What did you think the first time you listened to TISL???

[diamondsnake]

My first Stevie album was TISL so I can't relate to the people who were fans for so many years and then got the album, so I was wondering what you thought of Stevie's new voice? It seems like Stevie's voice changed so much and became much more weathered starting with this album. So when you heard "I remember him, he was very young, no one spoke like him, he was someone..." What did you think? Did you like the fact that her voice took on the new quality or what?

I prefer her vocals from this album to any other of Stevie's albums by the way. I'm just wondering what other people think. It just seems to me that her voice is very mellow in the dance but is extremely raspy and nasal on TISL.

Your thoughts? What was your initial reaction?

[dissention]

I love her voice on that album, especially on the title track and It's Only Love.

When I first got it, I loved it. I never liked Love Changes, Too Far From Texas (why oh why did she record this?), That Made Me Stronger, or Love Is (I was spoiled by the brilliant demo). The running order drives me a bit nuts because it starts off with a bang, then gets into the slow songs for the entire middle, only to pick up with Bombay Sapphires and onwards.

But, it's a great album for the most part. TISL is one of her best songs ever written, those are some amazing lyrics.

[strandinthewind]

I agree - I think the song TISL is just incredible - and I LOVE the demo. I think the best vocal is Its Only Love. But, yes, her voice is flat in some parts, but in the end, it was a stellar effort by a rock and roll woman who has lived the life!!!!! I love her for it.

[golden braid]

I agree also. TISL is a great song and the album starts off strong and then weakens in the middle and then ends up strong. The only songs I'm not particularly fond of are That Made Me Stronger and Love Changes. I like Love Is but the demo is definitely better.

[diamondsnake]

I love her voice on that album, especially on the title track and It's Only Love.

When I first got it, I loved it. I never liked Love Changes, Too Far From Texas (why oh why did she record this?), That Made Me Stronger, or Love Is (I was spoiled by the brilliant demo). The running order drives me a bit nuts because it starts off with a bang, then gets into the slow songs for the entire middle, only to pick up with Bombay Sapphires and onwards.

But, it's a great album for the most part. TISL is one of her best songs ever written, those are some amazing lyrics.

I love this song too, maybe my all time favorite Stevie song. I especiallyt love the "We all beleive in people that we think beleive in God" part.

[diamondsnake]

It seems like everyone hates TFFT and That Made Me Stronger, but I love these songs! I think they are great, the only song I skip on the record is It's Only Love. But back to the question at hand, was there anyone who was suprised by Stevie's newfound voice on the record? Or at this point was everyone used to Stevie's voice changing every three years?

[markolas]

I only really started listening to Stevie Nicks around 1999 or so, right after Enchanted came out, although I'd grown up hearing "Gypsy" and "Sara" on the radio. I immediately loved TISL...I thought her voice sounded better than it had in a long time. I remember hearing "It's Only Love" and "Love Changes" and thinking her voice sounded as good as during the "Bella Donna" days on those two. And yes, I had an immediate dislike for "Too Far from Texas," and to a lesser extent, "That Made Me Stronger."

[dissention]

Or at this point was everyone used to Stevie's voice changing every three years?

You hit the nail right on the head. ;)

[dissention]

I love this song too, maybe my all time favorite Stevie song. I especiallyt love the "We all beleive in people that we think beleive in God" part.

Not a fan of that line at all, but the rest of the song is superb. :nod:

[GypsySorcerer]

Actually, I thought her vocals on TISL were pretty good. (Much better than RAL and TITN eras). I think "I Miss You," "It's Only Love," and "Trouble in Shangri-La" are the best, vocally. Other than Belladonna, it's my fave Stevie solo album.

[dissention]

I agree - I think the song TISL is just incredible - and I LOVE the demo.

Really? For the most part, the TISL demos annoy me. I don't like the drum machines and stuff, so it really drives me bonkers. But can we talk about the Love Is demo? Hoooo!

[golden braid]

I don't like the TISL demo either. I do like the Bombay Sapphires demo though.

[Hawkeye]

I'm not a big fan of the TISL album, BUT TISl the song is got to be one of her best songs EVER. The album starts off with a freaking major bang. Then there are many average songs that I am sometimes in the mood for. There are times when I love Sorcerer other times I don't, same with Planets. And is it just me or is it weird how when you look at the back of the CD the songs are arranged into 3 rows. And that middle row is where all the bad songs are. Everyday is freaking bland. The next AMAZING song after TISL is Bombay Saphires which is actually PRODUCED by Stevie alone. Fall From grace almost rivals TISL. It is her most rocking song ever almost. Love Is is an amazing song with incredible vocals and sorry Dissention I don't like the demo of the song. I don't like any of the demos really except maybe FFG with those extra lyrics.

