The worst of Stevie

[tlssln]

[QUOTE=Artemis;1072934]Woah, didn't realise so many people disliked Freedom, for me it's one of her better songs 1985-2001. Then again, Every Day is one of my favourite song on TISL, so...



I love Freedom but dislike Every Day.

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by tlssln

When it comes to her original songs...well partially hers...I think I would choose "Cheaper Than Free" with its kindergarten rhymes. The melody is fine but the lyrics seem to be written in less than minute.

Finally, someone said Cheaper Than Free. Ugh! And Stevie and Dave think it's so great. It's by far the weakest song on IYD, followed by Soldier's Angel.

I love Cheaper than Free.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I love Cheaper than Free.

Oh come on Skip. That's like saying you listen to Katy Perry.

[TheWILDheart]

WOW, so many of my favourites are getting a lot of stick. "Doing The Best I Can" is my favourite song on OSOTM and the fact that anybody has mentioned anything from the years between 73 and 82 I find totally mind-bogglingly painful ("Storms" and "Bella Donna" on a WORST list? Call yourself fans!?).

Even the songs that really have always taken a beating are ones I like. "Freedom" is better than any of Stevie's Tango tracks and "The Second Time" is a nice little song with a considerably better vocal than a lot of other stuff from that time. I also really love "Desert Angel", "Paper Doll" and "No Questions Asked".

The ONLY Stevie-penned Fleetwood Mac song that I don't like is "When I See You Again". As for solo songs, here is my complete skip-list:

The Nightmare
Some Become Strangers
Fire Burning
I Still Miss Someone
Unconditional Love
Docklands
Jane
Just Like A Woman
Touched By An Angel
Cheaper Than Free (musically, I think this ends IYD really well, but URGH those lyrics!!)

I've always found ALL of Stevie's songs from 75 - 82 flawless. The only dull moment on The Wild Heart for me is "I Will Run To You", but it's not a bad song. As you can see, the majority of my questionable choices are 87 - 94, but even in this era are some songs I absolutely adore ("Blue Denim" and "Long Way To Go" are 2 of my all time fav's).

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by StevieNicksfann

1) Beauty And The Beast - I know most everyone loves this song but to me it is the one that keeps Wild Heart from being my favorite album.

2) Freedom - just shoot me whenever this song comes on

3) Street Angel - please go back to heaven and leave me alone

4) Love Is Like A River - well then go drown in it cuz I never want to hear you again

7) Blue Denim - utter monotone drivel

Highwayman
Storms
Doing The Best That I Can
That's Alright
Soldier's Angel
Kick It

I think I just died a little bit inside reading all this.

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

Oh, it's very true that people can ruin her songs just as easily as they can make them great

I could not agree with this more. Rupert Hine has a LOT to answer for.

OSOTM is my least favourite Stevie album. The songs are fine (well, most of them), but I cannot bare the overall sound of the album. It sounds so tinny and the drums are often too harsh or too soft. "Whole Lotta Trouble", despite being a rather silly little song, has the potential to be a complete powerhouse with a huge beat, roaring guitars and the brass instruments all mashed up to make one great big boot-stomping hair-brush-in-the-mirror rock chick anthem. However, largely due to poor production on OSOTM, it sounds half done and unfinished, especially on the chorus which doesn't go anywhere. The song doesn't really pick up until the bridge, then falls flat again until the very end of the song. The Timespace and Enchanted remixes are better, but still lacking.

"Rooms on Fire", as much as I love it, could've been a lot better produced.

[mitzo]

Originally Posted by StevieNicksfann

I wonder why there are some songs of Stevie's that I think are musically "enough" for me or her vocals are stellar enough that I don't even pay attention to the lyrics. Case in point is Gate And Garden. I agree with whoever said that by that time in the album I need something fluffy or fluffier. I think the song in the sense and the sequencing of it in the album was a smart move.

But then there are other songs where it's the lyrics that move me to no end. So I find it curious where sometimes I pay attention and sometimes I don't. And I don't do that on purpose so something about the song says ok don't pay attention to much to the lyrics. Maybe I realize subconsciously that they'll disappoint me so I avoid reading them lol.

Anyway, my list is:

1) Beauty And The Beast - I know most everyone loves this song but to me it is the one that keeps Wild Heart from being my favorite album.

2) Freedom - just shoot me whenever this song comes on

3) Street Angel - please go back to heaven and leave me alone

4) Love Is Like A River - well then go drown in it cuz I never want to hear you again

5) Somebody Stand By Me -but I'll forgive you since you didn't write it

6) Docklands - and why did you ever put this into your concert set? grrr

7) Blue Denim - utter monotone drivel

There are others that I don't really care for and thus usually skip like:

Highwayman
Storms
Doing The Best That I Can
That's Alright
Cheaper Than Free
Soldier's Angel
Jane
Just Like A Woman
Kick It
That Made Me Stronger

Every other song of Stevie's I either like, love, or am obsessed with lol.

