, as Kirk takes a deep dive into Heart's 1977 body-shaker "Barracuda." A deceptively complex song written around a deceptively straightforward riff, "Barracuda" opens the door for a discussion of the particulars of guitar tone, stompbox effects, the long history of the "galloping groove," why Ann Wilson's vocals rock as hard as they do, and a brief tribute to her sister Nancy's killer guitar chops.
Band/Artist: Heart
Album: Little Queen, 1977
Composed by: Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher, Michael DeRosier
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
- "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan
- "Make a Mistake with Me" by Brad Paisley
- "November Rain" by Guns 'n Roses feat. Slash
- "This Flight Tonight" as performed by Nazareth
- "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin
- "William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini
- "Crazy on You" by Heart
- "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin
- A cool interview with Roger Fisher about creating his Barracuda guitar tone, as well as that "Alien Attack" sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcQik5m0t9Q
- A Wall Street Journal interview with the Wilsons about the process of writing the song: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rage-behind-hearts-barracuda-11557331740
OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo
This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar all around the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get really good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/
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