On the subject of fantasies, Stevie Nicks is back. Never sexier or more spontaneous, this live album, titled The Soundstage Sessions, is a beauty of back catalogue selection. There’s Stand Back, Landslide, Beauty and the Beast and others, but most of all, it’s the best live recording of her ethereal masterpiece, Sara. Clocking in at seven or so minutes, it’s an astounding litany to love.
Sara, which was first released on Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk in 1980, is usually viewed as a jumble shop of esoteric ideas and dreams, but here Nicks creates clarity and a polymorphous resignation in her voice that’s perfectly matched by her backing band. The point of the song only really comes together at the end when, forlornly, Nicks protests: “There’s a heartbeat, no it never really dies … never really dies, won’t you swallow your pride.” Reading the words here won’t do the trick. But hearing them will bring tears to your eyes and exultation to the heart.
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