Rock A Little still remains my favorite album overall.
Other Side Of The Mirror, In Your Dreams, Wild Heart, and TISL are all tied as next favorites because they have just 1 or maybe 2 songs that I think are weak.
Bella Donna is nice but not the gospel everyone else seems to think it is.

And the one that I agree is half-crap is Street Angel but I disagree that it's all crap because I really love half the album including Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind, Greta, and Listen To The Rain and some of Stevie's strongest stuff.

I also love everything on SYW including Not Make Believe which I not only think should have made the regular edition of the album but should have been a single.

When I See You Again I used to despise for 20 years until I listened to it recently and now I feel like I get it and appreciate it.

By law, BATB and Storms should never ever be on anyone's "worst of" list.

[mitzo]

I always thought Somebody Stand by Me was one of her best vocal efforts. My worst-of list would have to include either the painful honky-tonk rockabilly or meandering badly produced faux rock efforts like Gold and Braid, Enchanted, Violet and Blue, I Need to Know, Blue Lamp...

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by mitzo

My worst-of list would have to include either the painful honky-tonk rockabilly or meandering badly produced faux rock efforts like Gold and Braid, Enchanted, Violet and Blue, I Need to Know, Blue Lamp...

Oh, I love all of those! "I Need To Know" is a bit annoying in her live set as she has such a large, ignored back catalogue, but the version on the HBO special is awesome. "Voilet & Blue" should've been on TWH and "Blue Lamp" should have been on Bella Donna. I have added both tracks in on my playlists.

[peer_gynt10]

Well, Desert Angel would be my first choice, closely followed by the Soldiers song on IMD and That Made Me Stronger. But, on my chronologically arranged playlist of Stevie songs, I often skip That's Alright and Straight Back. They always strike me as disappointing and, given the fact that they weren't performed live or popped up on compilations, seem to be the first two examples of forgotten or neglected songs in the canon. Someone please tell me, and I'm serious, is there anything I have missed or do they just not hold up to what, up to that point, was a breathtakingly beautiful and consistent output of quality songs?

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by peer_gynt10

I often skip That's Alright and Straight Back. They always strike me as disappointing ?

I bet you're a Katy Perry fan.

[peer_gynt10]

Originally Posted by vivfox

I bet you're a Katy Perry fan.

I'm totally a Katy Cat, how did you know

[blemelin]

"The Nightmare" is one of the worst "songs" set to record by anyone ever. I find it completely unlistenable. I think I made it through the whole thing only once, and I was horrified. It is garbage. I was working at Altantic Records when that album (Rock A Little) came out and everyone knew I was a huge Stevie fan. The "song" got passed around the company as a joke and after a little while, other artists on the label got in on making fun of it. They passed it around as an example of her self-indulgence and inability to edit herself. Everyone commented on how aptly-named it was. People started leaving cruel notes, horrific drawings and altered photos on my desk, poking fun at it and Stevie. At first I found the ridicule painful, especially because I knew how bad it was--which did hurt me--but I ultimately had to admit that if you put something that awful on a record that is released to the world, you have to deal with the repercussions. It's unfortunate, because I do think much of Stevie's output and longevity as a solo artist merits her a spot in the R&R Hall of Fame as a solo act, but to this day, there are still a lot of people in the industry who remember that song and some of the other dreck she has produced. It's really quite a shame.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by blemelin

"The Nightmare" is one of the worst "songs" set to record by anyone ever. I find it completely unlistenable. I think I made it through the whole thing only once, and I was horrified. It is garbage. I was working at Altantic Records when that album (Rock A Little) came out and everyone knew I was a huge Stevie fan. The "song" got passed around the company as a joke and after a little while, other artists on the label got in on making fun of it.

This is all very interesting, really. And really funny because I LOVE this song and I used this song back in 1985 to introduce a friend to Stevie's music and he listened and he "got" it and became a huge fan himself.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by blemelin

"The Nightmare" is one of the worst "songs" set to record by anyone ever. I find it completely unlistenable. I think I made it through the whole thing only once, and I was horrified. It is garbage. I was working at Altantic Records when that album (Rock A Little) came out and everyone knew I was a huge Stevie fan. The "song" got passed around the company as a joke and after a little while, other artists on the label got in on making fun of it. They passed it around as an example of her self-indulgence and inability to edit herself. Everyone commented on how aptly-named it was. People started leaving cruel notes, horrific drawings and altered photos on my desk, poking fun at it and Stevie. At first I found the ridicule painful, especially because I knew how bad it was--which did hurt me--but I ultimately had to admit that if you put something that awful on a record that is released to the world, you have to deal with the repercussions. It's unfortunate, because I do think much of Stevie's output and longevity as a solo artist merits her a spot in the R&R Hall of Fame as a solo act, but to this day, there are still a lot of people in the industry who remember that song and some of the other dreck she has produced. It's really quite a shame.

I believe this story. I find the song to be horrible, an embarrassment. She was so self indulgent.