The band Heart was looking to achieve some harmonious balance when it came time to record their fourth studio album. The group was still recovering from a protracted legal battle with former record label, Mushroom, over third album, Magazine. When the smoke cleared, Mushroom released an unfinished version of the record in April 1977. A year later almost to the day, Heart issued their own version of the Magazine LP.
RELATED: May 1977: Heart Releases "Little Queen"
A rejuvenated Heart returned on October 7, 1978, with Dog & Butterfly. Purposely split into the hard rocking "Dog" side and a softer, acoustic "Butterfly" side, the album showcased sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson and the rest of Heart getting back to the business of making sweet music.
First single "Straight On" closed the "Dog" side, hitting rock radio in September 1978. The track crashed the top 20, peaking at #15 on the Hot 100 for the week of December 16, 1978. The #1 song in America that week: Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."
Heart went to the album's acoustic title track for single number two in January 1979. While not the chart hit as "Straight On," "Dog & Butterfly" flew into the top 40 to peak at #15 for the week of March 31, 1979. The #1 song in the country at the time: the Bee Gees' "Tragedy."
Altogether, Dog & Butterfly established Heart as an estrogen-powered force to be reckoned with among the testosterone-soaked world of 1970s rock. On the Billboard 200, the LP reached #17 over the week of January 20, 1979. The top album in the U.S that week: Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.
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