[Jessica]

The first time? I thought it was unfortunate that the only song I liked immediately was Everyday, which she didn't even write. I like Planets of the Universe, too. The rest of the album never grabbed me and I think I've only listened to it 6 or so times. Of her solo albums, I really only listen to Belladonna and Wild Heart with any regularity. Well, I do pop in Enchanted a lot, too.

[goldustboi]

I just dont think TISL was really all that good. Sorceror is the only song I particularly like, but even now after hearing the Buckingham Nicks live version, id rather listen to that. TISL is the first stevie album i bought and had huge expectations, but was disappointed. Since then Iv bought Timespace and Bella Donna. BD I fell in love with instantly.

Since TISL came out it must have been in my CD player no more than 15 times - I've tried to like it but to be honest, her voice annoys me, it sounds like she cant be bothered. It makes me wonder how I can then be so amazed by her on Say you will.

:shocked: :shocked:

[darklinensuit]

I had downloaded most of her songs one by one before the release of the album. I remember the last song I could fingd was Candlebright, which I was eager to hear since I love the Nomad demo.
Initial impressions:

TISL - Love the chorus and in fact the whole song, but on first listen I thought the start sounded like the song Street Angel.

Candlebright - An underrated song, though I still prefer her high notes on the demo. And I wish there were more of a pause between the first two songs.

Sorcerer - I was impressed by her voice but disappointed that the two-voice ending part from the demo had been abandoned.

POTU - It's okay. This should not have been the Grammy pick from this album. I was glad to see this song do well as a single and I do like it, but I'm not a lover of the arrangement or her voice on it the way most Ledgies are.

Every Day - I didn't care for it much until I heard it live. This song got bashed by Austin radio quite a bit, and I was sorry that this song would be most people's intro to the album. Love the video, though.

TFFT - I love this song, and not just because of my address. Catchy chorus & one of the album's best vocals. I like Natalie's voice with Stevie's, though I know that's not a popular opinion here. Stevie's country flavored tunes never miss, and I love almost everything she does with Sandy Stewart (MLWCYM is the notable exception).

It's Only Love - I love everything about this song. The vocal foreshadows Goodby Baby and is amazing, and this is one arrangement where the bond between Stevie & Sheryl really works.

That Made Me Stronger - I like the chorus but can see why some critics find the lyrics self-indulgent. I remember thinking that the arrangement sounded very early '90s.

Love Changes - My least favorite on the album. A fine vocal, but weak lyrics & an overall instantly dated sound to the arrangement, IMO. It has grown on me.

I Miss You - I remember thinking that this song could have been a big hit had it been released on TOSOTM when that keyboard sound was really in. I loved the song from the first notes. Fetching melody and really good vocal.

Bombay Sapphires - I really like this song. At the time I wasn't too familiar with Macey's work, but I liked her on this. Something about the sound, mood and placement in the album's sequence reminds me of classics such as Outside The Rain and Sable On Blonde.

FFG - This song has grown on me. The vocal is fine & the lyrics are good, but the song as a whole did not sound too original to me on first listen. I like it & think as a rocker it works best live, but I still don't love it the way other posters do.

Love Is - The lyrics do nothing for me. The vocal is okay. One of my least favorites on the album. I agree that the demo is better, but I don't like it a whole lot either.


As for her voice changing, I didn't notice a big change. Touched By An Angel had been released a few months prior, plus there was her other soundtrack work. I love her TISL voice, but to me TWH, BD, and RAL were the days of THE voice.

- Jake

[Kelly]

Well, I don't notice much of a difference between her Dance/Enchanted voice and her TiSL voice, so I enjoyed it. I guess it is slightly more nasally but I am so used to her voice changing that it doesn't really bother me. It is such a vast improvement over her TOSOTM, Timespace and SA voice, that I was immediately impressed.
As far as the album overall, lyrically it is my favorite. BellaDonna is a very close second but I really love the theme and feel of TiSL. I do feel parts of it are overproduced and the arrangments on certain songs do not work IMO. My favorite Stevie tracks are usually the more simpler ones, like Bombay Sapphires, It's Only Love and Everyday.
TFFT is ok, I don't hate it but I always prefer something that Stevie wrote to something she did not write. I hate TMMS, although I understand her desire to include it in the album, with its achieving and losing "shangri la" theme.
The "Love Is" piano demo is so exquisite that I was not surprised the final track did not touch me in the way the demo did. The additional lyrics and her voice on the original just blow me away. I think its one of her best demos ever.
I am not quite sure what it is about the Sheryl Crow / Stevie collaboration that does not work for me but there is just something missing. I actually do not like their voices together at all and watching Sheryl sing Sorcerer with Stevie was not something I enjoyed! Stevie has actually compared their singing to what she has with LB and I just do not hear it. Sheryl's voice is gorgeous but I do not like how she sounds with Stevie, I think she is too high or something. I do enjoy her on the SYW album track. There is just something about Stevie's voice blending with Lindsey's that cannot be matched. They really do have something magical vocally that Sheryl and Stevie do not even come close to capturing. Just MO though!

