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Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Private Audition is the sixth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on May 20, 1982, by Epic Records. The album reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200, spending 14 weeks on the chart. It spawned the single "This Man Is Mine", which peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the last Heart album to feature longtime members Mike Derosier and Steve Fossen, who left after the recording of the album and were replaced by Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes.

In 2009, Private Audition was re-released by BGO Records as a double CD with the band's subsequent album, Passionworks (1983). Prior to this, Private Audition had been out of print for a number of years and was Heart's most difficult CD to obtain.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."City's Burning"Ann WilsonSue EnnisNancy Wilson4:26
2."Bright Light Girl"A. WilsonEnnisN. Wilson3:19
3."Perfect Stranger"A. WilsonEnnis3:51
4."Private Audition"A. WilsonEnnisN. Wilson3:19
5."Angels"A. WilsonEnnis3:00
6."This Man Is Mine"A. WilsonEnnisN. Wilson3:00
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."The Situation"N. WilsonMichael Derosier4:33
8."Hey Darlin Darlin"A. WilsonEnnis3:43
9."One Word"N. Wilson4:32
10."Fast Times"A. WilsonEnnisN. Wilson3:51
11."America"A. WilsonEnnis2:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Private Audition.

Heart

  • Ann Wilson – vocals (all tracks); piano (tracks 3, 4); backing vocals (track 6); flutes (track 8); bass guitar (track 11)
  • Nancy Wilson – second vocal (tracks 1, 6, 11); acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10); electric piano, acoustic piano (track 2); bass guitar (tracks 2, 6); vocals (tracks 2–5, 7–9); acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars (track 3); electric guitar (tracks 4, 6, 7, 10); piano (track 4); piano strings (track 5); backing vocals (track 6); pedal steel guitar (track 9); blues harp
  • Howard Leese – electric guitar (tracks 1–3, 7, 9, 10); synthesizers (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10); Moog drum (tracks 1, 7); acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 5, 8); orchestra bells (track 3); acoustic twelve-string (track 4); vocals (tracks 4, 5, 7, 8); piano strings (track 5); Hammond organ (tracks 6, 10); Moog bass, computer effects, clavioline (track 7); bass guitar, alto recorder (track 8); cymbal (track 11), strings score and conducting (tracks 3, 8, 11)
  • Steve Fossen – bass (track 1, 3, 4, 9, 10)
  • Michael Derosier – drums (tracks 1–4, 6–10)

Additional musicians

  • Lynn Wilson – vocals (tracks 3, 4, 7, 8); backing vocals (track 6)
  • Sue Ennis – piano (track 11)

Technical

Artwork

  • Dale Windham – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Private Audition
Chart (1982)Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)21
UK Albums (OCC)77
US Billboard 20025

Notes