Wild Heart, The Title Track

[Scarlett DuBois]

Weird question, guys. I got a CD copy of "The Wild Heart" the other day. I love it - it's not Bella Donna, but then, what IS? Anyway, it's pretty great. I particularly like the title track - it has this neat Laura Nyro kind of aimlessness, and Stevie's vocal is just theatrical as all hell. I adore it.

Flipping through the liner notes, I was curiously paging through the musician credits; ya know, the session men, the usual suspects, Russ Kunkel on drums.

Anyway, I noticed the title track features a VERY Prominent piano, but... nobody is credited for piano.

What gives?

[gldstwmn]

It could have been Roy Bittan. I'm pretty sure the title track was produced by Gordon Perry and recorded in Dallas. Stevie has said something to the effect of all the musicians flew in for 10 days and left. I never noticed there was no one credited for the piano on Wild Heart. Maybe it was Sandy Stewart.

[tilthefirefades]

I'm only replying because Laura Nyro was mentioned

But really, I'm not sure why a piano credit wasn't given. It's as if Tusk was released, and reading through the credits Lindsey was omitted completely.

[On Ice]

I never noticed the omission of the piano credit, but it sounds more like a Roy Bittan play than Sandy Stewart. Despite some lyrical missteps with the hopelessly enchanted children, the vocal is interesting and the song itself is high spirited. She took some risks with her voice on this album as a whole that really turned out to be a nice little snapshot in her career.

[vivfox]

She said at the time that Tom Petty told her this was her 'masterpiece.'

[mikephxaz]

Originally Posted by vivfox

She said at the time that Tom Petty told her this was her 'masterpiece.'

I think Tom was right...I think it is perfect!! Recently I saw Stevie in a photograph standing next to Jim Steinmen (writer of Meatloaf's big hits, Streisands Left in the dark again, Bonnie Tylers Total Eclipse of the Heart..big soaring songs) at the Songwriters Awards show. Ive always felt that Stevies Wild Heart was that BIG! I wish she would have worked with Jim..they seem like an obvious pairing.

[BombaySapphire3]

Her tied for best title track with TISL IMO with Bella Donna just a shade behind.

[Mmonta4]

Originally Posted by vivfox

She said at the time that Tom Petty told her this was her 'masterpiece.'

Tom actually said it was "epic".

[pattyfan]

Could it have been a synthesizer programmed to sound like a piano? S Stewart is credited for the synthesizer. Just an idea.

Kevin

[David]

Originally Posted by pattyfan

Could it have been a synthesizer programmed to sound like a piano? S Stewart is credited for the synthesizer. Just an idea.

Kevin

No, it's a piano. It's more than likely Roy, as others have said in this thread. I suppose there's a slight chance it could even be Benmont (whose more delicate piano-playing style can be heard on a few of the demos and on Stevie's 1998 Storytellers). Technically speaking, there isn't anything in the piano part that Ben can't play. Still, it's probably Roy. The guy who plays "Jungleland" and "Gold & Braid" can play the "Wild Heart" piano part in his sleep.

[HejiraNYC]

Okay... this is an opportune moment to pose a dumb question: What is the difference between a "keyboard" and a "synthesizer?" My *assumption* is that "keyboard" is a catch-all term for any instrument, acoustic or electronic, with a piano-like key arrangement, e.g., piano, organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, et al., whereas a "synthesizer" is specifically a keyboard variant of the digital/electronic type.

I do find it rather odd that a "piano" player is not credited to WH. However, I suspect it is Sandy Stewart; it does not sound like Roy Bittan to me. It's hard to articulate, but I think Roy's piano tends to have more of a more percussive, freestyle quality with octave-spanning chords. The piano on WH, while still exuberant, tends to be relatively muted by Roy Bittan standards; it's more by-the-book.

[DashingDan]

Could it have been Stevie? It's not terrible challenging chord-wise...she's got good timing too, so maybe?

[britt0308]

Originally Posted by DashingDan

Could it have been Stevie? It's not terrible challenging chord-wise...she's got good timing too, so maybe?

I was tending to lean towards this small possibility as well..otherwise why NOT credit Benmont, Roy, Sandy, etc..??

[bombaysaffires]

I've always thought it was Sandy-- it's more like her not-subtle banging of the keyboard than Roy Bittan's.

[David]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Okay... this is an opportune moment to pose a dumb question: What is the difference between a "keyboard" and a "synthesizer?" My *assumption* is that "keyboard" is a catch-all term for any instrument, acoustic or electronic, with a piano-like key arrangement, e.g., piano, organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, et al., whereas a "synthesizer" is specifically a keyboard variant of the digital/electronic type.

Sometimes in rock circles, you hear that someone plays "keyboard" and another guy in the band plays "piano" or "organ."

A synthesizer can be analog or digital. I always thought it has to alter (or edit) waveforms (like sine waves). It usually has oscillators and envelope generators and other paraphernalia. When they refer to a "workstation" nowadays in rock music, they're referring to a synthesizer that interfaces with a computer. See the "synthesizer" Wiki entry.

I do find it rather odd that a "piano" player is not credited to WH. However, I suspect it is Sandy Stewart; it does not sound like Roy Bittan to me. It's hard to articulate, but I think Roy's piano tends to have more of a more percussive, freestyle quality with octave-spanning chords. The piano on WH, while still exuberant, tends to be relatively muted by Roy Bittan standards; it's more by-the-book.

I think I know what you mean, but I still think it could easily be Bittan or Tench. I'd have to listen to Sandy's piano all over her 1984 album again (and I don't want to do that!) If parts of "The Wild Heart" seem understated for Roy, that's just the arrangement underlying the verses. The piano on the chorus in the treble is essentially "Sara"—nobody here has said that but it's absolutely true. It's the same pattern: F major in 2nd inversion alternating with C major in root position. And there is a percussive style that breaks through even in the "Wild Heart" part: Listen to the left-right-left-right in the subdominant on the downbeat in the part that directly precedes the "Where is the reason" the second time through. As the track progresses and grows in dynamics, the piano fills in with passing or transitional chording. It doesn't scream Roy Bittan, but ... it could still be him. I wish we could ask somebody: Gordon Perry or Sandy Stewart or somebody.

There's also a nice Fender Rhodes (or DX-7) part all the way through. Maybe Roy played that, and someone else played the piano on what is probably a largely live track.

As for the suggestion above that it may be Stevie, no way, Jose. Harmonically & rhythmically, way too advanced for her. The touch isn't hers, either.