[Serrart]

It's been the first of her solo albums I've listened to and I've immediately found it an inspired work of art :angel: . Her ability to capture so vividly and honestly so many differents feelings through her lyrics amazed me and her voice that can be so powerful and delicate at the same time just won me over. I loved the producing, especially John Shanks on TISL, POTU and FFG (he seems to connect in a very original way both technically and emotionally to Stevie's songs, I hope they would work together again :cool: ), Stevie on Bombay Sapphires and most of Sheryl Crow's choices too. :)

Romy

[Carolina Girl]

Where can I find the Love Is demo?

[Claudia]

TISL was my second Stevie solo album (the first being Timespace). I wasn't exactly in love with this album at first but I've been learning to like it more and more. Now it's one of the albums I play the most (how things change). I especially like the title track, I find it very powerful, "Planets of the Universe", "Fall from Grace" and I never skip "I Miss You". I think the only song I don't really like is "Too Far From Texas", the rest depends on my mood :D .

[face of glass]

I've tried to like it but to be honest, her voice annoys me, it sounds like she cant be bothered. It makes me wonder how I can then be so amazed by her on Say you will.
I have a problem with her voice on TISL too. Some of the most resonant qualities of it are hidden and that is pretty much due to the production; not necessarily the Pro-Tools but anyway, Chris Lord-Alge's attempts to pull all the material together into one cohesive whole should probably be blamed for it too. On SYW Stevie's voice is much more moving for me, probably because the lead vocal wasn't treated in the studio, or maybe its nasality was even electronically enhanced (as one of the most respected members of the board once stated) and very possibly because the contrast between the studio polish and SN's rasp is still incredibly unique and moving. On TISL it seems like they've attempted to give the voice some polish and thus it suffers.

The album itself? One homogenized piece of music (much like TOSOTM and occasionally even Street Angel); devoid of any eccentric musical moments (which OOTC has) [and even on Stevie's past albums they were questionable to say the least; remember, the studio musicians were to enhance, not to overshadow]. Disregard Stevie's personality along with her voice and a lot of it is high quality background music, never insulting anyone and trying to get by with "subtlety".

So, did she really recover in songwriting after the Klonopin years? I'd say that her rhythmic qualities have somehow been regained and re-enhanced in that she knows the tricks of subtlety even better than before. But what about the other aspects of it? Hmm, we've been there before. :eek:

Sure, it's still a good album. For us fans, at least. :nod:

[skcin]

Where can I find the Love Is demo?

I believe I have it, I can post it on my website the next time I update.

That being said, the first time I listened to TISL, I thought "WOW, this is her best stuff in years!" Agree with the previous post about that album starting out with a BANG, the title track is probably my favorite on the album. And Fall From Grace is awesome live (I still remember seeing her do that one for the first time during the Blockbuster Awards in '01 - blew me away!)

I just think that her songwriting, lyrically & musically, are superb on TISL & I love it.

Paula

[chiliD]

I thought it was pretty good the first time I heard TISL. (which was saying a lot, for me...I was really down on Stevie's solo material since TOSOTM) In fact, I thought it was her best total album since Bella Donna. The only songs in TISL that I didn't originally care for were "Candlebright" & "Too Far From Texas", but those both have grown on me over time.

[Bella Figura]

I really enjoyed my first time hearing TISL even though I had downloaded many of the tracks prior to the albums release. It was great to have a new album after both the Dance and Enchanted. Not that I don't enjoy greatest hits packages but there's something about being a fan and wanting/supporting new material.

the only song I every skip is Sheryl's It's Only Love...and that's because Heather Nova's song It's Only Love is brillant so to me Sheryl's is a very pale comparison...

I've since taken the TISL demos and put them on cd so it's like having a completely different album. so I don't really do a "which is better??" comparison but the Love Is demo is very beautiful and I always enjoy all demo incarnations of Sorcerer.

As far as vocals are concerned, if you are a longtime Stevie fan, you just know that her voice changes from album to album. But I remember being the most unhappy about her voice deterioration during the release of RAL.

