Heart’s Nancy Wilson picks her favourite albums by The Beatles: “Bridged the generation gap in my family”
Nancy Wilson doesn’t beat around the bush. Regarding the best musicians of all time, the Heart vocalist wastes no time pointing to The Beatles because “obviously.” Repurposing traditionally American-sounding folk and blues through their typified British lens was a superpower, in Wilson’s eyes, one which made even their less polished and refined moments seem meticulous and intentional.
By the time 1985’s Heart was released, Wilson had established herself as one of the best guitar players. Her intuitive skills when playing the instrument and her ingenious and refreshing songwriting style provided a breath of fresh air in the rock ‘n’ roll landscape where the female touch was scarce. Many women had the talent, of course, probably even more so than their male counterparts, but dismissal often came first when women tried to occupy the limelight.
For Wilson, however, fighting this was not a losing battle. In fact, her built-in love and appreciation for great rockers and throwing out the rule book is probably what led her to The Beatles and the rawness of John Lennon’s guitar playing. Immersing herself in the world of the Fab Four wasn’t just a musical experience; it exposed passageways to new realms never before imaginable.
“The first time I dropped the needle on Revolver, it was like being let in through a secret backstage door where the recording session was going on,” Wilson said, echoing sentiments similar to those of most people the moment they first experience the album. The 1966 album was ultimately a testament to the band’s incredible foresight and ability to experiment with various musical elements that would withstand the test of time.
Revolver didn’t just alter the musical landscape. It significantly impacted culture and challenged the boundaries of music convention. “The sound of this record was smashed into the grooves so deep it felt physically mind-altering,” Wilson concluded, adding: “You could feel the air move. You could feel their collective consciousness, leaning toward new heights of greatness.”
The following year, the band’s eighth record, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, showcases the group at their most psychedelic with songs like ‘Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘A Day In the Life’. “Sgt. Pepper descended like a Technicolor epic on an otherwise black and white world,” Wilson explained, adding: “Impossibly beautiful and maybe the pure distilled essence of the magic spell The Beatles cast over the whole world. In every nook and cranny of this masterpiece, the songs are stories we all know. Songs speaking the language that our mind-expanding brains were ready to receive.”
Perhaps her most poignant encounter with The Beatles was her experience listening to Abbey Road with her parents. Not only did it make her feel more connected to her family, but she recalls the moment the album sountracked a wholesome, open environment “that bridged the generation gap in my family.” While they listened to Abbey Road, they passed a joint around “my family dinner table” which resulted in a “loving atmosphere.”
Although faced with confronting, sometimes odd situations, Wilson found solace in these three albums, discovering not only the boundless limitations of musical exploration but the beauty of life when it’s lived without restriction. Some may look upon the Beatles as nothing more than a revolutionary 1960s band, but they were so much more than just that – they altered the trajectory of culture as we know it.
