Customer Reviews

Heartbeat

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Hoo-boy. One can't really discuss the 80s without discussing Don Johnson, and one can't really love the 80s without loving the actor who defined the decade. The musical question is, How to justify this with the fact that the title track from this album constantly shows up on "cheesiest," "worst" and "makes me want to kill myself" lists? I've got to come clean: I think DJ is great. I'm one of those freaks who has no problem with him comparing himself to De Niro, because I completely agree with the sentiment. And I know that makes me sick and wrong. So, that out of the way, how about the album? Realistically, it's a sturdy, serviceable corporate pop/rock record. It's obvious the record company wanted to cash in on the Vice craze in a big way. This album boasts big-name talent like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Ron Wood and others on vocals and backing tracks, and more big-name talent like Bog Seger and Tom Petty helping out with songwriting. The sound has an eighties production sheen, but avoids the cheesy keyboards and actually sounds pretty muscular on tracks like "Last Sound Love Makes" and "Gotta Get Away." The one indulgence I will allow myself, as a DJ fan, is to go over the top in my description of the album closer, "Can't Take your Memory." A beautiful piano-driven ballad, Don delivers a vocal of striking power and emotion. I really believe you could play this track in a "blind" test, and most folks would herald the dude singing it as a major undiscovered talent. But, alas, he is Don Johnson. A joke to many, a hero to some and a major talent nonetheless. Five stars for DJ fans, two and a half for everybody else.

I took tons of ribbing from my friends for my three year search for the Heartbeat cassette. It was well worth it! Now I'm going to buy the CD. What a great bunch of songs. Why Don doesn't put out a Nash Bridges soundtrack or do some singing on the show is beyond me. This guy has got talent! I got even with one of my pals by playing the song Coco No. He thought it sounded real good - he ate his words and took back all the bad things he said about this album from that moment on. Now he's looking for it. Buy this CD.

As a teen in the 80s, my favorite tv shows were Moonlighting and Miami Vice, never missed an episode. My folks bought me the Heartbeat cassettes when I was a teen. Of course, I was an absolute Miami Vice fan. Had posters on my walls, I even cutout the small pictures from the tv guide (pathetic, huh). I loved his tape, my favorite songs were Voice on a hotline, and Lost in your eyes. Now, just about 30 years old, that song Lost in your eyes, actually makes sense. I'm looking forward to buying the latest cd, and hearing the songs I like. For being an actor, Don Johnson has a pretty darn good voice, he did great!

Don's premier album will be quite a surprise to those who think he's nothing more than Sonny Crockett. Don has a pleasant tenor voice which sounds better in the ballads. I purchased the album when in first came out in 1985 and have since replaced it with cd. This particular release contains several songs from his second album "Let it Roll". DJ fans will love "Little Ones Lullabye", written by Don. All in all, it's worth the listen.

I first bought his vinyl album in Aug '86 when released during the Miami Vice years. And also have the Heartbeat 1 hour video (with no dialogue)containing most of the orginal album songs, recorded from VH1 that same year. He's been singing since he was a kid in his grandaddy's church. His voice is clear and true and will always be loved by his true fans! You get a collection of rock and roll along with sad love songs. Hope to be able to find his second album here before too long.

This is the perfect Miami Vice soundtrack album. Don Johnson has the talent to be a big time rocker like John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen. The song "Last sound love makes" is my all time favorite. Buy this album now!! This is great stuff.

I have heard nothing but negative reviews of Don Johnson's singing for years and years; VH1 in particular likes to poke fun at his singing when they do their "worst songs" shows. I first owned the "Heartbeat" cassette when it was originally released and I wore it out! I was addicted to his music. I only wish he had recorded more music frankly. I do not care what others think or say, I personally love Don Johnson's voice and his music style; in fact, although I enjoy him as an actor, the truth is I am a bigger fan of his music. I've recently purchased the cd version since cassettes are obsolete now and besides, I literally played my old cassette so much that it would no longer even play properly!

At the time that Heartbeat came out in 1986, I went, how is Don Johnson going to handle getting in the music business and acting in the hit NBC TV series, Miami Vice? He could have flopped on the first try, no one really cared. But this album managed to have a hit in the title song, which is a fun pop number that has that anthemic Bon Jovi feel to it. The rest of the album is just as good, with some songs sounding a little bit like Journey and Steve Perry's music on tracks 2 to 5. Entertainment critics have taken potshots at his music stint back in the '80s, but he even had Bonnie Raitt, the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ron Wood and others on this album. He had some of the top musicians in the business performing on this album and people fail to mention that. Johnson probably wanted to vent some things through music and that might have led to Heartbeat. Only two songs don't sound good here. It seemed to be a trend in the '80s for actors getting into music, such as Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis and Johnson. But Johnson had an added bonus, 2 years later in 1988, he did a duet with the great Barbra Streisand for her album. So that just topped it when he got to sing with a great diva in Streisand and the song peaked at #26 pop. Maybe Babs was a huge fan of the Heartbeat album too. A few numbers are bluesy, so Don gets to stretch things here. So why am I writing this review? To say that Johnson managed to go platinum with this album even as Vice was a hit. Don managed to be a multimedia star in 1986-1987 in both TV and music and handled it with class in both areas. This is good escapist pop and while Don has a new TV show now,I wouldn't be surprised if he considers getting back to music and performing in a few clubsin LA just for fun.

Like many other people, when this album was released I thought "Don Johnson???" but how wrong I was to question that this ablum would be any good. This ablum is filled with great songs and great musicianship. Don's voice is surprisingly excellent. The songs are diverse, and a perfectly balanced mix between rock, blues and even country, which makes it hold up very well, now 15 years later. And Don knew what he was doing in surrounding himself with some of the best musicians of the day: Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ron Wood, Dweezil Zappa, etc.

Heartbeat great. Best songs Can't Take Your Memory and Little One's Lullaby.