[goldie]

. TISL is one of her best songs ever written, those are some amazing lyrics.

I agree.

When I first heard the album, with TISL coming first, I thought WHOA! Stevie is back.. the lyrics...the voice (not on par with the 70's, but the best I had heard her up to that time...). TISL is a GREAT GREAT song. But then I heard the rest of the album and I wasn't extraordinarily impressed, with the exception of POTU.

[goldie]

Or at this point was everyone used to Stevie's voice changing every three years?


This saddens me to no end!! Or maybe it's why we love her all so much. I wonder if she misses her original singing voice. It's like a songbird to me.

[darklinensuit]

This saddens me to no end!! Or maybe it's why we love her all so much. I wonder if she misses her original singing voice. It's like a songbird to me.

We all have our opinions, but to me the early '80s were the zenith for the voice. Much better than the "original" voice.

- Jake

[Hawkeye]

does anyone remember the first we heard of the album was on the nicksfix and they had that little montage with TISL the song. It was so AMAZING. That was like th ost amazing thing I'd ever heard. That little snippet got me SO PUMPED for that album. Does anyone else remember that thing on the nicksfix back when it was really useful :laugh:

[wondergirl9847]

It was the most horrific piece of crap I'd ever heard in my LIFE!!!!

:lol:

Kidding, of course. I can't really remember my initial thoughts. I remember loving the title song, Sorcerer, POTU, I Miss You, Bombay Sapphires and Fall from Grace the most...they are still my faves. :)

[dissention]

It was the most horrific piece of crap I'd ever heard in my LIFE!!!!

:lol:

Kidding, of course.

I know you were really talking about Out of the Cradle. He didn't lift your soul with that flaming piece of garbage. I imagine you weren't walking the street of dreams after hearing it. ;)

[wondergirl9847]

Yeah, what a piece of crapola THAT was!! UGH!! Turn It On?? More like Turn It OFF!!

:lol:

[dissention]

Yeah, what a piece of crapola THAT was!! UGH!! Turn It On?? More like Turn It OFF!!

:lol:

I know! Don't Look Down?! Don't Pick Up! :wavey:

[Hawkeye]

It's the countdown to the end of the CD it's just so danmed wrong he decided to make this. But it's something you either hate or you don't :lol:

[mylittledemon]

I thought it was great. I still remember walking into Media Play and buying 3 copies of it. I really enjoyed TISL, Sorcerer, Planets, Everyday (yes I like this song!), I Miss You, Fall From Grace and Love Is. I think I even joined these forums right at the time that album came out.

On the downside, I didn't like the 'John Shanks-overproduction' of it all. I swear in EVERY album he is involved in, and plays as a musician, you hear the same damn guitar riffs.

[jadegypsy]

I am really going to be in the minority here: But I didn't care for it at all on first listen, the ONLY song I liked was Sorcerer. It actually collected dust for an entire year and then after "re-discovering" the Mac since I knew they were touring and buying VBOFM and then buying BD and loving BD I decided to give TISL another try. I ended up LOVING it, but only after hearing Bombay Saphires which for some reason just grabbed me. It is now my second fave Stevie album tied with RAL and behind BD.

[Cristian]

I'm a huge Beatles fan and I felt a little bad. I bought only TWO Cds on that year: Paul McCartney's Driving Rain and TISL.

So my first thought after listening to TISL was: "heck, this thing is much better than Paul's album". Of course now I think that Paul album is crap, and TISL is certainly not.


Song of the moment - Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

[ShangriLaTroubl]

I think I liked it much more the first listen than I do now..I love the album now, but when I first heard it, it was my first experience with a NEW solo album from Stevie, I had Enchanted and all the old stuff, but it was diff. for me to finally see her release something new...I thought the album sounded fresh....and the first line i actually heard was a clip from TISL the line "it was my sin it was my shame..." I just thought that little line in itself sounded so incredibly awesome....as I do today...

so I thought the album when I first heard it was really STEVIE NOW , her emotions, her thoughts NOW (although im aware a lot of it was past material..) It just seemed to me to convey a woman who has been in rock for many years, being honest, and letting her soul finally show, where she has often hidden things behind the mystic for so long....

Chris

[darklinensuit]

does anyone remember the first we heard of the album was on the nicksfix and they had that little montage with TISL the song. It was so AMAZING. That was like th ost amazing thing I'd ever heard. That little snippet got me SO PUMPED for that album. Does anyone else remember that thing on the nicksfix back when it was really useful :laugh:

Yes, I remember that cool clip with the mving photos, and for the record, I still find the Nicksfix useful.

- Jake